this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
52 points (100.0% liked)

ErgoMechKeyboards

5846 readers
96 users here now

Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards

Rules

Keep it ergo

Posts must be of/about keyboards that have a clear delineation between the left and right halves of the keyboard, column stagger, or both. This includes one-handed (one half doesn't exist, what clearer delineation is that!?)

i.e. no regular non-split¹ row-stagger and no non-split¹ ortholinear²

¹ split meaning a separation of the halves, whether fixed in place or entirely separate, both are fine.
² ortholinear meaning keys layed out in a grid

No Spam

No excessive posting/"shilling" for commercial purposes. Vendors are permitted to promote their products/services but keep it to a minimum and use the [vendor] flair. Posts that appear to be marketing without being transparent about it will be removed.

No Buy/Sell/Trade

This subreddit is not a marketplace, please post on r/mechmarket or other relevant marketplace.

Some useful links

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Long time lurker, first post. More pics here.

My design has elements we are familiar with: columnar stagger, the Dactyl "scoop" (concave shape), and some splay (columns angled outward). But I've added an element I haven't seen in any keyboard before (though I did get some hints from this community).

Try this: look at your nails with your palm facing toward you (so your fingers will be pointing down toward your wrist). Notice that the tips of your fingers form a curve like a smiley-face. 🙂 That's the "scoop".

Now notice the angle of your fingers - they point inward. This is what your fingers do when they are curled over the keyboard (photo). Sculpted boards I've seen either have none of this angle, or they follow the concave scooped shape and set it in the opposite direction.

Keen to hear your thoughts, and I'm open to name suggestions!

EDIT: Changed photo

EDIT: Don't like how loud the hollow body sounds, going to explore a quieter body design.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The way the pinky row meets your pinky in the final picture is really satisfying. Its hard to tell using just the last picture, but I think your typing position has your fingers a bit more extended than mine and your typing, while still largely with the tips of your fingers, I'm even closer to the direct tips than you are with more finger curl while typing.

If I do the same smiley-face exercise, I only get the smiley-face if I don't bend my knuckles very far. As I curl my fingers in more towards either my knuckles or center of my hand, the smiley face disappears and even eventually inverts (though that inversion happens far past what would be comfortable for typing). The amount of curl I have for my normal typing is pretty neutral and doesn't really make the smiley face.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Interesting, thanks for playing along. I guess fingers vary here. If you don't get the smiley face for typing, I guess you prefer a flat board as opposed to a sculpted board? Do you see a similar amount of inwards angle on your fingers?