Project
Paw
A 34-key split keyboard with an expandable pogo connector bus.
What it is
Paw is a wireless split keyboard with 34 keys, hot-swap sockets for Choc V1 or V2 switches, and keys spaced as closely as the keycaps allow. What makes it different is the top of each half: a 5-pin magnetic pogo connector that takes any I2C add-on. Snap on a small tilted OLED screen, or a 65 × 49 mm trackpad that sits like an extension of the keys, and pull it off again when you pack the keyboard away. The PCB, case and ZMK firmware are all open source.
Why I built it
My first split keyboard was a ZSA Voyager. It's a great keyboard, but I got annoyed with the wires on my desk, and I hardly used its top row or outer columns because they were uncomfortable to reach.
So I designed my own, the Lobo, around a map of where my fingers landed on a sheet of paper, and hand wired it. Typing on it for real taught me what paper couldn't: the extreme splay that suited each finger on its own made combinations like W then A a stretch, and I mostly pressed the third thumb key by mistake. I also wanted hot-swap switches (they're the expensive bit) and a trackpad I could take off.
The Paw is the result of those lessons: very limited splay, two thumb keys, a proper PCB designed in KiCad, and the magnetic connector for the trackpad.
Where it's at
It's the keyboard I type on every day, running oskey and the layout you can explore in keyviz.
After using it for about 6 months, I don't really use the trackpad and the main thing I need from the OLED is the battery level. So I'll probably build something a little different eventually but I'm not in a huge rush as the keyboard is fine as a daily driver for now.
