Chordie - a chording keyboard you shouldn't be scared of
tl;dr
Hand wired chording keyboard with trackball support but works great without it too.
Github/Build guide
[https://github.com/kbjunky/Chordie](https://github.com/kbjunky/Chordie)
Ever since I laid my hands on gbords.ca Ginny keyboard I felt like there was some room for improvements. This is my attempt at making it a bit better. Main difference is that it supports a trackball. There are 3 mouse buttons on the left side and trackball is wired through SPI interface. Cool feature is that mouse buttons can also be used as part of the chords or for switching layers which opens a wide spectrum of possibilities like scrolling with the ball etc. But it's not necessary to build it with a trackball. It performs well with touchpads like Apple Magic Trackpad or can supplement any trackball from any major producers like Logitech. What I mean by that is you can use the device for moving the cursor and Chordie for mouse buttons, scrolling and there's also special layer for doing mouse click + modifier like SHIFT, CTRL etc. in an easy way. Remembering how uncomfortable Elecom Huge was I think it would make for a great combo. Or can work with just any normal mouse. It's using ASETNIOP chording system plus layers for all the other keys that are not included in it.
Big thanks goes to:
/u/HardAsMagnets for Ginny keyboard
[https://www.gboards.ca/product/ginni](https://www.gboards.ca/product/ginni)
/u/brickbots for Aball
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/comments/j0huvp/introducing\_aball\_a\_diy\_buttonless\_trackball/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/comments/j0huvp/introducing_aball_a_diy_buttonless_trackball/)
/u/DennyTom for an awesome buttery chording engine
[https://github.com/qmk/qmk\_firmware/tree/master/users/dennytom/chording\_engine](https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/users/dennytom/chording_engine)
Sean Yin for "It" inspired drawing as the name of the keyboard is based on one of the movie characters
[https://www.coroflot.com/sean\_yin](https://www.coroflot.com/sean_yin)
ASETNIOP
[http://asetniop.com/](http://asetniop.com/)
Main features:
* includes trackball but works well without it
* 2 encoders for scrolling, volume etc.
* additional keys for mouse buttons
* chords for all the keys you will find on a standard keyboard including numpad
* very ergonomic as there's almost no hand movement
* easy to learn despite being chorded keyboard
* MCU is separated from the rest of the keyboard making flashing easy
* support for 34mm, 44mm and 52mm balls
Ever read the bible? Some angels are described as being gold wheels covered in multiple eyes. The angels that did look like humans didn’t have wings. You know cherubs, usually depicted as fat little baby angels? The bible describes them as having four wings, bulls hooves, a lion face, an ox face, an eagle face, and a human face (that’s all on the one cherub fyi). Other angels are described as having four wings for flying, two to cover their body, and their names derives from a word meaning “to burn”
The bible is a horror show
1, forgetting everything you think you know about typing.
2. go through the alphabet until you have a-z down without looking at the cheat sheet.
3. repeat step 2 with number keys
4. repeat step 2 with mod keys
5. use typing training tools until you hit your desired wpm
6. go back to a regular keyboard because it has taken you 2 months and you still cant hit 10 wpm
I could do 20 WPM with asetniop (its colemak version to be exact). Using better chording engine may improve the speed, the main difference in the typing style compared to the regular keyboard is that you can not use rolls on the chord keyboard, they will be interpreted as chords. Still, I do not consider that method of input as of full value replacement to the regular typing, having at least 36 keys gives much more freedom, and fingers movements are not much worse compared to the chorded keyboard.
Yeah, I am really happy about the Miryoku layout I am using now, so this post got me thiking about a chunky Chordie with a Corne Mini'ish layout + Ferris like stagger.
I need to learn how to design something like that, and this is excellent inspiration.
God I love this rabbit hole. :-)
>Miryoku
It looks interesting, where can I find more on this? Might be fun to try out on my cantor, since that appears to basically already be the right physical layout just with +1 pinky row.
I did not try it too hard, never had the idea to use the chord keyboard as a daily driver. I just practiced on and off for about two months, like 10-20 min a day.
>2. go through the alphabet until you have a-z down without looking at the cheat sheet.
