Model 01 Keyboard

$ 329.00

Shipping calculated at checkout.

The Model 01 is permanently sold out. The Keyboardio Model 100 is a new, improved keyboard with the same amazingly comfortable layout as the Model 01. The Model 100 is in stock for immediate shipment.

A keyboard for uncompromising typists

The Model 01 is not like other keyboards. We mill the Model 01's enclosure from solid maple. We use gloriously tactile mechanical keyswitches similar to those found in classic Macs. We've custom-sculpted each of the 64 individual keycaps to gently guide your fingers to the right keys.

Hardwood body

It's hard to convey in writing just how good it feels to rest your hands on the Model 01. In a lot of ways, it feels more like a musical instrument than a computer peripheral.

Each keyboard is milled from solid maple

Once you get your hands on a polished maple Model 01, you won't want to go back to another flat, plastic box.

A key layout based on your fingers

The traditional staggered QWERTY layout was not designed for humans. Since it's important that the Model 01 not feel too alien today, the Model 01 ships with a QWERTY-style key layout. We've made some important changes, though: We've aligned the keys in columns so they're easier to reach without having to contort your fingers and moved some keys from your pinkies to an arc underneath your thumbs. The layout is, of course, fully customizable.

Yes, it has an "Any" key. No, we have no idea what it's supposed to do. But we bet you do.

It adjusts to fit your hands and your desk

Out of the box, the Model 01 provides a pretty comfortable experience for the vast majority of people who've tried it. However, your hands and your work setup aren't necessarily the same as ours, so we've designed the Model 01 to be easy for you to adjust and customize. The two halves of the keyboard are joined together by a center bar. Your Model 01 comes with both a flat bar and a "tented" bar, as well as a pair of adjustable stands.

We like adjustability. Your keyboard should fit you, not the other way around

The most standard configuration of the Model 01 places the two halves of the keyboard flat on your desk. If you're not used to an ergonomic keyboard or plan to use the Model 01 on your lap, the flat configuration will feel most natural to you.
The tented center bar angles the two halves of the Model 01 slightly up in the middle. If you've been typing on an ergonomic keyboard like the Microsoft Natural keyboard, the tented configuration willbe comfortable and familiar to you.
You can position the two halves of the keyboard shoulder-width apart on your desk for a sublimely comfortable typing experience.
Each half of the keyboard features a standard 1/4-20 camera tripod mount, perfect for building a custom keyboard stand.

Programmable LEDs

Each key has an individually programmable RGB LED. Out of the box, the Model 01 can breathe, glow and do

cute rainbow fade animations with the best of them, but the neat part is that each and every one of those LEDs is end-user controllable.

Sculpted keycaps to guide your fingers

We designed new keycaps to help you type

Most computer keyboard designs use at most 4 or 5 different key shapes–just one for each row.

We sculpted each of the Model 01's 64 keycaps to gently guide your fingers to the correct places, making it just a little bit easier to hit the right key with the right finger.

High-quality mechanical keyswitches

The Model 01 features Quiet Click keyswitches designed in Canada by Edgar Matias. Starting from the design of the ALPS keyswitches used in some of Apple's most legendary keyboards from the last century, Matias reengineered them to slide more smoothly when pressed from just about any angle and to be quiet enough to use in a meeting. They're still satisfyingly tactile with a delightfully clicky feel when pressed.

The learning curve

We're not going to beat around the bush. The Model 01 is not for everybody. If you don't already touch type on a split keyboard with the keys arranged in columns, expect some frustration as you come up to speed on the Model 01. Typically, most typists start to get acclimated to a new key layout like ours within a few hours, but true mastery of a new key layout is an investment that can take a month or two to really start to pay off.

Anybody who buys the Model 01 should know that there’s an adjustment period. Plan to work on it full time for about a week or two weeks before you get really used to the new layout. It's going to be a little slow and a little frustrating at first, but it’s worthwhile in the end for the long term benefits.

– Gina Trapani (@ginatrapani), Model 01 beta tester

Arduino makes customization easy

We've built the Model 01 around the same ATmega32U4 microcontroller that Arduino uses in the Arduino Leonardo. You can update your keyboard from the Arduino IDE. If you want to make your keyboard do something special, there are thousands of Arduino resources online to help you out

If that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, don't worry about it. You don't need to know anything about electronics or embedded programming to use the Model 01. It's a keyboard. You can just take it out of the box, plug it in and start typing.

Source code and a screwdriver

You own the things you buy from us. You are 100% welcome to open your keyboard up, flash its firmware, reflash its bootloader, or solder weird connectors onto the circuit boards. Your Model 01 comes with a screwdriver, as well as access to firmware & bootloader source code.

Tech specs

Dimensions: 230mm x 360mm x 25mm
Weight: 1.3kg
Keycaps: 64 black-painted, laser engraved keycaps
Keyswitches: Matias Quiet Click ALPS-mount keyswitches
Keyswitch lifetime: 50 million presses
Rollover: True NKRO
LEDs: APA 102C LEDs
Microcontroller: Microchip ATmega32U4
Interface: USB 2.0 over USB-C
Compatibility: OS X, Linux, Windows, Android (Limited LED support with phones and tablets)
Minimum power draw: 30 mA (no LEDs)
Maximum power draw: 500 mA/1600mA (Software configurable)