What we’ve got here is a split ergo with an ortholinear layout. There’s a round screen and encoder on the left side, and a 35 mm trackpad on the right. There’s also space for some other round thing on this side, should you want another rotary encoder or whatever fits in place of the spacer.
Internally, there’s a Waveshare RP2040 Tiny and a mixture of Gateron Oil Kings and Gateron Yellow V3 switches. That lovely case is printed in silk silver PLA, but [New-Concentrate6308] wants to try metal-filled PLA for the next version. Although the original idea was to go wireless, ZMK didn’t play nicely with that round display, which of course is non-negotiable.
Hello Banana Katana! Goodbye Copper? :(
So this beauty is Banana Katana, a work in progress by [leifflat]. The bad news is that [liefflat] is probably gonna ditch the copper even though it looks sick here in circuit sculpture mode. Apparently it types nicely, but just doesn’t feel right overall.
First order of business was to design the layout in Keyboard Layout Editor (KLE), then transfer that to a plate generator. Then that was imported into Fusion360 and messed around with a bit to get the final result.
The coolest thing aside from the obvious is that there’s a 3D-printed plate with hot swap sockets mounted on it. How? [leifflat] used sacrificial switches and super glue, then took the switches out when it was dry. Here’s a picture of the underside. So why is the bottom row of keys upside down? Because it’s more comfortable that way for some thumbs. You should try it.
The Centerfold: This Delicious Panorama
I won’t list all the details of the setup; you can find those in the reddit post. Apparently [Local-Tip-3552] handles wrongfully-denied Medicaid claims all day and uses the macro pad to quickly fill out forms. Unfortunately, that rad super 10-key on the right doesn’t see much action anymore since the split keyboard has a num pad layer.
Do you rock a sweet set of peripherals on a screamin’ desk pad? Send me a picture along with your handle and all the gory details, and you could be featured here!
Historical Clackers: the Yost Line of Typewriters
Perhaps the most striking thing about any of the early entries in the Yost line of machines (1887-1924) is the large double keyboard, which makes them resemble adding machines, at least to my eyes.
According to The Antikey Chop, every model up to the no. 10 “had typebars that kicked like grasshopper legs” and were hung in a circular, up-striking arrangement.
Overall, the Yost company produced 20 models, the first three of which are not terribly distinguishable from one another. In fact, the design wasn’t significantly altered until the no. 10 typewriter, which came along in 1905. With the 10, more of the mechanisms were enclosed within the frame, which made for a bulkier build.
By 1915, pressure from the typewriter market forced George Washington Newton Yost to produce a standard four-bank typewriter instead. The no. 15, which came about in 1908 was quite modern, but at least it had its “grasshopper” type bars to distinguish it from the others. By the 20th version however, the grasshoppers had been replaced with modern front-striking ones.
Just Incase™ You Miss Your Curvy Microsoft Keyboard
I recently told you that Kinesis are releasing a keyboard that could potentially fill that Microsoft 4000-sized hole in your life. If you don’t like that one, I have good news: Incase bought the manufacturing rights from Microsoft in 2024 and are set to produce a curvy split keyboard that’s $9 cheaper than Kinesis’ mWave at $120.
What’s interesting is that this is a keyboard that Microsoft designed and never released. Despite spending years developing this presumable successor to the 4000, they exited the peripherals market in 2023 to focus on Surface computers and such. Incase are calling this the Compact Ergonomic Keyboard. It has multi-device connectivity, and, for some reason, a dedicated Copilot key.
What’s weird is that it runs on two AAA batteries that can’t be charged via ports on the keyboard. Even so, they are supposed to last around 36 months. I don’t think these low-profile scissor keys look very nice to type on for long periods of time. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be comfortable, just that it might not be nice.
Got a hot tip that has like, anything to do with keyboards? Help me out by sending in a link or two. Don’t want all the Hackaday scribes to see it? Feel free to email me directly.
Chicklet keys on the Incase.
I’ll pass…