Sofle v2 build

The SofleKeyboard is a 6×4+5 keys column-staggered split keyboard with encoder support. Based on the Lily58, Corne, and Helix keyboards.

First time trying out ortholinear and split mechanical keyboards with this build.

I generally prefer tactile switches, so I went with AEBoard Naevy v1’s lubed with Krytox 205g0 for this build. Tried out Katha Baybayin (KAT), and Blank Ergo (DSA) keycaps; both looked good but settled with the latter.

I think I spent more time messing around with my custom keymap than building the keyboard. Coming from mostly TKL layouts, it was going to take a bit of experimenting to find the sweet spot when dealing with fewer keys.

I settled on a layout not too far off from the default one, some notable additions were:

• Mode for soft escape (Esc when tapped, Ctrl when held)
• Vim-style navigation (h j k l as arrow keys)
• Mode for standard navigation cluster
• Toggling between layers when encoders are pressed
• Encoder controls (additional layer/s when Ctrl or Shift is held)

Aside from configuring the encoder actions (clockwise/counter-clockwise), it is also possible to add extra “layers” by combining them with modifiers.

One other area for tinkering is the OLED displays where you can show text, and even images e.g. displaying your own logo.

Check out the full custom keymap here.