Author Topic: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES  (Read 1544907 times)

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Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #450 on: Mon, 08 June 2015, 15:48:17 »
FYI - just got an interesting email update on my pre-order for the 3rd production run:
Quote
We received extra stock with our second batch so your pre-order has now shipped.

Totally didn't expect that so I'm obviously thrilled!  Not sure if the extra stock was 1 extra keyboard or 10/20/50/etc.  Just interesting to note that at least some 3rd run pre-orders are shipping out early.

Now from the comments recently posted I'm thinking I should pick up a better cable to replace that retractable one that a lot of people seem to dislike.

Offline malsyned

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #451 on: Tue, 09 June 2015, 14:54:01 »
FYI - just got an interesting email update on my pre-order for the 3rd production run:
Quote
We received extra stock with our second batch so your pre-order has now shipped.

Totally didn't expect that so I'm obviously thrilled!  Not sure if the extra stock was 1 extra keyboard or 10/20/50/etc.

I just placed a pre-order for the July production run and got an email the next day saying pretty much the same thing yours did. So, the extra stock was definitely > 1.

Offline skylife

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #452 on: Thu, 11 June 2015, 12:12:00 »
Hi all, I got the Ergo Pro the other day and I'm really enjoying it so far!

This may be a silly question, but I'd like to try switching right space with backspace. If I understood correctly, the switch for that is under right Alt key. Do I just pop it off using a screwdriver or is there a gentler way?

Also, is there a way to tell if I got the 2nd or 3rd production run? Just curious.

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #453 on: Thu, 11 June 2015, 12:19:34 »
Hi all, I got the Ergo Pro the other day and I'm really enjoying it so far!

This may be a silly question, but I'd like to try switching right space with backspace. If I understood correctly, the switch for that is under right Alt key. Do I just pop it off using a screwdriver or is there a gentler way?

Also, is there a way to tell if I got the 2nd or 3rd production run? Just curious.
I can't answer the first question, but I can tell you that you got the 2nd production run because they haven't done the 3rd run yet.  I should actually getting mine today (woohoo!) and I was told it's the 2nd production batch directly by the Matias staff.

Offline davkol

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #454 on: Thu, 11 June 2015, 12:32:16 »
Wire keycap puller, a pair of butter knives.

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #455 on: Thu, 11 June 2015, 16:17:13 »
Got my Ergo Pro today around lunch.  I've used it for maybe a couple hours now and it's an interesting experience hehe.

The thing is built rock solid - really like that.  No problems with anything about it including the retractable audio connector cable.  Yeah it's kinda cheap, but working just fine.  I like the switches.  Not as much as I like cherry blues, but this quiet switches have a pretty nice feel that will just take a little getting used to.  For me the tenting amount is just right so I'm not left wanting more.

The layout... this is going to take a little getting used to, more than I expected lol.  Most keys are fine and right where my muscle memory expects them to be coming from an MS Natural 4000.  Keep in mind I'm also a developer so that certainly affects the type of things I, well, type.  The big exceptions are:
  • F5 - so used to hitting this with my left hand while going for the mouse with my right hand.  "6" is similar, but much less used.
  • Home/End - These I was prepared to have to adjust to.  I'm so used to reaching over to where Home or End would be between the Enter key and the Numpad.  Just have to retrain my fingers.

And oddly enough it's taking some conscious effort to position my left hand because I was apparently used to having my left hand near the edge of the keyboard where as the Ergo Pro has a column of extra keys near the edge.  This one isn't turning out to be very hard to overcome and should be mostly "fixed" in my brain by the end of the day :)

Only time will tell just how much I like it, but so far so good!  The real question will be if I stick with just the one at work or do I get another for home... bah, so much money for keyboards lol.

