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I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

electronicmaterialsoffice.com

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Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#301

Post by glxxyz »

Festro wrote: post #2

Looks really nice BUT: There's a split between what people online post pics of on fancy desktop setups and what people prefer to use as their daily driver. Minimal keyboards are for minimalists, and people who like to show of their setups. Just like desktop vanity posts typically have speakers, yet everyone uses headphones. Anecdotally there was a post recently on some PC subreddit asking what keyboard people preferr…

I switched to keyboards without number pads about 20 years ago, when I realised that I had never used them and they were in the way of where the mouse should be. I've been able to touch-type numbers since I was in school, and I've never had to enter a long enough list of numbers that switching to the number pad was necessary.

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#302

Post by mhrmsn »

This looks really great, love the design and just signed up for future news. The dual connectivity is very useful and there doesn't seem to be to many keyboards supporting this (please correct me if I'm wrong). I currently have a Logitech MX Keys for that purpose, but I have been looking for a replacement for some time.

A 75% version of this with PgUp/Dn/Pos1 etc. a flat dial/knob would actually be perfect - anything planned in that direction?

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#303

Post by neoberg »

rgoulter wrote: post #221
neoberg wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, everyone is different indeed. I've been using 30% keyboards (30, 33 or 36 keys) for 3+ years now. I used 40's for around 2 years before that. Now I can't stand any keyboard that requires my hands to move from the home position. Also being able to carry my keyboard to anywhere is a big plus for me.

I can tolerate having extra keys that I can't use. But I do strongly prefer having 2-3 keys for each thumb to use, rather than just having 1 big spacebar.

I have 3 keys per thumb in my current keyboard. And the rest is 3 rows to 5 columns per hand.

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#304

Post by dsmmcken »

MetaWhirledPeas wrote: post #247
seltzered_ wrote: post #94

I run a subreddit on mobile ergonomics ( http://reddit.com/r/ergomobilecomputers/ ) and spent the past year using raised tablet PC as my only machine, and curating the smaller subset of portable keyboard & computer setups. My advice: - drop the rotary encoder, it messes up the height for packing the keyboard away. - a 75% layout (i.e. having fn keys) is okay, but makes it a bit challenging to fit in with a 13" tablet…

> drop the rotary encoder, it messes up the height for packing the keyboard away If that's really a concern the correct approach would be to make the knob low-profile. > What ergonomic job does this design serve? This does not claim to be an "ergonomic" keyboard.

> messes up the height for packing the keyboard away

You design things for how they are used. If it is a keyboard meant to live out it's life on desk, then why design for how it is packed away? Perhaps if it was advertised as a portable travel keyboard then designing for storage would make sense.

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#305

Post by what-imright »

potamic wrote: post #299
seanbarry wrote: post #229

There's a lot of criticism in the comments here, some of it feels very negative. I can imagine reading it as the OP is quite demoralising. Personally I think what the OP has achieved is very impressive. The design looks beautiful, and there's a very "Apple-esque" feel to the website. I love that sustainability has been made a requirement as part of the design. I think some of the other comments give good feedback abo…

This is becoming a trend on HN where top comment points calls out the criticism in a thread. I personally feel there is nothing negative about critique and one of the reasons people broadcast their work here is to receive more feedback on it. Not every showcase automatically deserves a compliment. I think we should respect people for their opinions and the danger of applying negative pressure to criticism is we creat…

^ agree, I mean did the OP expect to make a polarizing product like the keyboard without some criticism?

also, this thread is a gold mine of insight they can use to refine their product for the market. ie take off the stupid orange knob and hide the made in the uk nonsense and stop naming the product like a mars bound space rocket

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#307

Post by aemerson_ »

anotheryou wrote: post #170

Hi, looks amazing! I want to love the kaihl low profile chocs, but after testing the brown ones I still prefer rubber dome. Did you have the chance to try the new sunset ones? From what I read I'd give them another chance ( https://splitkb.com/products/sunset-kailh-low-profile-choc-s... ) also any chance for a future ortho version?

I have not tested the Kailh sunset switches but I'll check them out.

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#308

Post by hokumguru »

ghosty141 wrote: post #165
leohonexus wrote: post #68

Beautiful, but it’ll be a pain to find contract manufacturers willing to do that keycap design. From the render I can already count 8 different injection molds required, which doesn’t sound feasible for a low-volume production run. You'd either have to price it very aggressively or be advised by your manufacturers during DFM to use standard low-profile keycaps instead. For folks curious about keyboard manufacturing,…

There is already a prototype with these keycaps so I guess he did find somebody already. The price will be…. Interesting though

Is there or are those all renders?

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#309

Post by dayvid »

ajross wrote: post #262
seanbarry wrote: post #229

There's a lot of criticism in the comments here, some of it feels very negative. I can imagine reading it as the OP is quite demoralising. Personally I think what the OP has achieved is very impressive. The design looks beautiful, and there's a very "Apple-esque" feel to the website. I love that sustainability has been made a requirement as part of the design. I think some of the other comments give good feedback abo…

The problem is that these things are deeply personal. And this one is really, really close to what I'd want myself. Yet... I still wouldn't buy it. Here's what I'm using right now (actually I have the wireless version which they recently stopped producing): https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyb... But I couldn't deal without the trackpoint, which I use regularly for simple mouse actions even wh…

This company makes trackpoint mechanical keyboards, but they're main schtick is reviving the Model M: https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/category/UKBD

I'm working on a modification for a different product with a trackball, but learned about the trackpoint as well. The patent recently expired and besides that, it's ~$10-20 to buy a trackpoint component and you could hack it into a keyboard if you had the time and willingness.

Re: I spent a year designing a low profile, minimal mechanical keyboard

#310

Post by reaperducer »

harel wrote: post #286

It's a beautiful keyboard, no doubt, and I'm sure a lot of care and thought went into making it. For me, having no page up/down buttons (and you do have space for them), is a deal breaker. I can forgive the weird mac-like squiggle button on the top left although it's completely useless to me (and most people I assume), but not the lack of Page Up/Down. I actually use those.

Perhaps the rotary thing could be mapped to Page Up and Page Down. Then you could twist your way through a document with both speed and precision.
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