The Bambu Labs A1 Mini Is Affordable And Ready To Rock Out Of The Box

I have gotten back into the world of 3D printing. A few years ago, I bought my first 3D printer, the much beloved(though not by me), Ender 3 V2. It was released in May of 2020, and described to me as a tinkerer’s printer. Every part on it could be upgraded. And as soon as you bought it, there were scores of places people online would tell you that you needed the metal extruder, the metal bed leveling nuts, an upgraded bowden tube, an all metal hot end, automatic bed leveling sensor…etc etc etc.

I thought I liked tinkering, and I do, but I never got to do the thing I bought the printer to do…actually print. Reading Amazon reviews now, I see things like, “Spend money, buy a better one.” or “Waste of money” Makes you wonder why so many people loved it.

So, while I am making one last attempt to fix the Ender 3 V2 as a backup(depressingly ordering $30 worth of parts the day before Microcenter announced clearing out the Ender 3 V2s they have for $50 a pop…and a later model with all the enhancements for $70), I have moved on to the Bambu Labs series. This summer I acquired a Bambu A1 Mini. The A1 Mini has a print area of 180mm square, and offers multi-color filament printing with the optional AMS add-on. There is also its slightly bigger brother, the A1, with its larger 256mm square print area.

Some of the advancements are because it has been 4 years of advancements. I was printing my first print less than 20 minutes after I opened the box. And my second…and third. And even without doing my own design, there are thousands of things I would find useful to print in future. I haven’t had to upgrade anything, I haven’t yet had to replace anything…it just works

This is what I wanted over 4 years ago. I wanted to just make stuff. And now I can.

Splitting Hairs: Split Spacebar, Split Backspace, and Split Shift- Some Ideas For Enhancing Your Keyboard

Hand built split backspace and split shift keyboard

Two underappreciated modifications of the standard keyboard layout are the split backspace and the split spacebar. I previously discussed disused or less used keys on the keyboard and wondered why we still need them. Now I’m starting to consider doing something about it.

The split backspace takes the 2u(size of two single keys), and replaces it with two single keys…giving you an extra. This creates one of two choices for those using an ANSI keyboard(as the ISO has the giant Enter key). You can have a 1U(single key) backspace and an extra keyNow…having that key somewhere is important…but do you use it enough to give it such a big key?

You can take a lesson from the Happy Hacker Keyboard layout and you can move the backspace down one row to where the \ | key is, and move the \ | up to a single key on the top row. On that layout, by default, the key is a delete key, although some people switch to backspace. Backspace removes characters to the left of the cursor, delete to the right.

The right size backspace and delete keys aren’t available on all keycap sets…but are certainly options if you look.

The second popular split option is the split spacebar. Spacebars are traditionally 6.25U, though you can get 7U on some keyboards. That is a lot of potentially wasted real estate. As I type this on a traditional spacebar, I’m watching my tendency to use both my left and right thumbs to hit the spacebar…that is one reason why they are so long. So…what about the split? There are a few configuration options you can get if you hunt around. The most common is just a straight split that replaces the spacebar with two half size ones. The advantage of this involves layers…the ability to use left and right spacebar in different key combinations. The second, is either having a smaller spacebar(3U for example), to get more keys on right and left. Or…having a split spacebar with a single key in the middle. Sounds interesting to try in the future. More keys, even if duplicated, leaves more flexibility in future. Also, the large stabilizer to support a full size spacebar is often the loudest key on your keyboard…so there may be sound advantages.

Split shift is a common feature on 65% and smaller keyboards. This involves shrinking the right shift key to add a 1U key to its right. This is usually used as an up arrow or a layer(FN) key depending on the configuration. ISO keys split the left shift to put an extra key to its right, which is usually the  \ | key. There are advantages of even if you don’t use it the way the ISO layout does.

Choice is important. These less popular options aren’t always less popular because they aren’t good ideas…but because the software customization to take advantage of them didn’t override the traditional keyboard layout. With QMK/VIA and other ways of configuring keyboard behavior, having these options means more choice when you customize.

If you can only find the keycaps, that is…

 

 

My Evolving Thoughts on Keyboard Layouts- July 2024 State Of The Keys

Back in March, I expressed my thoughts about different keyboard profiles in general when I was talking about traveling with mechanical keyboards. But I’ve tried a bunch of different keyboards and I’ve developed new thoughts.

