Weyland-Yutani Nostromo Custom Keyboard

A custom 45-key mechanical keyboard with QMK firmware, inspired by the iconic spacecraft from the Alien franchise.

Features

45-key layout with 2u stabilized keys for Tab, Backspace, Shift, Space, and Return
3 layers accessible via dual function keys
Pro Micro based (ATmega32U4)
QMK firmware with full customization support
Handwired construction with 1N4148 diodes

Layout

Base Layer (Layer 0)

┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
│ Q │ W │ E │ R │ T │ Y │ U │ I │ O │ P │
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│ A │ S │ D │ F │ G │ H │ J │ K │ L │ ; │
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│ Z │ X │ C │ V │ B │ N │ M │ , │ . │ / │
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───────┼───────┼───┼───┤
│Ctl│Alt│ ` │ \ │Tab 2u │Bksp2u │ ' │ = │
├───┼───┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───┼───┤
│Fn1│Sys│Shift2u│Space2u│Return2│Fn2│Esc│
└───┴───┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───┴───┘

┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
│ 1 │ 2 │ 3 │ 4 │ 5 │ 6 │ 7 │ 8 │ 9 │ 0 │
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│   │   │   │   │   │ ← │ ↓ │ ↑ │ → │Del│
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│   │   │   │   │   │Hom│PgD│PgU│End│Ins│
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───────┼───────┼───┼───┤
│   │   │   │   │       │  Del  │ [ │ ] │
├───┼───┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───┼───┤
│Fn1│   │       │       │       │   │   │
└───┴───┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───┴───┘

Features:

Numbers: Top row becomes 1-0
Arrow keys: HJKL (vim-style: H=←, J=↓, K=↑, L=→)
Navigation: Home, End, Page Up, Page Down
Extras: Delete, Insert, Brackets [ ]

Layer 2: Function Keys & Media (Hold RIGHT Fn2)

┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
│F1 │F2 │F3 │F4 │F5 │F6 │F7 │F8 │F9 │F10│
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│F11│F12│   │   │   │Prv│VoD│VoU│Nxt│Mut│
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
│   │   │   │   │   │Stp│Ply│Pau│   │   │
├───┼───┼───┼───┼───────┼───────┼───┼───┤
│   │   │   │   │       │       │ - │ + │
├───┼───┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───┼───┤
│   │   │       │       │       │Fn2│Rst│
└───┴───┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───┴───┘

Features:

Function keys: F1-F12
Media controls: Play/Pause, Next, Previous, Stop
Volume: Volume Up/Down, Mute
Special: QK_BOOT (Rst) for firmware flashing

Hardware

3D Printable Files

Plate STL: hardware/plate.stl - Mounting plate for switches

Required Components

1x Pro Micro (or compatible ATmega32U4 board)
45x Cherry MX compatible switches
45x 1N4148 diodes
Wire for matrix
USB cable
Case/mounting solution (or 3D print the included plate)

Matrix Layout (5x10)

        Col0  Col1  Col2  Col3  Col4  Col5  Col6  Col7  Col8  Col9
Row0    Q     W     E     R     T     Y     U     I     O     P
Row1    A     S     D     F     G     H     J     K     L     ;
Row2    Z     X     C     V     B     N     M     ,     .     /
Row3    Ctrl  Alt   `     \     Tab   -     Bksp  -     '     =
Row4    Fn1   -     Shift -     Space -     Enter -     Fn2   Esc

Note: Dashes (-) indicate positions that are part of 2u keys but have no switch.

Pro Micro Pinout

         Pro Micro
     ┌─────────────┐
TX0  │ D3       RAW│
RX1  │ D2       GND│
GND  │ GND      RST│
GND  │ GND      VCC│
2    │ D1       F4 │ A3
3    │ D0       F5 │ A2
4    │ D4       F6 │ A1
5    │ C6       F7 │ A0
6    │ D7       B1 │ 15
7    │ E6       B3 │ 14
8    │ B4       B2 │ 16
9    │ B5       B6 │ 10
     └─────────────┘

Pin Configuration

Matrix Rows (5 total)

