It's definitely about comfort, but i've also never been faster on any other board. Gotta admit I'm not a fast typist, with around 80wpm.
I've been using Zilpzalp basically exclusively for over a year, at this point I don't think I'll ever find a more comfortable board :)
Rarely have I seen a community fall for sealioning so hard
started out with an Architeuthis Dux, never regretted it :)
Addendum to 1: While QMK is nice, I personally prefer ZMK and use it even on my wired boards. So just wanna say, "forced to use" sounds a bit harsh. ZMK is a great and very capable firmware, and it does certain things better than QMK.
Well I won't have any problems with doctors I suppose
tbh it sounds like what you need is better firmware configuration if these things are out of reach. a common approach is to make the spacebar a tap-hold key that outputs space on tap and switches to another layer on hold. on that layer you could bind arrow keys on ijkl, for example, and still have shift, alt, ctrl in easy reach.
I wrote a short Introduction to Small Keyboards a while ago for the guys from keeb.supply when they first stocked kits for my Zilpzalp keyboard.
Maybe it'll help understand some of the appeal of small boards and how to productively use them 😊
So cool! Love the roundings, especially around the trackball 👌👌👌 And also Chicago Steno is such bliss 😌
Last year FAK inspired me to design the Miao as a cheap alternative to the Seeeduino Xiao line of MCU boards.
After some protoyping and redesigning it's now powering my Zilpzalp for the very first time, running a minimal FAK config!
And the best thing is, the more polished production version is available very cheaply at keeb.supply! (Not an affiliate link, I'm just excited :D)
Ergogen is so good 👌 Writing the firmware is surprisingly easy thanks to zmk / qmk :) Fingers crossed for the future work!
so what you're saying is... moving your arm outwards to use the mouse is more ergonomic than moving it inwards? 🤔
yeah i understand that :D just saying, combos are harder to activate than single key presses
i'd rather so a+z=q, gotta have them high-frequency letters on base! but qwerty isn't really a good fit for such reduced layouts at all 😅
Since others already posted the larger variants... I'm partial to the Rommana.
i see :) well CS is definitely my favourite choc profile, so i can see how it would also work uniformly!
Awesome! Can't wait to try it 😊
Upgraded to a case with space for a battery, so now i can finally use this wirelessly :)
PCB is an edited version of MangoIV's le_chiff_ble curtosy of dreipunkteinsvier (unpublished as of now).
Case and gap-filling plate are closed-source designs by Bubbleology, who was so kind to let me get them printed 💚
Firmware: ZMK of course
Keycaps: MT3 2048 Katakana and DES thumbs printed in mjf.
Switches: lichicx lucy
Finally found some fitting caps for my BRK OUT: Vintage Triumph Adler harvested from a Gabriele 9009 typewriter.
Keeb: https://github.com/weteor/BrkOut/
The pcb is an edit of MangoIV's le_chiff_ble drop-in replacement courtesy of dreipunkteinsvier (unpublished as of now).
[Edit: It's obviously running ZMK firmware. Edit2: Tried fixing images by reuploading... ]
Case is Bubbleology's fantastic 3dp design (closed source).
Alphas are MT3 (2048 Katakana), thumbs 3dp DES by Pseudoku (mjf print from jlc).
I really enjoy the board, but the thumbs are waaaay too tucky for me 😅 I basically can't reach the 1.25u ones without significant discomfort / moving my entire hand. Good thing it's got a few too many keys for my taste so i can just ignore those thumbs :D
Have been using the UT22 with the Taipo layout for a while now and am very happy with it. (Nowhere near my usual speeds yet, but very usable for recreational purposes!)
The case is Bubbleology's own closed-source design, which he kindly allowed me to get printed.
The firmware I'm using can be found here. :)
Top to bottom, left to right:
- Azra by Yussuf (repo not available yet)
- square-spacing Zilpzalp (aka cfxilpcfxalp)
- KLOR Sägewerk by GEIST
- Hummingbird by PJE66
- OG Zilpzalp (default choc spacing)
- TOTEM by GEIST
- Splaytoraid by Freya
- Sweep Bling MX by David Philip Barr
- KLOTZ by GEIST
Sweep Bling MX with Triumph Adler keycaps salvaged from an old Gabriele 9009 typewriter.
As they are mostly uniform profile, I could actually make them fit my layout 😍
This is the fanciest version of the Zilpzalp keyboard, with actual plates! Also very nice to be able to use DES caps due to the MX / KS33 hybrid footprint.
Files available on github.
The first Zilpzalp – default choc spacing, robins with purpz-springs, Pseudoku's Chicago Steno caps
Brought the smallest Zilpzalp into work today. Purpz switches, 3d-printed Philadelphia Minimalist keycaps.