To recap, I covered the major sizes…

  • Full-size
  • Tenkeyless(TKL) – A tenkeyless is the same size as a full-size keyboard, but omits the number pad.
  • 75%  – condenses the function keys
  • 65% – usually retains the arrow keys while condensing the other function keys.
  • 60% – removes the function and navigation keys
  • 40% – the smallest keyboard

But even within those, there are not necessarily consistencies. I have several 75% keyboards I’ve tried, and some have 3 function buttons, 5 function buttons 7 function buttons…So, there is no clear definition matching above.

So, let’s talk about the why for a moment? Maybe it is because you want to carry it around, but maybe you want a keyboard for your desk that is smaller. Maybe you have a laptop and you want to use a keyboard with that, as there are few options in laptop keyboards by comparison.

What tradeoffs will you make to get that smaller size? Do you need a numpad? If so…there is an alternative to the traditional full size..the 1800 layout(96%), which cuts function keys but retains the number pad? Are you left handed? Maybe you still want the number pad, but you want a southpaw keyboard, which moves it to the left side? Or get that separate number pad I mentioned.

A good example of the hotswappable 1800 keyboard with VIA programmable support is the Epomaker EK98. There was also the Q5, that Woot recently had on sale.

Let’s get below the TKL, because the form factor there is what you want if you want the full size keyboard but don’t need the number pad. But that still leaves the 6 function keys and the arrows taking up space. What if you dumped those? Do you actually use the arrow and navigation keys(Home/End,Page Down/Page Up)? I talked previously about what keys on a keyboard you might be able to dump.

Once you get down to this size, you also start to have to think about keyboard layers…what combination of keys you want to trigger the keys you jettisoned if you need them. And if you want to invest in a QMK/VIA programmable keyboard to do that over having to install drivers on a computer.

Below TKL, the actual layout seems to be fluid. It may say 75%, or 65%…but…they all look very different. At the 75% level, if you want budget, look at the Hexgear I2 75% hotswappable keyboard. This isn’t programmable, but it has an aluminum frame and PBT keycaps for only $20. It also has all six navigation keys as well as arrow keys. By comparison, what is Keychron doing with their VIA/QMK V2 75%? A home but no end key? Are there studies showing people want to jump to the top over the bottom? Of course, being VIA/QMK…you can change out the function keys to be whatever you want. Epomaker has a sale on their wireless TH80 at $45 right now. You get a knob…then Delete, Home, and Page Up/Page Down.

65% cuts out the function keys..which is fine, I don’t use those much anyway(although I could program them to something else. As mentioned, 65% for me is the best combination for travel. Not too small, not too big. Royal Kludge has a sale on the RK68 hot swap 65% right now, but it isn’t my favorite budget 65% right now. If you can give up programmability, the Shurikey Gear 65 is a great budget hotswap 65%. I also still have my K6 with its aluminum frame. Aluminum is great for home, but not necessarily for traveling due its weight. The Shurikey at $20-25 seems to be a good keyboard you can forget somewhere…and after I left a portable monitor at a hotel in Europe and had to figure out how to get it back…

At 60%, the Skyloong GK61 is my budget pick…QMK/VIA programmable, offers PBT keycaps, wireless capability…

I’ve even warmed to the 40% layout, compiling QMK firmware for an Inland MK47, the cheapest 40% I could find and swapping keycaps and switches…I took this one on a trip and you can get used to it pretty quickly. I do miss number keys at times though.

I continue to limit my searches to Amazon of late…but there are some good deals to be had. There are always better keyboards…do you want aluminum? Gasket mount? Filled with foam? There are all sorts of options to improve the experience of typing, but with a little customization, many budget keyboards can be perfect for needs. You can even, like me, have different keyboards for different use cases…travel, the office, home, to leave at a relative’s house…

Amazon Prime Deal Alert: Keychron C3 Pro Keyboard QMK/Via Hotswap

I previously reviewed the C3 Pro keyboard. I’d gotten the C3 regular edition for $29.99 and was happy with that. However, today, the hotswap version is showing at $29.99 for Prime members(Link here). The keyboard comes in two switch varieties, red and brown. It offers a red backlight in the non-hotswap version and full RGB in the hotswap edition. The keycaps are replaceable, but the switches are not.

To remind everyone, the C3 is a TKL….a full keyboard less the number pad. It supports QMK/Via, which allows you to reprogram the keyboard and save the configuration to the device itself, over having it in software, meaning it doesn’t carry between computers.

The Keychron C3 Pro continues to be a great budget deal, and the fact they released a hotswap version, and now are selling at such a low rate…I hope they create this quality level of board at this price point in different form factors.

