Author Topic: Ergonomic keyboard questions?  (Read 6343 times)

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Offline MC Qwerty

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Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« on: Sun, 01 April 2018, 14:44:29 »
Does anyone have any of these keyboards:
Minidox
Atreus62
Atreus42
Iris
Fourier

What do you think of your board?
Would you recomend it?
Do you know of anywhere selling them?

Thanks
MC Qwerty

Offline algernon

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Re: Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 03 April 2018, 04:46:03 »
I don't have either of them, but had an Atreus42 on loan for about a month, which I used as a travel keyboard. If I'll ever need a portable keyboard, Atreus will be my choice most likely, can recommend it warmly.

You can purchase them directly from Technomancy, at https://atreus.technomancy.us/, either as a kit or assembled.

Offline MC Qwerty

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Re: Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 03 April 2018, 09:42:34 »
Fair enough thanks man  :thumb:
MC Qwerty

Offline davkol

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Re: Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 03 April 2018, 13:34:28 »
> Minidox

I don't see a point in using a grid layout, unless it's on a POS keyboard like Tipro that was repurposed from a terminal.

> Atreus62

That's actually nice, unless you want tenting (at the cost of portability or usability for lap-typing). I've settled on using symmetrical stagger (see Katana60) in a standard 60% case for convenience, though.

> Atreus42

I could live without the number row, but not the outer (pinkie) columns. Too few keys imho—you should check what keys you need and where first.

> Iris

I really wanted to build one, but them made a layout prototype and realized that the thumb keys were closer than on a stock ErgoDox, the thumb keys below C  and comma (US QWERTY) respectively weren't comfortable enough to use, and so I'd be de facto stuck with fewer thumb keys.

> Fourier

Had to look up this one. I'm not fond of standard asymmetrical stagger anymore, but I can see how it might appeal to some, who are afraid of radical change.

Anyway, my recommendations:
  • Go with symmetrical stagger (columnar or row), if you can. Standard asymmetrical row stagger, if you can't. Skip grid layout, unless it's on minimum budget (like I've cut a point-of-sale keypad into something like a couple of Let's Split plates).
  • Consider, whether you prefer a tentable fully split keyboard, or something that you can use in your lap or on top of a laptop keyboard.
  • Think long and hard, which keys/functions you actually need and how you're gonna press various key combinations.

Offline MC Qwerty

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Re: Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 04 April 2018, 12:25:02 »
Thanks man I was thinking of picking up a Katana keyboard they look pretty cool and have a funky layout and I am thinking of putting either, Navy, hako clear, Royal box switches in them, what are your thoughts on it?
MC Qwerty

Offline JohanAR

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Re: Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 13 April 2018, 08:41:32 »
I don't see a point in using a grid layout, unless it's on a POS keyboard like Tipro that was repurposed from a terminal.

WASD gaming is weird on veritcally staggered keyboard. ESDF works better but then you probably have to re-assign all the other keys to match, and doing this is every single game could be too annoying for some. You could of course create a gaming layer which does these swaps but then you'd have to remember to change back and forth when using in-game chat etc

I'm using a Kinesis at work which of course is super comfortable, but at home I have a Nyquist which has matrix layout and I don't think it's noticeably worse for casual typing. If long typing sessions is your primary use I'd go with vert. staggering but otherwise I don't think it's that much of a deal

Offline davkol

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Re: Ergonomic keyboard questions?
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 13 April 2018, 11:02:45 »
I don't see a point in using a grid layout, unless it's on a POS keyboard like Tipro that was repurposed from a terminal.

WASD gaming is weird on veritcally staggered keyboard. ESDF works better but then you probably have to re-assign all the other keys to match, and doing this is every single game could be too annoying for some. You could of course create a gaming layer which does these swaps but then you'd have to remember to change back and forth when using in-game chat etc

OP was asking about MiniDox. That would require a ton of remapping anyway, partly because it doesn't have the extra columns of keys pressed with pinkies (those would be a reason to prefer WASD over ESDF in some instances).

It would make some sense in case of a larger keyboard (let's say XD75+), but I fail to see a rational reason to build one instead of something with a better layout, duh.

OTOH, a keyboard like the repurposed Tipro (or in my case Access-IS), I get it: it can be cheap enough and work almost out of the box.