Show HN: Bayleaf – Building a low-profile wireless split keyboard • Hacker News Board

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

#61

Post by nicksergeant » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 4:53 PM UTC

jsheard wrote: post #59

lycopodiopsida wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is always Glove80, choc switches have very little travel.

Eh, Choc switches have less travel than MX switches but I wouldn't say they have very little travel. Chocs main selling point is the form factor which allows the keyboard chassis to be much thinner. MX switches usually have 4mm of travel, Choc switches have 3mm, while the PG1316S switches used in OPs keyboard only have 1.8mm. I think Apples current switches are even shallower at ~1mm.

Yeah. The travel on the Apple Magic Keyboard, which I can't seem to pry myself away from, is around 1.15mm.

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

#62

Post by lawn » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 4:54 PM UTC

voidUpdate wrote: post #37

Why do no split keyboards have symbols on the keycaps? What happens when you forget where a key is that you don't use often, do you just have to press keys until you find it again?

You can have symbols if you want.

It's just kind of unnecessary when you can just learn the layout. It's not a big deal, I've used blank keycaps for almost two decades across multiple different layouts.

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

#63

Post by regularfry » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 4:58 PM UTC

The unsung hero here is probably the nice!nano. Such a good little board. I've made my own split keyboard around them and it just makes so many things I thought I'd have to think about Go Away.

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

#64

Post by makeitdouble » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:02 PM UTC

danielvaughn wrote: post #45

Personal opinion, but I really don’t get low-profile keyboards. I always need a foam cushion for my palms, which means that a normal profile always feels best for me. Low feels too low with a cushion, and yet still feels too high without one.

My take is that finger muscle are really different from person to person, to a degree that can be surprising.

I might be at the other extreme end, but even typing on glass doesn't bother me much, and laptop keyboards are a good compromise to have just enough travel and not too much.

I tried a nuphy low profile and it was tiring after a while. The thinkpad standalone trackpoint keyboard has been my go to for a while, and tgis keyboard also looks great to me.

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

#65

Post by w10-1 » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:24 PM UTC

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

Also, should you prioritize ergonomics over function or form, the Kinesis Advantage 360 Professional

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

#66

Post by ivanjermakov » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:25 PM UTC

voidUpdate wrote: post #37

Why do no split keyboards have symbols on the keycaps? What happens when you forget where a key is that you don't use often, do you just have to press keys until you find it again?

All ergonomic mech keyboards running QMK/ZMK firmware are programmable and most users prefer their custom key/layer mapping over defaults.

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

#67

Post by 1-more » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:25 PM UTC

voidUpdate wrote: post #37

Why do no split keyboards have symbols on the keycaps? What happens when you forget where a key is that you don't use often, do you just have to press keys until you find it again?

when you have so few keys, there are none that you don't use often. When you customize your layout, you have keys that don't really correspond to caps anyway, and you may want to mess around with their values as you get used to it. Typed from my Iris with key caps from an Apple Extended Keyboard II that look nice and don't really tell the whole story for each key they're on.

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

#68

Post by wucke13 » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:27 PM UTC

hhheath wrote: post #25

sensational. well done! one feature I would really like to see is multi-device connectivity/switching like the Logitech MX Keys. Outside of that, this keyboard is my grail board. Looking forward to keeping up with this project!

I think ZMK (available on the Nice!Nano) does exactly that already?

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

#69

Post by 0cf8612b2e1e » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:28 PM UTC

Unlike the author, I consider wireless to be a dealbreaker. Technology barely works, no way I am letting radio quality stand between me and the computer. Same reason I require a wired microphone.

Also add the atrocious security record of HID, and I assume wireless typing is easily intercepted.

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

#70

Post by SJMG » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:29 PM UTC

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.

Yes. Agreed.