Offline Salaryman Ryan

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #456 on: Fri, 19 June 2015, 15:07:20 »
Finally got mine after a month and a half of waiting. Just got home and used it for a few minutes so no major impressions yet but this is one solid keyboard. Very good build quality and love how comfortable it feels. Took a quick snap of my set up:

« Last Edit: Fri, 19 June 2015, 15:09:42 by Salaryman Ryan »

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #457 on: Fri, 19 June 2015, 16:31:50 »
Finally got mine after a month and a half of waiting. Just got home and used it for a few minutes so no major impressions yet but this is one solid keyboard. Very good build quality and love how comfortable it feels.
Nice - I like your setup.  I really seriously need some sort of macro board to sit between the keyboard halves, too.  Can't decide if I have the time to make one or if I'm lazy enough to just over pay to buy one ;)

The space bars are great IMO.  That giant left control takes some getting used to.  I still find myself sometimes too far to the left on that ctrl key for various key combos and end up doing, say, ctrl+x when I meant to do ctrl-c.  I know there are dedicated undo/cut/copy/paste keys, but it never occurs to me to use them.  I guess I should really give those a try and see if they are a better solution.  Really wish they were programmable :(

Another annoying thing I found that is totally about my typing habits is that sometimes when I mean to just press the right shift key I manage to press shift+arrow up and when done quickly while typing that highlights the current row of text and then immediately wipes the line as my left hand presses the key I meant to get an uppercase of.

Shift+t = T
Shift+Up+T=erased line and only a T remaining

That sloppy typing is leftover from years of MS Natural keyboard use where they have really big shift keys.

Still trying to remap my brain so I can use the home/end cluster.  That's been pretty slow going for me and I do use those keys a fair amount.  Minor complaints aside though I do like just typing on this keyboard.  The keys feel a little loose to me which doesn't feel ideal, but overall it's pleasant to type on and my typing speed hasn't been generally hurt - only when using things like the home/end keys or the "6" that I'm still not used to being back on the right side where it's supposed to be ;)

Offline litster

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #458 on: Fri, 19 June 2015, 17:07:50 »
Finally got mine after a month and a half of waiting. Just got home and used it for a few minutes so no major impressions yet but this is one solid keyboard. Very good build quality and love how comfortable it feels. Took a quick snap of my set up:

Show Image


The way you setup your keyboard halves, in a V shape, would actually hurt your wrists more than a regular keyboard.  You really want the halves be setup in an A shape so you don't have to twist your wrists outward.


Offline rz

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #459 on: Fri, 19 June 2015, 17:41:48 »
Had mine for about one week, I like the switch (Cherry brown and blue user, and I like brown switch), and the build is great. seriously considering another one for home.

Few thoughts:
- I like the layout, the learning curve is small.  But I just realized that I am pretty bad at touch typing, quite a few bad habits, slowly working them out.
- the build quality is solid
- start to try to do everything with keyboard. I am VIM user, with tmux, so that is taken care of. My firefox in vim mode now, can do pretty much all with keyboard.
- as a VIM user, the Esc key is too far, it is bigger, which is great, but far. I am reconfigure my vim to use other key for Esc. I do hope I can reprogram the right Ctrl key to Esc, which located perfectly.
- the big space bar is great.  I think the navigation cluster will be great, which I am still getting used to.
- no use of undo/cut/copy/paste so far, hope I can change them for other use
- I thought I have no need for reprogramming, but after one week, I really hope I can do some tweaking of keys.
- split is great, I can have an Apple track pad in the middle, and trackball on the right.

Offline Salaryman Ryan

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #460 on: Fri, 19 June 2015, 18:12:09 »
Thanks for the kind words guys. Enjoying my setup a lot. :)

Quote
The way you setup your keyboard halves, in a V shape, would actually hurt your wrists more than a regular keyboard.  You really want the halves be setup in an A shape so you don't have to twist your wrists outward.

Thanks for the tip.   Followed your advice and moved the keyboard halves to an A shape, its actually feel much more comfortable.

