Aside from the pricey ASUS ROG Falcata and Sunder keyboard line-up, there are very few split, ergonomic, Hall effect keyboards for gamers who either want the comfort of a split keyboard for everyday use or want a small form factor that allows them to keep just one half of the keyboard on the desk at a time. Now, thanks to a new open-source project, there is at least one third option available in the Silakka54 HE project, which is an adapted version of the popular, affordable Silakka54 split mechanical keyboard.

The Silakka54 HE features an identical layout to the original Silakka54, meaning it has 54 keys in total, arranged in a grid of six columns and four rows, with two three-key thumb clusters. It is built on the RP2040 Zero MCU, and runs on open-source QMK firmware with support for the VIAL browser-based configuration tool. The keyboard is fully wired, and the two halves connect to each other via TRRS cable, which might limit the polling rate, although reports claim the mechanical Silakka54 is capable of at least 1 kHz.

The Silakka54 is a DIY kit, which means users will need to solder their own PCB, have it put together by a service like PCBWay, or buy a version of the keyboard from a vendor who pre-builds the keyboard and sells it on a platform like Amazon or Etsy. The whole point of the Silakka54 is that it is an affordable design, which is made possible by a reversible PCB and 3D-printable cases and accessories.