1. IntroductionHello all! This is a project which I have been dreaming about making a reality for quite some time now. Recently I figured out what I really wanted from the layout, and six hours in the layout editor resulted in this. I present to you The Leviathan Keyboard, a 154-key ANSI compatible keyboard with 50 custom-mappable keys. It has a left-side numpad with two extra rows and can be mapped to be either a standard lefty-numpad with extra keys or a mirrored numpad with extra keys for right-handed users. It has 3 macro clusters
and an extra function row.
I only use these descriptions to give you a rough idea of how this keyboard could be laid out, but since it will be fully mappable, you could make it do whatever you'd like. 2. Why this board was designedAbout a year ago, I bought myself a HHKB Pro 2, seeing its compact design and unique functionality as something I could use extensively. Through the course of the past year, I realized that if used as intended, meaning almost exclusive use in text editors such as Vim, that yes, this keyboard excels and is probably the best board ever designed for text-editing work. That's great and all, but I use Vim for perhaps an hour a week, tops, so I began to realize that the major selling point of the HHKB, the innovative layout, is actually a crippling flaw for the regular user. Here's why. In recent times, users have used their keyboard for navigating a computer's interface less and less, and have began to use their mouse as a navigational tool more and more. The UI of most modern operating systems reflect that and it is a fact which cannot be denied. So, hear this:
Minimalist layouts are directly beneficial to a user in proportion to the amount of time the user keeps both hands on the keyboard.This seems obvious once you read it, but I think this fact seems to slip the mind of most of us. What I realized was the the HHKB was not as useful to me as many other keyboards would, since I don't keep both hands on the keyboard when I'm navigating UI's. I'm sure this statement will cause the elitists to come out of the woodwork and say that if you can navigate your whole computer while never touching the mouse then you will be more efficient, and yes, that statement is true, but the hard reality is that most of the time when we use our computers, we either aren't using applications which allow for that sort of functionality, or are so used to GUIs that it be immensely aggravating to learn such a keyboard-reliant system.
So what's the solution for someone who only has two hands on the keyboard when they're actually typing, like me (and probably a lot of you)? The solution, of course, is a keyboard in which
the vast majority of functionality can be invoked with one hand. I placed the numpad on the left so a user could keep their hand on the mouse when entering numbers, and added a 2x1 key on the right side of the numpad to make it possible to press shift and type with the same hand. I added six keys to the right side to allow mapping of more obscure math symbols to make inputting complicated strings easier. The inclusion of a dedicated Delete key on the right side of the numpad reduces the amount of hand contortion required to delete text when you make a typo. I added multiple clusters of unmapped/macro clusters to allow the user to modify the keyboard to their desires. Want a dedicated key to open your most-used programs, to have a 1-key save function for photoshop, or to type your email address with one keystroke? Done.
The second function row can be mapped to output the same scan codes as the IBM PC-122, for you guys out there who need hardcore emulation. In order to get enough keycaps for this board, you will either need to purchase one printed and one blank ANSI set, or get two blank ANSI sets.
With all of that being said, the 1-key functionality of this board does not detract from the streamlined usage of keyboard-only navigation. All of your regular shortcuts will still be there. The only difference here is that not only do you get that extensive two hand functionality, you also get extensive one hand functionality built in. No matter how you use this keyboard, the experience will be fast, familiar, and streamlined.
3. Images and example layoutsBolded font indicates current layout design!
Layout 01:More
Layout 02:More
Layout 03:More
4. Technical details
1.5mm aluminum plate mounted
Cutouts in plate to allow for switch maintenance
NKRO supported
Fully programmable
Teensy++ 2.0 controlled
No LED indicators
Mini-USB connector on the left side of the top of the enclosure
Costar and Cherry stabilizer cutouts,
Costar Cherry stabilizers shipped (Costar unavailible ATM)
Switches most likely NOT included
Cable most likely NOT included
Enclosure will be slightly angled, not flat with feet or entirely flat
Enclosure will be constructed of milled aluminum, depending on cost
Enclosure will be bead-blasted and anodized, depending on cost
If aluminum is too expensive, milled Delrin or UHMWPE plastics will be considered
Due to the unusual length of the board, a matching wrist wrest may be designed
Large rubber pads on the bottom of the board
Clean styling, no spaceship-esq design here.
Questions regarding design-
-Would you guys be interested in a copper plate instead of aluminum? It'd be the same cost but would give the board unique styling. I don't believe that air-tarnishing would be a problem, and would eventually give the board it's own unique character.
-Aluminum vs Delrin?
-Color anodization? How much extra would you be willing to pay above the raw/black price point?
-If the enclosure ends up being aluminum, would you like a matching aluminum wrist wrest? Metal's cold, so I could probably get Delrin or cork inlays for the top of it. The problem is that it'd weigh 7 pounds... would that be kosher?
-Would a USB-A connector be preferred to a Mini-USB connector? USB-A is the gold standard, is nearly indestructible, and allows for symmetrical cables. On the downside you'd likely need to buy a new cable.
5. LogisticsIf I could go ahead and order all the parts to build a prototype of this thing, I would have done so already. However, am not experienced in either PCB or enclosure design, and as such I'm stuck here dreaming. The things which need to be done in order to start up this project are as follows-
-Finalize plate design
-Design PCB
-Design enclosure
I will pay to have these pieces designed in CAD- contact me if you have the skills, the time, and the portfolio.
Input and suggestions are more than welcome!Oh, I should note that this board will be produced regardless of whether or not many people want it. In other words, this isn't strictly a group buy, but ideally it would be, as to keep the costs from touching the stratosphere.