I write and edit a lot of reports and letters the undo/cut/copy/paste keys are pretty handy especially after I trained my muscle memory to hit them without looking. Seems a bit faster doing two button  presses even if I need to take out my left hand out off the home keys.   I also agree with the giant Ctrl key. Keep on hitting it by accident when I try to hit option. I love the giant spacebar and modifier keys though. 
« Last Edit: Fri, 19 June 2015, 18:23:00 by Salaryman Ryan »

Offline litster

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #461 on: Fri, 19 June 2015, 18:37:00 »
the giant Ctrl key is actually the same size as the two Spacebar keys.  Save some money to have one keycap mold for 3 keys :D

Offline Salaryman Ryan

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #462 on: Sun, 21 June 2015, 06:34:38 »
Just some quick feedback. The wrist pads are very comfortable but I noticed that it emits this really strong chemical smelling odour. I hope it comes off in time because it really bothers me.

Offline malsyned

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #463 on: Mon, 22 June 2015, 17:33:44 »
Occasionally I'm getting spurious 6 and 7 characters being typed when my fingers are nowhere near those keys. I replaced the TRRS cable but I'm still seeing it from time to time. I also have seen some stuck modifier keys but not often enough to be able to describe well.

Did I get a malfunctioning board?

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #464 on: Mon, 22 June 2015, 18:32:05 »
Occasionally I'm getting spurious 6 and 7 characters being typed when my fingers are nowhere near those keys. I replaced the TRRS cable but I'm still seeing it from time to time. I also have seen some stuck modifier keys but not often enough to be able to describe well.

Did I get a malfunctioning board?
Strange.  I'm using the keyboard full time in the office I work at so it's getting a lot of use and I haven't seen anything like that.  All the mistakes are purely my own fault so far.  Maybe you did get a bad one :-/

Offline malsyned

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #465 on: Tue, 23 June 2015, 16:24:59 »
Just some quick feedback. The wrist pads are very comfortable but I noticed that it emits this really strong chemical smelling odour. I hope it comes off in time because it really bothers me.

It does. I can't smell that smell from mine any more unless I put my nose right up against the wrist rests.

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #466 on: Tue, 23 June 2015, 18:56:02 »
Uh oh... started seeing some repeated keystrokes this afternoon :(  I saw it with "k" and with "b" just a minute ago.  I got something like "bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb" when I only touched the "B" key.  You know how when you hold down a key there is a brief pause before it begins repeating?  It's clear that's what happened so it wasn't sending repeated signals, but instead never released the keypress until I tapped the key again.  It didn't feel stuck and hasn't happened again in the last few minutes, but it's concerning.

Offline jonhohle

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #467 on: Wed, 24 June 2015, 00:20:52 »
Occasionally I'm getting spurious 6 and 7 characters being typed when my fingers are nowhere near those keys. I replaced the TRRS cable but I'm still seeing it from time to time. I also have seen some stuck modifier keys but not often enough to be able to describe well.

Did I get a malfunctioning board?

I had a board from the first production run that did the same thing. I would get either the 6/7 or a stuck modifier key about once a day. I sent it back due to the Num Lock key placement and am still waiting for the replacement.

Offline EE-test

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #468 on: Wed, 24 June 2015, 01:58:03 »
I understand that Matias has developed quiet linear keyswitches that require only 35cN of force to activate.  Would it be possible to buy an Ergo Pro that uses these new 35cN keyswitches?  (I understand that there may be extra cost because those aren't the standard keyswitches used.)

Offline spwath

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #469 on: Sat, 11 July 2015, 14:33:11 »
I kinda want one. Cant seem to justify the cost yet.

It seems like the perfect replacement for my Apple Adjustable Keyboard, that I truly love, but many keys are dieing in it.

Should I spend the 200$?

Offline billputer

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #470 on: Mon, 13 July 2015, 10:55:29 »
Should I spend the 200$?

