new keyboard: the btrfld, a foldable, low profile, tenting keyboard
Posted Apr 27, 2022, 2:42 AM UTC
47836
Oh wow, that is a very cool design, particularly the thumb cluster tenting/folding. Seems to get most of the dactyl manuform thumb ergonomics without a super bulky keyboard.
Would be great to know how this is to type on. Is it pretty stiff or is there flex in the joints and material?
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Seems to get most of the dactyl manuform thumb ergonomics without a super bulky keyboard.
That was one of the main goals!
Its quite stiff, the prints are thick and the "legs" that fold out friction fit into the baseplate to keep everything rigid. It feels as stiff as my btrfly.
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Is it stable when you are typing fast? What about the noise?
btw, very impressive work
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Completely stable, the supports connecting the keyswitch plates are angled, and friction fit into the baseplate to make the whole thing very rigid when deployed.
thanks!
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Awesome. How is the tented thumb cluster with choc switches?
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It works well, I can do the same rocking motion I do on my brtfly with MX switches
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Really fantastic design! How long did it take to print?
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I think roughly 10 hours to print all of the parts
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The fact that I could put this in my laptop case and have an tented keyboard wherever I go is awesome
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It fits nicely in the zipper pocket on the outside of my laptop case
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Brilliant! Is it parametric? I need my num rows.
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Unfortunately, no. Adding a num row would be a pretty intensive process.
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When will this end? Take my money. Help me somebody
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Awesome work!
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You have my attention
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YES MATE. This is fantastic.
I want to do something very similar in the fighting game controller space. How sturdy is this? Do you play games? If so, I'd kill for some close-up footage of the keyboard as you mash some keys.
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this is a fabulous idea and I plan on making this when I get back from vacation, I love the mechanism and utility of being able to fold the keyboard up and take it on the go and then have the comfort of the tenting once you get to the location of work. I wonder when they will offer pointing device support in zmk so the trackball can be wireless.
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just missing a cirque trackpad
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I have plans to add something like that in the future
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cool af
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very clean. your details are not unnoticed. good job, seriously
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New life goal unlocked: design an ultra-compact tented keyboard that opens up like one of those pop-up books.
As in, it folds in the middle to close, and opening/closing it automatically tents/untents it.
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Oh my god. Yes. And it would be its own dust cover whenever it's not in use.
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Just finished the model for a 4x6 mod, looking forward to the build
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nice
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Nice
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Brilliant!
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this is kind of what i had in mind myself! i want to try making a pop up keyboard that has sculpting too
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The btrfld keyboard: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld
Pronounced "butter-fold"
A foldable, portable sibling of the btrfly keyboard https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfly-keyboard
Features:
5 key dactyl-manuform-mini thumb cluster
flat, tented qwerty keys
6 extra mappable keys
bluetooth (optional)
folds flat for portability
additional pics and gifs:
gif of the folding action: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld/blob/master/demos/final_draft.gif
picture of it folded: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld/raw/master/FinishedPictures/btrfld_folded.jpeg
picture of it with its sibling, the btrfly: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld/raw/master/FinishedPictures/btrfld_with_btrfly/btrfld_btrfly_top.jpeg
how thick it is when folded: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld/blob/master/FinishedPictures/btrfld_folded_thickness.jpeg
More pictures: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld/tree/master/FinishedPictures
pictures of the build process: https://github.com/SolidHal/btrfld/tree/master/BuildPictures
Really, really nicely done. I was expecting that the thumb clusters just had the one hinge so that as you increase the tent they'd get further away but this is super cool to see!
Would love to see the PCB version of this if you make it. The wire wrangling seems rough, especially for my skills 😅
The wiring is pretty tedious. I have a version 2 using a PCB in the works...
This is a very great and I nteresting project. I am also surprised to see the predecessor project brrfly-keyboard, because this is exactly like my dactyl monoblock based on the python code .
Maybe I should do the next step as well….