My Thoughts

The Sofle v1 is a very straightforward split keyboard, based on the lily58. From the lily58, this board adds another thumb row key, support for Choc low profile key switches, and swaps out the weird-to-some extra index key for encoder support. The PCB shape is changed from the lily58, resulting in the TRRS jack moving below the MCU and a generally smaller all around physical profile.

The build for the Sofle v1 is very straightforward. It does, however, only support SMD diodes. The board supports both choc and mx hotswap sockets and they can both be installed at the same time. You cannot mix choc and mx keyswitches at run time but having both sockets is really nice if you want to try out life in choc land (as I did). If choc doesn’t work out, swap back some MX switches and move on with life.

My only sadness with the v1 is that the encoder spot is always an encoder. If you chose to not install an encoder on one half, there’s a big hole in the plate. In the photos, I crammed an MX switch cover in there but it doesn’t really work.

Otherwise, if you like the lily58 and these modifications seem interesting, this is an easy build. The v2 and beyond, however, introduce lots of changes so make sure you’re buying a v1 PCB/kit if you want a build like the one pictured below.