While there's plenty of choice at the cheaper end of the keyboard market, high-end gear can be hard to find. We go hands-on with one of the most expensive keyboards around, the Maltron 90 series, to see if it lives up to its incredible pricetag.
Maltron, for those unfamiliar with the company and its offerings, is a UK specialist in ergonomic keyboards. Its range boasts models designed for users with musculoskeletal disorders, a single hand, or even no hands at all.
Designed for suffers of repetitive strain injury and carpal tunnel syndrome, the Maltron 90 series takes the concept of a split key layout and runs with it. The keyboard is split into three sections: half the letter keys are given to the right hand, half to the left, and the number pad resides in the middle for use by either hand.Show Image(http://media.thinq.co.uk/photos/maltron90-1_big650wm.jpg)
hmm.. the Englishman's have seeming larger finger's then the rest
of the world, because they have simply forgotten to remove these
large gaps between the keys.. to become really novel ;)
Matron has huge unrealized potential. If the manufacturing process could be modernized beyond the old mold. Split keyboard ala ergo dox, better switch selection, better fit and finish.I think a flat keyboard can be good enough – given the right design and the right set of keycaps – that the manufacturing/price advantages of a 2-part flat PCB/plate design outweigh the disadvantage of not having full control over switch placement/orientation. The Ergodox design isn’t quite there though, and the typical uniform keycaps that get put on it aren’t helping anything.
Figuring out how to size and fit it into the modern desktop and workflow.
Was looking at a used one earlier this week. Great idea but stuck in the rehab specialty kind of model. Instead of being a tool for cripples it should be sorted out as a productivity tool for professionals. Just my opinion of course.
I suspect that 3D printer technology will soon enable Maltron to print keyboard shells of any design both quickly and inexpensively, so perhaps that will be the big breakthrough we are looking forward to.3D printing is slow, relatively expensive (especially at scale), and doesn’t produce the best output, though it might be roughly comparable in some respects to their current vacuum forming method.
As far as markets other than those with disabilities, I suspect that Maltron may have its own niche and will stick to it for the near future, since there will always be disabled people who need assistive technology. But this is just speculation.Yep, sounds about right. And it’s great that someone is trying to help those with disabilities, though it would be nice if people started caring about their health and comfort before it gets to that point.
I am just waiting for my fifth dual hander to arrive (I'm opting for the built in trackball model). None of my older keyboards has ever broken in any way (even my first one I bought in 1986), they are simply being superseded by advances in technology, eg smaller PCBs, USB plugs etc. I think Maltron will always be around simply because of the high quality of their products and the components. I've not seen too many other non-Maltron keyboards still functioning perfectly nearly 30 years down the track.Most keyboards that use linear mechanical switches (like the Maltron’s black MX switches) are going to still be functioning perfectly decades later; with tactile or clicky switches, the feel tends to change a bit more over time as they wear out (assuming heavy daily use), but they continue to fundamentally function the same way, and in the unlikely case something breaks, they’re easy to repair.
3D printing is slow, relatively expensive (especially at scale), and doesn’t produce the best output, though it might be roughly comparable in some respects to their current vacuum forming method.
Yep, sounds about right. [...], though it would be nice if people started caring about their health and comfort before it gets to that point.
My new workstations with DX Racer personal armrests, laptop and Maltron color capsvery nice keycap, is maltron no stabs yup?Show Image(http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/09/00/74/41/20141011.jpg)Show Image(http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/09/00/74/41/20141010.jpg)
(http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/09/00/74/41/20140714.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=3767&u=10007441)
it's your kibord?Matron has huge unrealized potential. If the manufacturing process could be modernized beyond the old mold. Split keyboard ala ergo dox, better switch selection, better fit and finish.I think a flat keyboard can be good enough – given the right design and the right set of keycaps – that the manufacturing/price advantages of a 2-part flat PCB/plate design outweigh the disadvantage of not having full control over switch placement/orientation. The Ergodox design isn’t quite there though, and the typical uniform keycaps that get put on it aren’t helping anything.
Figuring out how to size and fit it into the modern desktop and workflow.
