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cprn
349d

I have a rant. A genuine rant, not a funny story, etc.

I want a keyboard. I need one. It can cost €500, as long as it won't break in a year and fulfils all my needs. Make it a €1000, I don't care. What are my needs then? Well...

It has to be a split keyboard - two halves. But wireless in every aspect, ergonomic, with multimedia keys on its outer edges (preferably pointing outwards, not up) and a heavy metal trackball on the right outer edge (preferably upper right corner). That's a bare minimum.

On top of that it probably some magnetic scrolls for things like navigating pages, changing volume and fidgeting in general wouldn't hurt. Also I'd prefer it to snap back into a one-piece whenever I need it to lie on my knees, e.g. when I type while sitting on a coach (I have a coach PC setup, no desk, and there's a reason). Why do I need it to split then...?

I had an accident. Kind of broke my back when I was 11. It's mostly okay now after couple years of rehabilitation and many more years of careful living. Luckily the only two wheels I ride on are powered by a 105.97 hp @ 9,970 rpm engine. Still, I try to be careful so I tried tons of work hygiene techniques over the years and I found out anything over 2 hours is best done while lying flat.

Coding while lying flat has its challenges, mostly focused around screen and input. Ever since I got a VR headset half of them got solved but the other half - acquiring a suitable keyboard - it's very hard to satisfy. I tried that with a one-piece keyboard lying on my stomach. Turns out actively bending elbows quickly wears them out (hello tennis players). So a split keyboard it has to be. So far I tried 4 different ones and I had to modify the cable connecting both halves in each and every one of them so that it'd be long enough to go behind my back. The main cable itself I only had to modify once because usually there're extensions available.

Apart from cables, all of those keyboards had issues. Starting from some kind of de-syncing when keys from both halves would randomly register in a wrong order - I didn't know it's possible with a cable connected halves... I did try two generic WiFi keyboards (using one for each hand) and they unfortunately suffered from that very same issue but I was sure it wouldn't happen if the device was designed to be a one unit from the very beginning, right? And yet it in 2 of the tested devices.

Other than that, plugs disconnecting on their own forcing me to take off the headset and fiddle around, too high key travel that'd strain the wrists after a few hours, even the noise that would wake up my girlfriend sleeping in a separate room were all a common issue (I briefly had an almost completely silent WiFi mechanical keyboard from Logitech we both really liked, but it was a one-piece). Once I got a split keyboard that was "natively" WiFi but not only the two halves were still connected with a cable that turned out to be way too short for my needs, it also had a very noticeable lag despite the high price - a lag way higher than any of the cheap WiFi keyboards I owned in the past. So I sent it back. Now IDK what to do because AFAICT there are no more models available, at least where I live.

So yeah, I need a keyboard and I'll probably have to make one myself. Sorry, just had to vent.

Comments
  • 0
    I guess your best bet would be to really design something for your special needs
  • 1
    Genuine question, what are magnetic scrolls?

    You are not asking for a keyboard you are asking for a battleship control panel.
    You are missing switches for toggling the fans, a radiator to keep hands warm. Don't think there is a market for it and I think they're are solutions for you problems (didn't read the whole rant though).

    -You don't need multimedia keys if keys are programmable, it's more ergonomic too.
    -trackball is a pointer device not a keyboard concern they aren't popular unfortunately but you should be able to get one as a separate device.

    Wish you luck with designing your battle station. Better be prepared to up the budget to 10000 and take a few years to get anything stable.
  • 0
    Read some more of your rant, should have leaded with the ergonomic issues/needs mate.
    I don't like wireless stuff personally (always susceptible to interference, batteries etc.) but it makes sense for split keyboard or. Combo device.
    I have a mate who is into split stuff and also struggled to find something. I can ask what he found. Perhaps it's possible to 3d print some stuff to attach the trackball and keyboards together.
    For sound issues just avoid clicky switches and add lube + o rings to each switch.
  • 0
    I don't know enough about keyboards to comment on whether every single one of your requirements is achievable in a single keyboard, but I reckon the best place to get input and figure out what might be possible is the /r/ErgoMechKeyboards community on Reddit.

    I assembled my own Kyria split keyboard a few years back and love the thing.
  • 0
    @alturnativ I'm not on reddit but I looked around a bit and it turns out the answers are "yes, these are achievable assuming you'll design everything from scratch yourself including firmware" and "no, these aren't achievable if you'll use any modular or open source solution". A shame, kind of. I mean, I got used to what I have, even changed to a standing desk, but still, would be great to get a way to code while resting lying flat.
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