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cheapest, dirtiest split kb possible?
(pawb.social)
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this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023
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ErgoMechKeyboards
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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
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Some useful links
- EMK wiki
- Split keyboard compare tool
- Compare keycap profiles Looking for another set of keycaps - check this site to compare the different keycap profiles https://www.keycaps.info/
- Keymap database A database with all kinds of keymap layouts - some of them fits ergo keyboards - get inspired https://keymapdb.com/
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Cheap and dirty you say? Challenge accepted!
Desolder all the switches you need from the old keyboard and reuse the keycaps. Make a grid to mount the keycaps in by cutting out squares from cardboard and gluing several layers together, and stick the switches in the holes. Handwire everything and connect both sides to the same MCU, which should work as long as you don't have too many rows and columns. Flash the MCU with QMK.
The trick to switchich to ortho layout, or anything else vastly different from what you're used to, is to go all in. If you only use one at home and keep using a "normal" keyboard at work you'll likely never get used to the new layout. For me it took about 1 week until I could write comfortably on split ortho and a couple of more weeks until I would type at my old speed. Now that I'm used to it I have no problems switching between split ortho and traditional keyboards.
This is almost exactly how I built my first keyboard. Except of course I laser cut a top and bottom plate out of steel and used brass spacers to separate them. Costs a little bit more but I found the donor keyboard in the electronics recycling at work so it was free.
I might just end up doing this, lol. I've switched to Ortho before, so it'll just be the split I'm getting used to. Thanks!
That shouldn't be any noticeable change, just slightly more comfortable for your wrists. If you don't like it you can move the halves closer to each other to make it more similar to non-split ortho. IMO the only disadvantage with split is that the keyboard might get a little bit more difficult to transport, if that's something you need to do.