CH552-44 powered by FAK Firmware (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by rgoulter@lemmy.world to c/ergomechkeyboards@lemmy.world

8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I saw the FAK firmware that @semickolon wrote / shared here, and thought it'd be fun to try to write firmware for.

Nickel is one of these "JSON + functions" languages.

I found it pretty fun to write declarations for the keymaps. I've shared my code at https://github.com/rgoulter/fak but here are some things I thought were neat:

Using multiline strings to declare the alphas layer (and then mapping this to keycodes) is very tidy: in ncl/layouts.ncl
Supporting different layouts for a keyboard, e.g. ncl/keyboards/rgoulter/ch552-44/layouts.ncl, so the CH552-44 can have a split 3x5-3 keymap.
Using tap-dance to allow for 'tap'/'home row mods' alphas, e.g. ncl/keymaps/ch552-48/default/keymap.ncl

The PCB design files (and other useful files, like plate files, 3DP case files, etc.) can be found at https://github.com/rgoulter/keyboard-labs (there's also a design which uses the CH552T directly).

top 8 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

That doesn't look very ergonomic

[-] rgoulter@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Sure.

One of the neat things about mechanical keyboards (broadly) is that there are all sorts of avenues for creativity that people find interesting. Some people are enthusiastic about making their keyboard look good, or sound good. Some people like designing PCBs.

I saw the FAK firmware was quite constrained.. it's well suited to small keyboards, and it's got a low cost microcontroller. I'm sharing here about an example of a keyboard designed to use that, and some of the firmware using that. I figured some people here might find it useful or interesting.

For the keyboard in the image posted, there are different decisions which could be made which could perhaps improve comfort. Different decisions would come with different advantages and costs.

[-] unmoored@awful.systems 2 points 1 year ago

It might not be "hand-shaped", but the use of layers (and tap-dance/home-row mods) will minimize hand-movement, which is another way to approach ergonomics.

[-] rgoulter@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Yeah, minimizing hand movement, and reducing use of the pinky fingers, and letting the thumbs use at least 2-3 keys each are all things that improve comfort.

[-] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

https://kinesis-ergo.com/solutions/keyboard-risk-factors/

[-] unmoored@awful.systems 2 points 1 year ago

It only fulfills point 4 I think, but it does look like it might not be in line with the rules on the sidebar, so it will probably get removed (admittedly I don't know if posts need to be manually approved here, so I'm not sure about this).

[-] hisbaan@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

It's technically a unibody split (notice that t and y are 2u apart) so that qualifies it as ergonomic according to the sidebar if I'm interpreting it correctly

[-] unmoored@awful.systems 2 points 1 year ago

I thought it might fall into the non-split ortholinear category, but that makes sense once you pointed it out.

this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2023

33 points (90.2% liked)

ErgoMechKeyboards

5686 readers

17 users here now

Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards

Rules

Keep it ergo

Posts must be of/about keyboards that have a clear delineation between the left and right halves of the keyboard, column stagger, or both. This includes one-handed (one half doesn't exist, what clearer delineation is that!?)

i.e. no regular non-split¹ row-stagger and no non-split¹ ortholinear²

¹ split meaning a separation of the halves, whether fixed in place or entirely separate, both are fine.
² ortholinear meaning keys layed out in a grid

No Spam

No excessive posting/"shilling" for commercial purposes. Vendors are permitted to promote their products/services but keep it to a minimum and use the [vendor] flair. Posts that appear to be marketing without being transparent about it will be removed.

No Buy/Sell/Trade

This subreddit is not a marketplace, please post on r/mechmarket or other relevant marketplace.

Some useful links

EMK wiki
Split keyboard compare tool
Compare keycap profiles Looking for another set of keycaps - check this site to compare the different keycap profiles https://www.keycaps.info/
Keymap database A database with all kinds of keymap layouts - some of them fits ergo keyboards - get inspired https://keymapdb.com/

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS