I think that a split steampunk-themed keyboards should take inspiration or even have references to early "ergonomic" typewriters, such as those from Reinmetall or Blickensderfer.
You could have a solenoid ring the bell if a locking light changes.
IMHO, gears should do something, not just be for decoration. Why not take the opportunity to make a truly split Alice for once and have a visible gear be part of the mechanism.
Or at least, put a volume knob on it, and that knob turns the gears.
