Command Classic/Build 1

The first Command Classic keyboard, built in summer 2020.

Background

At the time I decided to build this keyboard in June 2020, I was cycling between several keyboards on umaru and tiring of their respective tradeoffs. In order to move on from this situation and have a proof of concept, I decided to shortcut plans to build a keyboard that had been shelved for several years.

Design

Two compromises made it possible to start building immediately. The first was handwiring the board. I had wanted to produce a PCB first to avoid the manual labor and do things cleanly from the start, but mastering the knowledge and the tools required to do so is a major time commitment for someone without a background in hardware.

The other was using a sandwich case. Designing a professional-looking enclosure involves 3D CAD software, but a sandwich constructed out of laser-cut sheets of material can be designed easily in two dimensions.