diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 5cf1dd5..bd4279d 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -103,6 +103,20 @@ name = "bytemuck"
 version = "1.13.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "17febce684fd15d89027105661fec94afb475cb995fbc59d2865198446ba2eea"
+dependencies = [
+ "bytemuck_derive",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "bytemuck_derive"
+version = "1.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "fdde5c9cd29ebd706ce1b35600920a33550e402fc998a2e53ad3b42c3c47a192"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 2.0.16",
+]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "byteorder"
@@ -1331,6 +1345,7 @@ name = "tangentbord1"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "atomic-polyfill 1.0.2",
+ "bytemuck",
  "cortex-m",
  "cortex-m-rt",
  "crc-any",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index eec657a..70adf60 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ atomic-polyfill = "1.0.2"
 critical-section = "1.1.1"
 crc-any = "2.4.3"
 serde = { version = "1.0.163", default-features = false, features = ["derive"] }
+bytemuck = { version = "1.13.1", features = ["derive"] }
 
 #[patch."https://git.nubo.sh/hulthe/tgnt.git"]
 #tgnt = { path = "../tgnt" }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index dfa6fd5..dc2ea6d 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #![no_std]
 #![feature(type_alias_impl_trait)]
+#![feature(split_array)]
 
 use embassy_rp::{
     bind_interrupts,
diff --git a/src/uart.rs b/src/uart.rs
index 634538f..f4895a8 100644
--- a/src/uart.rs
+++ b/src/uart.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+use core::mem::size_of;
+
+use bytemuck::{cast, AnyBitPattern, NoUninit};
 use crc_any::CRCu16;
 use embassy_executor::Spawner;
 use embassy_rp::peripherals::{PIN_0, PIN_1, UART0};
@@ -46,26 +49,41 @@ async fn uart_task(uart: BufferedUart<'static, UART0>, this_half: Half, mut even
     let (mut rx, mut tx) = uart.split();
     let (mut events_rx, mut events_tx) = events.split();
 
-    const HEADER_LEN: usize = 4;
+    #[repr(C)]
+    #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, NoUninit, AnyBitPattern)]
+    struct Header {
+        /// The length of the payload.
+        len: u8,
+
+        /// An arbitrary value to feed the crc, should be different for each message.
+        random: u8,
+
+        /// A little-endian crc16.
+        crc: [u8; 2],
+    }
+
+    const HEADER_LEN: usize = size_of::<Header>();
 
     let rx_task = async {
         let mut buf: heapless::Vec<u8, 1024> = Vec::new();
         loop {
-            if let &[len, random, crc1, crc2, ref rest @ ..] = buf.as_slice() {
-                let crc = u16::from_le_bytes([crc1, crc2]);
+            if buf.len() >= HEADER_LEN {
+                let (&header, rest) = buf.split_array_ref::<HEADER_LEN>();
+                let header: Header = cast(header);
+                let crc = u16::from_le_bytes(header.crc);
                 let mut calculated_crc = CRCu16::crc16();
-                calculated_crc.digest(&[len, random]);
+                calculated_crc.digest(&[header.len, header.random]);
                 let calculated_crc = calculated_crc.get_crc();
 
                 if calculated_crc != crc {
-                    log::error!("invalid uart package crc: {:x?}", &buf[..HEADER_LEN]);
+                    log::error!("invalid uart header crc: {header:x?}");
                     buf.remove(0); // pop the first byte and hope we find a good packet header
                     continue;
                 }
 
-                log::debug!("got uart header {:x?}", &buf[..HEADER_LEN]);
+                log::debug!("got uart header {header:x?}");
 
-                let len = usize::from(len);
+                let len = usize::from(header.len);
                 if rest.len() >= len {
                     let r = postcard::from_bytes(&rest[..len]);
 
@@ -106,7 +124,7 @@ async fn uart_task(uart: BufferedUart<'static, UART0>, this_half: Half, mut even
 
     let tx_task = async {
         let mut buf = [0u8; 256 + HEADER_LEN];
-        let mut counter = 1u8;
+        let mut counter = 0u8;
         loop {
             // forward messages to the other keyboard half
             let event = events_rx.recv().await;
@@ -115,7 +133,7 @@ async fn uart_task(uart: BufferedUart<'static, UART0>, this_half: Half, mut even
             }
 
             let message = Message::KeyboardEvent(event);
-            let (header, body) = buf.split_at_mut(HEADER_LEN);
+            let (buf_header, body) = buf.split_array_mut();
             let serialized = match postcard::to_slice(&message, body) {
                 Ok(s) => s,
                 Err(e) => {
@@ -125,16 +143,20 @@ async fn uart_task(uart: BufferedUart<'static, UART0>, this_half: Half, mut even
             };
 
             // add a "random" value to feed the crc
-            let random = counter;
             counter = counter.wrapping_add(1);
+            let random = counter;
 
             let len = serialized.len() as u8;
 
             let mut crc = CRCu16::crc16();
             crc.digest(&[len, random]);
-            let [crc1, crc2] = crc.get_crc().to_le_bytes();
-
-            header.copy_from_slice(&[len, random, crc1, crc2]);
+            let header = Header {
+                len: serialized.len() as u8,
+                random,
+                crc: crc.get_crc().to_le_bytes(),
+            };
+            let header: [u8; HEADER_LEN] = cast(header);
+            *buf_header = header;
 
             let package = &buf[..HEADER_LEN + usize::from(len)];
             tx.write_all(package).await.ok();