The Leeloo series was inspired by many popular split keyboards like the Lily58, Corne, and Sweep; however, Leeloo's design was based on a study of many individuals from application developers, technical writers, business analysts, to friends, and family. To learn more about the origins of Leeloo, please read the blog post Leeloo | The Series’ Genesis.
Leeloo is a 4x6x5m split keyboard (MX version will be in production soon), and Leeloo-Micro is a 3x5x5m split keyboard designed and built from the ground up.
The name was inspired by the movie The Fifth Element. Leeloo, the character, being the 5th element; and, Leeloo and Leeloo-Micro having 5 thumb switches, or 5 switches within the modifiers row.
This guide has been written and organized based on my own experience. I’ve been fortunate to have built boards like the Kyria, Sofle, Lily58, Corne, and Sweep. The Leeloo series is no different. There’s a natural progression you’ll realize if you’ve built similar keyboards, or have flipped through the various build guides of the aforementioned keyboards.
INFORMATION
You may notice that the photos are not from one particular build; they are from a series of 7 builds over the past few weeks. You may also notice that the photos do not look like they are in order as presented in chapter form. I tried to build each project in different order; and, the order that is presented will be my preferred order moving forward.Consider skimming through the guide, and sculpting your own process based on your preferences.
There are certain steps which help the build experience flow a little better, but as my Mom used to say, “there are hundreds of ways to peel an orange, what’s important is that you get to the fruit…enjoy it!”
Building your own keyboard should be fun, relaxing, and a neat sense of accomplishment. Use this opportunity as a form of self care; both mentally and physically.
If you have any questions, please, feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to share further insight, or workarounds that may not be mentioned in this guide.
- Eye Protection
- Exhaust Fan
- Clean Workspace
First thing's first—Safety! Because you're dealing with small items, and you're also working with a hot soldering wand; wear your safety glasses at all times; it will protect your eyes from heat, clippings, and they will also protect you from rosin that often splatters when it gets up to temperature.
Implement an exhaust fan or ensure a well ventilated area; if you can smell what you're soldering, your area is not ventilated enough.
Part of your safety is ensuring a clean workspace. To borrow a phrase from the French culinary industry: Mise en place, which means "putting in place" or to "gather"; having your workspace organized, and free from clutter will help prevent any at-reach accidents. The last thing you need is to bump your soldering iron off of its stand or holder, or even spill your 99% IPA while you're cleaning your soldering joints.
Before you begin, there are a variety of tools, materials, and safety equipment that I would recommend. There are some optional items that may help along the way, but are not required.
- Soldering Iron, 280℃ – 325℃
- Lead Free Solder, 0.3mm Rosin Core
- Soldering Tips (fine, small, and medium) Conical, or Chissel
- Brass Wire Sponge or Wet Sponge for solder tip cleaning.
- Tweezers: non-conductive or ceramic tipped.
- Hobby Knife + Extra Blades
- Scissors
- T5 Torx Screwdriver
- Kapton Tape
- 99% IPA‡ + Mini Ramekin
- Cotton Swabs
- Small Pliers
- Small Clippers
- Small file or emery board
- Multimeter
Optional items:
- Calipers or Ruler
- Desoldering Pump
- Copper Braid Wick
- Flux
- Wire Strippers
‡ India Pale Ale while you build; Isopropyl Alcohol while cleaning rosin off of soldered locations.
Next: Chapter 2: Components
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