The left thumb is pretty similar to the Kinesis Advantage which I've used for years. No issues with comfort there!
The layout is a 5x6 full matrix. Wylderbuilds has the option to print with it, but I think the software used to generate the model supports it as well.
It's the PMW3389. Following Wylderbuilds' trackball guide I soldered a header onto it to make it easier to connect.
Yup! My thumb rests on the enter key but can still use the trackball without triggering it. I do wish there was a little more space between those two keys but otherwise it's fine.
No issue with the right thumb keys. I do think it might be possible to squeeze one more key in, but would be a bit of a design challenge.
I can easily reach all of them comfortably. Depending on the key, I use different parts of the thumb to hit it. For example, space uses the inside of the thumb whereas enter is closer to the pad on my hand.
My main motivator was to stop having to take my hand off the keyboard to use the mouse. It's inefficient and ultimately I was worried I was developing RSI in my shoulder. The alternative would be to have keyboard navigation everywhere but that's not always feasible.
The mouse buttons are the arrows on the left thumb. I was worried putting them on the same thumb for click and drag actions. They're layered for secondary buttons too, so <-||-
is Left or when the layer is activated Backward and -||->
is Right or Forward.
The arrows on the right are also layered with PgUp or Home and PgDn or End.
Haven't tried it yet. The plan going in was to try and ditch the mouse entirely. It may take some tweaks and remapping but I hope to make it work!
Thanks! I knew it was a bit ambitious going in but figured it'd be worth it if I managed to pull it off.
It's the intersection of Ergonomic and Mechanical keyboards. Some people get into it due to RSI, because it's more comfortable, looks cool, or just for fun!
Some companies do sell premades or even manufactured products. You can also 3d print a case and build it yourself. There's a lot of customization that can go into it. From RGB and OLEDs, to trackballs or thumbsticks. Which depending on what you're looking for may force you to DIY.
So far, so good! I do think I need to tweak the DPI a bit but was actually surprised how quickly it felt normal to use. And I can easily reach all the keys. It's a similar layout to the Kinesis Advantage that I've used for a long time.
Only issue I've discovered so far is that I might need to put some rubber feet on it or something. I found it slides around my desk a little too much. 😅
This is the closest I could find: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-022-01649-4
@Xyre
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