⌨️ How I got into keyboards & Lily58 Pro build log and review

How did I get here?

After about a year of using the Logitech G613 I decided to search for a smaller keyboard, which wouldn’t occupy the majority of my desk. After scrounging the internet for every possible review I had to choose between the Anne Pro 2:

My Anne Pro 2 And the Ducky One 2 Mini:

Ducky One 2 Mini As you could probably tell by the pictures (and one of my recent articles) I chose the Anne Pro 2.
I chose this over the Ducky One 2 Mini because the latter lacked software, while the AP2 has software for both windows and linux, and because, thanks to Open Anne Pro I can run QMK, which is an open source firmware for keyboards. Which means that everything running on that keyboard(apart from the bootloader) is open source, and some of it is even written in Rust.

The Anne Pro 2

I found the Anne Pro 2 a very good keyboard. I tested it on Mobile, Windows, and even Linux, and apart from some bluetooth problems here and there, the keyboard worked flawlessly.
The software is also pretty good, the led customization is ok, but not great, and the macro system allows you to program your keyboard to do anything. The guys at obins even tried to mimic some QMK features, such as tap, and they work pretty well.
My only complaint is that on linux the keyboard goes in “sleep mode” every 15 minutes or so, and to wake it up I have to unplug it and plug it back in, which is a major hassle. A quick fix for this is leaving the Software Open on the “Layout” tab.
But then again, if you choose to use the custom qmk firmware it will work just fine.

The Lily58 Pro

Just a month later buying the AP2 I decided that I was going to build my own keyboard. And it was going to be the Lily58 Pro.
I came across this keyboard while browsing through the Awesome Split Keyboard List on github.
I chose the lily58 pro over “normal” keyboards or other more popular splits like the Corne because of this features:

It’s a split keyboard, which is more ergonomic
It has led support
It supports Hot swappable sockets(this basically means that I can change the switches without any soldering), but it has drawbacks more on that later)
It has screens
It’s vertically ortholinear
It runs QMK

After choosing the keyboard I searched for a kit online. I found one on LittleKeyboards and decided to go with that.

Hotswap Sockets

I ordered the pcb, which came with kailh hot swap sockets.
Using hot swap sockets means that I can change the switches on the fly, without having to desolder anything.
Normally using hotswap sockets would have no drawbacks, but my keyboard case had a loose fit, which would be fine if the switches were soldered to the board, but since mine are held “just” by the hotswap sockets, sometimes when I type really fast they feel a bit loose. Still I don’t regret at all going with hotswap sockets, because it’s my first custom keyboard, but I think that from now on I won’t be getting any more hotswap boards.

The switches

I didn’t really have that much experience with switches since before buying this keyboard I had only tried Gateron Browns and Romer G Tactiles. I really like the browns because even if they are very light, they have a pretty good tactile bump. I didn’t like the Romer Gs that much because they feel like a mushy Blue switch.
But this time I wanted something different. I wanted something which was way heavier that browns, and that gave me a bigger tactile bump, while having a deeper sound. And the NovelKeys x Kailh BOX Heavy Burnt Orange switch gave me all that, and more.
Seriously, for now, they are my endgame, mainly because of how heavy and smooth they are, and because the tactile bump is very satisfying and at the very top.

Burnt orange switches

The Keycaps

When you think about building a keyboard, you probably think that the electronics or the switches are the most expensive part, because they are by far the most complex. So did I, I didn’t think that I would be spending more than $20 for the keycaps, when you think about it, they are just colored pieces of plastic, how expensive could they be? Well it turns out that they are the most expensive part of the keyboard, and by far.
In my case the keycaps where more than 4x the cost of the second most expensive part of the build, which where the switches. And my keyboard doesn’t even have that many keys, just 58, like the name suggests.
I decided to go for the DSA “Beyond” ortholinear keycap set, which has a simple typeface, and is pretty colorful.

DSA Beyond Keycap set

Building the keyboard

Soldering and screwing everything together took me about 6 hours total, which I think is pretty good given the result, and that it was my first “big” project that involved soldering.

Soldering Timelapse w/ my father This timelapse only shows soldering the diodes on 1 side.