Split keyboard clipped on to sides of laptop ?

[jknight]

First post on geekhack here. I discovered the epic ErgoDox keyboard thread yesterday and it looks like an amazing design.

As a laptop user, I have a HHKB perched on top of my macbook's keyboard. This works well (and I can still use the trackpad which is handy) but it's a bit of an annoyance when it slides around every time I move my laptop and I often have to adjust it so it doesn't hit the keys below (various attempts to disable the built in keyboard have failed).

I was thinking it'd be great to have a split keyboard for my laptop where each side of the split keyboard clips onto the sides my laptop.

The clips could be adjustable which would let you set your optimal spacing and angle and you could snap it in place. This would prevent keyboard-on-keyboard from accidentally hitting keys below, and I wouldn't be precariously trying to balance a keyboard on top of my keyboard. It could also appeal to a wider laptop audience as a mechanical keyboard solution that actually fits laptops.

Has anyone tried doing anything like this with the ergodox or other split keyboards?

[jacobolus]

Hi Jknight. This is something I was really gung-ho about doing as a project (new keyboard from scratch, I was thinking ML switches) about 8-10 months ago, even to the point of making several cardboard mockups, and then after thinking about it some more I decided that my idea wasn’t going to be as cool as I thought, and for portable use I’d be better off with something with a hinge that tents, instead of something that gets stuck on either side of the laptop.

Anyway though, that’s not at all to say you can’t try to do it. I think there are definitely interesting possibilities in that general direction, and it still seems like it would be a fun thing to play around with.

Also, welcome!

[jknight]

Do you happen to have any pictures of your mockups ?

[jacobolus]

I don’t have any pictures, but I might still have the pieces of cardboard somewhere (probably not easy to find though). I made like 4-5 different versions and ultimately wasn’t happy with any of them. (I decided that for me the best option while on the go (e.g. at a coffee shop) is to have a keyboard in my lap, with the laptop placed on a table, as separate parts.)

Specifically, I was trying to make something that would go along with a bit of a stand to elevate and tilt the laptop body. The big difficulty was designing around the flat rectangular slap shape of the laptop bottom.