What is the driver / chip to send the data over USB?
teensy or similar. he's using a https://candykeys.com/product/elite-c for this one.
That one only has 24 I/O ports... how is he multiplexing all the keys?
If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
131–140 of 373 posts
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#13210 months in with my Ultimate Hacker Keyboard, and I can confidently say that it brings me more joy than any other electronic device I have, with maybe the exception of my MBP. Before I had mild RSI here and there, but with the UHK I have zero pain, ever. But it did take a lot of learning. I spent about 3 months feeling like an idiot ( hitting keys that weren't there, forgetting which macro I'd mapped, typing an arrow in vim mode instead of hjkl, etc ), so maybe it's not for everyone.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know it's regarded as blasphemy but I sometimes use Caps Lock.
Some occupations require caps lock. Broadcast journalism, anything where data will be exchanged with legacy systems, etc... For some reason people on HN think if something isn't useful for their specific workflow, then nobody should have it or use it.
In these cases, having a caps lock key somewhere on the keyboard probably makes sense. But sort of by its definition, you aren’t using caps lock anywhere near as much as return yet it takes the same amount of space. Swapping caps lock and left control seems reasonable at a minimum
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not just you. The main benefits are around aesthetics and reliability, and sometimes comfort/feel. I'm a faster typer on chiclet keys than mechanical (after years of practice on both), although I'm not sure I'd agree that the chiclets are better for my hands -- presumably less key travel means more force traveling into your fingertips. But! There are low-profile switch mechanical keyboards now, and they're very…
Could you please recommend if you know of any low profile mechanical keyboards? Are they made by Cherry MX guys?
Sure, I'm using this one, it's great: https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Keyboard-Extra-Thin-Switch...
Mostly they use Kailh switches, not Cherry MX but you probably can't tell the difference.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#135Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys? For me, Mechanical keyboards cause fatigue as the key travel, regardless of which flavor of the key type, is too much. I prefer using Apple's new magic keyboar with numpad. It has a 1mm or so travel and feels fantastic.
Yeah, I always scratch my head in wonder about the mechanical hype. I love keyboards with flat keys that are not required to press down a lot. Also I would love to have a keyboard with zero typing sounds.
I've known those who preferred keyboards with much less travel. Personally, I type too hard for that to work. When I type on a mac book keyboard, I bottom out and then some every keystroke.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#136My problem with such keyboard is that it assumes: - you will mostly work on the same place (or you accept the burden of traveling with your keyboard and be "that guy" when you set it up. Personally for the same hurdle, I prefer a secondary screen on the go) - you will mostly work on the same machine (or you have multiple keyboards, one for each machine, and if you are in a data center or tech support, you move with y…
> - you can afford the lower productivity (e.g: you are not a freelancer that needs a regular output) Why lower productivity? The person who created it thinks it will lower RSI therefor increase productivity.
Is RSI even that normal? I have never heard anyone talk about it in real life, only in these threads does it seem like everyone has it.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#137Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…
> it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain and the machine Why? You'll never even double the "throughput" of that "channel", let alone improve it by an order of magnitude. And I say this as someone who wasted lots of time and money attempting exactly that before I realized that typing is not what I spend most of my time doing while programming.
> Why? You'll never even double the "throughput" of that "channel", let alone improve it by an order of magnitude.
Maybe it's not about throughput so much as eliminating unnecessary mental workload and friction.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#138I'm currently held back from going into the mechanical keyboard world because I'm hooked on the thinkpad trackpoint stick and mouse buttons below the spacebar - I've got a thinkpad and two usb keyboards with the dot and mouse buttons, and I use them on every computer I touch. Are there mechanical keyboards with built in mouse functionality?
The Unicomp EnduraPro is a Model M with a trackpoint. Unicomp bought the design, and IIRC the molds, for the Model M from IBM and/or Lenovo when they got rid of them.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#139Around 2 years ago now, I took the plunge and bought myself an Ergodox EZ split island keyboard. Quite franky, it is the biggest quantum leap in the ergonomic experience of interacting with a computer I have seen since learning Vim. It is comfortable, effortless and fast. If you spend any significant time interacting with computers it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain…
> it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain and the machine Why? You'll never even double the "throughput" of that "channel", let alone improve it by an order of magnitude. And I say this as someone who wasted lots of time and money attempting exactly that before I realized that typing is not what I spend most of my time doing while programming.
What an Ergodox lets me do is this: while standing, with good posture, I extend my arms, level with the ground, to where they comfortably and naturally want to be.
Then, I put the keyboards there, adjust the desk up to that height, and put books under the monitor until the center is exactly level with my eyes. Trackball to the right.
This is dramatically more comfortable than anything else I could be doing. It's hard to convey how uncomfortable a straight keyboard is to someone who hasn't tried the alternative.
Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
> it is a complete no brainer to invest in optimising the IO channel between your brain and the machine Why? You'll never even double the "throughput" of that "channel", let alone improve it by an order of magnitude. And I say this as someone who wasted lots of time and money attempting exactly that before I realized that typing is not what I spend most of my time doing while programming.
What an Ergodox lets me do is this: while standing, with good posture, I extend my arms, level with the ground, to where they comfortably and naturally want to be. Then, I put the keyboards there, adjust the desk up to that height, and put books under the monitor until the center is exactly level with my eyes. Trackball to the right. This is dramatically more comfortable than anything else I could be doing. It's hard…
Yep totally agree, in fact sometimes when people see it and ask me questions about it, I suggest they stand at my desk and lay their hands on the two islands. Even without typing a single character they almost invariably react extremely positively to the ergonomic pose.