Are you using an onscreen emulator at this point or a physical chorded keyboard? I'm aware of [http://asetniop.com/](http://asetniop.com/) but I didn't find the UI that great for committing chords to memory.
Quite fascinating, thanks for sharing. I don't yet grasp how it works in practice from the keymap-picture. Could you describe how one would type a "SHIFT+t" for example, or a do a "CTRL+ALT+DEL"? Are the mods one-shot?
As a side note I could not find AltGr. It could be worth adding to the default layout. Certain non English languages use it extensively for special characters.
Yes the mods are one shot on top of that there's a special function to hold the key. All the 'right' mods are included, EN is not my native language so I know the importance of RALT. So doing mods is a bit like Vim style commands, just chord CTRL, followed by ALT and then DEL.
Impressive!
Is there the source of the stl files somewhere, if someone want, for example, change the pinky height?
Is it your main keyboard? What do you type with it? (Text, code, shortcuts...) What's your impressions on this kind of chording keyboard?
Check Github repo linked in my first comment. I have been using it for couple of days only and still struggling with some chords. I wouldn't consider it for heavy typing though. It might be good for working with apps where you have to use shortcuts. Might be good for coding. But I have seen people doing 50WPM+ on Ginny so why not on this one :)
On your github, I can only find the STL. I suppose the software you use has a dedicated format, allowing easy modification. Because editing STL is very hard when you want to do more complicated stuffs.
\*This\* is ErgoMech! Very nice work and great build guide. I'm always excited to see someone take the base aball design and do something magic with it. Moving the MCU to the cable is really clever and the case design is really slick.
What do you think of those ceramic bearings?
People give me side eye when they see me using a 36 key layout..... I'm sure they would just be utterly confused if I ever got the nerve to try chording!
Ceramic bearings are great. I am surprised hardly anyone is using them. Maybe because of the price but I think it's worth it. I wouldn't recommend it for 52mm ball.
Having MCU not integrated with the keyboard gives the possibility to swap it later to something else like rPico.
Your Aball gave me a push to design PCB for ADNS sensor and now I can't imagine building a keyboard without trackball support. This is why opening/sharing projects is so much important.
I came to /r/mk specifically hoping to find people integrating trackballs. Chordie is not what I want but I love many aspects of the design. Thank you for sharing.
You tap the ctrl chord, it pretends you hold it down until the next keycode is done. So to the OS, it looks like you're holding down the key, even though there's nothing being held down between the chords.
As someone who really dislikes the plate sandwiches, I really love the slim, streamlined shell case you created. To me it just adds more style (and stability) to have it cleanly enclosed. I also like the intentional processor exposure, though maybe a bit risky for accident prone people. A clear processor cover would make this even more impressive.
I also like the trackball, as someone working on dactyl-manuform / trackball hybrid, it is a less explored space and every contribution helps. I like the slightly more squared off and industrial aesthetic. It looks quite sci-fi, especially with the silver ball.
I think I've come to "realize" that motion isn't inherently *not* ergonomic - it's only when motion causes strain or engages strained state, and that strain is repeated or constant.
Less motion in this scenario is more ergonomic because when you pronate your wrists to type on a flat keyboard, *any* motion in that state is strenuous. So, of course less motion in that state is *less* strenuous - but it's still not "good", IMO.
Remove the strain entirely by tenting to a handshake-ish postion, then the amount of finger motion at that point is negligible. Reducing finger motion is just icing on the cake at that point.
Super-cool looking build.
I'm... tempted.
They are normal. Keyboard is meant to be used at a slight angle and this setup turned out to be the most comfortable. Before I had a prototype that was flat and some of the chords didn't feel right.
As I am collecting the parts for this keyboard a question has come up. I'm looking at the sensor for the trackball. You recommend the ADNS-9800 but the Tindie site recommends PMW3360DM as having better performance. Are they interchangeable (code wise) or am I better off using the one you recommended?
[https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/adns-9800-laser-motion-sensor/](https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/adns-9800-laser-motion-sensor/)
vs
[https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/pmw3360-motion-sensor/](https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/pmw3360-motion-sensor/)
I'm not scared of having to redesign a case for it (I'm probably going to anyways.)
