deskthority

Just announced...

http://matias.ca/ergopro

http://matias.ca/ergopro/pr

Let me know if there are any questions.

Actually,really nice
unfortunally if it columnar/sym stagg at least, i think so

How do you connect both halves to the PC? Does each run to the PC, or do you connect one to the PC and then wire them to each other?

EDIT: Duh, I should learn to read.

Bridge Cable
1 foot (30 cm)

All in all it looks like an interesting keyboard!

Neat!

Matias, was there a reason to go with standard staggering rather than mirrored staggering? Familiarity? Transitioning?

(mirrored would be something like a uTron).

Good question about a promising keyboard. Symmetric stagger feels right but could put people off as it looks wrong. Versus vice versa.

Matias Ergo Pro:


µTRON:


I know talking about unannounced products is off the table, but I do wonder when and how wireless functionality could be brought to a split ergo keyboard. Bluetooth controller in one half and a separate low power wireless connection between the two?

Excuse me gentlemen...

Real nice! Most interesting new product from CES so far.

I think it would take me a while to get used to the right Alt key being so far left, but Microsoft users would feel right at home.
I see that the 6 key is on the right half-keyboard, opposite to where Microsoft, Goldtouch and Kinesis (Freestyle, Maxim) has it. Notice also where the right Ctrl key is ..

Edit: Added to Wiki.

And a new switch named quiet click? Are those half hight keys also using the same switches?
In any way, it's looking really good!

Quiet click? Could this be the clicky Matias switch with the tactile version's damping that we've been pining for?

Yes, I most certainly think it is.
http://matias.ca/switches/quiet/

Edit: nothing like a bit of Cherry bashing, eh?

Great link. I see they are available to order aleady! (7bit…?) And they say the stem is grey colour for these guys. Wonder how well they'd go in an M0110.

But this is interesting if you read between the lines:

More tactile than Cherry.
For proper tactile feedback, you need a click leaf in the switch, or an equivalent mechanism. Cherry switches lack this. They are a linear design which is, by definition, NOT tactile. For users who like linear switches, Cherry are the best, but they are NOT tactile.

Don't expect Matias linears…

Matias or Thorpe
i've tried grey's but no match to me

MX greys are weight training for your fingers!

Muirium wrote:MX greys are weight training for your fingers!

no tactile feel bad i tried,I change the spring to 45/60g same
i think cherry best for linear then intrested blues.....

Damn.

Matias certainly knows how to get shit done.

Interesting that they're playing with reduced pitch. They're down to around 14.2 mm vertical pitch for the smaller keys! (Still 19 or 19.05 horizontal, though.)

not interested but I'm glad it exists

Oh now this just got even more interesting.

From the Secure Pro thread on Geekhack:

Matias wrote:The 60% wll come next. We're planning to use the same arrow key + nav cluster as the Ergo Pro, giving you a 60% keyboard with full nav key support -- as I hinted weeks ago, a no compromises 60% layout.

That does mean that it's most likely a 15 x 5.5 U layout, so taller than a normal 60% by about 9.5 mm.

I must say, I wasn't expecting them to push Alps quite THAT far in narrow pitch, even if it's only vertically. (Also, my postulating that 16.75 mm pitch Alps was possible is only in the vertical direction (and Matias just went further than that), or if the switches are sideways, only in the horizontal direction. The switches are a lot wider than I was thinking. 18 mm is definitely doable though.)

It's great to see another two-piece mechanical keyboard on the market (the other being the microTron).

The lack of symmetry in the design is something that throws me off. I thought that I did not care about aesthetics, but it seems that I do. Maybe I'm finally developing a finer taste.

Yeah the design is more like the Kinesis Freestyle than μΤron, it's unfortunate but it's a first step to a fully ergonomic keyboard. Thanks Matias for the effort !

The effort is very much appreciated, it's been a while since we've been treated to a mechanical ergo.

Non-standard key caps sizes are bad. Should there ever be an Alps key caps group buy, it will not include those tiny key caps.


Also, normal key caps on those moster-key postions (bottom row) will look wrong.

Muirium wrote:

More tactile than Cherry.
For proper tactile feedback, you need a click leaf in the switch, or an equivalent mechanism. Cherry switches lack this. They are a linear design which is, by definition, NOT tactile. For users who like linear switches, Cherry are the best, but they are NOT tactile.

Huh? Some Cherry MX variants are surely tactile. What is he on about? Is he referring to the MX Brown not being tactile enough? I could agree with that, but MX Clears and Blues are tactile enough. The tactile point is located different in the stroke, but they are still tactile.

Yeah, that's downright false. And blues and greens even have a dedicated part for adding tactility and clickiness.

Muirium wrote:Great link. I see they are available to order aleady! (7bit…?) And they say the stem is grey colour for these guys. Wonder how well they'd go in an M0110.

But this is interesting if you read between the lines:

More tactile than Cherry.
For proper tactile feedback, you need a click leaf in the switch, or an equivalent mechanism. Cherry switches lack this. They are a linear design which is, by definition, NOT tactile. For users who like linear switches, Cherry are the best, but they are NOT tactile.

Don't expect Matias linears…

Bahahaha, Cherry the best for linears, bahahaha.

Excluding some truly awful linears, I'd say they are pretty mediocre linears (this includes all Cherry linear variants, old and new).
The slider design itself, while better than some of the earlier Cherry switches is still pretty crap. Too much friction.

Nice to see a split keyboard with mechanical switches, and it's also good to see so much product news from Matias.

But why o why did they stick to the stupid standard staggering. IMO, the most important non-ergonomic feature of ordinary keyboards is exactly this staggering.

Because the people at GH and DT are not like regular consumers. Standard staggering -> more sales.

BTW, from the Cherry reveals new MX switch! thread

Matias wrote:Nice to see that Cherry is paying attention to what others are doing.

We have a pretty big announcement coming next month. I think they'll have a harder time copying this one.

You know, now that actually makes sense.

The .75 U tall keys are, AFAIK, impossible on Cherry MX.