As programmers, we spend a lot of time typing, but we often overlook how keyboard designs affect our comfort and productivity. In this talk, we’ll explore custom keyboards and how Python can help us create our own typing experiences.

We’ll start by looking at the history of keyboard design and the limits of standard layouts like QWERTY. Then, we’ll discuss the advantages of alternative layouts, such as ortholinear and split designs, which can help reduce strain and improve typing speed.

Next, we’ll go through how to design a custom keyboard PCB and learn from Python tools like GDSFactory. You’ll learn to arrange the keys based on your hand shape and create a layout that focuses on the keys you use most in your favorite programming languages.

Once we have our PCB design, we’ll move on to building our custom keyboard. We’ll cover basic assembly to turn our design into a real device. Finally, we’ll talk about getting used to our new keyboard layout. We’ll look at online tools and Python scripts to analyze our typing habits, helping us identify our most common keys and monitor our progress as we retrain our fingers.

No prior experience with keyboard building or PCB design is needed – just bring your curiosity and eagerness to create a custom typing experience. By the end of this talk, you’ll know to question the design of your current keyboard and might want to build and improve your own custom keyboard using Python.