Ergonomic Keyboards with Online Layout Configuration for Current Models.
From ThinkPad to ThumbsUp: a long way to comfortable and less painful typing.
Some years ago I got a crippling pain in my wrists and fingers. I consumed pounds of pain killers and used hundreds of yards if not miles of wrapping tape.
I went through dozens of boards looking if not for a cure but for some relief.
None of the readily available keyboards met my needs.
I had to design and build my own devices.
Four+ years of experiments resulted in this series of ThumbsUp! boards.
In the end the best combination was found: halves rotated to bring the keys closer to the natural hand and finger positions to minimize the movements, the lightest early-activated switches to reduce the strain, a simple yet efficient key map with layers optimized for working with texts and programs.
Most of the interim designs are shown here: https://thumbsupkeyboards.blogspot.com/2024/10/thumbsup-design-history.html
Most if not all 3D-printable models are here: https://www.thingiverse.com/ak666666/designs
Some of the keyboard design projects (KiCAD, Gerbers, etc.) are available here: https://github.com/ak66666?tab=repositories
In the end I got v9, v10 and v11 with the trackball v4/v5 as my daily drivers - for my work desk and the tinkering/other-than-work-table use.
For manuals and instructions see my other posts: https://thumbsupkeyboards.blogspot.com/
