Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards
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 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.
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Ximi:
Very clean, well done!
Clean, nice build!
Why are some of the blue keycaps upside down?
That's just because of the shape of the keycaps, I want the keycaps of the thumb keys going "upwards".
One of the cleanest fingerpunch builds I've seen yet. Outstanding work!
That's a really cool build, well done! I'm wondering how you're using the trackball and mouse clicks. Do you use the trackball with your index and middle finger and have left and right mouse click on the thumb keys to press them with the thumb?
Yes I use the trackball with my index and middle finger and the 3 way thumb switch is mapped to left/middle/right mouse click. The trackpad is used for scrolling.
Ohhh I didn't even recognize there was a little switch. Really cool! Thank you
Yeah, it's not that visible in the other picture 😅
Is there a less expensive option for a first time split ergo keyboard to give it a try before investing more money?
Most of the split kits are going to be around the same price. They start around 20. My Sofle kits were 25 each. You'd need to add a pair of MC's , switches, caps, which is where things get pricey. If you shop around you can find good deals. The PCBs and components represent a smaller part of the cost compared to the rest of the dressings.
I never found anything that I considered "budget". Even the cheapest split mechs on ebay are $100, and I don't think I'd trust any of those.
If you give up the mechanical part and just want to try a split, I'm seeing those starting around $40 shipped.
I have no problem spending the money on a good setup I just don't have the funds to be able to jump right in spending like $300+ before I even know if I like the split setup
If you can solder there's lots of inexpensive split PCBs available, e.g https://www.littlekeyboards.com/collections/new-products/products/corne-mx-hotswap-pcb-kit-v3
I can to a certain extent. Thanks I'll look into it!
Would something like this be good to give the whole thing a try? Kinesis Bluetooth Freestyle2 Ergonomic Keyboard for PC (20" Extended Separation) https://a.co/d/34ydGWq
I’ve been using a Kinesis Freestyle/Freestyle 2 for years now (perhaps even for a decade?) I’ve worn the bumps off the f/j keys on the first keyboard.
I have two primary gripes. First the number 6 is on the left keyboard half. From a correct touch typing standpoint it should really be on the right half.
Second, between the original Freestyle and the 2, the insert key was moved to the ‘fn’ layer so you now have to hold down two keys to send insert.
I started with the Freestyle because that’s what my workplace had available for split keyboards without a built in number pad. (I wanted to move the mouse in closer)
Awesome! Thanks for the advice! I think I will give the freestyle a try and see how I like it then.
This is beautiful. How much did it end up costing al told?
Roughly 400eu, but I'd say half of it are the keycaps and the case.
This is the board I want to build for work! Just need to learn to solder first lol.