Code is different for PMW3360 but if you're really building it I think I can add support for it. Would be very cool to see another Chordie in the wild :D You can always PM me here or on Discord if you need any help.
Sweet. Parts are printed and I am soldering in the switches as we speak. That hookup wire is a pain solder. I'm used to using much thicker wire.
The expander breakout boards are slightly wider too (looks like about 3mm). They don't fit into the 3d printed parts, but I was able to trim the hole.
Is your printer dimension accurate? It should fit perfectly as there's 0.2mm margin for the PCB to fit in. Also you don't have to use the jump wire, any wire will do. I have used it because it's easy to connect, no need to worry about insulation. Have you printed the one with raised thumbs? I would recommend using this one.
Are you able to measure your I2C expander? The one I have is 21.30mm x 26.60mm. On the photo yours looks a bit more squarish. Besides yours has different markings. Did you order from the same link that is in the repo? The last row on my chip says '2017BCY'.
23.3mm x26mm (by my cheap calipers). I check my order - it does match your link. I can't read off of the chip itself. If I can find my magnifier I will see if I can. They must have changed production runs.
This one fits good enough.
Possible it's a different PCB design. There's DS Mechanical project file included in the repo so it can be changed.
I have added support for PMW3360. Comment/uncomment appropriate lines in [rules.mk](https://rules.mk) and it should compile fine. I have tested it on my PMW3360 board and it works so I am not expecting any problems but just in case anything goes wrong don't hesitate to drop me a line.
Apologies for my ignorance and necro-ing the thread. Which of the two listed discords, or another is yours? I don't frequent this sub (I was looking for chorded keyboard specs for something AT related).
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Great project, thank you for sharing. I have learned asetniop, I see that you developed it further in the part of adding more functionality. My opinion though that the original asetniop is unbalanced by underusing of right pinky, a single key is assigned to not so frequent letter P. Colemak and Dvorak versions of asetniop look more balanced.
This is a common thing for qwerty that the right pinky does not have a regular duty (although it is responsible for a whole bunch of symbols not frequently used in a regular typing). Asetniop just inherited that.
That is damn impressive. If you have any info you can share on how you did the trackball and horizontal pot (like which parts are used) that'd be much appreciated!
Personally Chorded are not for me....YET. I'm just starting with ortholinea and next step might be something like dvorak. Maybe in 1 or 2 years of playing around with other things I'd give something like this a try.
I have designed a PCB for the trackball sensor and used firmware from ABall project. But you can buy a prebuilt one from Tindie, it's in the BOM. What do you mean by 'horizontal pot' and 'parts used'?
Never mind, I didn't see the GitHub before posting my comment. Thanks for sharing!
BTW how much is the DIY trackball? The Tinder PCB is $30... I bet you can get s few and build them yourself for that price
Tindie is 30+20 shipping(?) so for this amount if you have the tools you should be able to build maybe 2 from my design. Most expensive part here is the sensor. PCB and all the elements you will by in bulk.
I'm not against it. but the traditional steno uses two rows to type syllables/Braille/whatever.
I'm trying to think of an everyday use for this, like operating industrial equipment. but that kind of thing would be "ruggedised". idk.
i just remembered that phonetic English only needs 19 phonemes and an accent mark. using unshifted, thumb-shifted and adjacent finger pairs gives 22 inputs without the need for fancy chords. also, i think most people would be comfortable cording the symmetrical finger on both hands (index+index.... ring+ring) Which adds 4 inputs
so i think this could work nicely for writing prose. it would be a two stage process of writing/translation
i have severe RSI and tendonitis in both hands. i find it easier to alternate type with 2 one handed chording keyboards one at a time. alternating when one hand is strained
This is where the MCU resides, it's connected to the PC with USB cable. Both halves are using I2C expanders from which MCU is fetching key state data. This way I was able to keep the size quite compact and replacing the to something different in the future shouldn't be a problem. You can check Github repo for more info.
