The Keyboard Thread

[rygD]

As a largely self-taught coder/hacker, my fingers don't live on the home row on any keyboard anyway. I glance down about once a line to make sure I'm still aligned with the keyboard, although it'll become clear soon enough if I'm off.

Just a normal typist, but same here.

i don't understand the need for a backlight. on a proper keyboard i never look down -- i just use the nubs on F and J to get oriented.

Even if you totally touch-type properly you might want pretty lights. That is why there is one in my house. Also, probably for gaming.

 

[ible]

nope, prefer energy efficiency, especially as i usually use a laptop for day-to-day work...

 

[levi]

Oh, I hate pretty lights. That's why I've not yet bought a backlit keyboard already, because most of them have fixed rainbow backlights at the cheaper end. Plain dull white will do me fine.

 

[NutNut]

i don't understand the need for a backlight. on a proper keyboard i never look down -- i just use the nubs on F and J to get oriented.

I never understood the need for the F and J nubs. I orient myself via the spacebar, esc, backspace, and/or control keys, even for pecking out keys with a single finger. I actually moved the nubbed keys on my blank keyboard to the numpad.

 

[rygD]

Oh, I hate pretty lights. That's why I've not yet bought a backlit keyboard already, because most of them have fixed rainbow backlights at the cheaper end. Plain dull white will do me fine.

You should be able to find plain white pretty cheap. The keyboard may suck, but the same is true for the rainbow ones.

 

[Inimuk]

I bought a fancy LED macro enabled keyboard --- even uses some fancy billboard display chipset inside it for animations and whatnot.
Hate it. Turns out I'm sensitive to LED strobe and this keyboard's distracting. Rather have a dim light

I never understood the need for the F and J nubs. I orient myself via the spacebar, esc, backspace, and/or control keys, even for pecking out keys with a single finger. I actually moved the nubbed keys on my blank keyboard to the numpad.

You'll see the difference those home beacons make while typing visually impaired.
[doublepost=1515994440,1515993644][/doublepost]I think Braille would be superior in use as both language (as it is quite universal) and as a keyboard.
(pdf link) Especially when you get into contractions (you don't need to depress as many keys (cells) to make a long word).

 

[rygD]

I personally have no need for backlighting and a full(ish?) size keyboard used on a desk. Once I get the feel for it I don't need to look at it except for certain keys not used for typing text. On the Pyra I am glad there will be a backlight, as I still have problems finding certain things on my Pandora, and it is irritating that I need to tilt the screen toward the keyboard to find them.

 

[comradekingu]

Cognition of sound is actually faster than sight, the keys actually emit different sound based on the angle you hit them.
I imagine there is some individual difference too.

I think touch is faster aswell, which ties into aligning your palms and fingers to make sense of where the keyboard is.
Personally i rest my pinkey finger to the left of caps lock, and my thumb towards space.

 

[ible]

here's a cute custom keyboard:
https://hackaday.com/2018/02/15/arduino-keyboard-is-gorgeous-inside-and-out/

still would prefer the extra row above, though, along with some extra keys on the right.

 

[Grench]

OK, so I went and did it. I designed a new 'normal' keyboard layout. If I were to roll my own keyboard, it would look something like this. Yes, that IS a 'different' combination for the arrow keys. That is actually the mapping I use for them in FPS games. It retains the F1-F12 keys without getting fat. I'm considering incorporating a numpad into that too, but then I'd almost have to use a traditional numpad arrow key arrangement.

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.c...t&_w:1.25;&=Win&_w:1.25;&=Menu&_w:1.25;&=Ctrl

So, with the requisite keycount and positioning, I think I can actually 'get there' using off the shelf products. A 65% keyboard - maybe a Vortex Pok3r
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3527
and a keypad like this one (I have one of these) with the keys relabeled:
http://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-falc...i-macropad-mechanical-keyboard-assembled.html

Hmm... I really do like my Vortex Race 3 keyboards. Maybe I'll see what I can do about reprogramming the numpad and see if I like the layout.

 

[Caine]

So @Grench. Why did you place it on the left? Would it not make more sense of the right? Given that the numpad usually is in that position too. Another idea is to put the directional keys in the VIM layout (left, down, up, right).

 

[Grench]

So @Grench. Why did you place it on the left? Would it not make more sense of the right? Given that the numpad usually is in that position too. Another idea is to put the directional keys in the VIM layout (left, down, up, right).

Mouse is on the right. Ergonomics says the shortest distance from home row to mouse is better.
I can 10 key left handed.
I map FPS games to:
F forward
V back
D strafe left
S strafe right
A jump
Z crouch
W walk toggle
I optimized for conc jumping and stuck with it.

 

[ible]

i like the pok3r except that i want escape to be on caps lock instead of where `~ should be.

 

[Grench]

Expanding on the above idea. Curious if anyone has comments. Considering making this as a stand alone 4x5 key programmable keypad. I.e. a companion for tiny keyboards. Thoughts?

http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.c...w:1.25;&=OSkey&_w:1.25;&=Super&_w:1.25;&=Ctrl

 

[levi]

Have you seen the Elgato Streamdeck? It's 4x3 rater than 5x4, but the keys being little LCDs mean you can have modifiers that change the logo on each key (I assume, I don't have one, and haven't checked out their software, but it should be doable).

 

[Grench]

I have one of these that I was planning to use as a shortcut to testing the idea:

https://www.amazon.com/Max-Falcon-20-Programmable-Mechanical-Multicolor/dp/B071H49V8T?th=1

I suspect my planned re-mappings may be in excess of what the manufacturer had in mind.

 

[FBnil]

Curious if anyone has comments.

I would not compromise with the esc button, leave that totally on the left. and the del could be on the right, with the leds in between.

 

[Grench]

I would not compromise with the esc button, leave that totally on the left. and the del could be on the right, with the leds in between.

So, like this?
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.c...w:1.25;&=OSkey&_w:1.25;&=Super&_w:1.25;&=Ctrl

That could work. Thanks - I like it.

 

[FBnil]

@Grench Yes, exactly that. That would be something I want to use