Yes. I've had mine for about a month now, and I love it. Excellent switches, great build quality, etc. I don't think you'll regret it, and if you do, Matias is pretty good about returns.
CM Storm QFR-i | Matias Ergo Pro (pre-ordered) | M$FT Natural Ergonomic 4000

Offline ergo_typing

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #471 on: Wed, 15 July 2015, 09:41:43 »
Just in case it's of interest, I posted a review of my time with the Ergo Pro:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=73419.0

Offline spwath

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #472 on: Thu, 16 July 2015, 09:11:58 »
Should I spend the 200$?

Yes. I've had mine for about a month now, and I love it. Excellent switches, great build quality, etc. I don't think you'll regret it, and if you do, Matias is pretty good about returns.
hmm ok.
Not sure still.

I think ill get it, as I love ergonomic keyboards, and my Apple Adjustable Keyboard from 1994 is having many switches fail. I love it so much, I am still using it to type on, even right now, even though its failing.

Offline jonhohle

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #473 on: Sun, 19 July 2015, 22:06:52 »
hmm ok.
Not sure still.

I think ill get it, as I love ergonomic keyboards, and my Apple Adjustable Keyboard from 1994 is having many switches fail. I love it so much, I am still using it to type on, even right now, even though its failing.

As much as I've always wanted to like the Apple Ergonomic, I prefer the Ergo Pro. The function and escape keys on the apple ergonomic are horrendous, and the fact that they all die relatively quickly make them a questionable choice. The switches aren't as nice as the AEKII or Ergo Pro.

Apple had a chance to make a really great keyboard, but the Apple Ergonomic is lacking.

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #474 on: Sun, 26 July 2015, 04:32:09 »
From what I’ve heard 3rd hand, the Apple Adjustable Keyboard was designed by a very small team on a very short deadline, and almost didn’t ship at all (and of course then never sold very well or for a very long time). The Cherry G80-5000 was a much better implementation of the same basic idea, but also didn’t stay on the market all that long. Apple and other large keyboard vendors never wanted to put too much marketing/resources behind their ergonomic designs becuase it would imply all their existing keyboards were bad.

As I understand, in the early 1990s it was expected that the Clinton administration would push through new occupational safety regulations related to RSI, resulting in a brief boom in ergonomic keyboard designs. But then the Republican congress scuttled those rules, and most of the ergonomic keyboards slowly faded away for the next 10 years, alongside the demise of mechanical keyboards generally. See e.g. http://www.tifaq.org/articles/ergonomic_inaction-jan99-vernon_mogensen.html or from a few years later http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/03/06/senate.workstress/

IMO Matias’s new ErgoPro is the best incarnation yet of this concept, much better than the main current competitor, the Kinesis Freestyle.
« Last Edit: Sun, 26 July 2015, 04:47:28 by jacobolus »

Offline malsyned

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #475 on: Tue, 28 July 2015, 20:28:11 »
I would get either the 6/7 or a stuck modifier key about once a day. I sent it back due to the Num Lock key placement and am still waiting for the replacement.

I've had this issue with my original keyboard, and the one they gave me as a replacement. I'm working with Matias customer support to track down what the problem is, assuming I didn't just get unlucky and get two malfunctioning keyboards in a row.

johnohle, were you using Linux when you saw the issue?

Offline mbrown559

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #476 on: Fri, 31 July 2015, 12:25:35 »
Just purchased my spot in the August production run for the Ergo Pro.  Hope I like the Matias switches as this will be my first board with them.  Coming from a GON with ErgoClears.  Will be writing a review on it when I get it!

Offline jonhohle

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #477 on: Mon, 03 August 2015, 10:11:51 »
johnohle, were you using Linux when you saw the issue?

I was using OS X. When I get the replacement, I can try a day attached to directly to my Linux desktop (I'm usually working on it, with a Mac as a client).

