okie-pokes.
before i continue refining the curves and the finger reach ranges, and making a start on positioning and curving the thumb array, i'll take a few scrots to depict the progress at this stage.
as chirped in irc last night:
[2016-08-16 22:20:23] <Digit> mmm. been making progress with my blender aspirational keyboard design. lot of kludge n fudge to it, but doesnt look too janky even in this interim state.
[2016-08-16 22:55:26] <Digit> fkeys. yep, my design (so far) has dedi* f row(s). not sure whether to leave them straight, or have them curve in fitting with the rest of the ergonomics.
* dedicated (as in, no modifier needed to hit the function keys. they have their own buttons).
and that's as much as i have gotten up to still, despite several visits to the file since, n uncertain how to proceed. ... tho i know the braincogs are mulling over in the background what to do with the thumb cluster. ... even been thinking of a n upflick button or two (or three). clearly much ergonomic work is needed for that many keys on the thumb. twouldnt work so comfortably without a lot of arm moving, as is.
the atreus (sp?) has the right idea with the arc, aware as it seems to be, of where our thumb hinges. but a mere 5 buttons (iirc), seems a little lacking... and i know my thumb has more mobility and joints and range than just that. ... even if i do end up having just a second row up of lesser pressed buttons just out of comfortable reach.
as well as making a start on sorting out the thumb array, the other prominent issue of concern from as-is to as-should-ideally-be is the little finger's range... getting those outter two curves to fit what the finger can do... that's still needed to be made a start on. ... and indeed, none of the curve ranges have been properly attended to. this is just an early interim stage. i look at the comfortable outstretch range of my fingers, and the shape of curve they make... that's very close to what it should end up like along the top row. and similarly for the nearside clenched row.
aaaaanyways. waffle aside, here's some progress scrots.
(multiple, so to easier see the curve n staggering as is, so far)
so i added some colour too, just for easier more immediate visual grok of the situation.
notice the upper two little finger keys, i coloured darker for ~ ... well, to remind me that they're way outta range. heh. similarly on the index finger's third column, the stretch column. tho they're fine, i ascertain from my use of the kinesis advantage, n able to stretch comfortably to hit those blank spaces next to t, g & b. tho they'll likely be moved down a tad... once i get the thumb array in position (or maybe left much in positions as they are, since i'd sorta envisioned from the start(
ish) that top one as a rare-use stretch key).
ok, one more from the back/underside
also... (in part since i havnt put the nav-wart in yet) been thinking where the mouse buttons would be... after all, cant have a nav-wart to push the cursor around, without the buttons... and so, also thinking, where might i slip in a fancy scroll wheel, with side scroll, and middle mouse button too. ... as well as much-loved/"necessary" back/forward buttons seen on the side of many a mouse, and even cursor movement sensitivity up n down increments...
... though i'm unsure i'd really have all that... would i really want to give up on a mouse alltogether? i remember the finger strain of over-reliance on my x60t's nav-wart.
~ could end up with nav-wart on the left (between r,t,f&g*) and bi-directional scroll-wheel on the right (between y,u,h&j**).
been thinking this is one of those things i'd best get fathomed n decided early, rather than try to do once it's made with rebinding keys.... since i'd surely want them to be low-travel clicky, rather than have the feel of regular keys. ... idk... maybe that's just one of those remnants from habituation, but does seem to have a logic to it, given the usecases for mouse clicks.
*(eventually someone will call that real-time ***. oops, i just did. r,t,f&g. lol)
**(and uhh... why you hand J`...
)
part of me thinks i still might never accomplish this.
mere aspiration. heh.
this is all still the "easy" stuff that i have
some experience with. effectively just doodling.
the real challenges for me will come when i start trying to design the "wiring" (not intending to use wires, where possible), er, circuitry. and construction etc.
but it
is something i aspire to.