Sherbet Is a Beautiful DIY Ergonomic Keyboard for Serious Gaming
When his Logitech G13 keyboard stopped working, Billiam decided to build his own ergonomic gaming keyboard called Sherbet.
The typical keyboard that comes with a computer is designed to be as cheap as possible to manufacture, and maybe to look halfway decent if you’re lucky. Anyone who actually uses a computer for a living can benefit dramatically from a decent mechanical keyboard with tactile keys that improve both comfort and typing performance. But there are also situations when you might want a more purpose-built keyboard. Gaming is definitely at the top of the list, as gamers have needs that nobody else does. Sherbet is a beautiful DIY ergonomic keyboard designed for serious gaming.
Most people who play PC games keep on hand on their mouse at all times, which means their non-dominant hand is need for pushing all of the other keys. Most people simply keep their fingers on the W, A, S, and D keys and then try to reach for the others when necessary, but that can lead to some serious hand cramps and even repetitive stress injuries. For that reason, a number of one-handed gaming keyboards have been released over the years that are actually comfortable to use. “Billiam” had a Logitech G13 keyboard, but it stopped working. So, he decided to build his own ergonomic gaming keyboard called Sherbet.
Like most other gaming keyboards of this style, Sherbet doesn’t have a full QWERTY layout. Instead, it has a handful of keys for in-game movement and various other actions. The key switches are all Kailh Choc models, which were chosen because they’re low-profile. In addition, there is a small analog joystick. Those are mounted to a housing that was carefully modeled in CAD and then 3D-printed. Many hours of sanding, priming, and painting were put into achieving the beautiful finish. A Teensy 3.2 board is used to check for keypresses. The beauty of the Teensy 3.2 is that it can be setup to appear as a standard USB keyboard or gamepad when it’s connected to a computer. Two different modes have been programmed, so Sherbet is compatible with many games and even the Steam controller configurator.