That reminds me, I don’t think anyone’s posted this. Cherry has a new ultra low profile design you can get for a hefty surcharge in Alienware laptops.
I want to phone up people I know who work for Dell and ask to swing by because I just can’t imagine that compact of a mechanism feels better than a good scissor.
Considering this is fixed in their newer products it’s almost certainly 1.0 rushed Kickstarter hardware. I had a Pebble Time Steel.
I just wish Dell would go back to their 2011-era chiclet keyboard; their new extremely-low-profile switches are awful awful awful
this thing was modeled on Apple chiclet keys but had a firmer response
https://jhelvy.shinyapps.io/splitkbcompare/ offers comparison and scale diagrams of most split/ergo keyboards, including retail models like the Dygma Raise and ZSA Moonlander. Split/ergo keyboards are typically based on a 60% or 40% layout with different thumb clusters. Decide whether you want a number row and then find a thumb cluster that’s comfortable for you to reach. Layouts are typically described as one half’s rows x columns without the thumb cluster, e.g. a Lily58 is a 4x6 layout with thumb cluster.
There are generally two categories of split/ergo boards: retail designs like the Ergodox EZ, Dygma Raise, or ZSA Moonlander, and DIY designs like the Iris, Lily58, and Corne.
The app above has two notable exceptions: Kinesis*, the oldest ergo keyboard company, and Dactyl/Dactyl-derivative concave DIY designs.
A Kinesis Advantage 2 is extremely comfortable because of its curved concave key “wells” where your hands can be almost completely relaxed. It’s the best option if you have a serious RSI, type for a living, and want to coerce work to buy you something resembling a medical device. Kinesis also makes split keyboards with more traditional layouts like the Freestyle Edge and Freestyle Pro, which offer tenting and more relaxed shoulder positioning. But most of their products are poor by keyboard enthusiast standards because of their hollow acoustics, limited switch options, ABS keycaps with non-standard layout, and proprietary firmware. You can (and I have) modify a Kinesis board to address all of these issues, but I wouldn’t start with one unless you need something “normal” to justify for HR.
Dactyl keyboards have curved concave wells like the Kinesis Advantage, but they’re almost exclusively DIY with 3D printed cases and hand-wired matrixes. There are some limited run flexible PCBs for Dactyl designs but I’m not aware of any in stock at the moment. Ordering a Dactyl assembled is more akin to a commission than a retail assembly service and will run into hundreds of dollars and weeks of lead time. I am in the planning stages of a DIY Dactyl build but can’t speak to them apart from the general caution above.
Most DIY designs use a Pro Micro MCU or a derivative design that adds features, though some like keeb.io’s designs have integrated controllers on the PCB.
The two most important derivative designs are the Elite-C, which replaces the Micro-USB with a USB-C port, and the nice!nano, which adds BLE support including between host/client boards.
Note: the nice!nano is not compatible with QMK, the predominant custom keyboard firmware, due to QMK’s GNU license prohibiting proprietary bluetooth. You can use either BlueMicro or ZMK, the latter of which I have limited experience with. Read into these firmware options to make sure you’re comfortable with the trade-offs and comparatively poor support/documentation before settling on wireless.
I have purchased parts from all of the following vendors with no issues. I can’t vouch for them and don’t have relationships with any of them, but I have used them.
https://kbdfans.com/ (Chinese w/ huge inventory and fast but expensive shipping)
https://keeb.io/ (original designs e.g. Iris and Elite-C, cases, some pre-built)
Boardsource - Store (many PCB designs, cases, and build service)
https://www.littlekeyboards.com (many PCB designs and nice wood/acrylic cases but no build service)
https://novelkeys.xyz/ (original standard PCB designs and wide variety of switches)
https://www.us.txkeyboards.com/ (original films/springs)
I have also seen these recommended, but haven’t used them personally.
I participated in a group buy through The Key Company and received all of the products I ordered, but they have had management and fulfillment issues since my order.
