Project
Vault 84
An 84-key ergonomic keyboard inspired by Fallout's Pip-Boy.
What it is
The Vault 84 is a wireless keyboard with 84 keys, styled after the Pip-Boy, the wrist computer from Fallout. The keys follow a curved, staggered layout, a bit like Logitech's K860, and the board is split across three PCBs joined by ribbon cables, so the left and right sides slope down and your wrists don't have to lie flat. The centre console has two rotary knobs for volume and scrolling, a porthole onto the controller, and an OLED screen where the Vault Boy shows the battery, the Bluetooth connection, the active layer and which modifiers are held. The 3D-printed case is painted to look old and irradiated.
Why I built it
I built it as a gift for my niece. She liked the Paw when I showed it to her, but she wanted a keyboard with most of the normal keys and she wanted something colourful. After a few discussions we settled on something Fallout-themed.
After a bit of head-scratching, I went for a curved ergonomic layout similar to my Logitech. Most of my effort went to making it look like a prop from the Fallout universe though - something truly beaten up!
Where it's at
Completed... I've got a few extra PCBs, so I might make another one for my daughter. I suspect it wouldn't be very economical to try to sell - the amount of work that went into it was more like a piece of functional art than a keyboard.
The blog post tells the whole story, from planning the layout to the second batch of PCBs and painting the case. I'd like to make a split version with fewer keys for myself one day.
