REMAKE

REMAKE is a 36-key wireless split keyboard designed by Felipe Balbi around RMK firmware. Its name includes RMK.

Each half has 15 finger keys and a three-key thumb cluster. The stepped board outline follows the column stagger and thumb fan. Both halves use the same reversible PCB: manufacture two separate, identical boards and populate them in opposite orientations. No panelization or mouse bites are required.

Revision validation status

Revision	Status
REV 0.1	Fully validated
REV 0.2	Under development

REV 0.2: development hardware — do not fabricate yet. The current design has 18 keys per half / 36 total. Routing is complete, ground pours are filled, and the outline is closed and straight-edged, with a nominal 3.5 mm switch-body margin around the key matrix. Fillets are deferred. SW17's larger PCB envelope contains a 26.5×16.5 mm cap, rotated 90° relative to its original thumb fan; other caps use 17.5×16.5 mm envelopes. The minimum nominal thumb-to-row gap is approximately 0.660 mm. Production tolerances and moving-key fit have not been physically validated. Component selection and physical validation are incomplete. Firmware lives in a separate repository and has not been built or validated here.

Repository layout

Path	Contents
hw/	KiCad project, schematic, PCB, local libraries and library tables
cad/	Component models, source manifest and third-party notices
docs/	Assembly, manufacturing and component references
docs/assets/	Vector logo and source artwork
.github/workflows/	KiCad checks; no automatic source commits

The root contains project-level documentation and licensing. Generated reports and exports belong in ignored output directories, not alongside source files.

Open the hardware

Use KiCad 10.0.7 or newer and open hw/remake.kicad_pro. Local library tables and project-relative model paths travel with the project.

On this machine, use the following workaround for the native Wayland issue:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 kicad hw/remake.kicad_pro

Read assembly before building. The component reference records sources, licences and model limitations; a rendering is not proof of fit. The regression suite checks schematic-to-PCB associations separately from electrical parity.

Checks

Run from the repository root, with reports outside the source tree:

mkdir -p .remake-checks
kicad-cli pcb drc --format json --refill-zones --schematic-parity \
  --output .remake-checks/drc.json hw/remake.kicad_pcb
kicad-cli sch erc --format json \
  --output .remake-checks/erc.json hw/remake.kicad_sch

Before fabrication, require clean refilled DRC, zero unconnected items and schematic parity, and review all ERC findings. Use --exit-code-violations for gated checks. Do not hide findings, weaken rules or bridge selection jumpers to make checks pass. Component-rating, physical assembly, battery-safety and prototype/RF checks remain required even when CAD checks pass.

Run the regression suite as well:

python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v

Draft releases

Pushing a tag runs the same required CI on that exact commit. Only after CI and fabrication packaging succeed does the workflow create a draft GitHub Release containing one-design JLCPCB fabrication ZIP, a schematic PDF, left/right PNG and STEP previews, model-coverage notes and checksums. Preview files are separate attachments, never additional designs inside the JLCPCB ZIP. The STEP assemblies are partial; check their coverage notes before case design. Review and publish the draft manually; failed, cancelled or skipped prerequisites block release creation. Passing CI is not physical/fabrication approval.

See manufacturing and release details for archive contents, validation limits and retry behavior.

Contributing and licensing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for source organization and validation expectations.

Copyright © 2026 Felipe Balbi. REMAKE is licensed under the CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2 — Strongly Reciprocal (CERN-OHL-S-2.0); see COPYRIGHT for the project notice. Imported third-party component models and library sources retain their documented licences and notices. Local-only models with unresolved redistribution rights are not covered by the project licence grant.

Manufacturing and sales

Interested in manufacturing or selling REMAKE boards or kits? I'd love to hear from you! Please open a manufacturing and sales issue to discuss revisions, manufacturing feedback, and opportunities to collaborate. You can also opt in to a future seller list to help people find bare PCBs, kits, or assembled keyboards without building everything themselves.

Commercial manufacture and sale are permitted under CERN-OHL-S-2.0, subject to its requirements. Contacting the maintainer is encouraged, but is not a condition of exercising those rights. Third-party products must not be presented as officially endorsed without permission.