Infinity ErgoDox Ergonomic Keyboard Kit Discussions | Drop

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Infinity ErgoDox Ergonomic Keyboard Kit

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Infinity ErgoDox Ergonomic Keyboard Kit

A community member

Feb 9, 2016

I see a lot of comment about putting these together and nothing about using them. How much does the ortholinear arrangement affect your typing, especially if you also have to use staggered keyboards every day?

weehooherod

Feb 9, 2016

I spend 8 hours a day at work using a Macbook Pro keyboard and then a few hours a day using my Infinity Ergodox at home. I don't even notice the columnar differences.

musashiaharon

Feb 9, 2016

The new layout is affecting me a lot, and I'm still having trouble with it three weeks in. Before, I was typing 70 wpm, now I'm at around 35. It really highlights any keys you used to hit with the wrong finger. Also, as a programmer, certain keys changing position is a challenge for me, in particular +/=, ctrl, alt, [/{, tab, \/|. For gaming, not having a spacebar under the left hand forces me to switch to a more traditional keyboard. Also, the linear arrangement of the arrow keys is hard to acclimate to in games, though if you know vim it will be somewhat familiar.
That said, I think a lot of my difficulties will disappear once I reprogram the ErgoDox. I decided at the beginning to try out the factory settings just to get an idea of what I would want to change, if anything, and now I think I have some idea.
As an aside: I found it necessary to put drops of nail polish on f and j so that I could locate these keys without looking. Otherwise I kept shifting away from home position.

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AwesomeTom

Feb 9, 2016

musashiaharonYou'll get used to it, just focus on accuracy and you'll get there. Using the correct fingers is a must. I played about 20 minutes of Typing Of The Dead each day for a week, and it really makes a difference. Even though the first two days you will die over and over :P
One of the things that helped me a lot, was putting in upside down Numpad Enter (DCS) keycaps into the thumb cluster instead of the ones the ergodox comes with. I found using the DSA keycaps almost impossible also, since I wasn't able to feel around. Like you said, putting in some kind of texture or bump for the F and J will make a world for difference.
I do a bit of work in Visual Studio, and this layout has been working well for me so far https://keyboard-configurator.massdrop.com/ext/ergodox/?referer=23SKAZ&hash=49f687b0ea4ef64345ed77051da4c1cd however it's evolving weekly haha. But I think it is close to perfect for me. (I can mash Home and End with my palms fairly easily)
Also I've found using upside down Numpad 6 and Numpad 4 keys work really well in the lowest inner most corners of the thumb clusters too, as it allows the one thumb to hit CTRL + Alt at once, making it handy for things like photoshop undo etc.

Iaeen

277

Feb 9, 2016

The ortholinear arrangement isn't that big of a deal. Sometimes I don't even notice the switch. Sometimes I really notice the awkwardness of the left hand stagger. In either case, it's not much of a detriment to typing.
The key mapping differences are a bit more difficult. At first moving some of the keys to the thumb cluster was a bit confusing, but I got used to that. Now I've become so used to having keys mapped to layers that using a traditional keyboard feels like a handicap.
Buying this keyboard has all the same considerations as switching to a non-qwerty layout. If you use shared computers frequently and it's not practical to use your own keyboard all the time, you'll want to think hard about how you adapt to different layouts.

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ieure

Feb 9, 2016

I've been using a classic Ergodox at my work (full-time M-F) for almost two years, and it's been really great. It took a couple weeks to adapt, but has been smooth sailing ever since. I usually use the normal keyboard on my Mac laptop at home in the evening, and I don't have an issue switching back and forth.
It takes some dedication to get over the hump; you're re-learning how to type. The long-term benefits outweigh the temporary discomfort of adjusting.

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ieure

Feb 9, 2016

musashiaharonIt's a programmable keyboard, put space wherever you want it. If having space on the left side doesn't work for typing, make a new layer for gaming.

chrismetcalf

Feb 9, 2016

Not an Ergodox user, but I did design and build my own board with a custom staggered layout (https://imgur.com/a/kwjH8). Maybe my brain is less elastic than others, but now that I've been typing on my custom board for a couple of months, I find it hard to re-wire my brain when its time to switch back to another board. I turn into a bumbling idiot when I try and type on my Massdrop Infinity, for example. For some reason, I'm still OK-ish on my MBP's chicklet keyboard, but my WPM definitely drops.
My solution: Build another custom keyboard so I can have one at home and one at the office.

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AwesomeTom

Feb 9, 2016

I had to consciously concentrate on my typing accuracy for about a week. (especially since on a regular keyboard I could get away with using the wrong fingers). It's been over a month since I've had it (the non infinity ergodox). I love typing on it so much I joined the drop for this one. My typing speed is somewhere between 70 and 80 depending on which website I use to test it. I honestly never tried a typing speed test when I was typing on normal keyboards, so I can't say whether I'm faster or slower. But it does feel faster now. It's definitely more comfortable. I feel like a wizard casting spells, instead of a man contorting my hands, wrists and elbows. I also find I don't make as many mistakes, and I think that's due to ortholinear key layout.
I've said this previously, but I think it's really important to get the most out of any ergodox, and that is to use 4x upside down Numpad Enter keycaps for the thumb cluster, it makes a world of difference for comfort. Your thumbs just sit nicely in them.

SamPittman

Feb 10, 2016

AwesomeTom"use 4x upside down Numpad Enter keycaps for the thumb cluster"
What kind of keys do you have on your ergodox?
I don't yet have an ergodox, but I was thinking that maybe DCS keycaps would already have the thumb keys with a good configuration.

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AwesomeTom

Feb 10, 2016

SamPittmanI'm using a regular 104 set of Ducky doubleshot backlit keycap set that are DCS. I'm still waiting for a few bits and pieces, but numpad enter has been the most comfortable for me. Going by the screenshots it looks like the DCS keycaps that come on this drop and other kits are a little bit tall more like the big Numpad + and in worst cases they are the horizontal style, instead of vertical which feels very strange for my thumbs.

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SamPittman

Feb 11, 2016

AwesomeTomInteresting. So DCS Numpad Enter is different than the default DCS thumbs for the ergodox. I'll have to keep an eye on that, when I get into an egodox drop. Thanks.

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AwesomeTom

Feb 11, 2016

SamPittmanI'm not certain what comes in the kit, but the photos here show the big 2x space thumb cluster kecaps as the DCS backspace keys or similar (either way they have a horizontal cylinder profile, instead of vertical).