Offline jonhohle

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #478 on: Tue, 01 September 2015, 15:01:11 »
johnohle, were you using Linux when you saw the issue?

I was using OS X. When I get the replacement, I can try a day attached to directly to my Linux desktop (I'm usually working on it, with a Mac as a client).

johnohle, were you using Linux when you saw the issue?

I was using OS X. When I get the replacement, I can try a day attached to directly to my Linux desktop (I'm usually working on it, with a Mac as a client).

To follow up - I've been using the new keyboard for 3-4 days. It feels better than I remember it feeling, thankful for the num lock key being moved.

So far, I've only used it connected directly to a 2011 MacBook Pro (no USB hub). I'm currently using an aftermarket TRRS connector. I've had one incident where typing in the "E R T"/"D F G" section of the left board has produced a "6" in the middle of other characters. On my first keyboard this was a >1 time a day occurrence, so I'm happy that it's happening less often.

Haven't tried it connected to a Linux desktop yet. I'll post an update if I spend any reasonable amount of time in that configuration.

Offline FARSH

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #479 on: Tue, 01 September 2015, 15:17:19 »
Hello everyone! I have recently purchased Matias Ergo Pro Keyboard for PC (FK403QPC).
Everything is perfect but I could not figure out how to activate and enter numeric keypad (numpad) numbers as marked by red squares in the diagram I have attached. I'm sure I miss something but I could not find a way to activate them in the manual nor online. Could you please help me. I feel lost.
110056-0

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #480 on: Tue, 01 September 2015, 15:38:10 »
Hello everyone! I have recently purchased Matias Ergo Pro Keyboard for PC (FK403QPC).
Everything is perfect but I could not figure out how to activate and enter numeric keypad (numpad) numbers as marked by red squares in the diagram I have attached. I'm sure I miss something but I could not find a way to activate them in the manual nor online. Could you please help me. I feel lost.
I'm assuming mine is the same layout as yours and if so it's fn-6 (the 6 key is the num lock hey on mine).

Offline FARSH

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #481 on: Tue, 01 September 2015, 16:15:29 »
Hello everyone! I have recently purchased Matias Ergo Pro Keyboard for PC (FK403QPC).
Everything is perfect but I could not figure out how to activate and enter numeric keypad (numpad) numbers as marked by red squares in the diagram I have attached. I'm sure I miss something but I could not find a way to activate them in the manual nor online. Could you please help me. I feel lost.
I'm assuming mine is the same layout as yours and if so it's fn-6 (the 6 key is the num lock hey on mine).

Thank you for your prompt reply. Unfortunately, this method does not work on mine. I just tried it.

Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #482 on: Tue, 01 September 2015, 16:46:32 »
For the record I borrowed a first gen (B = Num Lock) Mac Ergo Pro and used it for about 30 hours over a couple of weeks in Linux and had no issues at all.  Seriously considering buying one...

Hello everyone! I have recently purchased Matias Ergo Pro Keyboard for PC (FK403QPC).
Everything is perfect but I could not figure out how to activate and enter numeric keypad (numpad) numbers as marked by red squares in the diagram I have attached. I'm sure I miss something but I could not find a way to activate them in the manual nor online. Could you please help me. I feel lost.
I'm assuming mine is the same layout as yours and if so it's fn-6 (the 6 key is the num lock hey on mine).

Thank you for your prompt reply. Unfortunately, this method does not work on mine. I just tried it.


Strange, does your FN key work?  Print Screen on FN+[ would be a good test, or the right click menu button on right alt :)
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Offline FARSH

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #483 on: Tue, 15 September 2015, 15:54:12 »
I have received reply from Steve. He suggested to do the following, I quote:
"It’s possible that the number function is toggled off. Try pressing Fn-T, then try the Fn-6."

It works!  :thumb:
Thank you, Steve and everyone else who tried to help me.

On the side note, I a little bit puzzled why to design this keyboard functions in a such obscure way and not to follow a traditional, commonly used route (Fn + 6  = NumLock).

Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #484 on: Tue, 15 September 2015, 16:13:52 »
I have received reply from Steve. He suggested to do the following, I quote:
"It’s possible that the number function is toggled off. Try pressing Fn-T, then try the Fn-6."

It works!  :thumb:
Thank you, Steve and everyone else who tried to help me.

On the side note, I a little bit puzzled why to design this keyboard functions in a such obscure way and not to follow a traditional, commonly used route (Fn + 6  = NumLock).

Thanks for posting this!

I wonder if it works on the original version too, having an annoyingly positioned number lock that's disabled would be less annoying than an enabled one...
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Offline spwath

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #485 on: Wed, 16 September 2015, 19:48:42 »
hmm ok.
Not sure still.

I think ill get it, as I love ergonomic keyboards, and my Apple Adjustable Keyboard from 1994 is having many switches fail. I love it so much, I am still using it to type on, even right now, even though its failing.

As much as I've always wanted to like the Apple Ergonomic, I prefer the Ergo Pro. The function and escape keys on the apple ergonomic are horrendous, and the fact that they all die relatively quickly make them a questionable choice. The switches aren't as nice as the AEKII or Ergo Pro.

Apple had a chance to make a really great keyboard, but the Apple Ergonomic is lacking.

Yeah, IDK what they were thinking with the weird membranes for thoes keys.
Yeah, they do die, but I had mine fixed. If it decides to break on me again, I think ill just need to invest the 200$ in the Matias.

I really love the Apple Adjustable Keyboard, but it has its problems.

I plan on using it until its last legs.

Offline RyanArr

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #486 on: Mon, 26 October 2015, 14:06:32 »
Got mine last week (Mac version), liking it a lot. A few issues:

Using Karabiner's EventViewer it appears that fn+arrow and the nav cluster generate the same scan codes (that is home generates 0x73+Fn and not a clean 0x73). I have no use for the nav cluster and would like to remap them without breaking fn+arrow navigation. Is there any fix for this short of soldering?

Fn doesn't generate a scan code like an Apple Keyboard does. This doesn't matter in most cases, but it's too bad I can't use Fn to activate Dictation.

I was under the impression Fn+<key> was supposed to generate a unique scan code like on the Mathias 60% board, instead I'm seeing nothing. Is this correct or is EventViewer not working at a sufficiently low level?

And, apropos of nothing, I'm planning to desolder the useless cut/paste keys and cover the hole with Sugru. Does anyone else find these annoying? Are they just there to equal out the width of the two keyboard halves?

Offline Hairball

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #487 on: Mon, 26 October 2015, 14:40:20 »
And, apropos of nothing, I'm planning to desolder the useless cut/paste keys and cover the hole with Sugru. Does anyone else find these annoying? Are they just there to equal out the width of the two keyboard halves?
yep - completely useless for me.  If these had been 4 user-defined keys (for our own macros) that would have been ok, but as is I will never use them.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #488 on: Mon, 04 January 2016, 13:59:07 »
Hi Matias, I sent you a PM as well, but thought I would also ask my question here--new user of the Ergo Pro wondering, what were the larger floor tripods you tested? Looking for a set to use at a stand-up desk. Thanks for the help! If not specific models, features to look for would also be much appreciated!



@kshopper: There are standard tripod screw mounts in the bottom of each half of the keyboard. You can get probably any tripod of any size and screw it into the bottom of the keyboard! You just have to find a tripod somewhere that does what you want.

My question is more regarding whether anyone is using this configuration and if so, what specific tripods they used. Basically, this sounds like a compelling idea but I have no idea what type or model of tripod would work for this?

Perhaps Matias could recommend one, must have had something in mind when designing the Ergo Pro.



We only tested with larger tripods (floor mounted) -- for example, if you're a standing desk user or doing a stage presentation (standing up).

