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BM Workshop BM43A 40% Programmable Keyboard Kit
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BM Workshop BM43A 40% Programmable Keyboard Kit
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3.4K requests
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290 Sold
Product Description
Small enough to take to a friend’s house or the café, the BM Workshop BM43A has just 43 keys. All 43 can be programmed to your liking, too, whether you prefer a more standard key layout or something a little more unconventional Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downSheeepman
169
Apr 19, 2019
ZXCV row is shifted .25 over more than normal.
I'd be all over this if it had the standard layout for the alphas, shame really as it looks quite nice.
TuCZnak
Apr 19, 2019
SheeepmanSame here. And it'd also get better keycap compatibility with 1,75U left shift and 1,25U right shift, don't understand this at all.
krazyken04
69
Jul 9, 2019
SheeepmanIt definitely felt bonkers at first but I'm coming off of a Mitosis 40% split, so I'm used to things feeling weird for a bit. Spent a couple days programming with it and got used to it pretty quickly.
OnceSavedGaming
73
Apr 20, 2019
Is there any possible chance of changing that PCB plate to a standard stagger before shipping? PCB design isn't that time consuming and the case could stay exactly as it is
OnceSavedGaming
73
Apr 21, 2019
Maybe you haven't ever used a keyboard before but your z row shouldn't be that far to the right.
EliN
140
Jul 9, 2019
Drop... if you're posting a board with a weird layout like this, please have an option to include keycaps. I would have bought in already, but I'm going to pass. Having to find caps for this weirdo layout sounds like too much bother.
RMaxim
186
Oct 28, 2019
To anyone interested in this board, please note: it does NOT include switches or keycaps
Switches may not be a deal breaker for many as there are a bunch of ways to get 45 cheap switches. However, the unique layout makes keycap compatibility a big issue for this "under $100" board. The following keycaps are somewhat uncommon and will usually require child/addon kits for many sets or may not even exist for some sets:
- 2u left Shift
- 1u right Shift
- 1.75 Enter
- 6u big spacebar
- DOUBLE 3u spacebars (this is a doozy)
elguey
206
Keyboard Club Member
Oct 30, 2019
RMaximTo add to this, if you don't want to do two 3u spacebars, you can also use 2.75u and 2.25u spacebars along with another 1u. Another key you will need is a r3 1.25u tab keycap.
Joshimitsu
499
Jan 14, 2020
Again warning to any potential buyers - the 2u left shift makes the bottom row stagger on this board crazy (worse than a typical 2u left shift layout does on a 40% board). E.g. the Z key is 0.25u to the right of where it ought to be, placing it directly below W instead of 3/4 of the way between Q and W
I have no idea why they didn't use 1.75u left shift and 1.25u right shift as these are present in almost every custom keycap set, and also give the correct stagger.
EDIT: See http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/ab684763a441685471fed5845da12c88
(Edited)
Joshimitsu
499
Jul 25, 2020
Sorry no I'm not really into 40% boards. Minivan is only one I know off the top of my head with arrows, but a) it's discontinued (as far as I know) and b) the rest of the bottom row is ridiculous. There's probably others that are better.
EvilCarni
56
Jul 7, 2019
just want to point out that it is cheaper to buy the case, pcb, and plate off of aliexpress
(Edited)
EvilCarni
56
Jul 8, 2019
Just look up BM43A 40%, should be some of the first results and if not just look that up on aliexpress.
krazyken04
69
Jul 9, 2019
SLRSI've got mine hotswapping!
If you're up for some soldering, I used SIP sockets from digikey.com (part #8134-HC-8P2-SI-ND) to make mine hot-swappable.
I add just a ring of solder, very small amount, on each pad and then put the socket into the pad and heat the socket to set it in place. Works really well and allows you to swap switches whenever you'd like.
SLRS
16
Jul 10, 2019
krazyken04Hi krazyken, thanks for your reply!
I already know about SIP sockets (and Holtites, Mill-max hotswaps etc), but,
as you understand, it's always an homemade solution, in your case everything works fine, but there are many users that don't say the same (it obviously depends on the PCB).
For a MK producer adding hotswap it's practically inexpensive, for us it's a HUGE improvement (we don't have to throw away the PCB if we made something bad with soldering), so I can't understand why it's still not a de facto standard.
It's just more ecological
(Edited)
SpencerL
2947
keeb weeb
Apr 19, 2019
vyanvoxHey! The keycaps pictured is a combination of EnjoyPBT BoW with grayscale accents :)
PyroL
38
Apr 19, 2019
Between design and price this is so close to being one of the best drops in a while but WHY is there a 2u/1u shift that's useless and has no compatibility and ruins stagger and ruins the board. Please make an R2 with a normal stagger
joeltrane
14
Jul 8, 2019
I was hoping that this would have been more like the kumo, by the van keyboards: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thevankeyboards/kumo-a-compact-mechanical-keyboard
If the kit supported hot-swapple switch sockets, I probably would have jumped on this drop, especially considering the reasonable price.
ARCFXX
77
Jul 11, 2019
Those only work if the PCB is designed for it, though. If you've got a regular PCB that's meant to be soldered, look up Mill-Max sockets, they're a widely compatible option.
liltiihpi
0
Oct 27, 2019
https://kbdfans.com/products/mechanical-keyboard-switches-kailh-pcb-socket?_pos=1&_sid=01fe9be11&_ss=r
these look similar to the one that kumo used
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