Reposting this on what is probablty the correct community, which I didn’t know actually existed on Lemmy until five minutes ago …
I’m humming and hawing over which split 36-key or thereabouts keyboard to get, either pre-soldered or as a kit to do the soldering myself (which would be an adventure because it has been a minute).
I’m pretty sure I want five columns not six, because I don’t see the point of giving my pinky extra work. I’m not sure about giving my thumb two or three keys for layers. Three keys would probably give me more options but I don’t want to get all layered out, you know?
Any thoughts on that? I know there is huge potential for going down the rabbithole here but assuming I get one keyboard, would I be better getting more rather than less - six columns - to play with layouts and layers? Or just go with my gut and get 5x3+2 right at the start?
PS: Does anybody know if Beekeebs 36-key Piantor case fit the 36-key PCB snugly? Or is it just the 42-key case with a big gap where the extra PCB has been broken off?
Do you have a programmable keyboard right now? If so you can put a 36 key keymap on it and try it out, or at least certain elements of one.
A big difference between a 5-col vs 6-col is that 5 will require homerow mods or some riff thereof. If you can put homerow mods on your current keyboard, even without changing anything else, and use them for a week or two to see if they agree with you, then you’ll know for sure whether the 5 col is the right choice. That’s what I did, then made a Fifi
Yeah I think I am more comfortable with the idea of homerow mods than I am with having mods stuck put beyond my pinky. If I end up combining common clusters of keypresses (like ctrl-c and ctrl-v) as well as my Vim leader stuff in an easy-to-access layer then the homerow mods will only really be for edge cases.
I’m on a 5col Corne. Love it. But my daily driver computing device is an iPad, and sometimes a MacBook, and I don’t game on either. I have four layers, and I don’t use function keys. I’ve got a bit of duplication between a couple of layers that I could probably refine, but it works for me. Having three keys for layers also works well for me.
Not all Corne kits offer the snap-off outer column these days, so be aware if you head down that road.
I have the Piantor 36 key and the case fits snugly. I got it as my first split ergo and it’s good, although ofc I have nothing to compare it to.
I got a lily58 as my first split and I regret the lack of pinky stagger. So my personal recommendation is to look for something with a decent pinky stagger if that’s something that interests you.
https://compare.splitkb.com/ This link can also help with determining which keyboard would be good for you. It doesn’t have everything but it can get you going in the right direction.
I’m getting a chocofi soon to replace my lily but I have no idea how I’ll like it for now.
As for the extra column I would do what the other commenter suggested and try to customize a layout down to either size to see what you like/are comfortable with. Worst case you go safe and do a 6 column and later ignore the extra keys.
Hope you end up with something you like:)
I’ve been using a Corne for a while now, and I find it very comfortable and efficient to use.
If you don’t mind soldering and assembling your own kits, you could try a Corne kit. Most Corne PCBs seem to have a 6th col you can snap off. So you could try get a kit with one of those, try the 6 col, and if you don’t need that extra column, simply snap it off and re-flash the board for a 5col Corne.
