KEEBIN’ WITH KRISTINA: THE ONE WITH THE BALLPOINT TYPEWRITERS
So you want to minimize finger motion when you type, however don’t have three grand to decrease on an old DataHand, or sufficient time to develop the open-source lalboard? inspect out these two idea keebs from [SouthPawEngineer], which only look like chord boards.
Every key on the house row is a five-way switch — like a D-pad with directly down input. [SouthPawEngineer] has them set up to ensure that each one covers a QWERTY column. So like, for the left pinky switch, up is Q, right is A, down is Z, as well as left is 1. Technically, the split has 58 keys, as well as the uni has 56.
Both of these keebs utilize KB2040 boards, which are Adafruit’s response to the keyboard-building trend of these roaring 2020s. These bit boards are of program simple to program with CircuitPython, which supports KMK, an offshoot of the prominent QMK. thanks for the tip, [foamyguy]!
New Keebs: The Glove80 Is One size Fits All
As much as I like my Kinesis Advantage, it is an perfect keyboard for house utilize as well as not necessarily anywhere else. There’s no method I can go back to a rectangle unless I want my repetitive stress injury to resurface, so I requirement an ergonomic split for outside the house. quite much any type of split would be more portable than the Kinesis, however not all splits are produced equal. therefore far, I have discovered the ErgoDox as well huge for my hands, as well as I still haven’t got my Dactyl working all the way, so there’s no data there. Ergo, I am more than lured by the Glove80, a low-profile split which is offered via fully-funded however still-active Kickstarter. It has Kailh Chocs, POM keycaps, as well as utilizes a pair of nRF52840s.
The designers behind Glove80 are lovers — an entrepreneur as well as and engineer with 18 years of ergo keyboard utilize under their fingers. They did over 500 ergo experiments as well as developed truly cool-looking modular test rigs in order to develop a keyboard that is purported to be comfortable for all hand sizes. They weren’t originally planning to commercialize this keyboard, however luckily, somebody persuaded them it should be showed the world.
This Bluetooth split has 80 low-profile secrets (hence the name), all of which are the exact same size — 1u. That makes it simple to switch designs as well as keycaps nevertheless you like. the most appealing thing about this keyboard is choice: currently, you can select red, brown, or white switches, as well as there is a stretch goal in location for a 4th switch type that will be voted upon.
A Keeb designed By Physics
As [Foone] explained on Twitter (ThreadReader version) the other day, keyboard designs as we understand them have descended from typewriters as well as their operational limitations. however we can throw all that out the window since we have digital keyboards now.
To that end, [Foone] let physics style this design (if you can phone call it that) by essentially putting all the secrets in a online jar with some spacer spheres, shaking it, as well as letting the letters, symbols, as well as modifiers autumn where they may.
If you believe typing on this would be a nightmare, think about the wiring for a minute. [Foone] utilized a Teensy++ 2.0, which has 45 GPIO pins, so there’s no requirement for a matrix or diodes. This is essentially an costly joke, however there is some reality in it. If nothing else, let this funny exercise serve as an motivation — one that provides you permission to put ergonomics first, or whatever butters your muffin when it comes to keyboard design. thanks for the tip, [J. Peterson]!
Historical Clackers: Ballpoint Typewriters will draw You In
Serial keyboard designer [deʃhipu] tipped me off to this old Twitter thread from [Paul Rickards] (ThreadReader version) about ballpoint typewriters, which are type of like the like kid between a word processor as well as a pen plotter. Under typical circumstances, the individual types on the keyboard as well as the characters appear on a little screen about 20 at a time, which provides a possibility to correct errors before it sends the words to the print head.
When linked to a computer via RS-232 serial port, these machines can draw all kind of things from graphs to graphic art utilizing an Alps plotter system as well as small ballpoint pens in red, blue, green, as well as black. There are a ton of nice photos in the thread that show different makes as well as designs throughout the years, so go inspect them out.
ICMYI: the palm portable Keyboard Goes Wireless
Okay, so you most likely don’t have a palm gadget anymore, however you almost definitely bring a wise phone around. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you might utilize Palm’s revolutionary (at the time) foldy keyboard that collapses neatly to pocket size? yes it would.
Well now you can, thanks to [Xinming Chen] as well as their neat bit Bluetooth adapter. It is essentially an Adafruit Feather nRF52840 as well as a voltage level inverter that equates RS-232 from the keyboard into TTL for the Bluetooth host, all in a neat 3D-printed bundle that slides on to the keyboard’s connector as well as powers on with a tiny, hidden switch. What’s not to like? as well as you wouldn’t believe exactly how inexpensive as well as plentiful these origami inputs are on kee-bay. I got mine as well as left you all plenty.
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