Was looking at a used one earlier this week. Great idea but stuck in the rehab specialty kind of model. Instead of being a tool for cripples it should be sorted out as a productivity tool for professionals. Just my opinion of course.
This keycap profile isn’t perfect (it’s just what I had lying around, not what I would consciously design), and I haven’t actually wired this thing up yet, but when placed at a 30–60° tent angle, it’s actually pretty comfortable to type on. I like it about as well as a Maltron, and the switches are all in 2 flat planes so it should be pretty easy to manufacture:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/puH1Ge4.jpg)
(more discussion http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62848)
I think it should be possible to do substantially better than Maltron with a fully three-dimensional design, especially with more control over keycap and switch size, but that gets expensive to manufacture.
I don’t think Maltron the company has the right personnel to start dramatically changing their design and aggressively marketing their keyboards at professionals.
But in general, I think there’s a huge market opportunity to make keyboards for CAD; for computer programmers; for designers and photographers and sound effects people; for accountants; for excel wizards; for journalists and other writers; etc. (not to mention video game players). Most professional computer users have no idea that other keyboard designs even exist, and don’t know how they’d benefit.
Where 3D printing fits in? If it gets to the point where printing 3D shell gets below say $100, I'll be able to get shell, scavenge some switches and keycaps from other boards, acquire Teensy and hand-solder my own 3D ergo keyboard. Till that day, I'll stay with my ErgoDoxes.If you can get access to a reprap then this (http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/katy-keyboard-or-k80cs-key80-contoured-split-t8524.html) will be cheap.
All the wiring for the key switches is done by hand. Because of the 3D curves of the key wells, it isn't possible to do what most electronics manufacturers do and that is dip the PCB or switches into a pool of molten solder.I don’t think that’s a fair summary of other manufacturers’ technology. It’s true that they use a pick-and-place machine for surface-mount components, have flat PCBs, and then can very quickly and efficiently solder switches to the PCB (I think this last step still requires a bit of human labor, but maybe robots are getting better?).
This latest iteration is a dream to work on. If I need to change the PCB for some reason, I simply have to remove the two screws at the top of the PCB, pull out the plug with the ribbon cable, replace the plug in the new PCB, do up the two screws and it is done. The work of a minute or so (if you discount removing the bottom plate, which is held in by six screws.). In my view, Maltron is well up on the game.Sounds great!
DIY board can be easily done as a "spidery" construct with no PCB to mount switches on. I can spend a day or two with solder iron in hand to make myself a comfortable tool. Scaling the production up is a problem. (One could try to move production to places where labour is cheap, but it still be a lot more expensive than automated mass production of flat rubber-domes).It’s not trivial, but it’s also not all that hard to scale up something that’s a kit, ergodox-style. A fully assembled keyboard takes a bit more, but the assembly isn’t impossibly expensive when it’s just soldering to a PCB. I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at though. Of course any mechanical keyboard is more expensive to produce at scale than a rubber dome board.
Portability is not as big advantage of flat split keyboards as one may think.This is a problem with the specific ergodox design. It’s definitely not impossible to make a keyboard with two halves that can be attached when needed. Check out the prototypes that the keyboard.io people have been making.
I can pack my Ergodox in my backpack, but there is no way I can use it with laptop while commuting. I used 75% board with laptop in trains and on a plane, I think a could do the same with Trully Ergonomic, but split keyboard it definitively too cumbersome.
Matron has huge unrealized potential. If the manufacturing process could be modernized beyond the old mold. Split keyboard ala ergo dox, better switch selection, better fit and finish.I think a flat keyboard can be good enough – given the right design and the right set of keycaps – that the manufacturing/price advantages of a 2-part flat PCB/plate design outweigh the disadvantage of not having full control over switch placement/orientation. The Ergodox design isn’t quite there though, and the typical uniform keycaps that get put on it aren’t helping anything.
Figuring out how to size and fit it into the modern desktop and workflow.
Was looking at a used one earlier this week. Great idea but stuck in the rehab specialty kind of model. Instead of being a tool for cripples it should be sorted out as a productivity tool for professionals. Just my opinion of course.
