Chris Haynes' Micro Planck Is a 3D-Printable Low-Profile Keyboard Designed with Portability in Mind

Computer scientist and maker Chris Haynes has designed a compact ortholinear keyboard built specifically for ease of transportation, yet delivering true mechanical switches beneath its custom-printed keycaps: the Micro Planck.

"I am a big fan of mechanical keyboards," Haynes explains. "The feel, the sound, the tactile nature. I thought it would great to design a custom, small size 3D printable keyboard which could be easily used when traveling whilst still providing the same level of functionality as a full scale mechanical keyboard. I wanted as much of the design to be 3D printable [as possible] so the shell, plate, and all the keycaps have been designed from scratch with that in mind."

Measuring just 23cm (around 9.1") in width and 9.5cm (around 3.7") in depth, and with a height of just 2cm (around 0.8"), the Micro Planck certainly lives up to its prefix. Housed inside the 3D-printed shell is a custom circuit board with a 4×12 layout for Gateron KS-33 mechanical key switches — all keys identically-sized, bar a double-width spacebar, and placed in a gridded ortholinear layout.

The PCB houses a Microchip ATmega32U4 microcontroller running the open-source QMK firmware, three RGB LEDs, a physical reset switch, and a USB Type-C connector for data and power. The upper layer of the case is printed in transparent PETG, with Haynes designing the PCB with aesthetics as a focus — and to provide visibility of the three user-addressable RGB LEDs. "You can also print this section not transparent," Haynes explains, "but then the LEDs will be much less visible."

"It can take a bit of time to get used to typing on an ortholinear keyboard (where the keys are laid out in a grid rather than offset on a traditional keyboard)," Haynes admits. "I would recommend using some typing test websites, and practicing a bit, but before long it will become second nature!"

A full build guide for the Micro Planck is available on Instructables, while 3D print files for the keyboard's housing and the keycaps have been published on Maker World under the site's Standard Digital File License; the PCB has been uploaded to PCBWay under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.