Tidbit 19 Key Programmable QMK Mechanical Numpad Kit (Black)

I'm really enjoying my Tidbit so far. So you understand where I'm coming from, and why I gave it five stars, let me tell you my expectations and desires:1. I wanted something DIY and flexible. I enjoy soldering and customizing things.2. I wanted to be able to get it up and running quickly.3. I wanted to be able to customize and program it as much as I wanted later.4. I wanted a bunch of rotary encoders.5. I wanted something that looked and felt nice.This keypad absolutely fulfilled my expectations, and then some. Some of the higlights:1. It was fun to build.2. The boards are beautiful, well laid out, and come in both black and white colorways.3. The acrylic pieces are a nice compliment, and by the end you have a weighty, sturdy feeling keypad that has a very attractive tech-y finish.4. It's available in the online QMK configurator, so you can quickly get a custom layout working. It took me about 20 minutes once the board was assemboled.5. The instructions from Nullbits are fantastic, and very easy to follow if you're slightly technical.6. It's made me more productive. I have a numpad on my main keyboard, but I wanted dedicated buttons for certain keys and combinations. This works exactly as I intended. I look forward to trying out the more advanced features of QMK and really powering this up.Now, just a few downsides/nitpicks that I had:1. I didn't read the instructions completely before purchasing, and I didn't realize that if you want to use all 4 rotary encoder spots, you have to lose both the OLED display AND the TRRS jack. Each of them share lines with a rotary encoder, so you're stuck with only 2 if you want to use both of those. I was ok without them, so it ended up fine for me, but be warned.2. The M2x3 screws used for securing the top and bottom plates to the standoffs are just a bit too long. I had to file down some of the screws in order to get a solid, tight fit.3. Not a con, just something to be aware of: I purchased additional rotary encoders off of Digikey, and while I made sure the pin layout and spacing was the same as the official encoder kit (CTS 290VAA5F201B1 encoders, vs the stock TT Electronics EN11-HSB1AF15), I did not realize the "clips" on the sides of the encoder were slightly larger than stock, so had to file them down slightly.4. Another thing of note, which wasn't apparent when I bought the kit: if you're using hot-swap sockets from Mill-max, you should also get the FR4 plate. The switches definitely aren't solid without it.5. Make sure to fully price out your build. The kit is pretty cheap, all of the components (encoders, knobs, switches, keycaps, etc.) are not when put together.6. Again, not really a con, but it doesn't come with rubber feet, so grab some of your favorite sticky feet for this.7. Lastly, and again, not a con, get a pair of tweezers to help position the more fiddly surface mount components. There are only a few, but it will help.For anyone who it might help, here are some additional components I used with the kit that worked well for me:1. 40x 3305-1-15-15-47-27-10-0 MIll-max sockets2. 4x CTS 290VAA5F201B1 rotary encoders (smooth, no detent, with switch)3. 3x OEJNI-63-4-7 Kilo International knobs (the kit comes with one of these already)4. 1x FR4 plate from Nullbits5. 1x Bit-C controller from NullbitsOverally, I'm really satisfied with this, and it's an excellent productivity tool so far. I look forward to getting many years of use out of it.

Amazing numpad kit!! lots of layout options and straight forward to put together with easy to follow assembly instructions. I was a bit nervous as it was my first time soldering, but the thru hole components made it easy. Had a friend do the optional LEDs for me as they were surface-mount and a little too fiddly for a soldering newbie. Got a good bit of practice and a great numpad out of this experienceA couple notes: 1. The kit included header pins for the pro micro/bit-c which was great. 2. If you're like me and are just starting down this road - you may not have a diode bending tool. Did not know this was a thing until I got to step 3 in the assembly instructions. I wanted uniform placement, but didn't want to pause building - I happened to have a pencil lead container that was the right size (~7mm) to bend the leads around which worked okay! But get/print the tool if it's important to you... plus you'll need one for when you build your Nibble right? :)

All Nullbits Kits are entry level, build / solder it yourself kits. For those who previously made reviews talking about the "software / firmware" and deducted stars.....QMK is the easiest it can possibly get and you literally do not need to do anything other than install the PRE-MADE firmware on your Pro - Micro / RP2040 etc for your device.Nullbits has a discord full of write ups and helpful users.Nullbits has a Github with every firmware file imaginable.You use "QMK Toolbox" to install the firmware. This takes 1-2 minutes at most, literally.All kits are supported by VIA, an in-app / in-browser way of editing or changing what your keys do and to remap them if you want on-the-fly, no need to mess with firmwares or anything outlandish.

I wanted to build a keyboard from components. I hadn’t soldered in a while, so I thought this would be a great place to start. Mostly it went pretty well. The instructions were ok and I was able to get it together pretty easily. SMDs are a little tricky, but if you’re careful it goes ok.I was a little disappointed with the software, though. You can get the basic functionality to work mostly, but the anything more advanced it hit-or-miss. I’m planning on spending more time with QMK/VIA to figure it out, but it’s not plug and play.

One of the best in-stock mechanical macropad out there to build. Great community support, and quite friendly for beginners. There is a lot of opportunities to make "mistakes" (for example, I soldered the MCU upside down!) and great for learning. The result? Awesome product. You can't find any other macropad that is (1) in-stock, (2) has 4 (!) knobs as an option, (3) LED matrix, OLED..., (4) you can hook up to a main keyboard (the nibble), and last but not least, (5) great community support. It's not just plug and play, but that's what makes the mechanical keyboard hobby fun. And it happens to most custom keyboards! If you're not looking for challenge/building fun, skip this macropad.

The kit is a lot of fun to put together. There guide was pretty clear (as I am a novice to the world of soldering and flashing). What makes this product great is that they have a very active discord server. I posted a question and got very detailed responses to my specific dilemna.You will also need a few other things to put this togetherParts:- Bit-C or some other compatible microcontroller- Switches- KeycapsOptional Parts:- More potentiometers (they include 1)- OLED screem- LED matrix- more, the discord server likely has a bunch of options and ideas for other partsTools:- Soldering iron- Solder- Isopropyl achohol w/ a q-tip or other wiping toolExtra tools:- solder wick- flux pen/paste- helping hands- tweezers- magnifying glass