Illinois State · Class of 2029

Marketing student and compulsive builder

I make videos, build things I want to use, and learn a lot by putting them out into the world.

Selected projects

Redbird Fuel

An app I made to help students hit their fitness goals by creating & tracking meals across all of our campus dining halls. Currently serving 50+ users.

View project

Almanac

An AI assistant that organizes my life and saves me 3+ hours per week. It connects my calendar, bank transactions, assignments, email, and messages, finding patterns across thousands of data points to suggest ways to improve my productivity.

View project

Video Portfolio

A collection of my favorite & best performing freelanced video projects.

Watch the work

QsCables

An ecommerce business I founded and operated selling artisan keyboard cables.

View project

More of me

Things I’ve made, places I’ve been, and what’s next.

Open to work · Summer 2027GA4 certifiedHubSpot Content Marketing certifiedAdobe Student AmbassadorJesse W. Fell ScholarDean's List ×2
Blake Stall

My own keyboard

This started with a keyboard layout I wanted to try. Then I needed a case to fit it, a board to connect the switches, and firmware to make it all work. Six months later, I had a keyboard I had designed from the ground up, and a lot of hours in programs I had never opened before.

I started small: a 40% layout, with a few keys moved to where I actually reach for them. That layout became the starting point for everything else.
I started small: a 40% layout, with a few keys moved to where I actually reach for them. That layout became the starting point for everything else.
Making the case meant learning Fusion 360 from scratch. A shape on a screen is one thing. Getting the screw holes, clearances, and edges right so it can actually go together is another.
Making the case meant learning Fusion 360 from scratch. A shape on a screen is one thing. Getting the screw holes, clearances, and edges right so it can actually go together is another.
Next came the electronics. I designed the PCB in KiCad, soldered on the microcontroller, and flashed it with custom firmware. The layout finally had a way to talk to my computer.
Next came the electronics. I designed the PCB in KiCad, soldered on the microcontroller, and flashed it with custom firmware. The layout finally had a way to talk to my computer.
I resin printed the case and kept working on the fit until it was right. Resin gave me the accuracy and smooth finish I wanted without making the build too expensive.
I resin printed the case and kept working on the fit until it was right. Resin gave me the accuracy and smooth finish I wanted without making the build too expensive.
The brass-looking detail in the base is a little trick. It's resin too, painted to look like metal. It doesn't need to be there, but I liked having a part of the build that was just for looks.
The brass-looking detail in the base is a little trick. It's resin too, painted to look like metal. It doesn't need to be there, but I liked having a part of the build that was just for looks.
After painting and finishing the case by hand, I could finally screw it shut. I finished it in October 2022. It's still the keyboard I type on every day.
After painting and finishing the case by hand, I could finally screw it shut. I finished it in October 2022. It's still the keyboard I type on every day.

I finished a month before ChatGPT launched, so there was no model to ask when I got stuck. Hundreds of hours went into the layout, switch plate, case, board, and firmware. Now all of that learning sits on my desk as something I use every day.