If you're placing them on a desk, you need desktop tripods.  You want ones with a built-in ballhead, not too high, and with a wide base for stability.  Something like these (which again, we haven't tested)...



Offline Matias

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #489 on: Mon, 04 January 2016, 23:34:20 »
Hi Matias, I sent you a PM as well, but thought I would also ask my question here--new user of the Ergo Pro wondering, what were the larger floor tripods you tested? Looking for a set to use at a stand-up desk. Thanks for the help! If not specific models, features to look for would also be much appreciated!

I don't recall the model, but it was a fairly basic tripod that allowed for tilt and height adjustment.  You don't need anything especially fancy or expensive, since it's not for taking photos.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #490 on: Thu, 07 January 2016, 21:49:30 »
Hi Mattias, I just got the Manfrotto 709 table tops available for $30 on Amazon. I attached some pics. Thanks for your help!

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #491 on: Fri, 08 January 2016, 00:17:47 »
A few more pics of the Ergo Pro on desktop tripods at 90 degree angle. (Manfrotto 709 table-tops, $30 on Amazon).

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #492 on: Fri, 08 January 2016, 00:49:38 »
Showman: Are you using that with a ~90° tent as your regular keyboard?

Personally, I find a tent angle of anything from about 20°–70° to be comfortable (with a sweet spot in the 35–50° range), depending on the other placement/angles of the two halves. 90° is too much for me.

Edit: oh wait, you have those tilted in a front/back direction, and not at all tented per se. Are you just showing us the range of motion or do you somehow type with a setup like that. If the latter can you post a video?
« Last Edit: Fri, 08 January 2016, 00:53:59 by jacobolus »

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #493 on: Fri, 08 January 2016, 01:09:06 »
I just got both the Ergo Pro Keyboard and the tripods, which I just put together now. Previously, I was mainly using the Kinesis keyboard with Ascent kit, which goes to 90 degrees. There is one other Vertical keyboard available although it's not a very good piece of kit, qua keyboard, the SafeType. 90 degree angle is excellent to relieve  pain in the wrists and ended my pain when I started using it. Sometimes I use a slightly lower angle, like 60-70, since going Vertical does slow you down slightly. But it takes the most pressure off the wrists.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #494 on: Fri, 08 January 2016, 01:15:42 »
I took a few more at some lower tilt angles. Very easy to adjust like this.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #495 on: Fri, 08 January 2016, 01:28:09 »
This is my Freestyle in Vertical 90 degree tent, by comparison.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #496 on: Sat, 09 January 2016, 13:16:45 »
Here is the Mattias Ergo Pro, now set up at my desk, at roughly a 60-70 degree angle with the 709 Manfrotto tripods. Mattias mentioned these as a good possibility, at the price of $50 on BH, at $30 at Amazon I found them for  much cheaper than the BH link given above.

They are of excellent quality, solid aluminum, with cork on the bottom to not scratch your desk or surface underneath, made in Italy, highly stable, very compact, and foldable desktop tripods that will allow you to to tilt from angle of 0 to 90 degrees on your Ergo Pro. They are installed very quickly, needing only a screwdriver and 1 minute to remove the 14/20 screw from the bottom of the ergo Pro and the pods themselves can be easily removed without uninstalling the whole kit and reattaching the bottom screw, if needed. To get this level of adjustability and functionality on my Kinesis Freestyle, I had to pay over $150 for the Ascent kit, and the Kinesis keyboard is non-mechanical, and not as nice or pretty a keyboard, and the Ascent is much heavier and actually less adjustable and more of a pain to adjust, since the ball-head on the Manfrotto makes the Ergo Pro infinitely adjustable, while the Kinesis with Ascent has 10 pre-set angles from 10-90 degrees, though it is easier to gauge what angle one is at on that unit, and to "lock in" one's favored position . If I recall, the keyboardio is also coming with tripod screwholes on the bottom, so I recommend the Manfrotto 709 to those who have one of these coming and are looking for desktop tripods for maximum adjustability. I'd love to just have a set of floor pods, but the desktops were much cheaper. If anyone comes across a decent floor unit for this purpose for Standing desk use, do PM me or post it here.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #497 on: Tue, 12 January 2016, 10:46:24 »
Oops. I figured out that one has to rotate the keyboard axis to type on it in vertical configuration, so perhaps that it is what the user above was so confused about from the initial pictures. I'm attaching some more photos in the correct configuration. If you still would like, I can show a video of typing at 80-90 degrees tilt, as well. I just did some testing and I can type about 70-90 WPM at that angle with this setup.
Here are the proper pictures.