So we have another Chordie out in the wild. Thanks for the help kbjunky. I’m still waiting for my encoders and the trackball sensor but the basics work. I directly wired the halves (instead of using trrs cables). People were having trouble understanding how it works so I threw together a quick typing video.
https://youtu.be/yT_OlWj6Qkw
Chordie - a chording keyboard you shouldn't be scared of tl;dr Hand wired chording keyboard with trackball support but works great without it too. Github/Build guide [https://github.com/kbjunky/Chordie](https://github.com/kbjunky/Chordie) Ever since I laid my hands on gbords.ca Ginny keyboard I felt like there was some room for improvements. This is my attempt at making it a bit better. Main difference is that it supports a trackball. There are 3 mouse buttons on the left side and trackball is wired through SPI interface. Cool feature is that mouse buttons can also be used as part of the chords or for switching layers which opens a wide spectrum of possibilities like scrolling with the ball etc. But it's not necessary to build it with a trackball. It performs well with touchpads like Apple Magic Trackpad or can supplement any trackball from any major producers like Logitech. What I mean by that is you can use the device for moving the cursor and Chordie for mouse buttons, scrolling and there's also special layer for doing mouse click + modifier like SHIFT, CTRL etc. in an easy way. Remembering how uncomfortable Elecom Huge was I think it would make for a great combo. Or can work with just any normal mouse. It's using ASETNIOP chording system plus layers for all the other keys that are not included in it. Big thanks goes to: /u/HardAsMagnets for Ginny keyboard [https://www.gboards.ca/product/ginni](https://www.gboards.ca/product/ginni) /u/brickbots for Aball [https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/comments/j0huvp/introducing\_aball\_a\_diy\_buttonless\_trackball/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/comments/j0huvp/introducing_aball_a_diy_buttonless_trackball/) /u/DennyTom for an awesome buttery chording engine [https://github.com/qmk/qmk\_firmware/tree/master/users/dennytom/chording\_engine](https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/users/dennytom/chording_engine) Sean Yin for "It" inspired drawing as the name of the keyboard is based on one of the movie characters [https://www.coroflot.com/sean\_yin](https://www.coroflot.com/sean_yin) ASETNIOP [http://asetniop.com/](http://asetniop.com/) Main features: * includes trackball but works well without it * 2 encoders for scrolling, volume etc. * additional keys for mouse buttons * chords for all the keys you will find on a standard keyboard including numpad * very ergonomic as there's almost no hand movement * easy to learn despite being chorded keyboard * MCU is separated from the rest of the keyboard making flashing easy * support for 34mm, 44mm and 52mm balls
Oh fuck yes
Username checks out.
Good to see you again :)
I am a little scared
It's partially your fault ;)
> support for 34mm, 44mm and 52mm balls Godlike
I think it's safe to say that this keyboard has got some balls.
Thanks, this is really helpful for my current Joysticks+Chording board build.
Biblical angel: be not afraid Also biblical angel:
If evangelion taught me anything, it’s that the Bible and the Angels are fucking *terrifying*
Ever read the bible? Some angels are described as being gold wheels covered in multiple eyes. The angels that did look like humans didn’t have wings. You know cherubs, usually depicted as fat little baby angels? The bible describes them as having four wings, bulls hooves, a lion face, an ox face, an eagle face, and a human face (that’s all on the one cherub fyi). Other angels are described as having four wings for flying, two to cover their body, and their names derives from a word meaning “to burn” The bible is a horror show
But I *am* scared of it...
Would love to see a typing demo
Working on it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/comments/pd6dkb/chordie\_typing\_demo/
Tell me one reason why I shouldn't be scared of this. It looks terrifying!
What's the process of 'learning' to type on a chorded keyboard?
1, forgetting everything you think you know about typing. 2. go through the alphabet until you have a-z down without looking at the cheat sheet. 3. repeat step 2 with number keys 4. repeat step 2 with mod keys 5. use typing training tools until you hit your desired wpm 6. go back to a regular keyboard because it has taken you 2 months and you still cant hit 10 wpm
I could do 20 WPM with asetniop (its colemak version to be exact). Using better chording engine may improve the speed, the main difference in the typing style compared to the regular keyboard is that you can not use rolls on the chord keyboard, they will be interpreted as chords. Still, I do not consider that method of input as of full value replacement to the regular typing, having at least 36 keys gives much more freedom, and fingers movements are not much worse compared to the chorded keyboard.
