Lingo Splix Board

A brand new deeply ergonomic slim keyboard - HW & SW

Features

1. Slim low-profile design
2. Split into 2 halfs for outstanding ergonomy
3. Portable - easily foldable
4. USB connection - use it anywhere
5. Modern look - please your heart
6. Open Source - never be dependent

Progress

Done

• design animation
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVa64frZOLY
• design sketch
  • LSB sketch 201507181700
  • LSB sketch 201507181701
  • LSB sketch 201602232051
  • LSB sketch 201602232052
  • LSB sketch 201602232053
  • LSB sketch 201602252030
  • LSB sketch 201803212113 with a cut
  • LSB sketch 201803212113 mirrored with a cut
• sump sketch
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU6nasYpbfk
  • sump sketch left 201602252030
• sump 3D print
  • sump left 201604081601
  • sump left 201604081603
• PCB circuit scheme
  • PCB left 20150720170901
  • PCB left 20150720170926
  • PCB left 20160213212414
  • PCB left 20160228174205
  • PCB left 20160228174213
  • PCB left 201604212151
  • PCB left 201604212153
  • PCB left 201604212154

TODO

• contact P. Jakoubek, D. Kolibáč, and L. Hejkal regarding the plastic parts of scissor switches (injection moulding into a steel/aluminium mold?)
• choose a better fitting HW license (similar to MIT and CC BY-SA 4.0, but with a notion about HW patents in a way, that anyone using this or derived work can't be sued)
• investigate double-trackpoint/point_stick placement - (un)mountable?, each half it's own and fixed?, 90°-rotated thumb micro-switches on the side?
• marketing (Student Agency - no place for keyboard; ...)
• add numeric keyboard to be successful on market

Remarks

• use ATmega128A (QFP-64) or ATmega64A (TQFP-64)
• wrong fuse calculation might temporarily "brick" an Atmel uC (see Engbedded Atmel AVR Fuse Calculator)
• TWI (Two Wire Interface) on Atmel is I2C
• SW USB circuit https://metalab.at/wiki/Metaboard
• 1-wire design guide PDF
• silicon rubber keys are for sale (http://sk.quad-ind.com/silikonove-klavesnice/ , http://www.unipad.cz/index.php/cs/silikonove-klavesnice)
• high-quality plastic manufacturing is affordable (price, time, quality) e.g. at http://www.shapeways.com/ (USA & Europe factories)
• for 3D printing use the most high quality PLA available (see the arm-netbook mailing list at phcomp.co.uk): Faberdashery

Links for inspiration

• similar keyboard, but done in a megalomaniac way: http://www.key64.org/
• similar keyboard, but done in a yet more megalomaniac way: http://www.keyboard.io/
• similar keyboard, with high switches, but using the same design process as we did (it's unbelievable their design is from 2013, our from 2008, but we didn't share anything 😮): http://habrahabr.ru/post/177347/
• similar keyboard, but older and from Japan (it's interesting as our design was done completely independently and we discovered this Japan keyboard first in 2020): http://xahlee.info/kbd/Japan_keyboard_layouts.html (look for jp keyboard layout jis x6004 60014)
• ZX81 USB kbd: http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2012/02/arduino-based-zx81-usb-keyboard.html
• IBM model M with USB: http://www.schatenseite.de/dulcimer.html?L=2
• IBM model M with USB: http://mg8.org/rump/
• Commodore 64 (C64) USB kbd: http://symlink.dk/projects/c64key/
• Mini Keyboard with Trackpoint: http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:4917&do=comments&page=83
• 3D printed keyboard: http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/katy-keyboard-or-k80cs-key80-contoured-split-t8524.html
• Apple keyboard mod to NKRO + teensy: http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1067
• SW USB implementation: http://www.obdev.at/products/vusb/index.html
• HW keyboard matrix explained in detail: http://blog.komar.be/how-to-make-a-keyboard-the-matrix/
• how to remove the old yellowish tint: http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/
• TrackPoint history: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9437780
• TrackPoint creator's collection of human interface devices: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/bibuxton/buxtoncollection/default.aspx
• TrackPoint creator's notes about TrackPoint: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/bibuxton/buxtoncollection/detail.aspx?id=60
• round plastic circles for index fingers mimicking a gliding TrackPoint

Wishlist features

• selection from different variants (perhaps configurable)
  • Standard (full-featured big keyboard for power users)
  • Standard Wireless
  • Mini (cut-down version for portability and presentation)
  • Mini Wireless
• both halfs
  • wired (wire spool)
  • wireless (working with Android out of the box)
    • Mini ZigBee / CC2530 Module; HC-06 Arduino Bluetooh Bee; XBee; Bluetooh Bee HC-05 Wireless Bluetooth; Geeetech XBee 2mW Wire Antenna
    • HID for Bluetooth dongles in USB: http://anselm.hoffmeister.be/computer/hidclient/index.html.en
• fixture/handle/hinge to fix both halfs together in a space-saving manner
• backlit
• backlight (adjustable)
• anti-slippery stands (perhaps sucking disks)
• maybe water-proof

Contributors

• Jiri Pacner (HW design)
• Itchy (HW design feedback)
• Pavel Pacner (3D models, media)
• Jan Pacner (initial idea, initial design, SW)
• You (you're more than welcome to join us!)

Licensing

The following licenses apply if not stated otherwise:

• The SW part is under MIT (see sw/LICENSE).
• The HW part is under CC BY-SA 4.0 (see hw/LICENSE).
• The rest is under CC BY-SA 4.0 (see design/LICENSE).