Blueprint

Split-Keyboard

The Caldera keyboard, a completely custom, from-scratch DIY keyboard I've been working on building for months. This shows the process, as well as a high-level tutorial on how to build your own completely custom keyboard. A remake from the not-so-popular but very underrated YouTube creator Christian Selig.

Created by martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27

Tier 2

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Timeline

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 submitted Split-Keyboard for review ago

Jay Jay 🚀 requested changes for Split-Keyboard ago

The total for all of this seems to be around $100, and you seem to be requesting ~$150/$130. Can you justify that as well?

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 submitted Split-Keyboard for review ago

PenguinBoyMo PenguinBoyMo requested changes for Split-Keyboard ago

You didn't change your read.me

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 submitted Split-Keyboard for review ago

Jay Jay 🚀 requested changes for Split-Keyboard ago

Can you make a README photo with the full assembly that includes keycaps and everything together?

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Creating firmware for both sides

So I tried following the video, but I am on a Chromebook, so using the terminal was pretty much impossible. So i had to use github, which proved ineffective, so as a last resort, I used chatgpt the first time, it didn't work at all. I quit for the day and decided to come back the next day. It was worth it because it finally worked.

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The reason why it says 3 hours instead of 2 is because the first 2 you can see in the picture but the remaining 1 hour was done using chatgpt and therefore not documented.

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Worked on updating github

I added image of cad, ergogen, pcb, parts and more to the github readme.mb file and added the firware for both side in the zmk-config-caldera folder on github.

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martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 submitted Split-Keyboard for review ago

Iamalive Iamalive 🚀 requested changes for Split-Keyboard ago

Please fix your readme so that it includes images of your cad, pcb, schematic, and a more in-depth explanation of your project.

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Well i'm a morron its this one

The last file was an accident ,it was actually these images that you needed to account for not the last one. Terribly sorry but please check this one. Never mind this I just deleted the other one

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martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 submitted Split-Keyboard for review ago

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Recreating the case

Recreating the case was pretty difficult because I was using thinkercad ,and for the most part of making I was using touchscreen because I didn't have my mouse.

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martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Connected all electric wiring in kiCad - Right

So after doing the left side, it became easier, but it still proved to have taken a lot of time around 3 hours, but it was the same click button make connections and voila so I did that until i had no more to route and I was done after that

Screenshot 2025-12-09 9.39.46 PM

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Getting the PCB in kiCad - Right

After doing the left side, getting the right side in would prove easy, but the download speeds were sooooo slow that it took 15 mins to download, and for my poor PI, it took 5 mins to just render, but after that it was fine.

Screenshot 2025-12-09 9.39.35 PM

(I forgot to take a screenshot, but here is a recreation of it)

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Connected all electric wiring in kiCad - Left

So after figuring out how to put in the pcb I started to connect the wiring, but I didn't really know how. Christian said it was pretty simple, you just had to click on it, and it would tell you where you had to make your next connection.

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So I did it for every single connection until it said 'Unrouted: 0', that is when I knew I was done, finally, after finding every single one. I am free at last.

Screenshot 2025-12-09 9.35.20 PM

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

KiCad upload pcb connect -Left

I uploaded the left side PCB to KiCad, which was difficult because I didn't know how to do it myself, so I asked ChatGPT, which wasn't a wonder, but I somehow got it to work in KiCad.
Screenshot 2025-12-09 9.36.28 PM

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Fixing ergogen

Code didn't work so I reployed chatgpt to help me find the proper layout. Have currently created the same keyplacement as his while I am writing this am about to make the layout. I am done creating the layout.

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Screenshot 2025-12-09 9.17.46 PM

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Configuring Egogen code

Here, I couldn't find the code on GitHub, so I had to write it down manually, copying and pausing each frame to write down the details. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

Screenshot 2025-12-09 8.30.05 PM

martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 added to the journal ago

Watching the full Christian Selig video

Watching the full Christian Selig video, I just watched the video keeping in mind the steps he took and which order, and checking the description for useful links

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martiksimonian27 martiksimonian27 started Split-Keyboard ago