Author Topic: ErgoDox - Custom split ergo keyboard. (Read 1249978 times)

mikelanding · « **Reply #2600 on:** Mon, 08 July 2013, 00:26:50 »

Anyone using Ergodox with Hackintosh?
I got a a problem where when I booth up with Ergodox plugged in to my hackintosh. I got No OS Error msg.
The boot screen:

bebuxe · « **Reply #2601 on:** Mon, 08 July 2013, 01:27:00 »

Quote from: ic07 on Sun, 07 July 2013, 17:17:01

but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to log in or create an account...

Only administrators can create accounts. So ask Soarer or dorkvader to create one:
Create account: http://wiki.geekhack.org/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin/signup
Login: http://wiki.geekhack.org/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Special%3AUserLogin%2Fsignup

They can make us writers, with only permissions to write the page after it has been created:
http://wiki.geekhack.org/index.php?title=ErgoDox

I created the workshop page here, so people can start documenting:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45571.0

agodinhost · « **Reply #2602 on:** Mon, 08 July 2013, 08:16:26 »

Massdrop just started to sell some spare PCBs there.
22 for each PCB (NOT A PAIR).

kwago · « **Reply #2603 on:** Tue, 09 July 2013, 09:53:40 »

Can anyone recommend a leveling mount size and type for the acrylic case?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-levelers/=njozp1

Thimplum · « **Reply #2604 on:** Tue, 09 July 2013, 12:14:02 »

Am I the only one getting Sadster in the OP?

rknize · « **Reply #2605 on:** Tue, 09 July 2013, 13:10:10 »

Nope. The OP is pre-rootw0rm and Dox doesn't post here very often.

Thimplum · « **Reply #2606 on:** Tue, 09 July 2013, 16:21:23 »

Yeah, I know. It is old. I just would have thought that they would have fixed it by now.

ic07 · « **Reply #2607 on:** Tue, 09 July 2013, 18:24:55 »

@mikelanding: That's weird... dunno why it would do that. First system I've heard of where things aren't working correctly.

@bebuxe: Thanks again :-) . For the record, my request was passed up to samwisekoi - I think he's the guy wiki related requests should be going to :-)

@kwago: SubGothius posted about doing something similar with M3 threaded PCB spacers. Dunno if that helps :-)

Jagriff · « **Reply #2608 on:** Tue, 09 July 2013, 23:53:45 »

Quote from: kwago on Tue, 09 July 2013, 09:53:40

Can anyone recommend a leveling mount size and type for the acrylic case?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-levelers/=njozp1

No, but if you find a nice result, let all of us know!

phyrne · « **Reply #2609 on:** Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:07:23 »

Good day gentlemen!

So, I've got my heart set on an ErgoDox.

I'm hoping someone can answer the below questions (the first of which I'm sure has been answered somewhere recently many times, however; it isn't immediately apparent to me, so I do apologise if people are getting sick of answering this question):

I've asked to be notified of the next batch on MassDrop, however, does anyone know when the next bunch of kits will be available?

I've got to teach myself how to solder, and I also have to buy some kit! So it'd be really handy if someone could provide me with a short list of the necessary (and nice to have) equipment for an ErgoDox build.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, I really appreciate it!

thadood · « **Reply #2610 on:** Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:17:32 »

Quote from: phyrne on Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:07:23

Good day gentlemen!

So, I've got my heart set on an ErgoDox.

I'm hoping someone can answer the below questions (the first of which I'm sure has been answered somewhere recently many times, however; it isn't immediately apparent to me, so I do apologise if people are getting sick of answering this question):

I've asked to be notified of the next batch on MassDrop, however, does anyone know when the next bunch of kits will be available?

I've got to teach myself how to solder, and I also have to buy some kit! So it'd be really handy if someone could provide me with a short list of the necessary (and nice to have) equipment for an ErgoDox build.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, I really appreciate it!

The next group buy will probably be within 1-3 months - there's already quite a few requests on the GB that ended last week (if you haven't gone to Massdrop and requested it again on the page - do so!).