This keycap profile isn’t perfect (it’s just what I had lying around, not what I would consciously design), and I haven’t actually wired this thing up yet, but when placed at a 30–60° tent angle, it’s actually pretty comfortable to type on. I like it about as well as a Maltron, and the switches are all in 2 flat planes so it should be pretty easy to manufacture:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/puH1Ge4.jpg)
(more discussion http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=62848)
I think it should be possible to do substantially better than Maltron with a fully three-dimensional design, especially with more control over keycap and switch size, but that gets expensive to manufacture.
I don’t think Maltron the company has the right personnel to start dramatically changing their design and aggressively marketing their keyboards at professionals.
But in general, I think there’s a huge market opportunity to make keyboards for CAD; for computer programmers; for designers and photographers and sound effects people; for accountants; for excel wizards; for journalists and other writers; etc. (not to mention video game players). Most professional computer users have no idea that other keyboard designs even exist, and don’t know how they’d benefit.
I definitely agree with this. However, to be fair, I haven’t seen any previous flat keyboards with keys arranged in columns, with sufficient stagger to match the lengths of fingers, and with aggressively sculptured keycaps. Adding (at least) 2-3 millimeters of height step between the 'home row' keycap and each further-away row makes a dramatic difference, and it’s possible to be much more aggressive with profiled keycaps on a column-layout keyboard. Add substantial tenting and get the keyboard halves to the right angle, and I think a flat keyboard can do much better than any have done so far. I think the ideal for medium-size hands is probably like 14–17 mm distance between keys within a column, with an aggressive height step for further away keys, an aggressive top angle for the closer row, somewhat variable height between keys in different columns to account for different fingers, and spacing/angle between columns adjusted to reflect the natural range of finger motion. Fully custom sculpted keycaps might be expensive, but I think even within commercially available keycap shapes it’s possible to find an okay set to use.[...]I think it should be possible to do substantially better than Maltron with a fully three-dimensional design, especially with more control over keycap and switch size, but that gets expensive to manufacture.[...]
In my experience, I find the Maltron the most comfortable ergonomic keyboard to use on the market, and it is exactly because of the design of the curved key wells and thumb key wells, for these reasons:
1. With any flat keyboard, I notice that there is a degree of "reaching" that I need to do in order to reach the number row or the bottom row. The design of the curved key wells reduce the amount of distance that my fingers have to travel more so than other similar design or flat "ergonomic" keyboard. Each key is easily accessible without leaving the home row or with very little travel. This reduces the stress on my fingers, hands, and wrists.
[...]
I definitely agree with this. However, to be fair, I haven’t seen any previous flat keyboards with keys arranged in columns, with sufficient stagger to match the lengths of fingers, and with aggressively sculptured keycaps. Adding (at least) 2-3 millimeters of height step between the 'home row' keycap and each further-away row makes a dramatic difference, and it’s possible to be much more aggressive with profiled keycaps on a column-layout keyboard. Add substantial tenting and get the keyboard halves to the right angle, and I think a flat keyboard can do much better than any have done so far. I think the ideal for medium-size hands is probably like 14–17 mm distance between keys within a column, with an aggressive height step for further away keys, an aggressive top angle for the closer row, somewhat variable height between keys in different columns to account for different fingers, and spacing/angle between columns adjusted to reflect the natural range of finger motion. Fully custom sculpted keycaps might be expensive, but I think even within commercially available keycap shapes it’s possible to find an okay set to use.[...]I think it should be possible to do substantially better than Maltron with a fully three-dimensional design, especially with more control over keycap and switch size, but that gets expensive to manufacture.[...]
In my experience, I find the Maltron the most comfortable ergonomic keyboard to use on the market, and it is exactly because of the design of the curved key wells and thumb key wells, for these reasons:
1. With any flat keyboard, I notice that there is a degree of "reaching" that I need to do in order to reach the number row or the bottom row. The design of the curved key wells reduce the amount of distance that my fingers have to travel more so than other similar design or flat "ergonomic" keyboard. Each key is easily accessible without leaving the home row or with very little travel. This reduces the stress on my fingers, hands, and wrists.
[...]
