Genius idea of the day

[Laser]

I suggest to start a new thread (this one!), in order to collect the eventual occurrences of keyboard-related GENIAL, ORIGINAL (or SILLY/FUNNY, or both) ideas that members of Deskthority may feel lurking in their heads, waiting to be formulated, and pestering their owners if they don't.

Let's get the ball rolling:

Idea nr. 1: Stick 2 60% keyboards that you can program on your armchair, one to the left arm, one to the right, instead of building (or buying) an Ergodox.


EDIT: Learn to touch type with each hand on the whole 60% keyboard, so that you can type with any one hand on the corresponding armchair arm keyboard, while you use the other one to drink or write.

[Chrisism]

Idea#2: Stop pulling apart model F's while Angry, it never ends well.

[Rimrul]

Webwit kinda did Idea #1: https://webwit.nl/input/datahand/workspace2.jpg

[chzel]

Use a Tipro or AccessIS board for a quarter of the price of a Plank.

[Chyros]

Jeez, he actually USES those things? Oo

[Laser]

Webwit kinda did Idea #1: https://webwit.nl/input/datahand/workspace2.jpg

Sh*t, that's putting your both hands in a load of cash

[fohat]

Stop pulling apart model F's while Angry,

Not a problem for me. The anger comes while putting them back together.

[Findecanor]

A baddie in a Resident Evil-movie (I forget which) had two gaming keypads:

identifythis.png (554.69 KiB) Viewed 12271 times

Learn to touch type with each hand on the whole 60% keyboard, so that you can type with any one hand on the corresponding armchair arm keyboard, while you use the other one to drink or write.

Or you could embrace a one-handed layout, like the one developed for Matias' Half-Keyboard.

[citrojohn]

This thread's a genius idea, for a start. You don't want to be let into my head... given a bit of time I could probably fill a page on my own. (There's no smiley for "completely insane", so will have to do!)

Since we're on one-hand keyboards: I'm rather tempted by Thumbscript, a mapping for typing letters on a numpad - each letter is typed by a sequence of two keystrokes, the pattern they form on the numpad acting as a mnemonic. It also has symbols, mostly on very unmemorable combinations - so if I put Thumbscript on a programmable numpad I'd associate a symbol with a letter, with a prefix key to "engage the symbol layer". I could also have a phrase layer...

edit: except I'd swap V and W. Which idiot had the idea of making the V-shape type W?

[Orpheo]

Make a PCB/LCD module with a firmware in order to display and programme macros. A little like bit the Wey keyboards. This module would also be integrated with an Atmel or Teensy to be the heart of a custom keyboards.
This project could be crowd funded or with an open plateform.
This module should be standard with a standard LCD screen.

Those LCDs are too big.


Was thinking more like this kind of LCD :

[Laser]

This thread's a genius idea, for a start.

Well now, no need for such big words here ...

Spoiler:

The Thumbscript idea is pretty interesting, if yet a little slow perhaps?, at least when using "normal" switches. Maybe if the letters start and end codes are arranged so that they optimize the frequency of their usage, when normally used one after another? I.e. if a certain language uses 'u' after 'f' a lot, then it would make sense to start the 'u' where 'f' ends? Topre "switches" would also be interesting, since from what I've read (Matt3o's Topre thread, perhaps), their position could be read incrementally (1/4 pressed, 1/2 pressed etc.) so you could "play the piano" on them - and this could perhaps be translated into different symbols without more than *one* press per symbol. Just rambling on a given theme

Make a PCB/LCD module with a firmware in order to display and programme macros.

Ohoh, a LCD display for a keyboard with custom PCB (HHKB has a special empty place ... nudge nudge), this is *something* I'd really really like. Not only for macros, but also for persistent activated layers, instead of custom LEDs: you would know, at a glance, if you have layer "Gameplay" activated, so that you can use 'w', 'a', 's', 'd' directly ... great idea.

[kbdfr]

you would know, at a glance, if you have layer "Gameplay" activated, so that you can use 'w', 'a', 's', 'd' directly ... great idea.

Already implemented in Cherry's G81-8308, which has lately been reviewed by Chyros:

The whole programmable assembly has its own PCB - and Cherry MX switches (the rest of the keyboard having MY switches).

[Chyros]

Make a PCB/LCD module with a firmware in order to display and programme macros. A little like bit the Wey keyboards. This module would also be integrated with an Atmel or Teensy to be the heart of a custom keyboards.
This project could be crowd funded or with an open plateform.
This module should be standard with a standard LCD screen.

Those LCDs are too big.


Was thinking more like this kind of LCD :

What is that thing? Is it a 9009? How did you get it working on a PC? =o

[derzemel]

Spoiler:

Make a PCB/LCD module with a firmware in order to display and programme macros. A little like bit the Wey keyboards. This module would also be integrated with an Atmel or Teensy to be the heart of a custom keyboards.
This project could be crowd funded or with an open plateform.
This module should be standard with a standard LCD screen.

Those LCDs are too big.


Was thinking more like this kind of LCD :

What is that thing? Is it a 9009? How did you get it working on a PC? =o

those are WEY MK06 keyboards (at least the top one). They are made by GMK and ussually have MX-Clear switches. They are used for trading in banks.
The G80-9009 was Cherry made for Reuters.
Regarding it working on a normal PC... I am also extremely curious about this.

[Chyros]

Spoiler:

Make a PCB/LCD module with a firmware in order to display and programme macros. A little like bit the Wey keyboards. This module would also be integrated with an Atmel or Teensy to be the heart of a custom keyboards.
This project could be crowd funded or with an open plateform.
This module should be standard with a standard LCD screen.

