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ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

ergodox-ez.com

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Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#171

Post by eggy »

RBerenguel wrote: post #155
__mharrison__ wrote: post #114

A couple thoughts. I've had an ErgoDox for almost 9 years. I wrote my thoughts after a year here [0]. I use the Norman layout which I'm generally pleased with but don't know if the finger travel buys you that much. More important to me had been leveraging both thumbs to hit commonly used keys and modifiers. In the last week, I was made aware of the miryoku layout and made a Norman version. (Prior to COVID-19, I trave…

I had the Gergo, the slightly leaner version of the Gergoplex (until the USB started malfunctionaing, now I use my Atreus while the new Model 100 arrives) and except for, well, it not working that well now (and I hate soldering, so unlikely to fix it any time soon myself) it was an awesome keyboard. I have recommended it to many people.

I have the Georgi by g heavy industries for steno! I love the builds, and I packed it when I went to Saudi for 2 months. I need to print a flexible base to tie both halves together, but have flex to let them sit on anything. I love the low-profile keys.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#172

Post by xupybd »

immrammc wrote: post #111
xupybd wrote: post #108

I like my ergodox but I love my Kinesis Advantage. Seriously consider looking at the Kinesis before any other option. The learning curve is hard but the pay off is amazing. I truly love that keyboard and will replace it with a new one as soon as I need to.

I’ve had my eye on the Kinesis advantage for a long time. Is there any form of virtual layering like on the ergodox? That’s been a key feature for me with the ergodox and I’d have a hard time living without it.

Layering takes mental effort. I find I don't like having to think about what layer I'm in.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#173

Post by mkl »

Youden wrote: post #52

Does anybody know something similar, with a trackball? I got interested in these split ergo keyboards when I saw the new Kinesis models [0] but unfortunately they don't ship to my location. I came across the Charybdis [1] and I loved the idea but I'm not capable enough to assemble it myself and the guy making them has a many week lead time, so I'd love an equivalent. [0]: https://kinesis-ergo.com/keyboards/advantage3…

I just put my trackball in between the two halves of the keyboard, up against the left half because I use it left-handed.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#174

Post by comfypotato »

qhwudbebd wrote: post #169
comfypotato wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d extend this comment further to eliminate your use of the word “trivial”. I don’t have a mouse anymore. Mouse keys are “better overall”, in my experience, for everything except gaming. That being said, I left the EZ’s configurator a long time ago. The tweaking to get mouse keys working optimally probably requires diving into the actual firmware. For example, you definitely need MK_COMBINED to combine basic acceler…

This is really interesting: I'd love to hear more about how you have the mouse key layer set up and how you've managed to make it work as well for you as a mouse or trackpad.

You've asked for an explanation of one of the things I love talking about!

TLDR: I think the most important part of my setup is that it's easy to navigate to and from the mouse layer. The EZ has two large thumb keys on each hand, and I use one on the left hand to get to the mouse layer and one on the right to get to the home layer. I don't use these keys for anything else, so there's nothing confusing about this. With this as the foundation, the muscle memory to tap each one depending on which layer you need to be on quickly becomes second nature. The mouse layer is central to my configuration, not an afterthought!

I'll list a few of the strategies I use:

- Have the mouse navigation keys basically on the home row or WASD-like configuration on the mouse layer.

- Have a dedicated mouse wheel layer with the same navigation layout (getting to this one doesn't have to be as serious as the mouse layer itself; I use a TO on the mouse layer).

- Make sure you can apply modifiers to mouse clicks and wheel movements. You'd be surprised how often you do this.

- As far as configuring acceleration, speed, etc.: It's a balancing act of tweaking. The defaults are a good place to start. Don't forget to include the operating system's speed configuration in your tweaking. It helps a lot if you can read code. The corresponding file/section in the QMK firmware is short.

- Make use of speed-clamp-acceleration-keys for detail movement and high-speed monitor switching. MK_COMBINED makes the slowest acceleration key as slow as possible.

Ultimately, I think it's "better" than a mouse because you don't have to context switch between the keyboard and a mouse. There's a split second of cognitive load replacing your hands on the keyboard that breaks down whatever mental architecture you've built to solve your problem-of-the-moment. Avoiding this load is a compounding benefit. I used to keep a mouse around in case I needed it; this has never happened.

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#175

Post by toastal »

da4id wrote: post #165
toastal wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would love to see a split or ergonomic board with electrocapacitive rubber dome switches. I can't go back to the way mechanical feels, but would appreciate some ergonomics.

Not sure I understand correctly. Are you referring to membrane keyboards (rubber dome keyboards)? Why do you prefer these over mechanical keyboards?

My board of 3 years now has Topre clones and they feel vastly smoother than mechanical keys

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#176

Post by ProZsolt »

rococode wrote: post #85

Does ortholinear/columnar actually feel better? I feel like I see many comments about how there's a bit of a learning curve that can be overcome after a while, but very few comments about whether overcoming that learning curve is actually worth it and it's really more comfortable. Is it supposed to be better for your wrists? Or your fingers? The "split" aspect of these keyboards is definitely more comfortable imo - I…

I currently using a Corne[1]. I was never able to fully touch type on a staggered keyboard as I frequently pressed a neighboring key on the bottom and the number row. Now I only have to move my fingers up and down to find the right keys. Also my fingers have less distance to travel.

[1]: https://github.com/foostan/crkbd

Re: ErgodoxE EZ – an ergonomic keyboard with open source firmware

#177

Post by arcastroe »

adrianN wrote: post #133
arcastroe wrote: post #131

Is there anything like the ergodox ez, but fully wireless? I don't care about lighting (which would reduce battery life). But truly wireless split keyboard just makes sense to me.

There is the Redox wireless: https://falbatech.click/19644-2-v9b7d173b068d/ (not affiliated, just a happy customer)

Thank you, this like exactly what I was looking for
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