Think Tank: 40% ISO Keyboard

[plasticchair]

Hello everyone!

You've probably all seen the 40% keyboard which JDCarpe from Geekhack made(worklog, photos).

Since it's mostly viabable for ANSI users, I'd like to talk about ways to do something similar but with ISO users in mind which means it should support Umlauts and other additional keys.

I created a simple draft of what a 40% ISO keyboard could look like but since I neither have the time, nor all knowledge to create it by myself, I started this thread for others to share and discuss their ideas.
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Here's what my draft looks like:


+ Non-staggered (ortho-linear) key-layout
+ HHKB-styled case (2 bottom row mods could be removed to further resemble the HHKB)
- Except for the spacebar, all keys have 1 key width (quite a readjustment)
- Spacebar should be 6 keys, modifiers 1 key wide for symmetrical reasons

I'd appreciate any feedback and would love to see a discussion that would, in the end, result in a keyboard made by the community.

-plasticchair

[Grond]

No numbers row? I think this is a bit too (actually too less) for me!

[ماء]

Simply nice
matrix/ortho linear is no staggering,it seems

[Vierax]

From my experience with a matrix layout, it's not suitable in a small one piece keyboard, a symmetric staggering is more comfortable. But the advantage is that you can make it easily with any programmable POS keyboard as Access or Tipro.
For the keycaps, you may want to use 1.25 modifier keys and a 6.25 space bar or simply cut this long bar to add some other keys under thumbs and improve accessibility for such keys as Escape or Backspace. It's hard to find all of those nonstandard 1 unit keys outside 7bit GB : if you want something less high than SA profile it's "Mission: Impossible" with legended caps but you must be aware of that.

[Muirium]

Vierax has a great point: get your hands on a Tipro (or some similar point of sale keyboard) and try this layout out. Ortholinear grids are fundamentally different to type on than staggered keyboards. You really want to try it before committing.

Meanwhile, I'm all in favour of 40% minimalism. Shrink that spacebar and you're on to something! (Round 5 has 3 and 4 unit space bars, as well as a full set of single unit mods. Which you know of course!)