Instructable: Keyboard System

In honor of Instructables.com, this will be a collaboration. My goal is to arrive at a finished design, as a product of the collaboration. Several steps in this instructable are reserved for posting specific ideas, programming logic, flowcharts, or other ideas related to that particular step, which advance the original concept toward completion.

As we already know, this instructable will serve as a record of any development of the seed concept, as it takes place. There are four optional paths to expand upon, within this instructable (Steps 4 thru 7). Each of these optional steps can be developed independently. Each does not need to be analogous to any other. They can be appended on a first come first serve basis.

I am hoping to decide upon what would be considered (by the group) as the most favorable programming method for the finished product. For now, I am asking that the simple requirements presented here are observed.

I have initially supplied these optional steps as clean slates, so that anyone may start from scratch, if they so choose, as long as the specific operational requirements in a particular step are met.

There are no limitations as to how much relative credit any particular contributor would be entitled to.

NOTE: As is the case with any forum, one should avoid editing any post, after a comment or response has been made to it.

Step 1: Keyboard Fundementals

I've added this step to collect information relevant to any and all of the following control options. This is for discussion of hardware/firmware combinations for detecting key presses, switch denouncing options, software development for the alternate layout display, etc.

Keep in mind that it is best if the different control options are easily usable with the remainder of the system. This is to allow easy testing of different options, and provide for the possibility of others adding different control schemes.

This step added by nah.

Comments

[ExtremeYoshiFan]

This looks like a good idea, but it looks like one would frequently mistype, whereas I can type one handed very easily(I used it to type this post).

[mr.origami]

awesome sweet radical too cool 50 STARS******************** bingo should be called boing

[tanmanknex]

Actually, that's only 21 stars.  Late reply i know, but i couldn't resist.

[crak-a-bottle]

nice to know there's someone else out there who just HAD to count them :P

[PikminRed]

Even easier. Get a program that listens to your words and puts it on screen. I think they already have it.

[PikminRed]

This could work.... One for the numbers and one for the letters on each hand... you would just get a web cam that tracks your eyes (comes in some laptops) And when you roll your eyes left, is scrolls down when you roll your eyes right you scroll up (or vise versa) and you wink your left eye for left click and right eye for right click and to move your mouse onscreen, you look where you want it to point!!!! (That would be COOL!)

[pyrofyr]

Tons of problems with this though... 1)If you are distracted by something your screen scrolls when you went to look at it 2)When you get something in your eye (TONS OF LEFt/RIGHT CLICKS OMG!!!) 3)When you just blink (it's a natural thing!)

[PikminRed]

"This could work...." And when you roll your eyes not look around.. Also, I am talking about 1 second of you closing your eye. This would be bad for games also. Anyway, it was just a random suggestion maybe someone could try this out and make something cool of it.. somehow ...

[Scrupulous]

I think you mean the left one would have the letters and the right one would have the numbers, right?

Yeah, imagine the thought of two (2, too, to) mouse devices working simulteously...holy shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[pyrofyr]

Actually, I think that would be awesome. It would be almost like a multi-touch surface, but instead a 'multi mouse' kind of deal. Hard to get off, but yeah.

Sounds like it would be a bit like that famous keyboard... TouchStream LP ( http://www.fingerworks.com/ST_product.html ) in that you could have 'gestures' which seem to be so popular in apps these days, everything from Firefox to Windows supports gestures with some plugin, but the problem is no universal standard on gestures. :P

[WurdBendur]

Putting the keys in alphabetical order is a nice idea, but it won't help much unless you're hunting and pecking. Since the layout would have to be relearned anyway, it should be designed for speed and ease of use. You might put the most common keys on the first two fingers, on along the bottom. But also keep in mind that putting all the most common keys together will cause the user strain from having to type long strings with one finger. The best layout would have the two strongest fingers alternating most of the time with other fingers coming in for less common letters. Putting all the vowels on one finger should promote this, but consonants should be distributed more. And common digraphs should be arranged on adjacent keys going left-to-right so you can easily roll your fingers over them (or maybe or top-down if the keys are low enough to slide your fingers over).

[Scrupulous]

Yes and No.

I follow your thinking on the digraphs and such. However, from a marketing standpoint, this would have to appear simple to learn, otherwise it would be a bust. (Case-in-point: Data Hands)

So, having at least the consonants arranged in alphabetical order is as good as any layout (especially if they can digraph with a row of vowels) and it will be learner-friendly.

