Hey folks, I’m toying with the thought of a portable, wireless/BLE, 34 key split kbd. Most builds that I’ve looked at hide the battery. Questions:

  • Do you mount the batteries? If so, where? Examples?
  • Does it in any way impact the portability?
  • Are there any other notable differences (in comparison to a wired board) one should be aware of?
  • Skree@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Batteries require management with control circuitry normally on the MCU. This means you need to pick MCUs that support batteries.

    You will also want a on off switch for the battery somewhere.

    I always use LIR2450 button cell batteries where I can. The steel body makes them more resistant to damage where as pouch cells can’t take much of a scuff.

    They’re very portable! Just make sure the battery can’t be smushed if the board itself gets some pressure, and that it can’t get poked by sharp / conductive things.

    ZMK for the nice nano and XIAO nrf52840 should even report battery life! Your primary half (generally left) drains faster than the accessory half.

    RGB / screens that aren’t designed for low power are utterly destructive to battery life. I get ~1-2 weeks on 120mah splits. With RGB I’m lucky to get an hour.

    You don’t change these batteries as they’re rechargeable. Most boards will function while recharging. I offer QI wireless charging on my boards if you request it.