 

Peeling Back The Keyboard Onion, Layers Upon Layers: Reprogramming Your Keyboard

In a previous post, I briefly mentioned QMK and VIA.

QMK is compiled firmware for supported keyboards. This allows you to load firmware with custom functionality and maps onto a keyboard. This allows you to customize nearly every aspect of the keyboard’s behavior. So, what is VIA? VIA is a feature in QMK that lets you change your keymap on your keyboard without needing to reflash firmware. Some keyboards, Epomaker ones come to mind, have implemented VIA support without QMK…or at least possibly violating the open source license of QMK. I could live with that, I’m not an open source purist, but their implementation is also frequently incomplete and buggy.

There is also a fork of Via called Vial, which requires porting firmware to include support for additional QMK firmware features in software.

The advantage of all of these options is you can reprogram and customize the behavior of your keyboard and save it to the keyboard…making it independent of any computer. Many keyboards provide driver software that can do ‘some’ of the same things, but they are also only for Windows. I’m a Linux user, so I’m often out of luck there. Linux does have some key remapping options, but my current recommendation is a very low level option called keyd. It remaps keys at that level, and supports a lot of the features that you usually need QMK for. Keyd supports multiple keyboards with different layouts, modifying based on the USB vendor ID of the keyboard, and always you to remap any key combination and even add layers.

So, let’s dig into some of the features. Layers are built into most keyboards using the FN key…when you press it, this allows for different keys. Layers are essentially overlapping keyboard maps, which can be triggered. The Mac/Windows toggle on your keyboard, if you have one, toggles between two keyboard maps. The FN key activates a new layer when it is held. I have coded something in QMK to actually change the backlight color of a keyboard to indicate what layer was activated.

QMK/VIA allows the following sorts of behaviors to be triggered by keypress

  • Change the default layer
  • Activate layer when key is held
  • Activates layer when held, keypress when tapped
  • Activates layer until next key is pressed
  • Toggle the layer on/off
  • Tap the key 5 times to lock the layer in place.

Increasingly, discerning keyboard users are demanding this feature on keyboards. I wrote about the budget C3 Pro from Keychron, which is a full QMK/VIA supported TKL. The other budget option I found was the Skyloong GK61 60% hotswappable QMK/VIA keyboard. Budget as in, under $50. The 50-100 market is getting options as well. This shouldn’t be a luxury feature, and increasingly it isn’t.

My layer needs are very simple. I have a 75% keyboard which has Delete, Page Up, and Page Down on the right side…which means no Home, End, Insert. The 75% profile is not consistent about what keys will be offered in the format factor. With a QMK/VIA keyboard, I could make those keys whichever ones I wanted, change the keycaps…and it would behave that way forever. This keyboard though, doesn’t have that…so I’m using the keyd daemon…which of course means if I move to another computer, it no longer works.

The icing on the cake for these options are macros. The ability to trigger sequences of entries. And again, with QMK/VIA can be stored in the keyboard itself.

So, why not check this out? And here’s hoping more manufacturers include the option.

This May Be the ODroid You Are Looking For: ODroid H4 Series

In a previous post, I was excited about the arrival of the ODroid H4+. Then I got a bit nervous because of broken SATA connector on the board. For one, the longevity of the product, having never bought anything like this in the ODroid line, and that Ameridroid would make the return difficult. As mentioned, I had no evidence of that, but dealing with returns is stressful at times, and I think I may have imagined the worst based on some of my less pleasant dealings with other companies.

A few conclusions about the ODroid H4+…The Type 4 NAS case and the positioning of the SATA ports puts too much stress on the SATA cables. You need to buy the ODroid cables because I can’t find anyone else who sells the exact same power cables, as power for the drives comes off the board. I opted to switch to this thinner set of bundled cables. There is a right angle version, but I’m not sure, due the positioning of the ports, if you could place this without straining the ports, which after what happened, I’m a bit worried up. But the thinner cabling does seem to strain less.

Thinking about this for the future, I also had gotten a Jonsbo N2 and put a mini ITX board in it. That feels a lot more robust than the ODroid’s metal sheet case, but it also takes up a lot more room.

As I write this, I’m running tests on some drives I bought to place in it, and then I will work on deployment. You can see below how tiny this thing is, but the fact that the hard drives are providing the structural support makes me wonder about its longevity. I would have felt better it there had been some corner brackets. Also, there are no dust shields around the ports, and the bottom is open. So it could accumulate a lot of dust.

