Corne Choc Keyboard

The Corne is a 42-key split ergonomic mechanical keyboard, hand-built in France in your choice of case color and per-keycap colors, available in wired or wireless builds. Every unit ships ready to plug in: no soldering, no firmware compilation, no kit to assemble.

How the layout works

The Corne strips out every key you don't actually need on a row-staggered keyboard, then arranges the rest in vertical columns so your fingers move up and down rather than diagonally. Three thumb keys per side carry the workload that traditionally falls on your pinkies. The two halves separate, so your shoulders sit open and your wrists stay neutral. There is a learning curve, and you should expect a week or two to recover your typing speed, but the muscle memory transfers cleanly once you have it.

If 42 keys feels like too steep a jump from your current keyboard, our 58-key Sofle shares the same construction and column stagger but keeps a full number row, symbols, arrow cluster, and two rotary encoders — a gentler way in.

Case and keycaps, printed in-house

The case is our own design, FDM-printed at slow speed for surface quality, with lateral vent holes and a TPU sound-dampening layer sandwiched between the plate and the bottom. The TPU absorbs the bottom-out shock, and the vents let the air escape sideways instead of resonating inside the shell. The result is a noticeably softer, less hollow typing sound than a standard 3D-printed split. Keycaps are Kailh 3D-printed Choc-profile caps, colored to your spec. Because the layout uses MX spacing, the Choc-profile caps sit with slightly more gap between them than on a standard Choc board. It's a deliberate trade-off for the familiar finger pitch. Total print time runs 10 to 12 hours per keyboard.Due to the FDM printing process, minor surface imperfections may be visible on the case.

Specs

• Layout: 3×6 + 3 thumbs per side, column-staggered, MX spacing (19.05mm), fully split
• Key count: 42
• Switches: Kailh Choc v1 Red Pro, hot-swap sockets (or no switches; opt out in the variant selector)
• Keycaps: Kailh 3D-printed Choc-profile, colors selectable per key
• Case: 3D-printed (FDM), TheKeebLab design, color of your choice, with TPU sound-dampening middle layer
• Controller: RP2040 (wired build) or nRF52840 (wireless build)
• Firmware: QMK with Vial support on wired; ZMK on wireless
• Connection: TRRS between halves and USB-C to host (wired build); Bluetooth LE between halves and to host (wireless build)
• Battery (wireless build): a 1000 mAh rechargeable per side, included. Connect under each half on first setup.
• OLED display: dual 128×32 OLED, one per side (if option selected)

What's in the box

• Assembled Corne keyboard (left + right halves)
• TRRS cable in your chosen color (wireless build: backup only; see FAQ)
• Two 1000 mAh rechargeable batteries (wireless build only, ship disconnected)

Make it yours

Pick the case color, then color each keycap individually using the configurator above the description. The TRRS cable that links the two halves is its own color choice. If you want something we haven't anticipated — a specific color that we do not propose yet, drop it in the custom instructions field on this page. We read every one before starting your build.

Built to order, shipped across the EU

Every Corne is assembled, flashed, and bench-tested by hand once you order. Typical build window is 3 to 5 business days before we hand it to the courier. We ship from France to anywhere in the EU. Returns are accepted up to 30 days after delivery. If you're outside the EU, the easier option is our Etsy store.

Built on the open-source Corne design by foostan (Pro Micro V4 layout by klouderone). Keymap remapping via Vial, no flashing required.