Hello everyone!
I've been following this thread for a while now, not quite expecting it would work out...
What an amazing surprise that it apparently did
!
I've been looking for a DataHand since around 2011 when their site was still up, but they straight refused to send me the device I had ordered.
Back then I had the first symptoms of RSI and had assumed this might be a simple way out. I don't know if that would have worked. I have some doubts. I since brought the RSI symptoms under control, but recently got issues with my finger tendons when using regular thick-key keyboards. I have a DataHand-worth of Kinesis keyboards but it seems I won't be able to use them anymore. Bummer.
Doctor says I should type less. He doesn't say how I can do so without getting paid less.
So, along comes your project. Didn't take much effort to convince me I should try this. I probably can't build it on my own (my hands aren't quite steady, plus this is way out of my comfort zone), but I recruited people willing to give this a try so all I have to do is get the materials. And a 3D printer.
I have no idea if this will work out, but I am gonna give this a serious try, or three. I can model 3d stuff, so the 3d printer might come in handy for other things, too.
Went for an ORIGINAL PRUSA I3 MK3S. Hope it'll do. Otherwise tell me now so I can send it back and get a more appropriate one
.
I ordered most of the parts you listed in the states from the sites you linked, because it either didn't matter cost-wise, I was lazy, or I plain could not get the parts anywhere locally. This goes in particular for the 1/16" magnets. Smallest I could find here in Europe was 2mm (you know, metric and all that). Somewhat of a bummer since the site you linked charges 40 bugs shipping in their cheapest setting for 10 bugs worth of magnets ,enough to build two of these keyboards.
But considering you went to the length of heating them up to make them even weaker, I guess bigger isn't going to cut it. Maybe literally cutting larger ones would ... assuming they don't break that way (there was something about blunt force voiding magnetism).
For now I'm gonna stick to the plan and keep the risk minimal.
I'll probably have a ton of questions once the parts are here. Or maybe not, maybe it's super intuitive. Who knows. I'll post my progress as it happens.
Bit of a pity these things can't be built and sold efficiently. I was considering asking whether someone could build this for money but I understand pretty well that this would never fly. As soon as this gets on the radar of whoever holds the patents of the original DataHand, **** will hit the fan. And I can more than understand your position that you just don't want to be bothered.
Lastly, and I cannot state this strongly enough: On the off-chance that this will work out for me, I owe you. Big time.