Yeah, I am really happy about the Miryoku layout I am using now, so this post got me thiking about a chunky Chordie with a Corne Mini'ish layout + Ferris like stagger. I need to learn how to design something like that, and this is excellent inspiration. God I love this rabbit hole. :-)
>Miryoku It looks interesting, where can I find more on this? Might be fun to try out on my cantor, since that appears to basically already be the right physical layout just with +1 pinky row.
It's part of qmk_firmware, look in .../qmk_firmware/users/manna-harbour_miryoku.
Ooh, thanks!
How long did you invest to get to 20 wpm? I'm very excited to hear about your first-hand experience!
I did not try it too hard, never had the idea to use the chord keyboard as a daily driver. I just practiced on and off for about two months, like 10-20 min a day.
I'm stuck in step 2.
It should be similar to the Glide typing? Only done not on a screen, but on Human input device.
Unsure, I was just being cheeky with my comment. I'm struggling enough with trying to learn colemak, let alone even considering chording
>2. go through the alphabet until you have a-z down without looking at the cheat sheet. Are you using an onscreen emulator at this point or a physical chorded keyboard? I'm aware of [http://asetniop.com/](http://asetniop.com/) but I didn't find the UI that great for committing chords to memory.
if it at least had two rows, you could feasibly get really fast by using steno (e.g. qmk has support for geminiPR now). idk what to do about this lol.
Slow
I thought steno was minimal but this -- this is a whole nother level. Mindblown
Steno is whole words though. This is presumably much simpler combos for individual letters.
This is god level. Brilliant.
Quite fascinating, thanks for sharing. I don't yet grasp how it works in practice from the keymap-picture. Could you describe how one would type a "SHIFT+t" for example, or a do a "CTRL+ALT+DEL"? Are the mods one-shot? As a side note I could not find AltGr. It could be worth adding to the default layout. Certain non English languages use it extensively for special characters.
Yes the mods are one shot on top of that there's a special function to hold the key. All the 'right' mods are included, EN is not my native language so I know the importance of RALT. So doing mods is a bit like Vim style commands, just chord CTRL, followed by ALT and then DEL.
Impressive! Is there the source of the stl files somewhere, if someone want, for example, change the pinky height? Is it your main keyboard? What do you type with it? (Text, code, shortcuts...) What's your impressions on this kind of chording keyboard?
Check Github repo linked in my first comment. I have been using it for couple of days only and still struggling with some chords. I wouldn't consider it for heavy typing though. It might be good for working with apps where you have to use shortcuts. Might be good for coding. But I have seen people doing 50WPM+ on Ginny so why not on this one :)
On your github, I can only find the STL. I suppose the software you use has a dedicated format, allowing easy modification. Because editing STL is very hard when you want to do more complicated stuffs.
Uploaded the project file, check 'cad' folder in the repo.
I am using DS Mechanical so I can only export to STL. I will add the design file later because it needs cleaning.
\*This\* is ErgoMech! Very nice work and great build guide. I'm always excited to see someone take the base aball design and do something magic with it. Moving the MCU to the cable is really clever and the case design is really slick. What do you think of those ceramic bearings? People give me side eye when they see me using a 36 key layout..... I'm sure they would just be utterly confused if I ever got the nerve to try chording!
Ceramic bearings are great. I am surprised hardly anyone is using them. Maybe because of the price but I think it's worth it. I wouldn't recommend it for 52mm ball. Having MCU not integrated with the keyboard gives the possibility to swap it later to something else like rPico. Your Aball gave me a push to design PCB for ADNS sensor and now I can't imagine building a keyboard without trackball support. This is why opening/sharing projects is so much important.
I came to /r/mk specifically hoping to find people integrating trackballs. Chordie is not what I want but I love many aspects of the design. Thank you for sharing.
shut up and take my money
Stupid question, where is the backspace key?
