类型: IC
作者: MHayden
发布时间: 2018-11-28
01:02:37
更新时间: 2018-11-28 19:49:51
原链接:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=98349.0
Link to Interest Form
Product information:
Orthographic chording keyboard with custom 15g key
switches
Colors
Casing:
Anthracite
Keys: Anthracite with white print
Measurements
W x L x H: 37 x 23 x 4 cm (14.6” x 9.1” x 1.6”).
Weight
965 grams (2.1 lb)
Display
W x L: 7 x 4 cm (2.8” x 1.6”).
Integrated
touchpad for mouse control.
Connector
USB type B
Power supply/consumption
Power supply from USB.
Power consumption with
display backlight ON: 120 mA
Power consumption with
display backlight OFF: 20 mA
Available menu languages
Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish,
Swedish
Available Velotype languages
Dutch, Dutch Pro, English, English Pro, Chinese
(Pinyin input), Danish, German, Finnish, French, Greek,
Italian, Croatian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish, Czech, Turkish, Swedish
Available keyboard layouts
US-English, US-international, UK-extended, Dutch,
French, German, Swedish+Sami, Norwegian, Noors, Greek
(Polytonic), Greek (Polytonic-iPad), Bulgarian (Phonetic
Traditional), Czech qwertz, British (Mac OS-X)
Additional Details
The Velotype Pro is an orthographic chorded
keyboard. It is designed to allow for high-speed ergonomic
typing without the extreme learning curve of stenography.
The
operation is very simple: you press multiple keys at once
and the exact letters you press come out in a predefined
order. The keys are arranged in a sequence that makes this
as efficient and speedy as possible. Furthermore, the layout
is mirrored to minimize the amount of learning required.
To
be clear: you are in complete control of the output. There
is no auto-complete or other “woo”. No special software is
required. Your computer will just see a regular keyboard.
After
learning the layout, you should be able to at least double
your typing speed, even if your keystroke rate is halved.
With practice, going substantially faster is very doable.
Several world record holders have used this keyboard in
events that allow it. You can see what is involved in
learning the layout by downloading the Academy software from
the website.
These boards are designed to be used for
extremely heavy, full-time data entry without
significant RSI risk, typing discomfort, or fatigue.
Typically, these are only bought by people whose work
requires fast typing for long hours.
However, given
that stenography has recently seen popularity among
developers and other casual users, I think this device will
also be of interest.
I will post additional information
in response to questions as soon as I get answers from the
manufacturer.
Pending Questions:
The nature of the key switches
Order sizes
necessary to get significant cost breaks
Full disclosure notes:
The reason for the group buy is to get industrial
grade hardware that is known to not have RSI issues and that
works easily with all types of computer systems. As-is, the
Velotype Pro is the only practical option for serious
long-term use.
However, if you are interested in
playing with the idea, you don’t need to
buy anything. If your keyboard has NKRO and you are willing
to do a bit of work, you can just install Plover and make a
“Velotype” dictionary. There is also literally nothing that
keeps someone from making a completely open source
competitor using standard parts.
That said, getting the
ergonomics right to avoid RSI is
very tricky. An open source developer
working on a similar-in-principle system called Jackdaw
ended up needing surgery from using an Ergodox for his
beta-test keyboard. (He’s working on a custom keyboard now.)
So you can make a competitor or use a normal
keyboard, but I’m not responsible for what happens.
Finally,
mostly because of the key switches, the Velotype Pro had
become the most popular model of this type in Europe. As a
result, used versions of competing products such as the
Veyboard are widely available on the second hand market for
about 300 euro. They use normal mechanical switches and are
cheaper to make, but widely considered inferior. They also
require special software that only works on Windows. If you
want to use it on a different system, you need an additional
200 euro adapter. Furthermore the future of that company is
uncertain. They will not definitively confirm if they are
planning to close up shop or to develop a new competitor to
the Velotype.
I am trying to see if they will
disclose enough technical information to make ongoing
support without them possible. If so, I will post here and
see if we can get a better group buy price.