I write like 6k words a day and at the end of it the tendons in my arms are sore as hell and my hands are dogshit tired.
I'm looking to snag (build??) as split keyboard and am in need of advice about which ones are the best. I like the Corne/Iris (yeah, I use Vim keybinds in Emacs. Fight me), but have zip experience soldering.
Does anyone here know of a place to snag a prebuilt one of these on the cheap(er)? Like I know of the CHEAP DACTYL but that thing is a bit too crazy even for me.
Help me out here, y'all. I don't wanna get RSI
The physical positioning of your keyboard matters a lot for RSI. You want your wrists to be straight while typing. The easiest way to achieve this with a plain flat keyboard is to lower your chair/armrests so your elbows are slightly below your desk and push your keyboard in towards the monitor. This forces you to rest your wrists on the desk, straightening them. Improving past that I'd suggest a large wrist rest, a split keyboard, and a fancy keyboard in that order.
So if you're buying a fancy keyboard, make sure you're getting the basics right too.
Soldiering cherry switches onto a pcb is fairly easy and a good entry point to learn soldering if you are inclined that way.
Seconded. OP, I built an Iris recently and it was my first time soldering anything if you have any questions. Very doable.
So based on the tiny bit of digging I've done, consensus seems to be that keeb.io is a good place to look, and the prices seem surprisingly affordable tbh
Things tend to be affordable until you start getting into really specialized things like switches or the really hype GMK keycap sets
As all things are, right? But you're definitely correct, that shit does cost monies (I agree from experience let me tell ya)
Heh. Yeah. I built a contra (cheap Plank clone) not terribly long ago for cheap. I was able to do it for under $100 with Cherry Clear switches and cheap ABS caps from China.
The next build I do will be a bit more
I'm in the process of repairing my AnnePro2 after i spilled a beer on it :corona: I'm switching out my browns for blues, if only to comete with the sound of my partner's blues in the same room haha
Also, you have a link for that contra? I've always wanted a plank but my word $$$$
It was a group buy that ended a long time ago.
The Planck EOTW is close to what the Contra is, but I think Planck PCB's are sold-out.
hOw DaRe YoU miSLeAd mEeEEEEeEeeeEeEeeeEE
Jk, i def appreciate and will keep an eye out!
An Ergodox seems a little pricey, but they’re pretty popular. If you’re doing that much volume, it might be worthwhile. They’re a flat ortholinear split design.
So I actually just emailed the dude who sells the cheap dactyl, and he said he'd be happy to build a different board that's much more like a corne :)
Hell yeah for just actually asking the dude 😂
I refuse to use any other keyboard other than the Microsoft Sculpt ergonomic keyboard. It is effortlessly comfortable, good for your wrists, the action is FUCKING PERFECT. The only down side is that the material that the wrist wrest is made from is difficult/impossible to clean and over a few years of use looks like shit. Anyway I've gone through like three of them and would buy another in a heart beat.
Learning soldering isn't too difficult, and through-hole components like keyboard switches are a good part to learn on. If you're really afraid of stuffing it up, you can find really cheap (~$1-2) learning kits on aliexpress. Buy a few, and by the end you'll have the hang of it.
I use a Kinesis Advantage2 for work and it really is wonderful with no strain in my arms or hands that I was starting to have before. It's not quite a fully split keyboard but the two 'dishes' for the hands feel good.
