What we are building
Metamech makes ergonomic mechanical keyboards. This is the first post on the build log, so it starts with the obvious question: what are we building?
The short answer: a wireless, low-profile, one-piece split keyboard for the Mac, whose designs we will publish. The rest of this post takes those words one at a time, and says which parts are decided and which are not.
Wireless, without the usual split-keyboard compromise
This is the part we care about most. The keyboard connects over Bluetooth to a Mac, iPad or iPhone, with no dongle. Plug in a USB-C cable and it works wired too.
Many wireless split keyboards are two separate halves, each with its own battery, talking to each other over radio. Ours is a split on one board. The two halves sit on a single case, so there is one battery to charge, one radio link to your computer, and one thing to put in a bag. Nothing to pair between the halves, and no cable across your desk.
Ergonomic
Each half is angled 10 degrees and spread apart, so your hands sit at shoulder width instead of turning in toward a single row of keys.
The keys are column-staggered: each column sits where that finger naturally lands. The stagger is not final. We will print test shells, type on them, and only then freeze it. We also plan to try a row-staggered shell for comparison, because we would rather find out than assume.
It uses Kailh Choc v2 low-profile switches, so the whole board sits lower on the desk than a typical mechanical keyboard.
Mac-first
Control, Option and Command are on both hands, so a shortcut never needs a one-handed stretch. There is a Globe key. A small display in the center shows which layer you are on and what the keyboard is connected to.
The main way to configure it, and to update it, is a native Mac app. A web configurator is the second option, and the keyboard has a Windows mode for when you need one.
Open, and fixable
We will publish the firmware, the configurators, the protocol the keyboard speaks, the keymap file format and the case CAD, each under an open licence we have already chosen. Most keyboard makers stop at the firmware. A later post covers the licences, and the reasons for them, in detail.
Open matters because it is what lets you keep the keyboard working on your own terms. Your layouts live in a documented file you can open in a text editor. The configurator runs offline, and you will be able to host it yourself. If a firmware update ever goes wrong, the keyboard can always be returned to working firmware over USB, with or without our app.
How far hardware repair goes, such as which parts you can replace at home, depends on design decisions we have not made yet. We will write those up as we make them.
Where it stands
The keyboard is in development. We are building prototypes and testing them by hand. Next come typing tests on printed shells, a physical sample of the case, and radio range tests in the finished enclosure.
We will not announce a date until we have built real parts and know how long each one takes. If you want to hear when there is news, the keyboard page has a sign-up.