Keybometer: viral typing speedometer
December 2024, Continued in 2026
An analog desk accessory measuring WPM and lifetime keystrokes; 100,000 views on Reddit in <24 hours.
tldr
- Role
- Solo · 48-hour build challenge in MIRA's hiring process · Dec 2024
- Built
- Designed a desk speedometer showing live typing speed (WPM) on a servo needle and lifetime keystrokes on an LCD, driven by an Arduino over USB serial
- Result
- Earned the MIRA internship offer; #1 trending on r/MechanicalKeyboards with ~100k views in under 24 hours
- Tools
- Arduino, serial communication, EEPROM, servo, LCD, 3D printing
When I applied to work at MIRA (formerly Halo), part of my interview was to "build something, and ship it." Shipping hardware from your bedroom is hard, especially in 48 hours without many materials on hand.
I assumed that internet validation would be the hardest part of the challenge: most engineering projects don't achieve massive virality, and printed parts + an Arduino are a hard sell. Focusing on this, I found an idea worth pursuing after a few hours.
A few hours into that idea, I scrapped it. Finally, 12 hours in, I mocked up a speedometer I assumed would be well received by keyboard enthusiasts. Around 11:30pm, I started the print, and wrote firmware I'd be able to test in the morning.
The final product used a desktop app on my PC to send binary denoting when keystrokes (or the delete key) were pressed to an Arduino over serial; the Arduino had a rolling average WPM and stored a lifetime count of keypresses in EEPROM. Data was displayed with a servo press-fit into place, and an LCD screen 'odometer' for lifetime total keystrokes and deleted characters.
It was simple, but it worked reliably and the design was fun. Taking to social media, I posted on various platforms before deciding that Reddit was the most engaged audience. The 'Keybometer' reached #1 trending on r/MechanicalKeyboards (1.3 million followers), and I got a lot of messages from people interested in buying one.
The best result of this project, though, was my offer to come work at MIRA. You can read more about my time there here.
I still have the reflection I submitted for the interview; you can watch it here, in all its poorly edited glory.
