{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Keyboards on Alex Johnstone", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2025/23/1791576.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/", "feed_url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2026/04/20/another-apple-keyboard/", "title": "Another Apple Keyboard", "content_html": "

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I’ve recent tried a bluetooth keyboard with my phone for a somewhat distraction free writing experience. Mostly to use 1Writer and mostly to not be on the computer. It was a Microsoft Surface keyboard, and worked fine but full size. I wanted something a bit neater and maybe iOS shortcuts would be better, and so I decided to look for an Apple keyboard. Enter the A2450.

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I thought this was going to be USB-C, but I must’ve read that wrong or something, because it’s Lightning. Not the end of the world but a little annoying.

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I printed a tiny landscape, foldable stand for my phone and have been enjoying typing on it. The phyiscal button on the keyboard makes it easy to disconnect from the phone without faffing with bluetooth settings.

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-20T21:34:10+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2026/04/20/another-apple-keyboard/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] }, { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2025/09/22/poker-ii-keyboard-the-one/", "title": "Poker II Keyboard - The one that started it all", "content_html": "\"Auto-generated\n

Up until this point, I’d been using random keyboards from Amazon or I don’t know where. Somehow I ended up on /r/mechanicalkeyboards and decided I needed one. It dread to think how many hours I spent reading, researching and determining what I should buy. In the end I asked for this for my birthday in 2013 - The Poker 2. I liked the compact nature of it, and Cherry MX Browns sounded a good compromise between clicky and linears and “ideal for gaming”.

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This started my whole mechanical keyboard journey, but this one was always one of my favourite, perhaps even my number 1. Maybe because I used it for so long and got used to the key chords for the other layers, or maybe just because it was my first. I tried out a few different keycaps over it’s lifetime and even bought a fancy curly cable. For a while I took it to work and used it there. I think it was a good compromise between size and available keys, plus it wasn’t too deep. A lot of mechanical keyboards, especially ones I’ve made, are quite deep and I much prefer a flatter typing experience - probably why I like a lot of butterfly switch keyboards. I guess as this was manufactured, and not key switches soldered in, they could keep it quite shallow.

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Unfortunately, when fitting a 3rd party case I managed to break the USB connector. I did try soldering it back on but it was never the same and I just couldn’t get a reliable connection. This was early on in my soldering experience so maybe I did a bad job of it, but it was also possible I broke some tracks or something else as well. I think I sold it as broken for someone else to tinker with.

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I still debate about getting a replacement, but not sure it will be the same.

\n", "date_published": "2025-09-22T13:57:31+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2025/09/22/poker-ii-keyboard-the-one/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] }, { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2025/09/15/kbp-alps-keyboard/", "title": "kb45p - 45% Alps keyboard", "content_html": "\"Auto-generated\n

This one is from 2016. Think I found it whilst browsing deskthority and the guy was selling PCBs for $30 or something cheap, so of course I bought it. I liked the idea of trying out alps switches, vs. the usual cherry mx ones I had been using. Alps were common on older Apple keyboards, and I’d found an ebay listing for a couple of Apple Extended Keyboards (AEK). One of which I was going to try and use as is and the other I dismantled to get the alps switches out.

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A PCB - how it always starts

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This ended up being a fairly cheap keyboard, as I had switches and caps from the AEK, the PCB from the forum and I just needed the plates. I did get some plastic ones from somewhere, maybe the seller, or someone else on the forums (I don’t remember) but I wanted a metal plate. I found a company in Greece called Lasergist, who would make them and ship to the US for $50! I even got an Apple logo etched on it.

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I really liked the build, it was solid, looked good - thanks to the Apple keycaps - and tiny! Using it, however, was always going to be a problem. It was a lot better than some small keyboards I had. At least the keys were staggered and all the letters are there, but getting used to or remembering the function keys and layers is difficult when I rarely use it. Like all the rest, I sold it in the end.

\n\"Auto-generated\n", "date_published": "2025-09-15T09:52:50+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2025/09/15/kbp-alps-keyboard/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] }, { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2025/09/14/apple-wireless-keyboard-a/", "title": "Apple Wireless Keyboard (A1314)", "content_html": "\"Auto-generated\n

Let’s continue with the Apple keyboards for now. This one is most ubiquitous and there are probably absolutely thousands of them about. This is the one I bought to use with the mac mini, instead of the older A1048. It and the trackpad were pretty cheap off ebay.

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I actually really like this keyboard. It’s a good size, keeps your hands in a nice position and not too much reaching for the mouse or trackpad, and the butterfly switches are so light to use. I’ve had a couple over the years to go with the mac. They have new models now, I’ve not tried using them yet.

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See if I can find a mechanical one next!