[WurdBendur]

What if all the vowels were on the thumb so you'd tend to alternate between finger and thumb? The thumb is the strongest digit, so it should be able to handle the greater load, and the other fingers would share the consonants. As long as there aren't a lot of common sequences on one finger, it should be fine. There are exactly enough keys to fit all the consonants (including Y) on the fingers, and then the four other vowels (plus one more key) on the thumb. The escape can go there, where it isn't so easy to hit accidentally. Or the vowels (including Y) can go on the thumb, and the escape key can fit on a finger like it already is.

[dombeef]

Can I collaborate?

[Scrupulous]

Of course you can.

[dombeef]

YAY

[Scrupulous]

Yaaayyyyyy!!

[dombeef]

Yaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!

[dombeef]

But will you

[Scrupulous]

Of course!

[dombeef]

Today? it says no colaboratoring

[Scrupulous]

Sorry, it's been a while...where does it say that?

[dombeef]

I dont know? But let me guess, go to my user name and it might say for me to colaborate on one of your instructables

[dombeef]

Ok now I know - Ok go to Author Options-Edit-share-Collaborate-enable collaboration- add/remove collaborators -add dombeef

[Scrupulous]

It won't let me do it...probably because the instructable has already been published (is my guess). Just feel free to add suggestions, imagery, and/or developments to any one of these fine steps. Yaayyyyyyyyyy!

[dombeef]

Are you sure? I tested an instructable and it work fine

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Voxel]

how about the index finger has vowels, since you need those for every single word, and the index finger seems to be more nimble. also i do not like all of those smaller keys stuck on the bottom of the thumb, that part of the thumb can't possibly push those small buttons, as far as i know

[Scrupulous]

Hey, thanks for the input, Voxel. You have a good thought with the vowels. With those other keys below the thumb, they're just control keys. And, let's face it, everyone has to look down at the keyboard, and change their "home row" positioning, for most other keys except the letter and number (and ,.) keys, right?

[pyrofyr]

I guess perhaps the best thing about this keyboard would be that you would never HAVE to reposition because it would be so familiar of a stance (your actual hands layout!)

[Scrupulous]

THAT, my friend, is possibly the c-r-u-x crux of this project...

[Scrupulous]

How about the vowels on the index finger, and the rest arranged alphabetically on the remaining outer digits. That would give the alternating finger action for almost every word. I starting to shy away from the thumb being used for letters. There was some sense to that with the standard qwerty. Though, I believe the thumb is still highly under-utilized, now.

[hammer9876]

Uh, no. As touch typist, I don't have to look down to find the Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down, Ctrl, Alt, and arrow keys. So no, I don't look down at the key board a lot.

[Scrupulous]

C'mon, let's be realistic, now...we all know that the average person will never hit any of those keys on a standard keyboard without looking (except maybe the CTRL). That's hundreds of millions of us.

[hammer9876]

Woo hoo! I am unique! According to Scrupulous, I am the last of a dying breed: The touch typist!

[pyrofyr]

Actually, I do the same thing. Most touch-typists can reach for ANY key on the keyboard without a problem. I personally reach for every key, without looking and relocate without looking. Perhaps from years of playing MMORPGs that frequently use these keys, but that aside, the true touch typist doesn't look at all.

[hammer9876]

OK, I admit that I sometimes (er, frequently) hit the wrong non-alpha-numeric keys, but I can hit the Backspace key easily still without looking. It is odd, though, that the lettering on my s-d-c keys are the ones wearing off, not my Backspace key. :-)

[Scrupulous]

Yaaaayyyyyyyyyyy! (I still don't know what a touch typist is...)

[hammer9876]

Wait. You are designing a new keyboard and you don't know what a touch typist is?

From http://www.sectorsoftware.demon.co.uk/typist.htm
"Unless you learn to type faster without looking at the keyboard or at you hands then you are the most inefficient part of your computer system and are wasting part of your life." (Emphasis mine.)

Have you ever had a lesson in typing? Have you ever noticed the little bumps under your index fingers when they are sitting on their home keys? Do you know what the home keys are?

If you are using a qwerty keyboard, you home keys for the left had are "A-S-D-F' and for your right hand they are "J-K-L-;". Qwerty keyboards generally have bumps on the "F" and the "J" key. They are there so that your sensitive index fingertips can find their home keys.

Take some online lessons. Improve your typing skills.

[Scrupulous]

Noticed 'em??! Heck, that's were I've been placing my PINKIES all along! Maybe that explains why I type so slowwwwww.

But, all "F'n'J"ing aside...I think the majority of us rely on those special keys, we just don't take as much pride in it. I've thought for a while, though notwithstanding pricing concerns, that every key should be "texturized" in some unique and readily identifiable way...hence, Raised Letter Keys:

P.S. have you ever noticed that "werf-jiop" would be a more ergonomically-correct home row?

[ExtremeYoshiFan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KB_United_States_Dvorak.svg this layout works much better, but I don't want to spend time learning it.