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Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

graz.io

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Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#141

Post by __mharrison__ »

Palomides wrote: post #85
__mharrison__ wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think cases are the biggest issue with DIY keyboards. The plastic laminate of my ergodoxen was stiff, sturdy, and heavy. The exposed bolts were a little industrial. Very much had a DIY look. My Lily58 started out with the PCB "case" which is horrible. Way too flexible, and switches falling out as soon as you attempted to transport it. (Easy transport was my main motivation for the smaller keyboard.) Eventually, I w…

>do a better job with case offerings for hobby businesses like most of these weird little keyboards, adding $200 to the parts cost is a real stretch, considering their already niche appeal and limited capital for investment

Folks are already paying $200+ for these keyboards. Some pay $50+ for a single keycap.

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#143

Post by [deleted] »

crazygringo wrote: post #120

I always wanted Apple to make a split keyboard. Then I realized I could just buy two Magic Keyboards and use them at the same time -- typing on the left half of the left one, and the right half of the right one. After all, the proper ergonomic position is for your forearms to be parallel (not angled inward), which means the keyboard halves you're using should be approximately shoulder-width apart, so there's tons of…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#144

Post by johncalvinyoung »

UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #30

OP, congrats on the product and effort. _NOTHING_ beats prototyping and building. For other split-mechanical keyboards check out: ZSA Voyager Moergo Glove 80

less specifically like OP's, but a really great product that I and a bunch of my coworkers use: the 'Ultimate Hacking Keyboard' 60 (typically referred to as a UHK). I have mine with the palmrest and the recent riser accessory, so I use it split and tented for less wrist/forearm tension.

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#146

Post by speff »

elromulous wrote: post #145

"Sans stagger — I’m not against stagger, I just love the neat look of a pain rectangle." [sic] What an apt typo :)

Pain indeed. I tried an ortho layout a few weeks ago on a split Corne and developed really bad wrist pain. No idea why, but it went away after reverting to a stagger and giving that hand a break

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#147

Post by [deleted] »

jacobevelyn wrote: post #60

This is the keyboard I’ve been hoping Apple would make for years! I’ve currently got a UHK 60 but would probably switch to this if I could buy it. Especially if it had the standard Apple keyboard layout so my fingers don’t need to relearn things like arrow keys and cmd like when I switch between the UHK and MacBook keyboard.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#148

Post by sgraz »

elromulous wrote: post #145

"Sans stagger — I’m not against stagger, I just love the neat look of a pain rectangle." [sic] What an apt typo :)

Haha I didn’t think it would be misinterpreted as a typo. It’s colloquially called “pain rectangle” within the ergo community. But happy it amused the readers. I edited the article to include that explanation!

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#149

Post by jackpeterfletch »

speff wrote: post #146
elromulous wrote: post #145

"Sans stagger — I’m not against stagger, I just love the neat look of a pain rectangle." [sic] What an apt typo :)

Pain indeed. I tried an ortho layout a few weeks ago on a split Corne and developed really bad wrist pain. No idea why, but it went away after reverting to a stagger and giving that hand a break

I’m personally not convinced by the theory of ortho.

It seems to stem from the idea that stagger is a hangover from the typewriter, in which it was required to make room for the mechanics, and that if we didn’t need to make them like that, we wouldn’t have.

Hence the keys should be lined up so your fingers just move up and down.

However I think this has 2 problems.

1) Most ortho keyboards have 5 columns for 4 fingers.

2) In stagger I use different fingers to strike the same letter dependent on what the preceding letter was, so that I almost never use the same finger twice in a row. You can’t do this in ortho if the 2 letters are in the same column, leading to more repeated strikes from the same finger.

Which I would expect is both slower and more straining.

But maybe my technique is weird, or haven’t given the ortho enough time.

(if you like ortho, good for you, not trying to spoil your fun, just musing)

Re: Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard

#150

Post by jsheard »

donio wrote: post #124

Do the two sides communicate with each other or do they act as independent devices?

With the ZMK firmware they're using the sides usually communicate with each other. You have a "primary" side which does most of the firmware heavy lifting, including the Bluetooth connection to the PC, and a "peripheral" side which just sends raw key codes to the primary.

That arrangement means the peripheral side gets significantly better battery life than the primary, so ZMK also has an optional "dongle" mode where you connect a third ZMK device directly to the PC over USB, which acts as the primary, and then both sides of the keyboard act as peripherals so they both sip power.

As a bonus the dongle mode also means the PC sees it as a wired keyboard so it works in the BIOS, etc.

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