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Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

blog.scottlogic.com

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Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#111

Post by avitous »

maxekman wrote: post #40

I love my Kinesis Advantage 2 and would never describe it as old fashioned! If anything it has a look that follows it’s function and happens to not look like the sleekest thing. But one should not look at the keyboard anyway. :P

I used Kinesis keyboards for years, and preferred them over all others I tried... but for the price, the build quality was just atrocious. Went through several of them. Have they improved at all? For $300+ I expect something that feels rock solid and lasts for years, not the plasticky stuff that eventually broke (out of warranty, of course).

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#112

Post by hsbauauvhabzb »

questionfor wrote: post #96

Guys if you are in the market for split keyboards and can operate a soldering iron, the endgame is Quefrency 2 (60%, you actually don’t need more) or Sinc (TKL I think - without the numpad but with macro row) from keeb.io with Zilent switches. It’s programmable through QMK (so you can use layers). You can print out decent cases for it (although I prefer aluminum plates) and the switch quality you get with Zilents is…

Remember: keyboards ar an individual thing. Your endgame != my endgame.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#113

Post by Symbiote »

I'm keeping a gallery (just for a quick overview) of ergonomic keyboards. It might be useful for others interested in this thread. There's a lot of options, from something you can order from a large retailer, to a kit to solder yourself, to just plans to download.

https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#114

Post by rbanffy »

Symbiote wrote: post #113

I'm keeping a gallery (just for a quick overview) of ergonomic keyboards. It might be useful for others interested in this thread. There's a lot of options, from something you can order from a large retailer, to a kit to solder yourself, to just plans to download. https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

I was surprised not to see the Tron ones, but then I assumed nobody is making them.

Such a shame.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#115

Post by nine_k »

jerezzprime wrote: post #85

Why is there not an ergonomic keyboard with trackball or some other cursor device built in, so I can use the cursor and mouse buttons without moving my hands out of place? I currently use (and love) am Advantage 2, but I would happily drop another $400 on an ergonomic keyboard with mouse.

I had the same thought. I also love the trackpoint on Lenovo (previously IBM) laptops.

But once I tries a split keyboard with a layout that really allows you to keep your hands in one position, I realized that moving my hand to a trackpoint or a trackball, and moving it to a mouse is an equal amount of disruption. At that, a mouse is a much more precise device.

You can also check the "J joystick" idea implemented on some really old laptops, where a regular key is turned into a joystick.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#116

Post by dkersten »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #84
dkersten wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the Moonlander, which is a step closer to the Kinesis in shape Just took a look, doesn't really look much difference. I mean the 3d curvature of the keys, your hand is kinda in a semi circular channel. I just find it comfortable, especially to reach the furthest rows of keys from the home row. Its not a huge deal, just something I like about the Kinesis. I also use the Kinesis foot pedals -- does something similar…

The Moonlander lets you angle the thumb cluster seprately, where the ergodox ez is a single flat plane. For the bowl shape, you'd need to look at something like the Dactyl Manuform I mentioned. Many split keyboards transfer keypresses from one side to the other via simple audio cables, I believe footpedals could be spliced in there too, but that's just speculation.

The Dactyl looks great, thanks. Yeah, I think hacking a foot pedal in wouldn't be the toughest job.

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#118

Post by dkersten »

hailwren wrote: post #79
dkersten wrote: post #11

I use a slightly configured Kinesis Advantage 2 and colemak as my keyboard layout (I used to make the Kinesis do the colemak, but now its just qwerty and the OS handles colemak). I find typing on it extremely comfortable. I've also found these beneficial: https://www.mycarpaltunnel.com/ I like Ergodox, especially because of their super flexible configuration, but I dislike the flatness of the keyboard compared to the…

You have to build it by hand, but check out the Dactyl or Dactyl Manuform. I think they're about the pinnacle of the erg keyboard world. 3d shape like a Kinesis but with more optimization for wrist angle and allows you to customize wrist rotation and split.

Looks like you can get them built here: https://ohkeycaps.com/products/built-to-order-dactyl-manufor... They look pretty good!

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#119

Post by cjbprime »

Symbiote wrote: post #113

I'm keeping a gallery (just for a quick overview) of ergonomic keyboards. It might be useful for others interested in this thread. There's a lot of options, from something you can order from a large retailer, to a kit to solder yourself, to just plans to download. https://aposymbiont.github.io/split-keyboards/

Thanks for the gallery! I'm surprised there aren't more integrated pointing devices (like TrackPoints).

Re: Down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole

#120

Post by cinntaile »

I feel like most ergonomic keyboards work better for regular typing. A lot of the ergonomic (split) keyboards still force your hands in awkward positions if you're coding because of all the weird parentheses and symbols you don't normally use. What I haven't tried yet are ortholinear keyboards or tiny keyboards like the Atreus. Judging by the layout I'm guessing ortholinear keyboards would still force your hands into awkward positions at the (pinky) edges, so avoiding that by using a tiny keyboard might be an option?
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