geekhack
geekhack Community => Ergonomics => Topic started by: The Cat Whisperer on Fri, 30 October 2020, 14:37:33
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Im worried that my small hands won't be able to comfortably type on the Sinc. My hands (8x17 cm) are very small. Would they be able to reach the keys comfortably or would I need a wrist rest?
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sinc is 75%. have you ever used smaller boards (+-60%)? or is this your first jump into the hobby?
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its my first jump! this place seems really welcoming so I'm just trying to learn as much as I can
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Iris looks pretty awesome
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unless you really, really, really, need dedicated F-keys, i'd suggest the Quefrency
the biggest thing with custom keyboards is programability, and with that comes tons of alternate/unique layouts.
- if you're just getting into it, 60-65% is a great starting point.
here's just one generic example (this is a pretty normal-ish 60% and how we make use of these smaller keyboards)
- hold the key marked "MO 1" momentary, layer 1, and you activate Layer 1, all of the F-keys are there
• hold "MO 1" and tap any of the number keys to get the corresponding F-key.
• this is probably one of the most common layer/Fn functions and is super easy to use & get used to.
- tap the key marked "TG 2" toggle, layer 2, and you turn on/off arrows instead of the default mods & shift in the bottom right.
[attach=1]
again, this is just an example. because these are programmable, you can make they keymap whatever you like.
if you want a more complex example, look up the default keymap for the plank (40%)
figure out what you can & can't live without and use that as your guide for picking a keyboard to build
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What's better than a wrist rest is an adjustable height desk and a chair with adjustable height arm rests. Position the desk underneath the arm rests, with arm rests over and past the edge of the desk, and each half of the keyboard spread to where your hands hover while resting on the arm rests. You'll be able to sit back instead of leaning forward like most typists do. Balancing yourself in this way will lessen your risk of carpal tunnel more than a wrist rest can.
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If you're able to reach keys on most standard keyboards you'll probably be fine with the Sinc. I have trouble with a lot of key combos on regular keyboards, so I switched to a split ergo (lily58). I actually just sold my
Quefrency because I realized I couldn't go back to a normal row staggered layout after using the ergo board for a while.
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Yes, it's hard to go back to a normal staggered layout once you've been on ortho or columnar stagger for a while (or non split for that matter)