Legacy Designs

Earlier Clickety Split projects helped shape the direction of the hardware being developed today.

This page preserves the history of earlier Clickety Split designs while the shop moves toward newer integrated keyboard hardware such as MNML and Chiisai.

From parts to platforms

Clickety Split began with a simple idea: support the split keyboard community with useful parts, thoughtful service, and a genuine love for compact keyboard hardware.

In the beginning, the focus was on making components more accessible to Canadian builders—microcontrollers, displays, switches, sockets, keycaps, diodes, encoders, batteries, and popular keyboard kits. But even then, there was a larger dream forming in the background: to design and produce original Clickety Split keyboard hardware.

That dream became Leeloo.

Leeloo was shaped by curiosity, personal comfort, and a lot of hands-on learning. After exploring keyboards such as ErgoDox, Kyria, Lily58, Corne, Sofle, Ferris, and others, the design direction became clearer: reduce unnecessary reach, keep useful controls close to home row, support layers, and create a compact split layout that felt natural in everyday use.

The early process was intentionally practical. Layouts were printed at full size, finger movement was studied, thumb positions were marked by feel, and column stagger was refined through repeated testing. Electronics and PCB design became part of the journey, turning curiosity into working hardware.

Leeloo, Leeloo-Micro, and Pepito each carried that learning forward in a different way. Together, they form the bridge between Clickety Split’s earlier module-based keyboard designs and the newer integrated hardware direction represented by MNML and Chiisai.

Leeloo

Leeloo is one of the original Clickety Split keyboard designs and an important part of the project’s history.

This layout has stood the test of time, defined by its column stagger, balanced spacing, and the five modifier keys that inspired the name Leeloo from the movie “The Fifth Element.” It represents an early foundation for the design language that continues to influence Clickety Split hardware today.

Originally built around controllers such as the Pro Micro, Elite-C, and Elite-Pi with OLED displays, Leeloo was later revised to support the nice!nano and nice!view ecosystem as wireless builds became more common.

Leeloo also helped push forward practical hardware features, including support for wired and wireless configurations, battery pads, power switches, rotary encoder positions, and firmware support across QMK and ZMK.

Later work around Leeloo explored matching dials, case designs, and material possibilities, continuing the idea that compact keyboard hardware should be functional, comfortable, and thoughtfully finished.

Leeloo-related parts may be limited, discontinued, or kept for reference depending on availability.

Leeloo-Micro

Leeloo-Micro builds upon Leeloo as a natural evolution for those seeking a more compact, travel-friendly keyboard while retaining the same core design philosophy.

It preserves the familiar column stagger and spacing, includes five modifiers, and continues the focus on comfort, compactness, and practical everyday use.

Leeloo-Micro also marked an important transition point. It helped move the design language toward smaller, cleaner, and more integrated hardware while still carrying forward the lessons learned from the original Leeloo layout.

Pepito

Pepito was introduced as the in-between keyboard of Leeloo and Leeloo-Micro. It explored a smaller and more economical wireless design built around the Seeed Studio XIAO BLE.

Pepito is also one of the most personal Clickety Split designs. Created in memory of Annie and Pepito, it carries both a practical hardware story and a family story: efficient, resourceful, colourful, and quietly capable.

As a 44-key wireless keyboard, Pepito moved from five modifiers to four. That design choice ultimately reinforced the value of five modifiers in the broader Clickety Split design language and helped shape the thinking that would later influence MNML.

Pepito also confirmed something important through user feedback: many builders were not primarily looking for extra features or rotary encoders. They wanted an energy-efficient, reliable, compact wireless keyboard with a practical number of keys for everyday use.

A note on earlier components

Earlier Clickety Split designs were made possible by parts such as Pro Micro-compatible controllers, nice!nano, nice!view, Elite-C, Elite-Pi, OLED displays, sockets, headers, and related build hardware.

Some of these parts may no longer be stocked, but they remain listed where useful for compatibility, maintenance, and reference.

From the archive

The history of these designs is also preserved through earlier Clickety Split blog posts, including the launch of the store, the beginning of Leeloo, the development of its firmware and case ideas, its move toward production, and the personal story behind Pepito.