My first custom mechanical keyboard — Cheapino V2

Today is my birthday, and a few months ago I decided to finally find and try building my first mechanical split keyboard. I’ve always been curious about using a split keyboard as my daily driver. For over a decade, I used a MacBook keyboard and was relatively happy, except for the “butterfly” keyboard on my previous Intel-based MacBook Pro, which forced me to use an external keyboard. However, that was just a simple Logitech keyboard, nothing fancy.

I’ve always been obsessed with the aesthetics of custom-built keyboards, especially split ones. This interest grew as I started to learn Vim and decided to switch from VS Code to Neovim when I felt ready. So, around December of 2023, I began researching to find a good-looking keyboard that was also affordable. I wasn’t confident in my ability to build one from scratch, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I really needed a custom keyboard, so I wanted something relatively cheap to experiment with. I was considering Ferris or Corne, but when I saw the Cheapino and especially its detailed build guide, my decision was made.

I ordered all the parts according to the specifications, picked up some additional items, and when everything arrived, I started assembling it slowly, piece by piece. The process was slow because I didn’t have much free time (yes, I have two kids, one of them an infant). However, I wasn’t in a rush because I had planned this as a great birthday gift to myself, and I had plenty of time.

I must say, switching from my daily routines and coding to a hands-on project like this was pure joy. It felt great to build something physical with my own hands, especially something I planned to use every day.

Now it’s ready, and I think it looks gorgeous. I obviously didn’t have much experience with soldering, but I did my best, and I’m pretty happy with the result. My typing speed is destroyed, but I believe it’s a skill issue and would be fixed with a bit of a practice. Overall, it feels amazing; that’s all I can say for now (I used Akko V3 Cream Blue Pro switches for this build if anyone’s interested).

It’s been quite a journey for me, and I’m still excited about where it will lead me.