Reminds me of my own handwired keyboard, https://github.com/herpiko/unk
wow man, that is a polished project. Hope I get there one day
Readit Newsdschil138 commented on Fulcrum: an ergo-mechanical split keyboard with extra thumb functionality github.com/dschil138/Fulc... · Posted by u/zdw
I like the idea for common words to be on a macro layer. I wonder if there is some simple way to generate one's personalized top 20 words or something.
yeah check out Benign Key Logger on github. If you go to my github profile (this keyboard is from me) I have a pinned repo there which you can use on the data you
get from running that keylogger to get you things like your most common words.
For instance I found out my second most common 5 letter word was "print" lol
How do you access the alpha2 layer?
Edit: looks like you toggle it with your right thumb? That seems like a lot of thumb presses or more key strokes per word. How do you know which layer is active when you return between sessions?
yeah the right thumb is a "one-shot" key to go to the second layer. So you press it, and then only whatever key you press next is on the second layer. So you're always on the fist layer unless you just pressed that key.
It does end up being (slightly) more keypresses, but it's built on the idea that 1.) two comfortable keypresses are easier than one uncomfortable keypress and 2.) our thumbs are already absurdly under-utilized on current keyboards.
I think this is a super cool keyboard, but if I were going to learn a chorded keyboard, I'd probably go all in on the type steganographers use to type 300 WPM
I don't really think it's fair to call it a chorded keyboard. It does have chords, but they are mostly optional and there for convenience.
Every alpha letter has it's own key. Some are on a second layer, but that layer is also "one-shot" so you don't even need to chord to use it, like you do with typing capital letters with shift, for instance.
That's not the reason at all, the typical modern keyboard is just about exclusively driven by legacy compatibility. The keys are still in the exact same layout that was dictated by the mechanical design of typewriters centuries ago for fucks sake. Does anything still use the "pause" button? Why would anyone ever want to lock the numpad? Why are like half of the keys duplicated? These are real questions we should be asking.
The real problem is that people have gotten used to something that barely worked, who then got catered to by manufacturers which lead to new people learning that same layout, perpetuating the same design into infinity because nobody wants to relearn typing. Driving cars with a wheel and pedals probably isn't optimal either, but it's all anyone ever learns to use so that's what ubiquitous. Language is the same.
that's why it's so absolutely nuts that smartphone keyboards are just touchscreen versions of legacy keyboards.
If there is any place absolutely ripe for new innovation and optimizations, it's there. But there are hardly any significantly-different options! (at least on iphone, can't speak to Android)
Like, why can't I set my keyboard to delete the last word when I swipe left across the keyboard? There are a million low-hanging fruit things like that.
Hyper optimized HIDs are a fascinating curiosity to me. I feel like a lot of the time they’re meant to fulfill a daydream of optimization that oftentimes never gets realized.
It’s like stenography, the cost of deviating from the norm is high but very valuable for specific use cases.
Or maybe I’m just projecting my Jr. Engineer days where I spent silly amounts of time optimizing my text editor with dreams of it making me one with my computer.
I totally agree with you in theory but for this specific board, can tell you that it improved my typing speed ~10wpm, and completely eliminated my RSI issues.
When I say I had major RSI issues, I mean I once had to spend 6 weeks typing with only my left hand bc the right hurt so bad. So it was worth it just for getting rid of that.
But in general I totally agree with you. I think about that a lot when optimizing like VSCode settings, for example. Like "this isn't really productive work here. it just feels like it."
I did not mean this as a criticism, but more as a cry for help! I have worsening RSI but a massively customized keyboard project would be so incompatible with my job requirements. I just wish so bad that there were a sane middle path.
I totally get you. I think that exists tho! Someone else mentioned the Keyboardio100 which might work well for you.
But I would also argue that it's totally worth learning a new layout. I think people overestimate how hard it is, and the difficulty of switching between them. If you have RSI, I would definitely recommend getting some type of split ergo board (maybe Corne?) and learning Colemak-DH layout.
Why would I invest the time, effort, and incalculable risk involved in adopting and depending on a boutique experimental keyboard system?
Why do all keyboard projects either mindlessly adhere to antique conventions or hopelessly diverge into zaniness? Why is it so difficult to find a multi-platform split keyboard with no gimmicks, standard layouts, and sane defaults. I will buy a back-stock of 10 when I find it. The closest thing so far is the Mistel MD770 so I own 2 of them.
Hey, I made this. It was only ever intended just for me, bc I have bad (really bad) RSI. I truly did not ever expect anyone else to want to make one. But I shared it on the ergomech reddit and people were interested so I put some work into the Github repo.
That being said, after realizing some people were actually interested, I also added a more standard 40-key version, bc I know most people don't want to go all the way to 20 keys. There is a pic of that version farther down on the README page.