It’s time to revisit an older design with a fresh approach. The Ashwing64 is a revised evolution of the original Ashwing66, focusing on a cleaner, more compact layout. The most noticeable changes are the move from an angled design to a linear layout, and the removal of the rotary encoder to reduce overall footprint.
Why this design?
The primary goal was to make the keyboard smaller while preserving the layout that already proved comfortable to use. Alongside this, I wanted to introduce wireless support and move to hotswappable switch sockets, making the board more flexible and user friendly.
To improve battery life, per-key RGB lighting has been replaced with a backlit PCB, still allowing for RGB effects but with significantly lower power consumption.
The rotary encoder, while useful on the Ashwing66 for volume control, occupied valuable space in the centre of the board. Removing it allowed for a more compact and streamlined design without sacrificing usability.
The microcontroller has also been updated. The original Pico-based controller has been replaced with a Nice!Nano (Pro Micro form factor), enabling Bluetooth connectivity and support for ZMK firmware, which better aligns with the wireless goals of the project.
Manufacturing and sponsorship
As with previous projects, PCBWay have sponsored this build, helping bring the Ashwing64 to life. This time, I’ll be using their transparent solder mask option, with the intention of showcasing the PCB traces as part of the overall design. It also provides a great opportunity to explore and test some of PCBWay’s newer PCB manufacturing options.
Features
- MX switch support (Hotswappable)
- RGB underside LED’s
- To be built with ZMK Firmware
- Wireless/Bluetooth support
- 64 key design
Project available on my github: https://github.com/gzowski/ashwing64
