humanplayer2

Thanks for doing the math! I’m not quite sure I follow: why is the lengths different for row and columns on the Mantis? Are you calculating to the press point of your sculpted keycaps?

A very interesting read, and really cool looking! I’d really like to try the keycaps in v. 0.3!

I’m curious about this point:

With square keys, each key has eight neighbours, but the diagonal neighbours are about 1.4 times further away than orthogonal ones and therefore harder to reach for the same finger.

Say I arrange square keys in columns with a 0.5u offset. Then each key also only has six neighbors. I wonder how that compares distance-wide to hexagonal keys.

Edit: the Klacker BS does this, but offsets the rows instead.

It looks neat! What are thode keycaps? Self-printed?

Ok, I gæs it’d be about the same shipping to Denmark. Compared to sourcing from ThinkPad keyboards, I find it very appealing to not have to risk popping the pin pads of the pcb when desoldering the keyboard ribbon cable. I’ve caused a few casualties.

Edit: Ah, I see you had to undsolder a ribbon cable from the controller board, too.

Super nice!

How much did you pay for the trackpoint and shipping? It’s great to hear that you can just email Sprintek!

Nice that the RP2040 doesn’t require a reset circuit! I just finished a handwired with a ATMega32U4 ProMicro where I needed to remove a resistor to clear the D5 pin for USART. That was quite a painful process overall. This seems significantly easier!

If you can solder, you can quite cheaply build your own ergo prototype, without habing to 3D print or buy PCBs: https://golem.hu/guide/cardboard-prototyping/

I did this, and am very happy. I got to stagger the keys as I like, place my thumb keys nicely, and know I can do it again easily and cheaply if I want something changed. Time’s not free of course, but I value the freedom this gives me.

Corne with trackpoint from holikeebs?

Yes, column stagger is amazing! Congrats on the prototype! I ended up using mine a bit over a month before getting a nicer, revised version cut. I learned from that. Removed some keys, moved some a bit.

I’ve read elsewhere that switching to a new layout is easier at the same time as changing to ergo, instead of later. I’ve had some time off, that’s why I did it now. If I had been busy, I’d rather have started using my new board and the old layout.

Thanks :)

Yes, I do! I enjoyed a cardboard prototype before, and only just finished this. I really like it. The fit is great, and I like the sound. I gave it some small feet in the back (some 3mm foam tape) to lift it a bit from the table/deskmat, to get some more sound out - there’s zero space between the switches and bottom plate… And I like the sound.

Switching to the prototype, I switched to Colemak, too. I’m still learning that. So I’m by no means a fast typist on it yet. But I already know better where the keys are on Colemak than I did on QWERTY, and I think the symmetric, column-staggered layout helped a lot with that.

Haha, so true! Cleaning it off my cardboard prototype, where I’d also used it for cable management… wasn’t fun.

Edit: I put up my .svg files here, in case they might be useful.

Cool! I just did a full Inkscape+laser-cutting build using MDF and acrylic. I’m still to write something up about it, though. In short, I used a 1,5 mm acrylic bottom cover, on top of that 2x 3mm MDF as “case” (minimum height with a 1,5mm plate), the top one supporting the plate, but with larger holes so the switch clamps fit, a 1,5mm acrylic plate, and finally another MDF layer on top of the plate, outlining the keys, for aesthetics and rigidity.

After having set up the keys, I used mainly offsets around those to do the outline etc.

If toy have some old silicone around, e.g. used for grouting tiles then don’t use it!

I learned the hard way that it has an expiration date and doesn’t harden after…

Nice! If you haven’t bumped into it, then the build log of the Steel Tormentor and it’s cardboard prototype have been really illuminating for me.

Edit: Also, an Inkscape trick: you can set it’s zoom using a real ruler placed on the screen so it can show you your drawing real size. Then you can test button placement without having to print.

Depends on what they want. Inkscape is perfectly fine for plate design, which you can then lift using standoffs, like the Steel Tormentor.

Thanks!

Aha, interesting! This opens up an entirely new category of things to look for in thrift stores, for me. It hadn’t occurred to me that electrical typewriters would be of relevance! Thanks for the learning!

What, and they just fit?!

Edit: It looks great!

Good question!

You say there is no serious alternative: did you check out keyd?

I soldered on things yesterday doing this, but not tinning the pins first. I fluxed them instead. Then I just picked up solder on the iron tip, used that.

I don’t have much experience, so maybe this is too slobby, but for now, things are in place and connected.