I agree, a fully sculptured keyboard can definitely do better. And the Maltron is great. I just think that it’s possible to do even better than the Maltron with a fully sculptured keyboard, with some careful thought put in and a design more carefully based on finger/hand physiology. For instance, I think the DataStealth keyboard design (from ~1995, but never actually in production, only prototypes; designed by an ergonomics researcher and anatomy expert) would likely be a bit more comfortable and efficient than the Maltron. But I think it’s possible to do even better than the DataStealth.
If, say, Apple jumped in on the ergo keyboard party, everyone would follow.Apple Adjustable Keyboard
My new workstations with DX Racer personal armrests, laptop and Maltron color capsShow Image(http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/09/00/74/41/20141011.jpg)Show Image(http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/09/00/74/41/20141010.jpg)
(http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/09/00/74/41/20140714.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=3767&u=10007441)
If, say, Apple jumped in on the ergo keyboard party, everyone would follow.Apple Adjustable Keyboard
Besides, Microsoft has been there for quite a while... and MS Natural (Ergo 4k) was apparently the single most common separately sold external keyboard at least in 2006 in USA.
AFAIK there's no proof that symmetrical layouts are superior in practice. Split keyboards on the other hand...If, say, Apple jumped in on the ergo keyboard party, everyone would follow.Apple Adjustable Keyboard
Besides, Microsoft has been there for quite a while... and MS Natural (Ergo 4k) was apparently the single most common separately sold external keyboard at least in 2006 in USA.
We both know neither of those keyboards is an ergonomic keyboard in the strict sense of the word. I am talking about Apple actually shipping all their laptops with a symmetrical keyboard. Mac users tend to "suck it up" when it comes to Apples dictatorial decisions.
AFAIK there's no proof that symmetrical layouts are superior in practice. Split keyboards on the other hand...
For hunt-and-peck anything will do, the flatter the better. If the majority of the market is hunt-and-peck, why don't they make a keyboard with the letters arranged in alphabetical order?? That's the first thing that crossed my mind when I got my first computer a long time ago.Because software is already designed around QWERTY. (Moreover, most research has found alphabetic layout extremely inefficient, although it was more intuitive at first.)
The human body is symmetrical therefore a symmetrical keyboard is the only logical design. On a standard qwerty keyboard, position the left hand in its home position A-S-D-F. Now, try to type the letter R without the index and the middle finger hitting each other. My fingers are thin BTW.That's a straw man. Home-row touch typing on a straight flat non-split keyboard isn't particularly ergonomic by itself, due to wrist position.
The letters Y and B are always hard to reach on a standard keyboard.
Finally, because the keys are staggered diagonally, anyone who did geometry in school knows that a hypotenuse is longer than the sides, therefore all keys are further away than they need to be from the home row.
I've observed that a non-split straight matrix causes somewhat more wrist deviation than an asymmetrically-placed legacy staggered layout... Go figure. -_-I think this is avoidable if people are careful about how they type, but yeah, I don’t think a non-split straight matrix makes all that much sense for functional reasons. The main reasons to adopt a pure matrix layout are aesthetic. (Which is of course a matter of personal preference.)
I see only one potentially viable route here: a shift to tablets/convertibles, more keyboards like the Goldtouch Go, and eventually a redesign of these keyboards.One potentially viable route for what?
Finally, because the keys are staggered diagonally, anyone who did geometry in school knows that a hypotenuse is longer than the sides, therefore all keys are further away than they need to be from the home row.This argument only makes sense if you arrange the keys in columns instead of rows (with the columns staggered to accommodate different finger lengths), angle the columns inward to match arm angle, and ideally split and tent the two keyboard halves. Otherwise, the distance that matters is the distance to the key from the natural resting position for each finger when the hand is in its home/center position and relaxed [note that when the hand is relaxed, the fingers do not naturally fall on the centers of the home row keys]. And euclidian distance isn’t even quite the right metric, since what we care about is how easy it is to reach a finger into the new position, which is not precisely correlated with ruler distance. As long as you have a flat one-piece keyboard with the keys arranged in rows, any change to the specific horizontal displacement between rows is a marginal improvement at best.