this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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ErgoMechKeyboards

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Ergonomic, split and other weird keyboards

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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!?)

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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

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Cheaper Split Layout (self.ergomechkeyboards)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by TroggoMan_ to c/ergomechkeyboards
 

Heyo

I want to switch to a split keyboard setup, but I really don't want to spend $400 only to end up hating it. Are there any cheaper options that I can get as a temporary board while deciding?

EDIT: Massive thank you to all the replies I got. All of the suggestions and advice are great and have been very helpful. That being said, I will likely be going for the Momoka Ergo due to it having free shipping to South Africa and includes switches and keycaps. (Switches are extremely expensive here (around $250 for a set of Cherry switches for example))

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[–] WASTECH 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Corne is a very popular split keyboard that is very cheap. It requires some level of DIY, but the main board can be had for $33. It can also be made Bluetooth with the nice!nano. You will still need switches and caps, but depending on what you’re after, those can be cheap as well.

[–] TroggoMan_ 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm obviously very new to the fancy shmancy keyboard world. Do I need to build this thing completely from scratch? Or do they sell ready made ones? The site is a bit intense haha

[–] WASTECH 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hey, we all start somewhere! I ordered mine from keyhive and made the mistake of ordering the DIY version. I usually like to do things myself, but had a hell of a time soldering the SMD diodes on. I would recommend the partially assembled version. Keyhive also lists the other parts you will need. If you order the partially assembled version, you will only need a microcontroller, switches, and caps for a complete keyboard! Keyhive also lists the microcontrollers you can use. Personally, I love the nice!nano. It ads BLE and the battery lasts for quite a while. You will need to solder the microcontroller, but it’s easy to do assuming you have an iron. Let me know if you have more questions!

[–] TroggoMan_ 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah I see all the Corne kits are sold out. But anyway, I was hoping for a more robust thumb cluster too. The Momoka looks like exactly what I'm looking for, only thing missing is tenting. Thanks for the help though!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

There are a bunch of DIY tenting solutions out there, one of the more popular ones include using magsafe stickers and tripods (tho it can be a bit pricier) link here

I bought laptop risers like these to figure out tenting was something I wanted first