Row 0 → TX0 (D3) - Top row (Q through P)
Row 1 → RX1 (D2) - Second row (A through ;)
Row 2 → Pin 2 (D1) - Third row (Z through /)
Row 3 → Pin 3 (D0) - Fourth row (Ctrl through =)
Row 4 → Pin 4 (D4) - Bottom row (Fn1 through Esc)

Matrix Columns (10 total)

Col 0 → Pin 5 (C6)
Col 1 → Pin 6 (D7)
Col 2 → Pin 7 (E6)
Col 3 → Pin 8 (B4)
Col 4 → Pin 9 (B5)
Col 5 → Pin 10 (B6)
Col 6 → Pin 16 (B2)
Col 7 → Pin 14 (B3)
Col 8 → Pin 15 (B1)
Col 9 → Pin A0 (F7)

Wiring Notes

Diode direction: COL2ROW (diode stripe towards row)
One diode per switch (45 total)
2u keys use stabilizers but single switch in center position
Debounce set to 10ms for stability

Diode Connection

Switch Pin 1 ───┤>├─── To Row Wire
                Diode
                (stripe towards row)

Switch Pin 2 ────────── To Column Wire

Build Gallery

Pro Micro Controller

Switch Installation

Matrix Wiring

Note: Work in progress - top 2 rows not yet wired in this photo

Building the Firmware

Prerequisites

Install QMK

pip3 install qmk
qmk setup

Method 1: Copy to QMK Directory

Copy the firmware folder to your QMK installation

cp -r firmware/weyland_yutani ~/qmk_firmware/keyboards/

Compile

cd ~/qmk_firmware
qmk compile -kb weyland_yutani/nostromo -km default

Flash (reset Pro Micro when prompted)

qmk flash -kb weyland_yutani/nostromo -km default

Method 2: Use Pre-compiled Hex

Flash the pre-compiled firmware directly

avrdude -p atmega32u4 -c avr109 -P /dev/ttyACM0 -U flash:w:firmware/weyland_yutani_nostromo_default.hex:i

Flashing Instructions

Run the flash command
When you see "Waiting for USB serial port - reset your controller now"
Quickly double-tap the reset button on your Pro Micro (or short RST to GND twice)
The bootloader window is only open for 8 seconds
If successful, you'll see the upload progress

Troubleshooting Flash Issues

Make sure you're in the dialout group: sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
Try different USB cables and ports
Reset timing is critical - practice the double-tap rhythm
Use the included flash_with_reset.sh script for automated reset

Customization

Editing the Keymap

Edit firmware/weyland_yutani/nostromo/keymaps/default/keymap.c to customize your layout.

Common modifications:

Change key assignments
Add more layers
Configure macros
Adjust media keys

Adding Features

The keyboard.json supports enabling:

RGB lighting
Backlight
NKRO (N-Key Rollover)
Additional QMK features

Troubleshooting

Key Not Working

Check solder connections on switch
Verify diode orientation (stripe towards row)
Test continuity with multimeter
Check wire connections to Pro Micro pins

Inconsistent Key Response

Increase debounce time in keyboard.json
Check for cold solder joints
Clean switch contacts
Verify stable USB connection

Cannot Enter Bootloader

Try shorting RST to GND directly
Hold reset while plugging in USB
Check Pro Micro board health
Verify USB cable is data-capable

Project Structure

nostromo-keyboard-qmk/
├── firmware/               # QMK firmware files
│   └── weyland_yutani/
│       └── nostromo/
├── hardware/               # 3D printable files
│   └── plate.stl
├── docs/                   # Documentation
├── scripts/                # Helper scripts
├── images/                 # Photos and diagrams
└── README.md              # This file

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Credits

Built with QMK Firmware
Inspired by the main computer terminal used by the captain and Ripley aboard the Nostromo spacecraft from the Alien franchise
Special thanks to the QMK community

Note: This is an unofficial fan project. "Alien," "Nostromo," "Ripley," and "Weyland-Yutani" are trademarks of 20th Century Studios.

Contact

For questions, issues, or suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.

"Building the perfect keyboard, one key at a time"

paidmediamountain/nostromo-keyboard-qmk