KeeBot: Where dream keyboards are made locally

While most of us are comfortable with typing on blocky mass-produced keyboards, some professionals and enthusiasts prioritise flexibility, precision, comfort, and aesthetics of their gear. After all, it is an essential tool of their trade. 

The local market, unfortunately, has very little to offer for this niche market, forcing people to look for overpriced products from abroad. 

This is where KeeBot comes in. With their customised line of products, they promise to bridge this gap with some of Bangladesh's very first mechanical keyboards which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. 

The two young founders of the business – Sadnan Adib and Samiul Bashar Anan – design and build these keyboards together. Adib works on the hardware and Anan focuses on the electrical and PCB design. 

KeeBot products include customised Alice styles, splits, mcropads among others. 

Kebab: Ergonomic Alice style keyboard

The Kebab keyboard, one of KeeBot's most successful models, is one of the first customised mechanical keyboards to be made in Bangladesh. 

Designed in the Alice style, where two halves of the keyboard are angular to accommodate the natural placement of the hands while typing, The Kebab is ergonomic and makes typing a breeze. 

It comes with a gasket mount and a transparent acrylic frame. The keyboard features a programmable knob on the top left which lets you control the sound volume by default, but can be customised for other commands. 

It includes a programmable LED strip on the left which lets you choose the colours of the light. The keyboard also has a small LED screen on the bottom right which shows a small animated cat that reacts to typing. 

However, the keyboard does not come with any keycaps or switches, allowing users full control over how the keyboard looks.

The idea for the Kebab came to life when Adib wanted to create an Alice-style keyboard for himself. 

"The Alice style is pretty popular abroad, but it isn't available in Bangladesh. There are limited options to import them here. I decided to make one and shared the idea with a few people, and they all loved it," he said. 
 
The small team of KeeBot was able to manage funds by putting up the keyboard for preorder. They were able to find 15-20 buyers from tech enthusiast communities, Facebook groups, and Mechaboards BD. It took them three months to complete building them. 

While most of the components were sourced locally, some parts had to be imported due to their limited availability in Bangladesh, such as the PCB and foams for the gasket. 

The feedback from users was mostly positive. 

Zahian Wahid Aurik, a user of the Kebab keyboard, said, "It is a tinkerer's dream come true. The PCB board is a little tight for some switches and I wish there were more plate options. But it is not a big issue."

KeeBot plans to improve on the design before re-releasing the keyboard for customers. 

Price: Tk 7,500

Lily58E: The split design

The Lily58E has a very unique design. KeeBot made the board and used open sourced files to create the keyboard.

It comes with a split style, meaning two halves of the keyboard are split into two parts. This split is adjustable and it allows you to make the gap wider or narrower according to your preference. 

This split design is pretty comfortable to use as it allows a lot of flexibility to the user. The keyboard is also made with acrylic and has a PCB. It also consists of two programmable knobs on each half of the keyboard. 

Price: Tk 6,700

Botpad V1: The Macropad

KeeBot also makes a variety of macropads such as their Botpad V1. Macropads are essentially small pads with six to nine keys, and sometimes include a control knob, which can be used as an extension of a keyboard. 

These products are immensely useful for professionals such as editors, graphic designers, streamers, and others. You can programme the keys to do whatever you want, essentially having the power to set large commands into one key. 

Price: Around Tk 2,000 to Tk 3,500

The handy 40% 

KeeBot designs custom keyboards designed to fit all your needs. One of their first commissioned works was the 40% keyboard.

The 40% is a miniature version of a regular keyboard. It does not include a row for numbers, and the function keys (F1 to F4) are located on the bottom right. 

This keyboard is very useful for those who often need to travel. The small and lightweight design makes it extremely portable when on the go.  

Price: Around Tk 4,000 depending on customisations

Where to buy: https://www.facebook.com/keebotbd