First time order questions for Lily58
Hey, this is my first time looking into building a lily58 and was hoping to do the least amount of soldering as I've never tried before. There's a few questions I'm hoping to understand on my build
1. if I'm building only off typeractive with no external parts/company parts, are the batteries/nice!nano needed? If so, can I use it in wired mode only as I prefer wired keyboards
2. Does the no-solder hotswap option for the headers mean that I don't need to solder at all for this board? I'd be willing to give soldering a try with the Ez Solder Hotswap option but just looking to confirm if this board requires anymore soldering beyond the header
3. I'm assuming yes but just to confirm - is this board hotswappable?
Thanks for answering my questions
17 Replies
Hey, this is great! It's exciting to build your first custom keyboard. Let's get your questions answered:
1. Batteries/nice!nano for wired mode: Our Lily58 Wireless kit is designed around the nice!nano microcontroller, which is essential for the keyboard's functionality, whether wired or wireless. Batteries are specifically for wireless operation. While ZMK firmware does support wired use, our kit is optimized for wireless. So, you'll need the nice!nano, but if you only plan to use it wired, you wouldn't necessarily need to install the batteries.
2. No-solder hotswap option / soldering beyond headers: You're in luck! Our Lily58 PCBs come partially assembled, meaning the hotswap sockets, diodes, reset button, power switch, and JST jack are pre-soldered. If you choose the "no-solder hotswap" option for the nice!nano and also use no-solder headers for the nice!view (if you opt for displays), then you will not need to do any soldering at all for this board.
3. Hotswappable: Yes, absolutely! The Lily58 Wireless PCB comes with hotswap sockets pre-installed, so you can easily insert and change your switches without any soldering.
You can find more details on the build process in our documentation:
* Lily58 Wireless Getting Started: docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/lily58-wireless/getting-started
* nice!nano installation: docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/lily58-wireless/nice-nano
* nice!view installation: docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/lily58-wireless/nice-view
Let me know if you have any more questions or need further clarification! I'm here to help.
if i buy a nice!nano micro controller, how would using the board in wired mode look?
Using your Lily58 in wired mode with a nice!nano is straightforward!
You'll simply connect a USB-C cable from the keyboard to your computer. The nice!nano will draw power directly from the USB connection. If you have a battery installed, it will charge while plugged in (just make sure the power switch on the PCB is turned on).
The keyboard will function just like any other wired keyboard, sending your key presses over the USB connection. While the nice!nano is designed for wireless use, it works perfectly fine as a wired board when connected.
You can see the USB-C port location in our build guides, for example, on the Lily58 Wireless Getting Started page: docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/lily58-wireless/getting-started
Let me know if you have any other questions!
would it require two usbc wires?
No, you would only need one USB-C cable to connect your Lily58 to your computer.
For split keyboards running ZMK firmware, one half (typically the left half) acts as the "central" unit that connects to your computer (either wired via USB-C or wirelessly via Bluetooth). The other half (the right half) connects wirelessly to the central half.
So, you'll only plug in the left half, and both halves will function.
Let me know if anything else comes up!
is there any way to connect both haves by wire?
No, for our Lily58 Wireless, the connection between the two halves is wireless (Bluetooth Low Energy).
The left half connects to your computer (either wired via USB-C or wirelessly), and the right half communicates wirelessly with the left half. There isn't a wired connection option between the two halves for this specific setup.
Let me know if you have more questions!
wwwhats wwwwwww
"www" typically stands for World Wide Web and is commonly used at the beginning of website addresses (URLs) to indicate that it's a web resource.
For example, our documentation is at
docs.typeractive.xyz.
Is there a specific website or term you're curious about?whats the process to reflash a lily58
To reflash your Lily58, you'll follow these steps for each nice!nano:
1. Plug in your nice!nano to your computer using a USB-C cable.
2. Enter the bootloader by double-tapping the reset button on the nice!nano. (If it's the first time flashing, you might not need to double-tap).
3. Your computer should now show a new drive called
NICENANO. Drag and drop the .uf2 firmware file onto this drive.
4. After the transfer, the drive will disappear, and the nice!nano will reboot. (Your computer might show an error during transfer, which you can usually ignore, especially on macOS 13.0 – upgrade to 13.1 to fix this).
5. Once flashed, you can turn the power switch on by pushing it up on the side of the keyboard.
You'll need to do this for both the left and right halves of your Lily58.
You can find our default firmware files here: docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/lily58-wireless/firmware
If you want to build your own custom firmware, the same page has links to template repositories and guides on how to do so.
Let me know if you have any other questions or run into issues!my built lily58 has a double key press, for example if i press w once, two w's (ww) will appear, but it is not limited to just the W key and many keys
A double key press, or "chattering," is usually a hardware issue. Here are the most common things to check for each affected key:
1. Check the switch:
* If you're using hotswap sockets, remove the switch and inspect its pins. They can sometimes get bent when inserting the switch, preventing proper contact. Gently straighten any bent pins with tweezers.
* If the pins are fine, the switch itself might be faulty. Try swapping it with a known working switch from another less-used key to see if the problem moves.
2. Check the hotswap socket:
* With the switch removed, look at the hotswap socket on the PCB. The small gold contacts inside the socket can sometimes be bent or not making good contact with the switch pins. You can gently bend them slightly inward to ensure a better connection.
* Also, ensure the hotswap socket is properly soldered to the PCB. If it's loose, try reheating the solder joints or adding a tiny bit more solder to each side.
3. Check the diode:
* Each key has a diode. Ensure it's oriented correctly (the line on the diode matches the line on the PCB silkscreen), is soldered properly, and isn't cracked. Reheating the solder on the diode's pads can sometimes help.
These steps usually resolve single or multiple key issues. If you've tried all of these and the problem persists, let me know!
will re-pairing the left and right side fix the issue?
No, re-pairing the left and right halves is very unlikely to fix a double key press issue.
Double key presses are almost always a hardware problem related to the individual switch, its hotswap socket, or the diode for that specific key. Re-pairing addresses communication issues between the two halves or between the keyboard and your computer, not how individual key presses are registered at the PCB level.
Please focus on the troubleshooting steps for the switch, hotswap socket, and diode that I mentioned previously.
how can i re-pair both halves
To re-pair your left and right halves, you'll need to clear the existing bonds between them and then reset both sides. This is often necessary if they stop communicating properly.
Here's the process:
1. Clear Bonds on Both Halves:
* You'll need to activate the
BT_CLR (Bluetooth Clear) function on both the left and right halves. This key clears the bond for the currently active Bluetooth profile.
* Refer to your keymap to find where BT_CLR is located. If you're using our default firmware, you can find the keymap image on the firmware page for your keyboard (e.g., docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/lily58-wireless/firmware).
* Press the BT_CLR key on the left half, then repeat this on the right half.
* Important: If you use multiple Bluetooth profiles, it's a good idea to cycle through all of them (BT_SEL or BT_NXT/BT_PRV keys) and clear the bond on each profile for both halves to ensure no old bonds are interfering.
2. Reset Both Halves Simultaneously:
* After clearing the bonds, press the reset button on both the left and right halves at the same time. This will help them discover and pair with each other again.
For more detailed information, you can check our troubleshooting guide on "Split Halves Won't Connect": docs.typeractive.xyz/troubleshooting/split-halves-wont-connect
Let me know if you have any trouble finding the BT_CLR key or if the halves still don't connect after trying this!