Each keyboard should have a build guide typically hosted on the vendor’s site or GitHub. e.g. Iris Rev. 3 & 4 | Keebio Documentation, Lily58/buildguide_en.md at master · kata0510/Lily58 · GitHub
These should include a bill of parts and step-by-step instructions for assembly. If you can’t find the build guide for the keyboard or it is poorly written, you may want to look at other options or reach out with your concerns if you’re sold on the particular layout.
If you have difficulty during a build, asking the vendor or community on Discord is usually your best bet for advice.
First, I’ll defer to keeb.io and The Wirecutter for soldering supply recommendations.
Recommended Soldering Tools | Keebio Documentation
The Best Soldering Irons | Reviews by Wirecutter
I can personally vouch for the YIHUA 939D+, but there are lots of options. A couple of points:
I recommend watching this Taeha Types video in which he builds two Keeb.io Iris boards for further examples. Iris Split Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard Build - YouTube
There are three popular modifications to switches in the keyboard community: lubrication, springs, and films.
For lubrication, these tutorials How to Lube MX Style Switches - YouTube How to Lube and Tune Stabilizers - YouTube by Taeha Types are a good primer. I’ve used Krytox 205g0 “grease” and Krytox GPL 105 “oil” for switches and springs respectively, and Super Lube dielectric grease for stabilizers on conventional keyboards.
For springs, I’ve swapped springs in two keyboards to reduce the weight of Kailh Creams to a more standard 55g from 70g. I’ve used Novelkeys’ and TX Springs, both of which had less “ping” than the stock Kailh springs. TX Springs offers a sample pack if you’re experimenting with different weights.
I’ve had mixed success with films, but generally recommend Novelkeys and TX films if you’re interested. I’d recommend a “site:reddit.com” search for your switch and films first to read reviews of applications.
Note: the above only applies for linear and tactile switches. Most people do not recommend lubricating clicky switches because lubrication can remove the sound and tactility without the benefits. You can lubricate the springs of clicky switches with no ill effects, but replacing springs on clicky and more pronounced tactile switches is tricky because a lower weight may not have enough force to properly rebound.
If you bought a retail board, check with its documentation as it may have a GUI/web app tool for building firmware.
If you prefer a GUI and you’re using a DIY board, you may be able to use QMK configurator QMK Configurator or VIA https://caniusevia.com/ to most avoid CLIs provided your board supports it. Make sure you have the correct revision of your board and bear in mind some features like encoders and lighting may require building your own.
For setting up CLI environments, I’m going to link the documentation with an invitation to DM me because there’s just too much to cover.
I adapted to the Kinesis Freestyle Edge with very few adjustments because the layout is essentially standard staggered but cut between the TGB and YHN keys. If your index fingers wander you may find this difficult, but it’s a mild adjustment. (I do have strong feelings about how the number row is split – 6 should go on the right hand, not the left. The Freestyle Edge breaks this but every other split/ergo board I know of does not.)
The Kinesis Advantage 2 required about a week to go from 40 wpm to 100 wpm due to the ortholinear columns. I had to unlearn bad habits like curling in my index finger to hit “c.” I found https://www.keybr.com/ indispensable for this. It uses a type of spaced reptition study and algorithm to learn which keys and key combinations you have difficulty with and serve appropriate words both real and fake so you can’t paper over technique with memorization.
After learning the Advantage 2, I found learning the Ergodox, Lily58, and Preonic layouts much easier and adjusted within hours of use. Don’t be afraid to change the layout of modifier keys to suit your habits or logic. For example, I find left thumb to backspace and right thumb to space intuitive after learning the Advantage 2, so I overwrote the layout on the Lily58 to match. Most of these keyboards will require an embedded function row at a minimum, so learning to use QMK’s layers is a huge ceiling on efficiency and economy.
* Trivia: Kinesis is responsible for the ubiquitous and now reviled Cherry MX Brown design, having requested a MX Blue derivative with quieter operation for offices in the 90s.
amazing how2 post, thank you @doolittle !!
np np. let me know if you have any questions or feedback. it’s long enough I should just hang on to it, clean it up, throw it on github pages, etc.
