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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: spiceBar on Mon, 14 October 2013, 01:14:33
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I don't know where I am going with this, but first can you guess what I have in mind?
[attachimg=1]
Not obvious at first sight, but it's a Filco numpad. The switches are Cherry MX brows. It is plate-mounted.
PCB side (it's a one side PCB - there are no traces on the other side):
[attachimg=2]
Do you get the idea?
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so, with two of them it'd be like a travel-dox only would require two separate keypayds.
?
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You're making a ghetto Filco-Dox. :thumb:
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OK you guys are not only fast, you also did get the point!
I have been thinking for a long time about a kind of cyborg-like gear.
I need:
- A keyboard I can wear
- A trackball I can wear as well (maybe a mouse when I am sitting)
- An HD head-mounted display (those already exist)
- A computer in a backpack (not much of a problem here)
This would be a 40% keyboard in two parts, one on each thigh. You could type when standing up as well.
EDIT: I would like to stop in their tracks right now all the jokes about the trackball being located between my thighs. :)
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I also guessed that's it's going to be similar to the ergodox. ;)
This would be a 40% keyboard in two parts, one on each thigh. You could type when standing up as well.
And you're right, that is a crazy idea. :p
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I also guessed that's it's going to be similar to the ergodox. ;)
This would be a 40% keyboard in two parts, one on each thigh. You could type when standing up as well.
And you're right, that is a crazy idea. :p
You can actually use it on your desk, as a regular keyboard. But being able to develop software while standing up or lying very relaxed in bed has some sort of appeal I think. :)
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Instead of a track ball mouse, you can use a "Ring Presenter" by Genius. I saw it featured at Computex 2013 and it seems like it's in stock now.
Just slip it on your index finger and you have yourself a mouse and laser pointer.
http://www.geniusnet.com/wSite/ct?xItem=51791&ctNode=105
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Instead of a track ball mouse, you can use a "Ring Presenter" by Genius. I saw it featured at Computex 2013 and it seems like it's in stock now.
Just slip it on your index finger and you have yourself a mouse and laser pointer.
http://www.geniusnet.com/wSite/ct?xItem=51791&ctNode=105
This is worth a try. Thanks.
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A view of the side of the internals to show that it's flat once the plastic housing is removed and that there is no printed circuit on the other side of the PCB.
So while two numpads side by side would not have a symmetrical layout, at least they would both be flat and both hands could rest easily on each half.
At first I thought the fact that the layout would not be symmetrical was a show stopper, but thinking a little bit more about the layout I have found that it does not matter.
[attachimg=1]
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This would be a 40% keyboard in two parts, one on each thigh.
You do realize that means you're building a 20% keyboard, right?
Can we get any smaller folks? Maybe a 9%. What about going to the opposite extreme ... for when I need my keyboard to give me 110%. Or 135 so I can add a macro in the kbd's firmware for SuperMeta+F37?
I'm tired and feeling silly. Perhaps I should go to bed now. ... After I try to reprogram the Space Cadet keyboard in my head.
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great idea , spiceBar.
someone did something similar a while back, though he didn't make it as a split layout, instead making it as a 40% board.
thought you might be interested to read the thread. http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36064.0
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great idea , spiceBar.
someone did something similar a while back, though he didn't make it as a split layout, instead making it as a 40% board.
thought you might be interested to read the thread. http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36064.0
Incredible! I had no idea someone had already come up with the idea. Thanks for the link.
My layout would be different and my plan is to keep the two halves separated (which is yet another problem because of the number of wires going from one half to the other), but basically intellipanda and I have probably followed the same conceptual path:
I would like a matrix keyboard -> Hey! A numpad is a matrix -> Hey! A sideways numpad has enough columns -> ...and so on...
And he has actually documented the whole process.
What can I say!? :)
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OK you guys are not only fast, you also did get the point!
I have been thinking for a long time about a kind of cyborg-like gear.
I need:
- A keyboard I can wear
- A trackball I can wear as well (maybe a mouse when I am sitting)
- An HD head-mounted display (those already exist)
- A computer in a backpack (not much of a problem here)
This would be a 40% keyboard in two parts, one on each thigh. You could type when standing up as well.
EDIT: I would like to stop in their tracks right now all the jokes about the trackball being located between my thighs. :)
Halloween coming early this year?
JK, good luck. Sounds pretty cool. I've actually been thinking of a trackball I can wear every since I upgraded from my G500 to the M570.
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There are those that have done this, but with two programmable point-of-sale keyboards. Much easier than modifying existing keyboards, don't you think?
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There are those that have done this, but with two programmable point-of-sale keyboards. Much easier than modifying existing keyboards, don't you think?
Certainly, now where can I get these?
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custom filco gaming pad
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custom filco gaming pad
Thanks but do you have a link? After 10 Google pages I have given up...
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Why are you looking for a wearable computer? Browsing while exercising?
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Well, this is one of those crazy,but cool ideas. I love looking at these types of threads because its quite intriguing. I hope you can continue this project into something useable!
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Why are you looking for a wearable computer? Browsing while exercising?
The idea of being able to work anywhere, I mean to do serious work not the kind you can do on a phone or on a tablet, has some appeal.
Think about being able to work (productive work) sitting outside in a park, or just lying in bed. It could also be helpful to people with disabilities.
I'm not sure it would be practical, but how will we know until we actually try?
Yes, you may say that you can do that with an ultraportable, but not in comfortable positions generally. That means less hours of real productivity.
One thing I know is that so far serious work most of the time implies a real usable, even high quality, keyboard. Not a virtual keyboard.
And a real, serious, quality pointing device. A finger touching glass is not even close.
I don't think speech recognition, even if it was 100% accurate, would be satisfying. It's too tiring and inefficient, and I'm not even talking about confidentiality issues. Speech recognition is a bad good idea, like the idea to be able to touch your monitor instead of using a mouse. It's good in some cases, but it still doesn't beat a good keyboard and a mouse (unless you are a noob at both).
So until we are able to connect a computer directly to our nerves and neurons, wearable keyboards, displays and pointing devices seem to have a future.
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Inspiring idea. Would love to keep up with the progression of this. Keep us informed!