Pad

For quite some time, I’ve been using a TKL (ten-key-less) keyboard, which, as the name implies, does not have a numpad. That’s totally fine for 95% of my usage, but the 5% hurts when it’s not there, so I’ve been thinking about an external numpad.

In the meantime, I have also acquired a nice mechanical keyboard, in the Keychron V3, which has shown me how nice proper mechanical switches are, and the power of fully remapping every key possible. It’s great! In fact, it’s too great - I’m spoiled, want something similarly good for my separate numpad.

And looking around, turns out that most remappable, mechanical, numpads are expensive - 100$+. Honestly, if I’m going to spend that kind of money? I’ll just go and build my own (because yes, DIYing is almost always more expensive than off the shelf stuff). A fully custom thing, designed from the ground up by yours truly.

I do want to get fancy with this one:

Of the resources I found, there is a video by Salim Benbouziyane on how he designed it, and he was generous enough to opensource the design which will be of great help to me.

Now, off to continue setting up my homelab so I can get started!