Offline showman

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #498 on: Tue, 12 January 2016, 11:04:27 »
Showman: Are you using that with a ~90° tent as your regular keyboard?

Personally, I find a tent angle of anything from about 20°–70° to be comfortable (with a sweet spot in the 35–50° range), depending on the other placement/angles of the two halves. 90° is too much for me.

Edit: oh wait, you have those tilted in a front/back direction, and not at all tented per se. Are you just showing us the range of motion or do you somehow type with a setup like that. If the latter can you post a video?

Hi, Jacobolus. You might have just noticed that I had the keyboard set up incorrectly in the first batch of pictures, since the axis of the keyboard needs to be rotated for it to be used in 90 degrees, which I had not initially realized. But I do typically type at the 90 degree tent. If you want to see a video, I can provide you with one. It's not particularly much different from typing at 70 degrees though, if you have tried that. It is probably slightly slower than other configs, and would obviously not be feasible for someone who is not a touch-typist (you can't see the keys, though this is no concern to me), but I find it is the most comfortable angle to type on, because your wrists are not flexed at all, but lay to their sides in their usual, neutral posture. Consider that when you're not doing anything with your hands, how do they naturally fall? Not flexed forwards, but to their sides, so tentng the keyboard vertically allows your wrists to set in a very natural, relaxed, neutral position. Thus, I think the ability to tent the keyboard to 90 degrees is a significant benefit for the Ergo Pro for some users, and it is  significantly better keyboard than the other two options on the market with this capacity. The other two keyboards that go vertical are, first, "The Safetype", which is a highly unsatisfactory vertical keyboard seemingly premised on the "any keyboard will do" theory, so long as the keyboard is used in the best ergonomic position, and second, the Kinesis Freestyle, which is non-mechanical, and the Ascent kit costs upwards of $150-200, meaning that the Ergo Pro plus $20-30 tripods is both cheaper and better and the Ascent + Freestyle. I say better because the keyboard is much higher quality, and is an actual mechanical keyboard, and has built in wrist rests, and perhaps most importantly, it is also far more secure on the tripods than the kinesis is on the ascent, which would always shake during typing at high angles and high separation. Thus, I think this is the best of the 3 options on the market for pure vertical typing, and can easily be used for tenting at 30-40-50-60-70-80 degrees as well.

Offline Matias

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Re: Matias Ergo Pro debuts at CES
« Reply #499 on: Tue, 12 January 2016, 11:27:49 »
the Kinesis Freestyle, which is non-mechanical, and the Ascent kit costs upwards of $150-200, meaning that the Ergo Pro plus $20-30 tripods is both cheaper and better and the Ascent + Freestyle. I say better because the keyboard is much higher quality, and is an actual mechanical keyboard, and has built in wrist rests, and perhaps most importantly, it is also far more secure on the tripods than the kinesis is on the ascent, which would always shake during typing at high angles and high separation. Thus, I think this is the best of the 3 options on the market for pure vertical typing, and can easily be used for tenting at 30-40-50-60-70-80 degrees as well.

Showman, congrats on getting this working!

The 709 Manfrottos look perfectly suited to the task.  Thanks for posting the photos.   :thumb: