this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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ErgoMechKeyboards

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Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards

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I'm quite tall and have rather long arms. As a consequence, I rarely find myself sitting at the desk with the elbows bent at a proper angle while typing. I figured out it would be more comfortable for me to work with the keyboard sitting on my lap, tented if possible, but I couldn't find a stable configuration with my split 34-keys board. Is there anybody that came up with a smart solution to this?

I'm also considering building a small unibody like the hummingbird, but I guess it may be too small to comfortably sit on the lap.

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[–] minusfive@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Corne-ish Zen with “magfrotto” tenting. Rests surprisingly comfortably and stable. Have had a few long sessions on the couch and a poang chair. Technically I could attach it magnetically to my pants as described here https://evantravers.com/articles/2023/04/06/magsafe-tenting-and-wearable-keyboards/ , but haven’t needed to.

[–] g0g0gadget@fedia.io 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Okay this is very exciting. And is so happening. 😍

[–] minusfive@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)
[–] nickfaraco@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I wouldn't have bet a dime on the stability of those things. That's great! I was planning to join the magfrotto gang using the z-tripods, but I might as well opt for these ones instead if they can really be used like that.

[–] minusfive@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Yeah, I mean, don’t slam them, but they hold OK. Very convenient.

[–] jaredj 2 points 2 years ago

I just bought an oak board about 1/4 inch thick and 6 inches wide, sawed it off about two feet long, and made sure my keyboard was rubberized on the bottom

[–] seltzered@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)
[–] nickfaraco@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Super interesting setup you have there! And thank you for bringing back to my attention the btrfld, I had forgotten about it. Far too many keys for me, but that's a design idea I should look into if I'll ever try to design my own keyboard.

[–] sffubs@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Stenography keyboards sometimes come with a camera tripod screw in the base. That allows you to mount the keyboard at lap height in a stable way.

For example: https://docs.stenokeyboards.com/customize/tripod.html

[–] nickfaraco@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

I need a more commute-friendly solution, but that’s an interesting approach nonetheless. Thank you for sharing!

Ben Vallack made a video really close to your question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOupyi-lQZM annnnd of course ~14 months later he found a better way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT3TToFqqEU

My keyboard designs are unibody with a slight split, very similar to the lumberjack. when I break it apart , a slight angle really makes it comfortable to use. but nothing really beats having your arms shoulder width apart, as it helps put the shoulder blades sit in a more natural placement.

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