New Angry Miao layout - more compact than 65% and more practical than HHKB

[Crazy Designers]

Hello, Crazy Designer from Angry Miao here. Last time I shared a post about my idea to replace the arrow keys with a touch panel. I want to make use of it to create a keyboard that's not only compact but also works well in day-to-day use.


65% vs HHKB. Why not both?

Our previous boards are targeted at a pretty small and specific segment, so this time for the new board, we tried making it a daily driver. We looked into the 65% layout as it's both compact and suitable for daily use.

But there are already so many 65% keyboards out there, and I don't want to reinvent the wheel once again. We are a bit obsessed with symmetric aesthetics as we have done with AM AFA. So when compared with 65%, the HKKB layout clearly stands out. We tried to maintain a symmetric aesthetic on the new board.

This is what most 65% boards look like. We just don't want to make a similar one to those.

And here comes the dilemma. You either go for 60% and sacrifice the arrows keys or go for 65% which has been done so many times. That's why I'm looking for a solution to make arrows work in combination with a compact keyboard layout, since they're unmissable for so many users. I came up with several ideas.


Keeping the arrow keys in a symmetric shape

Although we like a symmetric shape, the arrow keys are too crucial to just wipe off. To provide a usage habit similar to the 65% layout, we need a new way to substitute the arrow keys.

At first I considered a red dot, like on IBM's ThinkPad.

But we ran into some major issues. Implementing the red dot would mean the G/H/B keys would need to have cutouts on the keycaps, which means there would be basically no custom keycaps that could fit in that position. Also, most custom keycaps use a way higher profile than IBM laptops, which would also make the red dot more ginormous than we anticipated.

Then we came up with a second option. It is a switch that actually works like a quad-directional joystick, which would replace the Fn key. By toggling forward/backward/left/right you could achieve an up/right/left/right key press, exactly like arrow keys.

Here is the 3D-printed prototype and sample testing.

 

When we put it on the board, we found that it would interfere with the nearby keycaps when toggled, and durability is also a problem. We need to shorten the travel of the switch to avoid interference, but in this way, toggling just doesn't feel right.

It's a shame because I personally really like this setup.

So that brings us back to the third option: the touch panel located at the front of the keyboard.

When using a traditional 65% board you need to move your wrist to reach the arrow keys, but with the touch panel all you need is a swipe with your thumb (video demo further down below). Since most users rest their thumbs on the spacebar area while typing, the touch panel is there directly within reach.

Because we integrated a touch panel to constitute the arrow keys, you can actually trigger 63 keys on layer 1 on this board. You don't need to use fn keys to access the arrow keys anymore.

This is one great benefit brought by the dedicated touch panel - we maintain the fundamental 65% experience with a clean symmetric design.

It is not easy to develop the touch panel, as it requires customized hardware. Since it is a capacitive panel, we need hard work to develop algorithms to improve touch precision.

The touch panel chip is integrated here.

So how does the touch panel work?

Currently with the touch panel, we can operate up/down/left/right like regular arrow keys.

In the following video, I am swiping up/down/left/right to complete the up/down/left/right instructions in the lowrider mission of GTA San Andreas:

Classic never gets old.

But what about long press arrow keys? As you can see below, by swiping and holding, I can forward the video or turn up the sound which normally requires long pressing keys.

When using regular 65% keyboards, you need to move your wrist to reach the arrow keys. But with the touch panel, you simply just need to move your thumb at ease.

In terms of sensitivity, you get about 80-90% experience of traditional arrow keys. This is a number we still want to further improve upon.


What can be done with the two blockers?

The left and right blockers brought by the symmetric design open new possibilities to play with RGB. In this prototype, we made cutouts to recreate a laser-like lighting effect or lighting pattern.

We specifically developed an independent PCB and cable for these two blocker RGB lights, allowing for DIY functionality.

With a bit of DIY, you can replace the covers and choose to hide them or expose them at will. Hopefully we could offer covers as an accessory.


Why do we call this new layout AM 65 Less?

This layout indeed isn't 65%. My aim is to maintain the usage habit of a 65% layout keyboard.

Check out the following video to see how the concept of this new layout expression was born, and what was kept and what was removed.

This new layout originates from 65% and seeks to simplify it. That's why we call it AM 65 Less.

What do you think about our new layout? I would love to hear if you have any further suggestions with regard to the touch panel! And stay tuned, more info about AM 65 Less will be out soon.

[Cipulot]

Interesting project.
A bit worried about the fact that the implementation of touch controls on the case with the HHKB layout has been patented with the publication of US11460930B2, 2022-10-04.

[schwartzasher]

The touch panel is a gimmick...this is just a hhkb with a regular layout top, due to the backspace. You did not invent anything, and the trackpad is just in the worst spot. With the trackpad where it is, either I use a wrist rest, or I don't use one just to use the trackpad. And then saying "But what about long press arrow keys? As you can see below, by swiping and holding, I can forward the video or turn up the sound which normally requires long pressing keys.", that is just you saying, swipe instead of pressing....same amount of time, diff gesture to do the same thing. When you say this is not a 65%, no it is not, so calling it the "not a 65%", is just being the obvious we don't want to make normal keyboards. Calling this a not a hhkb is just telling people that you don't know layouts. Can't forget the whole, "no need to move your wrist to touch the arrow keys", which yes, it is true, but at the same time it is not, as you are still moving your wrist, in just a slightly less movement to it.

[fortissim2]

I would never be able to play Tetris on that. Also it would be impractical to use a wrist rest.

[Crazy Designers]

The touch panel is a gimmick...this is just a hhkb with a regular layout top, due to the backspace. You did not invent anything, and the trackpad is just in the worst spot. With the trackpad where it is, either I use a wrist rest, or I don't use one just to use the trackpad. And then saying "But what about long press arrow keys? As you can see below, by swiping and holding, I can forward the video or turn up the sound which normally requires long pressing keys.", that is just you saying, swipe instead of pressing....same amount of time, diff gesture to do the same thing. When you say this is not a 65%, no it is not, so calling it the "not a 65%", is just being the obvious we don't want to make normal keyboards. Calling this a not a hhkb is just telling people that you don't know layouts. Can't forget the whole, "no need to move your wrist to touch the arrow keys", which yes, it is true, but at the same time it is not, as you are still moving your wrist, in just a slightly less movement to it.

The height of the board is well-suited for use without wristrest. But if you insist on using a wristrest, you could always use a split wrist rest such as the Hover Ergonomic Maglev Wrist Rest.

For this layout to be HHKB it would need to have a split backspace, which we did forgo in order to have hot-swap, in-switch RGB, and cutouts on the PCB. We are considering adding an optional solder PCB with split backspace support though.

We tried out multiple scenarios, such as comparing the Touch Panel to traditional arrow keys and operating the controls inside a video player. We also tried some games. Check out the video here.