The ODroid line is popular, and if you look, all of these cases for the H4 line and its predecessor, the H3 line have this scratchbuilt in a garage feel to them. But, just because something has that look and feel doesn’t mean it is bad. I would recommend this as a server.

 

ODroid H4+ in a Type 4 Case

The Intel N-Series Chips: A Perfect Balance of Performance and Power Consumption

The Intel i3 N Series launched in 2023, consisting of the 4 core N-100 and N-200, as well as the 8 core N-300, and N-305.

For years, Intel’s low power CPUs were items I used because I needed something low power and was willing to suffer the slow speeds. But technology has caught up. The series is perfectly fast for the majority of my needs, be it a server, or even a web browsing system. It isn’t a gaming powerhouse, but can handle media playback admirably, and has the power to handle transcoding for a Plex server, if you wanted it to be one, and all at low power. I’ve acquired 3 N-100 powered items to replace older systems…to power my NAS, a backup/portable desktop for various uses, and as a dedicated computer for a scanner project.

It seems, with this line, Intel has finally gotten to a place of reasonable performance and power usage. So, I wanted to show some examples of what reasonable little systems you can buy. Of course, I usually wipe Windows and switch to my preferred Linux desktop or server OS, but…to each their own.

For example, you can try something like this CWWK N-100, which has 4 2.5GBE ports, and looks perfect for a router. It does not come with drive or RAM for a little over $200.

This Beelink S12 Pro offers 16GB RAM and 500GB of RAM for $169. It does lack a USB-C port, which I do like to have, but Beelink has a good reputation for inexpensive devices.

Even smaller is this GMKtec Mini PC with 8GB of RAM/256GB SSD, at $135. It looks to be 4 inches square from the image.

Minisforum also gets good reviews, and this one, the UN300, has that USB-C port I was looking for, although not a 2.5GBE port, if that’s important to you.

So, this isn’t just about me showing off little toys I wouldn’t mind buying. It is the cornerstone of my refresh plan for old technology. It’s inexpensive and I can deploy it to replace 5-10 year old systems, and it will last another 5-10 years, if not more…which is why I’m already thinking about 2.5GBE ports… My systems are all wired with gigabit ethernet. 2.5GBE is 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet…and is becoming more mainstream. There are 5 and 10GBE, but as gigabit ethernet was once expensive, 2.5 gigabit capable equipment is rapidly more affordable and being included in hobbyist level equipment.

 

Building My New Network Attached Storage(NAS): Introducing the ODroid H4 Series

I’ve been back and forth between a commercial Network Attached Storage(NAS) product and a homebuilt NAS product. But for the last iteration, I had given up on something I built and moved to a commercial product. But I’m finally ready to go back to homebuilt. Except this time, I’m going to try TrueNAS, because my barrier is always how much time I spent tinkering with it.

I debated a variety of different system configurations and decided I wasn’t going to have my NAS also handle other server duties. It’s primary job would be to run applications. I have a server for that. I just want to run functionality related to file serving, and TrueNAS offers most of that out of the box…although there are more decisions to be made. It isn’t a pure drop in replacement.

So, I settled on the N100 series of CPU processors. Generally available, reasonably priced, and more than enough power for what I wanted. Looking around, that meant I needed to pick a case, a motherboard, etc. While looking, I stumbled across a product just launching, from Hardkernel, who makes the Odroid line of products, which are single board computers. I’d rejected single board, wanting a x86 compatible processor, but the newly launched H4 series is just that.

There are three models, the H4, H4+, and H4 Ultra. The H4 and H4+ use the N97 processor, and the Ultra ups that to an i3 N305. The basic difference between the H4 and the H4+ for me is that is offers 4 SATA ports. The power profile of this thing is perfect for a headless server. They offer a mini-ITX conversion kit, but they also offer 4 different designs of metal cases you can buy, and DC adapters to power them. Case Type 4 allows for 4 SATA hard drives, a fan, and the board. It is essentially 4 cut pieces of metal you can assemble, as well as screws and a fan. The picture in this post is courtesy of their site.

It doesn’t look like a normal NAS, or a computer…it looks like an appliance, which is what I want. I sourced the equipment through Ameridroid, who is the O-droid provider in the US and who I have dealt with minimally before. This included ordering the type 4 case, the board, and the power adapter. That ran me a little over $200.

It also limits me. If I install the operating system on an NVME SSD, plus the 4 SATA drives, I can’t grow the system with additional drives. Any changes become a drive replacement, or a system replacement. But I’ve stuck with only 4 drives up until now in my commercial unit, and even in the home built ones I’ve had in the past. It allows me to have a good mix of redundancy and performance.

