A simple acrylic case designed for 5x12 ortho (LP) by Boardsource

Ever since discovering Jack Humbert’s idea of OLKB, I’ve wanted a wireless, slim yet robust variant to accompany my Surface Go travel setup.

Background

The go-to choice at the time (Preonic and Planck by Drop) unfortunately lacked Bluetooth support and Choc v2 compatibility. Yet thanks to the arrival of ZMK and Nice!Nano MCU, I was able to track down a similarly configured 5x12 Ortho (LP) barebone kit from Boardsource (discontinued).

Unfortunately, with no compatible cases available on the market due to the demands (or lack thereof), I decided to take matters into my own hands and design one for myself.

Why Acrylic?

While FDM printing is the most opt-for material among keyboard enthusiasts praised for its customisability, I have steered away from using it as the process is relatively expensive, the surface texture lacks smoothness, and most importantly, it is unable to capture the soft, diffused 'cloudiness' of a pre-textured acrylic sheet.

Furthermore, the keyboard's low-profile geometry, combined with an established rapport with the supplier, makes this an ideal application.

“An easy, affordable and repairable compact solution you can carry”

The Design

Material-specific Design

The design consists of simple stack of 4 laser-cut acrylic sheets, sandwiching 2 customisable accent layers between scratch-resistant, matte opaque top and bottom plates.

(A thin variant was also designed, hence the word 'THICC', which strips the use of materials to the bare minimum, consists of only 1 bottom layer and 1 middle layer to mount essential components)

By using a deliberate stepped design, I was able to accommodate the variance and inconsistency in laser-cut edges which also showcases the raw characteristics of the process, material while maintaining visual balance.

Accessible Hardware

The final case was assembled with easily accessible zinc-plated black M2 screws, standoffs and Poron gasket strips that were intended to function as keyboard feet.

Evaluation

Needless to say the smoothness of Poron's friction is far from perfect, and the screw-fastened layers can occasionally suffer from uneven tension.

Ultimately, a project like this provided invaluable firsthand knowledge of the material properties, the manufacturing process and its limitations.