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The total-sized keyboard most people are familiar with has around 104 keys, only mechanical keyboard enthusiasts have been trimming that number down to brand boards more than compact and efficient. There are tenkeyless boards, 60% boards, and some that are even smaller. One of those "fifty-fifty smaller" mechanical keyboards is the Minivan, an most heed-bogglingly diminutive input device.

I've been using this tiny "40% keyboard" for a week to see how well I suit (if at all). It turns out there are some good reasons to use a keyboard like this, simply there are also some drawbacks. Fifty-fifty if you don't want to use a 40% keyboard, y'all have to admit this affair is cute.

The twoscore% Form Factor

The Minivan was designed by "The VanMan" from The Van Keyboards, who was likewise the designer of the Lightcycle keyset I used in my recent Tron homage build. The Minivan came into beingness a few years ago when The VanMan ordered a different 40% keyboard (ane of the few available at the time), but became irked past a few inefficiencies in the layout. Whereas almost people would just go back to a bigger keyboard, he decided to design something better.

A forty% keyboard is a step below 60% boards like the Poker 3, a layout that is near mainstream now. With a 60% board, y'all have all the alphas, numbers, and modifier keys (like shift and tab) in the standard organisation, simply that's all you go. Everything else is accessed in i or more than function layers. A 40% board keeps the alphas, simply drops the number row and some of the modifiers. Additionally, well-nigh modifiers are shrunken down.

The outcome is a keyboard that's incredibly compact. The Minivan is merely shy of 10-inches broad and 3.5-inches deep (thickness varies based on the case you have). One of the primary space-savers here is doing abroad with the standard spacebar, which is six.25 key units wide on most boards. The spacebar on the Minivan is a 2u key on the lesser row… right next to the enter central. Again, having the large enter cardinal on the correct side of the board would take up a lot of space, and there aren't as many rows available in this layout. Moving enter to the bottom is a necessary concession.

A 40% keyboard would be most useless without multiple role layers, and the Minivan has iii of them past default (in addition to the base layer). The Minivan is also fully programmable, so yous tin can change any key or function layer action to any yous want. So, all your arrows, symbols, and numbers are accessible by holding 1 of the function buttons on the keyboard. As The VanMan points out, a xl% keyboard can vastly reduce hand move and lead to greater efficiency. You just have to get used to the function layers.

You need a computer to flash layouts to the Minivan, merely the keymap is stored in the lath'south firmware. That means it's not dependent on a piece of software running on your figurer. The Minivan will work the aforementioned no matter what device y'all plug it into.

Looking at a board like this, it seems unusable. There'due south definitely a learning curve, merely I was determined to give it a shot.

Building a Minivan

The commencement step in using a Minivan is building it. Like the WhiteFox or RedScarf, this is a kit that you lot need to put together yourself. You'll have to become a soldering fe, simply the Minivan is actually a good first project as it's small and has just a few parts: the case, PCB (connects via USB Type-C), and stabilizers (the wires nether longer keys).

Everything that comes in the Minivan kit.

One advantage to edifice the Minivan is that you lot can option any switches you want. I decided to go with 65g Zealios, which are medium-weight tactile switches (at that place's a "bump" but no click). The kit doesn't come with keycaps, which is common for custom builds. Even so, the unusual layout of the Minivan tin go far challenging to find a compatible set up. The VanMan offers a few sets specifically for the Minivan — the set I used for this build is called GMK 80s Kid. Just like the GMK caps I used in my mega-orange gaming board, these are thick doubleshot ABS caps of the highest quality.

The Minivan is a PCB-mount keyboard, and then there's no plate into which you plug the switches. They nest directly in the PCB, and you solder them in place. At that place are two layout options, 1 that has arrows and i that doesn't. The arrows take up too much space on this board, so I used the arrow-costless layout knowing I'd have to employ a role layer to access them. It's non the end of the world; even 60% boards take arrows on the role layer.

My okay soldering job.

Each switch has two solder points, and I didn't add LEDs. So, that's under 100 total solder points for the entire build. It went fast. The kit comes with a very nice milled aluminum case in which the PCB is secured. Just a few screws, and the board is assembled. The kit comes with small bumpons for the bottom, but in that location are as well optional holes for larger feet (which make information technology more comfy in my opinion).

Despite being so pocket-sized, the Minivan has good heft — it feels expensive, but not bulky. Fun fact: the Minivan is made entirely in the USA. The VanMan tells me that wasn't the goal from the beginning, but he didn't have the connections in Mainland china that many keyboard designers use to get things manufactured on the cheap. At this point, though, saying the keyboard is a US production has become a bespeak of pride.

Assembled and ready for caps.

With the build consummate, I turned my attending to the firmware. The VanMan has a handy visual editor on his website that lets you build a .HEX file compatible with the board's TMK firmware. A third-political party app is needed to interface with the controller and flash the file, but there are good instructions. The whole process merely took a few seconds.

Using a Minivan

When I first plugged in the Minivan, I couldn't log into my PC. You see, I take special characters in my countersign, and I didn't know the part layers. That was rough, simply things improved over the next few hours.

The Minivan has a few clever tricks to make the near of its limited central count. For instance, the Fn cardinal next to the "colon" is actually the apostrophe when you lot press it. Hold it downward, and it toggles the first function layer. In that location are a few other keys that have different deportment when you press and concur, and you lot can set up them to do whatever yous want past irresolute the layout.

I printed a cheat sheet.

I notwithstanding had to figure out those layers, though. I decided to impress out the function layers and leave the page on my desk so I could glance over whenever I needed a hint. Subsequently the starting time twenty-four hours, I flipped the sheet over and so I couldn't look as easily. I still have moments when I need to peek — I don't use underscore often enough to remember it'south the "D" key on layer ii. That said, my efficiency has steadily increased, and I'k well-nigh as fast on the Minivan equally I am on a larger board.

I'grand surprised how easily I adapted to having the enter fundamental on the lesser row, but I do even so forget sometimes. The default layout is probably proficient for most people, merely I concluded upward making some tweaks to the base layer and get-go function layer. It'south squeamish to be able to hold a key and have the arrows suddenly appear under the dwelling house row or a number pad actuate on the right half of the board.

The Minivan on top of a Corsair K70.

I see the appeal of this board. It'due south fun to use, portable, like shooting fish in a barrel to build, and highly configurable. I don't know if I'd be able to switch to the Minivan total time, but I tin definitely get some work washed with it. I wrote this post with it, in fact. The Minivan shows upwards in waves on The Van Keyboards. There are a few kits bachelor now for $250, but recollect that doesn't include switches or keycaps. It'south not a cheap project, but custom boards are ever pretty expensive. If you desire a tiny keyboard, this is an excellent ane.

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