\n", "date_published": "2025-09-14T14:05:32+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2025/09/14/apple-wireless-keyboard-a/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] }, { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2025/09/13/apple-a-keyboard/", "title": "Apple A1048 Keyboard", "content_html": "\"Auto-generated\n

Over the years I’ve bought and sold Mac computers. I do enjoy using macOS and the Apple hardware is alway very nice. However, I struggle to justify new models, and so go with older ones, only to get annoyed with their performance or lack of latest OS. Plus I have too many computers already, so I really don’t need anymore!

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A common purchase (and later sell) is the Mac Mini. 2021 saw me buy a 2012 mac mini server, which I upgraded with SSDs and maxed out the ram. It happened to come with a Apple monitor, keyboard and mouse. The monitor was pretty nice, an Apple 23" Cinema Display, 1920 x 1200, with a clever cable arrangement for power and input.

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The keyboard was pretty manky, and so I took it apart and cleaned it. Whilst the white looks nice, and it has all the right keys, it was not a nice keyboard to use, so I sold it.

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\n", "date_published": "2025-09-13T22:31:20+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2025/09/13/apple-a-keyboard/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] }, { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2025/09/11/keyboard-collection-iris/", "title": "Keyboard collection: Iris", "content_html": "
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This one was circa February 2019. I do like the idea and style of split keyboards, this wasn’t my first split but maybe my first built split.

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I enjoyed building it, but with a split board that was also ortholinear, and thumbs keys, I didn’t really enjoy using it. Unless I’m using it all the time (which I wasn’t as I spent 8 hours a day at work on a regular keyboard) then I’d never get used to it.

\n\"\"\nA sneak at another favourite keyboard\n", "date_published": "2025-09-11T21:12:47+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2025/09/11/keyboard-collection-iris/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] }, { "id": "http://fondoftea.micro.blog/2022/05/21/a-new-keyboard/", "title": "A new keyboard🧹🦀", "content_html": "

It’s been a long time since I last built a new keyboard. I think it was Christmas time 2018 when I bought the Iris keyboard as the store had a sale on. Funnily enough that was a split keyboard. I keep meaning to write up a post about all my mechanical keyboards (there’s been quite a few over the past nine years) and I’d enjoy going back and remembering what I had.

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Mostly what happens is I buy a new kit or PCB thinking it’ll be the end game (after much research), build it, configure the layout, generally mess about, and then stop using it. After a few months I end up selling it online, probably to fund the next one. Building is a fun part of it, so perhaps nothing wrong with this cycle. Will this next one be any different, or have I just been distracted by film photography and other things the past 3-4 years?

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\"Five

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The Ferris Sweep

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That’s the name of the new keyboard I’m going to build. A friend sent me a video of it a while ago and I decided I absolutely needed it. It’s a derivative of the Ferris keyboard, but instead of various individual components on the board, it makes use of a microcontroller. This means it’s a lot easier to build and microcontrollers are pretty common across mechanical keyboards. There might be some other changes too but I didn’t spend much time looking at the Ferris.

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The final parts just arrived and so I’ve yet to build it, the featured image is one like what I’m going to build but I went with blue PCB and white keycaps. It was pretty easy to source, the Github repo has a .gerber file which you can upload to a PCB manufacturer’s website and they’ll print them off for you (minimum of 5). It’s remarkable, and pretty cheap – $20 for 5, and then $15 for postage and taxes. Unfortunately that’s where the cheapness ends. Now this is by no means an expensive keyboard on the scale of mechanical keyboards, but it’s not nothing. The rest of the parts – controllers, switches, caps, etc. – soon add up and whilst there are a lot of stores that sell these parts, not all of them have everything you need – least not ones in the UK. I ended up ordering everything else from splitkbd.com. This store is based in EU and does have excellent stock – just it’s a €25 postage, so make sure you have everything you need!

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I went with Sweepv2.2 and pink Kailh choc keys, these are the lightest pressure ones. The next thing will be to solder it all together, flash the controller and get typing! Well, try typing. Making a new layout will be the longest part, likely involving many iterations if I truely want to stick to it.

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Will I stick with it? You never know! 😅

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Update 31st July 2022

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I build it, flashed the stock firmware and tested it out. All but one key works. Probably need to check the solder. However, that’s as far as I took it from back in May. It’s sat on my desk reminding me that I wasted money on it. I have just sold one of the spare PCBs on ebay, so that gets a little money back. I’ve forgotten how much I did spend, maybe about £90 in total.

\n", "date_published": "2022-05-21T01:00:00+01:00", "url": "https://micro.alexjj.com/2022/05/21/a-new-keyboard/", "tags": ["Keyboards"] } ] }