Those LCDs are too big.


Was thinking more like this kind of LCD :

What is that thing? Is it a 9009? How did you get it working on a PC? =o

those are WEY MK06 keyboards (at least the top one). They are made by GMK and ussually have MX-Clear switches. They are used for trading in banks.
The G80-9009 was Cherry made for Reuters.
Regarding it working on a normal PC... I am also extremely curious about this.

I own one of the Reuters 9009 models, I found it a very intriguing and uncharacteristically solid Cherry keyboard and would definitely like to use it; however this appears to be very hard and expensive to do.

[Laser]

Already implemented in Cherry's G81-8308

[youtube snip]

The whole programmable assembly has its own PCB - and Cherry MX switches (the rest of the keyboard having MY switches).

Pretty nice

Can that PCB be "reused" somewhere else? In any case, the idea would be to have something that can be used on custom keyboards, and maybe display more than the current active layer (e.g. the "wpm", or ... the number of calories burned typing :d)

[kbdfr]

Can that PCB be "reused" somewhere else?

I don't know, judge by yourself:

G81-8308 innnards-1.jpg (210.88 KiB) Viewed 12112 times

G81-8308 innnards-2.jpg (122.8 KiB) Viewed 12112 times

[Laser]

Thanks for the pics!

I may be very well mistaken, but it looks like the display has to be controlled by the "main" PCB, since the keyboard is programmable (so it would seem reasonable that the display also has to "know"/"learn" what to display). If so, unless one needs those extra 2 rows "attached" to a custom keyboard (?), I'm not sure of any advantage of using that display, instead of one that doesn't come with the 2 rows.

[Orpheo]

Make a PCB/LCD module with a firmware in order to display and programme macros. A little like bit the Wey keyboards. This module would also be integrated with an Atmel or Teensy to be the heart of a custom keyboards.
This project could be crowd funded or with an open plateform.
This module should be standard with a standard LCD screen.

Those LCDs are too big.


Was thinking more like this kind of LCD :

What is that thing? Is it a 9009? How did you get it working on a PC? =o

Wey Technology is a Swiss company who makes trading computers. They have this incredible keyboard with integrated software to do special actions/macros that are active for certain applications when the window is activated. Sadly I cannot figure it out yet.

When I first got it I cannot even make it work with USB. There is a box that host multiple I/O so I could use it with PS/2.

I will try to make a video because the keyboard software is interesting and the HK2000b is so cool with those windowed lit caps!

[Cattus_D]

Build a switch into a Model M or Model F that transforms it into a rubberdome for those moments when your other half can't bear to hear any more clicking.

[Laser]

Another genius-idea-of-the-day :p :

Buy two cheap numpad PCBs (e.g. from aliexpress) and use them (perhaps rotated at 90 degrees) to build yourself a cheap ortholinear ergodox.

[Geroximo]

Why are there no groupbuys for relegendable keycap sets?
Like a full set of relegendables.
You'd be able to go complete custom layout and make full use of fully programmable keyboards.

[elecplus]

I have only seen 2 types of relegendable caps. The ones from IBM Model F107 keys yellow and become brittle over time, and only fit on M or F caps. Cherry has a line of POS keyboards that have thin clip-on covers that are crystal clear and very durable, but they don't fit all of the Cherry caps. Is there such a thing as a fairly universal clear cap cover?

[kbdfr]

There exists quite a wealth of different relegendable keycaps for MX switches:

Jarltech:




Cherry, Tipro, Birch:



And also others with Cherry profile, for different rows IIRC, from Signature Plastics,
which they apparently do not have on stock:

[drevyek]

There exists quite a wealth of different relegendable keycaps for MX switches:
Jarltech:

Spoiler:

Idea: just like BS caps, produce the relegendable bases for MX, Alps, etc, and make mount-generic, non-see-through caps to fit over, so you could have a single keyset for multiple stem types.

It'd let you go from Alps to MX in a second, easily.

[Laser]

Why are there no groupbuys for relegendable keycap sets?
Like a full set of relegendables.
You'd be able to go complete custom layout and make full use of fully programmable keyboards.

You can (sometimes, as in now) buy a Tipro with regendable keycaps and re-use those: for-sale-f55/thinning-out-my-collection-t14914.html

[suka]

Another genius-idea-of-the-day :p :

Buy two cheap numpad PCBs (e.g. from aliexpress) and use them (perhaps rotated at 90 degrees) to build yourself a cheap ortholinear ergodox.

I knew I still had it stowed away somewhere, but only now rediscovered it while rummaging through my old parts box for my latest creation: that idea truly is genius, and iirc it started my whole split keyboard obsession. And even had an analogue thumbstick for modifiers and mouse already

[Laser]

that idea truly is genius

I think we're both being too modest

Seriously now, wow, that's exactly what I had in mind (i.e. two numpad PCBs with enough 1unit keys in the normal, grid-like layout). Cool build!

I wonder if Hasu's TMK (and arduino) based "PS/2 to USB" converter could be enhanced to sample input from *two* devices (here: two numpads) instead of one, so that any PS/2 non-programmable numpads with enough grid-aligned switches could be coupled in order to create 1 USB ergo-split-ortho-and-programmable keyboard.

[kbdfr]

[…]

These are two Tipro 8x4 matrix boards with each key freely programmable in 4 layers.

[Laser]

Beautiful! (*)

* For the record, I don't claim that ideas in this thread were not already thought of, implemented etc. Even more, the fact that some others "already did it" shows that great minds think alike (and that those people also have a savoir-faire)