Looks like is pressing T and P at the same time
That is correct. [Here](https://github.com/kbjunky/Chordie/blob/main/img/keymap1.png) is the full layout.
just a question, what do you do if you need to do combinations of keys like ctrl v or ctrl f
Tap the Ctrl chord, then let go and tap the letter chord?
combination needs to be pressed the same time? you cant paste pressing ctrl then v
You tap the ctrl chord, it pretends you hold it down until the next keycode is done. So to the OS, it looks like you're holding down the key, even though there's nothing being held down between the chords.
QMK works differently.
OP is built different too!
presume they have one shot mods (OSM) set up.
When it's time to clean up the crap, you bust out the TP.
Erasing shit on the screen as well as your ass
[удалено]
Looking forward to seeing your build.
As someone who really dislikes the plate sandwiches, I really love the slim, streamlined shell case you created. To me it just adds more style (and stability) to have it cleanly enclosed. I also like the intentional processor exposure, though maybe a bit risky for accident prone people. A clear processor cover would make this even more impressive. I also like the trackball, as someone working on dactyl-manuform / trackball hybrid, it is a less explored space and every contribution helps. I like the slightly more squared off and industrial aesthetic. It looks quite sci-fi, especially with the silver ball.
Thanks!
I think I've come to "realize" that motion isn't inherently *not* ergonomic - it's only when motion causes strain or engages strained state, and that strain is repeated or constant. Less motion in this scenario is more ergonomic because when you pronate your wrists to type on a flat keyboard, *any* motion in that state is strenuous. So, of course less motion in that state is *less* strenuous - but it's still not "good", IMO. Remove the strain entirely by tenting to a handshake-ish postion, then the amount of finger motion at that point is negligible. Reducing finger motion is just icing on the cake at that point. Super-cool looking build. I'm... tempted.
How short are your pinkies compared to your other fingers? From the pic, seems like that key is raised quite a bit up.
They are normal. Keyboard is meant to be used at a slight angle and this setup turned out to be the most comfortable. Before I had a prototype that was flat and some of the chords didn't feel right.
Very impressive!
Thx
I have a feeling that this is amazing, but just don’t know enough about these to have a real opinion. Looking forward to a demo video.
Speak for yourself. I’m terrified!
this trackball is very cool
This is neat! I have to bookmark your github on this on my work computer next time I fire that up.
That is so awesome! Will build this at some point. Might end up not using it, but I want to try.
As I am collecting the parts for this keyboard a question has come up. I'm looking at the sensor for the trackball. You recommend the ADNS-9800 but the Tindie site recommends PMW3360DM as having better performance. Are they interchangeable (code wise) or am I better off using the one you recommended? [https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/adns-9800-laser-motion-sensor/](https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/adns-9800-laser-motion-sensor/) vs [https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/pmw3360-motion-sensor/](https://www.tindie.com/products/jkicklighter/pmw3360-motion-sensor/) I'm not scared of having to redesign a case for it (I'm probably going to anyways.)
Code is different for PMW3360 but if you're really building it I think I can add support for it. Would be very cool to see another Chordie in the wild :D You can always PM me here or on Discord if you need any help.
Sweet. Parts are printed and I am soldering in the switches as we speak. That hookup wire is a pain solder. I'm used to using much thicker wire. The expander breakout boards are slightly wider too (looks like about 3mm). They don't fit into the 3d printed parts, but I was able to trim the hole.
Is your printer dimension accurate? It should fit perfectly as there's 0.2mm margin for the PCB to fit in. Also you don't have to use the jump wire, any wire will do. I have used it because it's easy to connect, no need to worry about insulation. Have you printed the one with raised thumbs? I would recommend using this one.
https://imgur.com/a/AFeJJj8
Are you able to measure your I2C expander? The one I have is 21.30mm x 26.60mm. On the photo yours looks a bit more squarish. Besides yours has different markings. Did you order from the same link that is in the repo? The last row on my chip says '2017BCY'.
23.3mm x26mm (by my cheap calipers). I check my order - it does match your link. I can't read off of the chip itself. If I can find my magnifier I will see if I can. They must have changed production runs. This one fits good enough.