As for soldering: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42824.0

phyrne · « **Reply #2611 on:** Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:32:07 »

Quote from: thadood on Wed, 10 July 2013, 10:17:32

The next group buy will probably be within 1-3 months - there's already quite a few requests on the GB that ended last week (if you haven't gone to Massdrop and requested it again on the page - do so!).

As for soldering: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42824.0

Thanks for the swift response!

Yeah, I've "Requested" it on the MassDrop page for the next group buy, is this what you're referring to? (I know it seems obvious, I just want to be perfectly clear on it so I don't miss out)

And thank you very much for the link to the soldering thread that's exactly what I needed!

kwago · « **Reply #2612 on:** Wed, 10 July 2013, 14:25:02 »

Quote from: Jagriff on Tue, 09 July 2013, 23:53:45

Quote from: kwago on Tue, 09 July 2013, 09:53:40
Can anyone recommend a leveling mount size and type for the acrylic case?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-levelers/=njozp1
No, but if you find a nice result, let all of us know!

Does anyone know the diameter of the screws?

gnubag · « **Reply #2613 on:** Wed, 10 July 2013, 14:35:49 »

Quote from: kwago on Wed, 10 July 2013, 14:25:02

Quote from: Jagriff on Tue, 09 July 2013, 23:53:45
Quote from: kwago on Tue, 09 July 2013, 09:53:40
Can anyone recommend a leveling mount size and type for the acrylic case?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-levelers/=njozp1
No, but if you find a nice result, let all of us know!

Does anyone know the diameter of the screws?

they should be m3 IIRC

kwago · « **Reply #2614 on:** Wed, 10 July 2013, 19:44:09 »

yeah I don't think any of the leveling mounts are small enough for M3

2disbetter · « **Reply #2615 on:** Thu, 11 July 2013, 07:21:00 »

I apologize in advance... I've looked through about 10 pages of this thread and wasn't able to find the info. Is there an individual or group buy for the ErgoDox in black assembled? As a big fan of the hhkb pro 2 the design of the ErgoDox is great. Thank you in advance for any responses!

2d

longweight · « **Reply #2616 on:** Thu, 11 July 2013, 07:28:29 »

No, you would need to order either the kit or PCB and have a custom case made.

linziyi · « **Reply #2617 on:** Thu, 11 July 2013, 07:31:52 »

How much is one "pair" of ergodox weight? Assuming using the acrylic classic case?

2disbetter · « **Reply #2618 on:** Thu, 11 July 2013, 15:43:37 »

Quote from: longweight on Thu, 11 July 2013, 07:28:29

No, you would need to order either the kit or PCB and have a custom case made.

Thanks! I've signed up for both the PCB only and kit massdrops. Hopefully they'll fire one up again soon, and I can reguest the black case seen on the ergodox.org home page.

I've been looking for an indepth review of this keyboard. One's i've found tend to discuss the build process but not the keyboards performance. (Ie: does the split connection slow down key input or have any detrimental affects to responsiveness, etc.)

Does anyone have a link for something that discusses this?

2d

vvp · « **Reply #2619 on:** Fri, 12 July 2013, 04:05:34 »

Quote from: 2disbetter on Thu, 11 July 2013, 15:43:37

I've been looking for an indepth review of this keyboard. One's i've found tend to discuss the build process but not the keyboards performance. (Ie: does the split connection slow down key input or have any detrimental affects to responsiveness, etc.)

I remember reading something about speed. Here it is: 4ms response time for the left hand side.
http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/ergodox-massdrop-groupbuy-discussion-t5085-90.html?hilit=4ms#p95477

shad · « **Reply #2620 on:** Fri, 12 July 2013, 10:19:47 »

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried something like this [1] in order to prevent the keyboard from scratching the surface it is sitting on? Is it working good? Or perhaps you're using something else, in that case I'm also interested in knowing what you used.