Redundancy in the same system is not the same as a backup though. I will be talking more about that as I learn about the options TrueNAS offers, and will talk a little about my backup strategy in future.

We’ll see what happens when the board comes and if I made the right decision.

 

Building A Silent Keyboard On A Budget- An Inexpensive Approach To A Better Typing Experience

Continuing my keyboard experimentation, I wanted to see what you could get in a build project for as cheap as possible. So, this is the M87 Pro Keyboard, a TKL keyboard that is hot swappable, with south facing RGB LEDs. It was going for $29.99 before a 20% instant coupon. I didn’t disassemble it, but the video of its disassembly shows a gasket mount with 5 layers.

I already had some keycaps I had taken off another keyboard for cleaning(they were getting a bit shiny), and I decided this was also a good time to try some new types of switches. Because the description for the product said, “Sound Absorption Foam & Silicon Bottom Pad…Each press feels like a symphony of comfort and precision…”, I opted to try two types of advertised silent switches.

The Akko V3 Fairy Linear Silent Switch and the Epomaker Sea Salt Silent Linear Switch, as pictured below. Of course, my first box of Fairy switches showed up pre-opened from Amazon(which I assume was a return they didn’t detect). I apparently wasn’t the only person with this problem, as there were similar reviews. Either way, the Fairy feels a bit better, is definitely more silent when I type, and is actually cheaper. At the same time, the Seat Salt is a box type switch, seems a stronger construction(none of them showed up broken or pre-used) and are rated for 10 million more uses. So, I can see the benefits of both of those.

I did consider some alternatives to try in the sub-$50 kit space. You can find some even cheaper on Aliexpress and sites like that, but there is a comfort with using Amazon, I suppose. The CIY GK68 Wireless Hotswap Keyboard is only $37.90 at time of writing here, and that adds in, obviously, wireless capability using AAA batteries, as well as being a 65% layout as opposed to TKL, and comes in a few colors.

Also, being as keyboard kits, unless they are higher end, can cost more than keyboards where you just discard the switches they provided, you can also consider some budget models that you intend to completely strip.

Much to my annoyance, or happiness(just wish I’d known it was coming), the Keychron C3 Pro, which was a budget model I really like, now has a hotswap version. I recommend it even more, and it is selling for $48 at the time I write this for the hotswap version, and I’ve seen the regular version for as low as $30.

 

 

 

Know When To Fold ‘Em? My Quest For A Modern Folding Keyboard

The first time I saw a keyboard and knew I needed to get it was when I saw someone with the Targus Stowaway keyboard. It was connected up to their PDA. I immediately wanted a PDA and the keyboard to use to type on the go. For those of you who missed the PDA phase, it was the smartphone before smartphones. I still have fond memories of my Handspring Visor.

The Stowaway Keyboard was a tri-fold keyboard that folded into a pocket size item, and contained a mount to put your PDA into to connect to it. The modern equivalent is bluetooth or USB, and connects to your phone. So, I looked on Amazon to see if I could find what the successor to that is.

 

You still can get TriFolds like that…for example, the Moko Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard. It even has a full number pad.

There are also bifold bluetooth keyboards of varying prices and quality. But, I’ve been on a mechanical keyboard exploration of late, so I wondered what was available in folding or otherwise tiny form factors that was mechanical.

I tried out the Royal Kludge F68 60% folding low profile keyboard. Royal Kludge is a fairly well established lower cost brand, and this was a unique design. I used it to write on a tablet, and it had no issue being plugged in via USB or paired via bluetooth. I was able to type an entire email comfortably with my phone. The only issue was the keycaps started showing discoloration immediately, so I decided to swap the keycaps for something of better quality. The keycaps are low profile, so I found a nice inexpensive set, and it worked perfectly…except for the spacebar. It’s 6U, as opposed to the more common 6.25U…so…problem. But the rest of it is now much better.

But that is a problem in itself. If a keyboard doesn’t start out close to what you what, is it worth putting money in to make it that? I’ve been delving into keyboard videos on YouTube and keyboard forums. I have been buying keyboards only to immediately switch to PBT keycaps. I’ve been experimenting with new switch types…and for the most part, you can only get a limited selection preinstalled on the board and there are so many other options.

We’ll see what I try next, but what is your preference for mobile keyboards? I’ve covered folding as well as the smaller form factors…