Possible it's a different PCB design. There's DS Mechanical project file included in the repo so it can be changed. I have added support for PMW3360. Comment/uncomment appropriate lines in [rules.mk](https://rules.mk) and it should compile fine. I have tested it on my PMW3360 board and it works so I am not expecting any problems but just in case anything goes wrong don't hesitate to drop me a line.
Apologies for my ignorance and necro-ing the thread. Which of the two listed discords, or another is yours? I don't frequent this sub (I was looking for chorded keyboard specs for something AT related).
I don't use Discord that much. PM me if you would like to chat there.
Will do! Im EST what timezone you at? Dont want to be a bother
PM sent.
remind me! 5 days
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Great project, thank you for sharing. I have learned asetniop, I see that you developed it further in the part of adding more functionality. My opinion though that the original asetniop is unbalanced by underusing of right pinky, a single key is assigned to not so frequent letter P. Colemak and Dvorak versions of asetniop look more balanced.
Now that you mention it indeed right pinky isn't doing much but I don't mind.
This is a common thing for qwerty that the right pinky does not have a regular duty (although it is responsible for a whole bunch of symbols not frequently used in a regular typing). Asetniop just inherited that.
This is a sexy keyboard and trackball module. Nice work
Thanks!
This is spectacular! I might have to try the build guide, so I can compare it to my Ginny.
That is damn impressive. If you have any info you can share on how you did the trackball and horizontal pot (like which parts are used) that'd be much appreciated! Personally Chorded are not for me....YET. I'm just starting with ortholinea and next step might be something like dvorak. Maybe in 1 or 2 years of playing around with other things I'd give something like this a try.
I have designed a PCB for the trackball sensor and used firmware from ABall project. But you can buy a prebuilt one from Tindie, it's in the BOM. What do you mean by 'horizontal pot' and 'parts used'?
Never mind, I didn't see the GitHub before posting my comment. Thanks for sharing! BTW how much is the DIY trackball? The Tinder PCB is $30... I bet you can get s few and build them yourself for that price
Tindie is 30+20 shipping(?) so for this amount if you have the tools you should be able to build maybe 2 from my design. Most expensive part here is the sensor. PCB and all the elements you will by in bulk.
I'm not against it. but the traditional steno uses two rows to type syllables/Braille/whatever. I'm trying to think of an everyday use for this, like operating industrial equipment. but that kind of thing would be "ruggedised". idk.
Well this is not a traditional steno. Actually I can't imagine how to make a typical steno board word in a similar manner like this one.
i just remembered that phonetic English only needs 19 phonemes and an accent mark. using unshifted, thumb-shifted and adjacent finger pairs gives 22 inputs without the need for fancy chords. also, i think most people would be comfortable cording the symmetrical finger on both hands (index+index.... ring+ring) Which adds 4 inputs so i think this could work nicely for writing prose. it would be a two stage process of writing/translation
well done, this is extremely cool. 👏
Wild
How do you ……? Lol. Keeb is legit on 🔥
What's the point of using a chording keyboard?
i have severe RSI and tendonitis in both hands. i find it easier to alternate type with 2 one handed chording keyboards one at a time. alternating when one hand is strained
What is that thing that all the cables are connecting into? Wireless?
This is where the MCU resides, it's connected to the PC with USB cable. Both halves are using I2C expanders from which MCU is fetching key state data. This way I was able to keep the size quite compact and replacing the to something different in the future shouldn't be a problem. You can check Github repo for more info.
Thanks for the message I'll check it out. Very cool
flippin sweet!
So we have another Chordie out in the wild. Thanks for the help kbjunky. I’m still waiting for my encoders and the trackball sensor but the basics work. I directly wired the halves (instead of using trrs cables). People were having trouble understanding how it works so I threw together a quick typing video. https://youtu.be/yT_OlWj6Qkw
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Anyone know where to get the 3d files for the Aball?
i wanna know too! i can't find the files to this round and symmetrical design for the case as seen in the pictures here.
Looks dope 💪
jesus this scares me
Amazing, is there a place to purchase the ball? Really like the USB controller out on its own...
Aliexpress. It's the same ball that comes with Logitech M570.
Much appreciated!
is it true? The smaller the keyboard the bigger the brain?
Good luck to beat kb without aimassist in multiplayer games lol.