Regards,
Shad

[1]: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-HINGED-SNAP-ON-SCREW-COVER-CAP-CAPS-for-M3-and-M4-Screws-Choose-COLOUR-/310349982989

Jagriff · « **Reply #2621 on:** Fri, 12 July 2013, 11:05:04 »

Those prevent scratching but not sliding. I am currently using them plus some stick on rubber bumps (used on cabinets, picture frames, etc...) for each one. It's still not perfect as it makes the keyboard sit a little higher than I want and doesn't completely eliminate sliding.

ic07 · « **Reply #2622 on:** Fri, 12 July 2013, 15:27:33 »

Quote from: vvp on Fri, 12 July 2013, 04:05:34

Quote from: 2disbetter on Thu, 11 July 2013, 15:43:37
I've been looking for an indepth review of this keyboard. One's i've found tend to discuss the build process but not the keyboards performance. (Ie: does the split connection slow down key input or have any detrimental affects to responsiveness, etc.)
I remember reading something about speed. Here it is: 4ms response time for the left hand side.
http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/ergodox-massdrop-groupbuy-discussion-t5085-90.html?hilit=4ms#p95477

Actually, last time I measured it, I think the actual scan time was shorter (I think I was measuring incorrectly earlier on) - closer to 3ms for the whole main() loop. The recommend debounce time for Cherry MX switches is 5ms though, so the poll rate / maximum response time is limited to that by default.

As for the split design slowing down key input, I haven't noticed that it does... but then, I'm not an especially fast typist. I think most people have been getting back to their standard-layout speeds within a few days to a few weeks though.

2disbetter · « **Reply #2623 on:** Fri, 12 July 2013, 17:20:38 »

Thank you for the responses. I should have been a little more clear when I referring to slowdown as a result of the split design. What I mean was mechanically. IE: Does the cable induce any scanning latency. 3-4ms is more than adequate if that is from both sides of the keyboard.

2d

shad · « **Reply #2624 on:** Fri, 12 July 2013, 21:26:25 »

@Jagriff: thanks for your feedback.

Actually, I had some black o-ring sitting on my desk today when it clicked in my head. Because I placed the screws with the head down, I had to find a round object to go around the screw head. I turned out the spare o-rings fit nicely. While one o-ring is not enough to actually prevent the keyboard from touching the surface sits on, two o-ring works very well. Because it doesn't fit properly around the screw head, the second o-ring kept falling, so I decided to glue the two o-ring together. It makes it harder for the two to fall. Due to this modification, the keyboard sits around half a millimetre taller., which is be barely noticeable. I'll provide more feedback in a couple of days, maybe the o-ring will turn out to wear out too quickly.

I hope that gives ideas to others.

Regards,
Shad

P.-S.: my ErgoDox is now one step closer to perfection.

litster · « **Reply #2625 on:** Sun, 14 July 2013, 23:55:36 »

Gentooman PM'ed me for the case dxf zip file because he can't download it for some reason. I can't attach a file in a PM, so I am posting it here.

mcbonz · « **Reply #2626 on:** Mon, 15 July 2013, 11:22:57 »

Oh my God! I got to have one of these! This is just the most awesome ergonomic keyboard I ever saw so far. And It's open source and fully programmable!
Love you guys.

Please tell me this is not going to be the last batch!

vatin · « **Reply #2627 on:** Mon, 15 July 2013, 12:07:49 »

Quote from: mcbonz on Mon, 15 July 2013, 11:22:57

Oh my God! I got to have one of these! This is just the most awesome ergonomic keyboard I ever saw so far. And It's open source and fully programmable!
Love you guys.

Please tell me this is not going to be the last batch!

Sign up at massdrop.com and click on request for next ergodox groupbuy. At approaching 200 requests and growing i'm pretty sure it'll happen soon.

Tensor · « **Reply #2628 on:** Tue, 16 July 2013, 16:57:53 »

Hey, after a long time decided to post my first Ergodox build. I only got the PCBs from the first group buy, since I missed the whole package and sourced everything from other places.
Biggest issue was the case for the PCBs, since 3D printing is a tad bit too expensive for my tastes at the moment, though it produces awesome cased. Ultimately went with the idea of making my case from wood, so I went to grab a ****ty but big 3mm thick composite wood panel from a local shop. With 3mm per layer I went with one bottom plate, three sandwiched and one top layer. The bottom and middle layers are glued together, while the top is screwed into the glued section, so I can always access the PCBs if the need arises.
The PCBs are not screwed into the case, since the fitting is so tight I have issues removing them from the case

A little mod I did was to place a B/W 1" OLED (128x64) screen onto the right hand side. I hooked it up to the I2C bus, but have not yet modified to firmware to communicate with it. When I get time that will get worked out. Planning to show key modifiers and layer position, will add features as I find them usefull.
Power consumption of the screen is 20mA when fully lit, 1mA when no LED is active, pretty decent.

As for the pictures (highres here):

Zifle · « **Reply #2629 on:** Tue, 16 July 2013, 18:25:59 »

That's pretty awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing what use you can get out of the screen!

ic07 · « **Reply #2630 on:** Tue, 16 July 2013, 18:38:37 »

Me too

. Good to see the I2C bus being put to extra use. Also cool to see a custom case made out of wood. I've been wondering about the practicality of doing that...

Findecanor · « **Reply #2631 on:** Wed, 17 July 2013, 03:14:36 »

That's pretty cool! I love seeing people go creative and make things themselves.

That "composite wood" material makes the case look as if it was made of gingerbread, though.

wcbzero · « **Reply #2632 on:** Wed, 17 July 2013, 19:00:37 »

Does anyone have SVG files for the Acrylic Case Designed by Litster?

MOZ · « **Reply #2633 on:** Wed, 17 July 2013, 19:47:22 »

You can get the dxf here: http://ergodox.org/Downloads/ErgoDox_Acrylic_Case_Designed_by_Litster.zip

wcbzero · « **Reply #2634 on:** Thu, 18 July 2013, 08:33:24 »

Do you know how thick of arcylic is intended to be used? Preferably in inches.

MOZ · « **Reply #2635 on:** Thu, 18 July 2013, 09:06:27 »

Quote from: litster on Sun, 07 July 2013, 03:55:17

This is what I told Massdrop, and the thickness I used for the ErgoDox case I designed. From top to bottom:

1/8"
3/16"
3/16" <--- mounting plate
3/16"
1/8"

Acrylic sheets thickness vary from batch to batch, even from the same company. Generally they are 1/64" to 1/32" thinner than they are spec'ed. Buy and cut your acrylic sheets with caution. You want the acrylic mounting plate be as thick as possible to minimize plate flex while still fits between the switches and the PCB. This is not a problem with aluminum or stainless steel plates. But acrylic is too flexible at 1/16" or even 1/8".

wcbzero · « **Reply #2636 on:** Thu, 18 July 2013, 10:10:56 »

Great! Thanks!

Rolz73 · « **Reply #2637 on:** Fri, 19 July 2013, 21:47:16 »

Just showing off my keyboard stands mod.

Check out the build images here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/114587566591376388042/albums/5902104642028883249

Glod · « **Reply #2638 on:** Fri, 19 July 2013, 23:39:56 »

Quote from: Rolz73 on Fri, 19 July 2013, 21:47:16

Just showing off my keyboard stands mod.

Check out the build images here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/114587566591376388042/albums/5902104642028883249

interesting...

Jagriff · « **Reply #2639 on:** Fri, 19 July 2013, 23:45:56 »

Quote from: Rolz73 on Fri, 19 July 2013, 21:47:16

Just showing off my keyboard stands mod.

Check out the build images here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/114587566591376388042/albums/5902104642028883249

Genius! Does the board slide at all?

actionbastard · « **Reply #2640 on:** Sat, 20 July 2013, 18:41:11 »

Quote from: Rolz73 on Fri, 19 July 2013, 21:47:16

Just showing off my keyboard stands mod.

Check out the build images here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/114587566591376388042/albums/5902104642028883249

neat

I'm cheap, do you think these would work? Might want to try this down the road.

