August 2023 - Ongoing

Ideation:

This project stemmed from my hobby/interest in mechanical keyboards. I wanted to try something very different from what I was used to typing on, a tiny 40% ortho-linear mechanical keyboard called the CSTC40. However, after attempting to use it on my desktop computer for about 2 weeks, I realized that it became difficult to type using a normal layout keyboard such as my laptop. This made me switch back to my old keyboard, and the CSTC40 has been sitting as a display piece ever since. Although the ortho-linear layout didn’t work out for me, the comical use of 3 different function keys in order to type some basic characters such as numbers and symbols was funny to me, and I was able to learn them quickly and use them somewhat effectively. This is what prompted me to design my own mechanical keyboard, named the WHY45 because it is roughly 45% of a normal 104-key keyboard, and… why on earth would someone use this?

Initially was planned to be made with a higher quality material such as CNC aluminum or wood. However, with limited experience with working aluminum and wood as well as wanting to keep it low-cost, I decided to design it to be 3D-printed using generic PLA plastic.