类型: IC
作者: Dotdash32
发布时间: 2018-07-17 16:57:25
更新时间:
2018-07-17 16:57:25
原链接:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96658.0
Plus12
Have you ever wanted a keyboard that was
as flexible as a gymnast?
Always thought that if you
could get one more thumb key, it would make it so much
easier to type?
The plus12 sets out to be a unified buy
for over 20 different keyboard combinations.
The
Mainland body of the keyboard functions with either 5 or 6
columns,
and is wired for a replaceable connection to
any of the thumb fans.
One buy, 20 Options
The
Mainland is the home controller of the board, it houses the
controller, TRRS interconnect, and the main body of keys.
It
also has a ribbon cable connector for any of the three thumb
key layouts.
In this manner, the two can be connected
and a wide variety of combination layouts are possible.
The
silkscreened lines on the PCBs indicate where they can be
cut off to create smaller version.
Thus, the Mainland
can have five or six columns, the most common sizes for very
small keyboards (one pinky row or an extra one, like
shift/tab/return).
The thumb islands are adjustable
from six down to three keys in both an arc and straight
line, like the Planck.
Options
Right now, I’ve
prototyped each of the boards on an Othermill, and am
looking for which ones will be most popular to move to PCB
production prototyping from a full fab house.
In
addition, the most popular ones will get case designs,
either as double plates (switch and bottom plate) or CNC’d
cases, depending on interest. CNC materials would likely be
Aluminum and HDPE.
There is also a possibility of
including Holtites as an addon, and formatting the PCBs to
accept them for hotswapping.
I2C is not currently
supported, but it would be a possible option if people
really want it. Instead, there is an “Extra Data” pin hooked
up to run across the TRRS jack so that an RGB strip can be
synced.
There is also a possiblity of creating a double
row thumb key, since the ribbon cable can carry up to two
thumb key rows.
It would be modelled after the Mitosis,
but I don’t want to make it unless there is an interest in
it.
By a similar token, if there is a specific thumb
pattern you want, let me know and we can try to include
it.
Software
QMK supports “folders” inside
keyboard projects, so right now each common Mainland column
number and thumb key combination have separate folders and
build paths.
This lets you create a keymap unique to
the number of keys you want, and not deal with extraneous
entries in the keymap.c file.
However, this means each
keymap must be matched exactly to a configuration, and the
“default” ones must have several options to fit within this
scheme.
Another option is to just configure the board
to have one large configuration, and just use KC_NO in the
keymap.
I personally like the matched config and keymap
system better, because it is easier to see how many keys you
have and where everything fits together.
Design
The
plus12 is the spiritual successor of the Lil’ 38, my earlier
split keyboard prototype.
It’s primary goal was to take
the staggered rows of a normal keyboard and transform them
into something more ergonomic.
Here, I’m definig
ergonomic as making the keys easier to reach from the
natrual hand position, and requiring the hand to move less
over the entire range of the keyboard.
This manifests
itself in staggered column format that follows the way
fingers move and stretch, along the axis of the hand, while
also splitting the keyboard into two so that a proper wrist
angle can be achieved.
It features a stagger much more
aggressive than the ErgoDox (and most of it’s descendents),
and an improved set of thumb keys.
In my research, I
found that the thumb moves basically in an arc, and the
easiest keys to hit would lay on that arc.
Thus, the
“thumb fan” was born, several thumb keys placed along the
path your thumb would travel.
As I’ve been prototyping
the Lil’ 38 for about 3 years, the constant feedback is that
a sixth column would be incredibly useful.
My own
philosophy is to move every modifier key that would be hit
with the pinky to the thumbs, thus reducing finger straing,
but adding more keys also allows for many more combinations
and possibilities.
So I tried to figure out how to
include both the staunch minimalism that I desired and the
expansive possibilites that were so popular.
Another
concern was how to fit the range of thumb keys that other
have wanted.
I think only four are truly needed, but
for some, the fifth or sixth is a livesaver.
Plus, many
keyboards only have 3.
I tried to figure out how to fit
so many options into a group buy, because having so many
different PCBs would be impossible to hit MOQ for anyone.
The
answer came in a roundabout way.
This summer, I’ve been
prototyping PCBs on an Othermill, which has a really small
bed compared to the standard keyboard or even PCB.
What
I then realized was that if I separated the controller and
“main matrix” of the keyboard from the thumb keys, they
could be easily interchanged and customized.
In the
end, the idea is to produce the largest PCB, and then cut it
down to the prefered size.
This reduces MOQs, while
greatly increasing the options for customization.
There
are so few keys, how do I type numbers?
The second part
of the Ergonomic keyboard philosophy is reduction of the
number of keys.
It is much easier by definition to
reach the QWERTY row than it is to reach the number row, so
removing the last row reduces finger strain.
But the
constant problem for 40% keyboards is how to fit more
characters than there are keys.
This where the idea of
layers comes in.
I would argue that layers are easier
when there are more thumb keys, because the thumb can
trigger a layer while the other fingers continue to type
like normal.
Instead of devoting a pinky to shift, a
thumb holds it and there is no more swapping hands when you
have to type a letter on the other side of the keyboard.
In
addition, moving the numbers to underneath home row means
that there they maintain their same relative position to
their normal locations, but are simpler to type.
Thumb
shifting and chording is simple, since the two thumbs can
work in tandem to hit most generic combinations for typing
characters, and clever side-by-side placement lets one thumb
press two keys if the need arises.