Vault 35 is an 11-unit-wide 30% mechanical keyboard kit for enthusiasts interested in a minimalist typing experience. Expanding on the pioneering concept introduced to the community with the QAZ keyboard designed by tominabox1, this design removes a column from the left side of a typical 12-unit-wide 40% keyboard while keeping the right side the same.
The idea behind this and many other 30% keyboards is removing the command and modifier keys (Enter, Tab, Escape, Shift) from the outer columns of the board and replacing them with alphas only. There’s no more need to reach to the left and right with your pinky fingers when everything’s within reach of home row.
**This listing is for the Universal Vault 35 PCB and/or Switch Plate only. Cases are available here. Soldering skills required for assembly. Please refer to the kit contents below for an understanding of what comes with this purchase**
**The Ortholinear plate supports a 3rd party modification to an otherwise standard stagger only case. It requires removing material from two of your switches to provide clearance for mounting screws. Please reach out via the contact link if you need specifics on how to complete the mod**
PCB/Plate Features:
- Bottom mount style via plate. The pcb hangs freely within the case
- 4.9mm White Milled ABS Plastic Switch Plate with 1.6mm cutouts for switch clip in (two fixed stabilizer-less options)
- This fully assembled PCB uses an STM32 controller, which will allow for all QMK or Vial firmware features to be enabled with room to spare. It also has 12 integrated addressable RGB LEDs. The board can be programmed by plugging it in and navigating to vial.rocks on a chrome web browser. For more granular control, source code is available here.
- Six alpha cluster and eight spacebar layout options supported by the PCB (large diagram provided). Mix and match with custom switch plates
- PCB designed by calvin0563 - Firmware by jlw
- Sold as in-stock shipping within one week while supplies last
Kit Contents:
- White Vault 35 Universal HHKB USB-C PCB with black silkscreen
- White Milled ABS Plastic Switch Plate Ortho or Standard layout (4.9mm)
Frequently asked questions:
Is this just a novelty board?
- If you want it to be, sure. However, the amount of people that use this size of keyboard for daily work (regardless of number/symbol/navigation key usage frequency) is growing at a fast pace. With a bit of commitment to the learning curve, most people experience typing speed either returning to what they could achieve on a larger board, or getting even more efficient.
But where are the Q, A, and Z, keys?
- They never left, though a couple of them are a little wider now that they occupy what used to be command or modifier keycap locations. The layout option picture on this product page gives a good example of what a typical base layer for this type of keyboard looks like.
Okay, but how do I use my enter, tab, esc, and shifts now?
- However you want with the power of QMK and Vial firmware. Popular suggestions: Combos. Hit A+S at the same time to get Tab. Hit Q+W at the same time to get Esc. Make the Z and / keys function as shifts when held instead of tapped. These are just a few possibilities of the extensive keymap customization possible.