Got a clearance (priced?) Razer Deathadder V2 mini.
There are very few small “ergo” (as in non-ambidextrous) mice so if you have small hands, don’t mind a cable, and find yourself in the market for a mouse this thing is great for $13-$25 USD right now. I’m encouraged by Razer making a mini Viper and now this - mice are really, really not one size fits all.
abso-lutely correct
It took a few tries but I got 6-(fn)12 on the right hand of my ergodox
esc|1|2|3|4|5|`|-------|6|7|8|9|0|-/f11|=/f12|
!! I might faint from all these good opinions
It may delight you to know that your account of “scratchiness” was taken up by UK YouTube keyboard personality Glarses and is now the most universal meme in the community.
I think most people (myself included) just want a switch with enough resistance to avoid errors. It’s better accomplished with a heavier spring than a mild bump – in a Blue, Brown, Red, Black tester from a decade ago the sweet spot for me is in between the two linear weights and Browns seemed like the compromise. I’m a big fan of putting Gateron Yellows into mass produced boards and testers for that reason.
yup, heavy linears should be way more common than they are, yellow/black should be the default. a mechanical keyboard should a) travel without bottoming out as much as possible and b) not be obscenely loud. I’m convinced browns were only popular because heavy linears hadn’t come about yet and now people think they like mushy clunk switches. purples are occasionally fun though b/c they’re so heavy handed.
yeah, this is my deviation; I can’t not SLAM IT IN and I’m not happy unless I’ve bottomed a key, so the heaviest, clickiest keys are my friend (and I get along with crisp chiclet keyboards for this reason). And it might be why I can’t really get above 85WPM
if it’s any consolation I’ve had a hell of a time learning ortho because slowing down below ~160 (which I can do on linears or a macbook) drives me nuts
This is the main matter of taste for linears - do you want a nice sound on bottom out or minimization through heavy springs and/or dampers? Creams are popular because they have a unique sound and Ink Blacks are popular because they tend to sound like nothing.
I respect our clickbar friends’ rights to cacophony in the privacy of their homes and offices with closed doors.
I definitely had this mid aughts conventional wisdom of Blues as unreasonable and Browns as the compromise (which is exactly how they developed as a product). I like the “good” tactiles for the task of “drafting” where I’m slowing down and considering every press, but they’re so much effort to use for high WPM or games.
The MX stem patent expiring has been amazing for variety, like, really a renaissance following stagnation and obscurity through IP protection.
I oughtta send you some Creams to try.
I’m really undecided on what I’m gonna do when we go back to the office, I don’t think I can justify these keys in the office but I also don’t really want to spend another $300 or so on a board and keys and keycaps. Maybe I can feel not too guilty about a DIY board
If you’re happy with your Ergodox you can do a DIY one far cheaper than the EZ, especially if you skip hotswap and use an acrylic sandwich case. I think the firmware would still be compatible but I’m not 100% – keymaps would be, at any rate.
If I can get out under $150…maybe
gah
yeah, I mean, I like typing on a model m from time to time, buckling switches are their own thing, and purples get closest to that for me
another thing they “fixed” is going from bluetooth 3.0 to 5.x – I have no idea how they even found bluetooth 3.0 modules, everything’s been BLE for years now, but they had the benefit of being able to pair to my ancient iPad 2 that I only use for duet and iMessage for glorified KVM functionality, which all newer keyboards can’t do
my little brother absolutely loves cherry browns but i think it’s borne of a lack of trying much else
I’ve actually never tried a buckling spring! All of the vintage keyboards I’ve had hands on have been Apple using ALPS.
I’m curious but you can’t get just one buckling spring to try, you know?
I can bring my M0110A (desperately needs lubing but I’ve had stems snap off of old Apple keyboards when removing caps before so I’m afraid to try) and my model M (aged like wine) to the next meetup