Glissant · « **Reply #2641 on:** Sun, 21 July 2013, 03:24:30 »

Do I have to solder all the diodes before I can see if the diodes are working? As in I am trying to short out a switch after trying to install a diode to see if it works, but I am not getting any reaction from it.
I am doing this because I had soldered a bunch of diodes incorrectly, so I desoldered them and am now at the beginning of soldering the diodes back in the right position and place.

BlueByLiquid · « **Reply #2642 on:** Sun, 21 July 2013, 10:55:09 »

Quote from: Glissant on Sun, 21 July 2013, 03:24:30

Do I have to solder all the diodes before I can see if the diodes are working? As in I am trying to short out a switch after trying to install a diode to see if it works, but I am not getting any reaction from it.
I am doing this because I had soldered a bunch of diodes incorrectly, so I desoldered them and am now at the beginning of soldering the diodes back in the right position and place.

Not all of them but most of them. I did the same thing on the left hand and until you solder the row and column you won't get anything for that interesting switch.

Glissant · « **Reply #2643 on:** Sun, 21 July 2013, 15:41:29 »

Thanks, BlueByLiquid =) I'll just have to do that then.

Glissant · « **Reply #2644 on:** Sun, 21 July 2013, 23:38:39 »

Sorry for double post, but I have two issues I've run into.
One is that numlock doesn't register and some keys register two different keys. I have only soldered diodes on one side.
Any ideas?

Larken · « **Reply #2645 on:** Mon, 22 July 2013, 00:23:24 »

Quote from: Glissant on Sun, 21 July 2013, 23:38:39

Sorry for double post, but I have two issues I've run into.
One is that numlock doesn't register and some keys register two different keys. I have only soldered diodes on one side.
Any ideas?

1. You have to access the numlock on the layer that it's on to trigger it. Where did you download your firmware from?

2. Could be anything from a bad solder joint to a bad switch. You'll have to do some trial and error to find out which. For now, I'd reflow the diodes on those affected keys.

Glissant · « **Reply #2646 on:** Mon, 22 July 2013, 01:18:30 »

I got the standard firmware from where ever that was =)
I reflowed the diodes that were firing more than one key, but it didn't change anything.
I don't have any switches installed yet because I don't want to have to desolder everything again if something is still wrong.
The interesting part is that the keys that register two keys act normal if I touch the teensy or use controller. They fire more than one key if I touch some other diodes.
I think I see the problem brb.

Edit:
I found that one of the pins on the use connector wasn't even in the hole so I reseated it, but that didn't change the double key thing.

Edit 2:
And it only happens on the thumb cluster on the right hand.
Going to take a closer look.

Larken · « **Reply #2647 on:** Mon, 22 July 2013, 01:50:06 »

high res pictures of the affect pictures might help. As for the numlock thingy - I remember the default firmware from github didn't turn on leds for some reason. Get one from https://www.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox/

or use

https://www.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox/?referer=7M8A25&hash=8b7a6e38c7b6eef66f3f4ff9ea58476e

which leaves the numlock and capslk on the 1st layer so you can test the leds if you've already soldered those in (doesn't sound like you have).

side note*: as the numpad actually resides on L2, even if the numlock is on, you'd still have to be on layer 2 to access the pad (meaning you'll need to press +L2 once while you're on the default layer to access it. An alternative example is that you're already on layer 2, but if the numlock isn't on, those become cursor keys on the numpad.

Glissant · « **Reply #2648 on:** Mon, 22 July 2013, 01:58:03 »

I'll take a picture tomorrow =)
I reflowed the chip and teensy and that seemed to help alt and ctrl, but enter and space are still firing pg up too. It's too late to do more work right now, but I'll look into it when I get time. Maybe try the diodes one more time.
They act normally if I touch the board while shorting the keys.

kurplop · « **Reply #2649 on:** Mon, 22 July 2013, 05:46:50 »

If I don't want to use the led's that come with the ErgoDox, can I just omit them and their corresponding resistors, or is it necessary to bridge the current path to complete the circuit?

News:

Author Topic: ErgoDox - Custom split ergo keyboard. (Read 1249978 times)