Planck Keyboard
Planck keyboard is a Do-It-Yourself keyboard. It came out around 2016.
This is the fastest keyboard to get Repetitive Strain Injury.
Total key count: 47.
by chyrosran22
Use as Steno with Plover
The Plover project, is a project that uses normal computer keyboard as steno machine. (steno machine is a specially designed chorded keyboard for fast typing used in court for transcription of speech.) And the planck keyboard seems to be chosen as one of the keyboard to use for Plover.
Problems of Planck
The Planck has lots problems. It's a keyboard lots dweebs on reddit love. It annoys me to no ends. Where to begin?
First, it has only 47 keys. Too few. Everytime you need to type a number, or punctuation, or and math + * = symbols, e.g. 2018-05-03 or 2 x^3 + x = 9 , you need to hold a modifier key. Meaning, if you write lots of math, or programing () [] {}, this keyboard is hell.
Also, it'd be impractical to use planck for Chinese, Japanese, Russian, etc. Because, for example, in Chinese, you need to press a digit key every 3 or 4 keystrokes.
- Chinese Input Methods
- Japanese Keyboard Layouts
- Russian Keyboard Layout
- French Keyboard Layouts
- German Keyboard Layouts
There's no tenting. You get wrist pronation problem.
[see Is Keyboard Tenting Important (Wrist Pronation)]
You also get ulnar deviation.
O, and, no arrow keys. You can't play pacman while eating pizza.
If you don't really type that much (but you think you do), that's no problem.
[see How Many Words Do You Type a Day?]
A good fix to the planck is to add 1 more row, 2 more columns and 2 columns of gap, or just add 4 more columns. And if the price is still low, this keyboard would be great. Even no tenting still, you don't have ulnar deviation problem anymore because your hands will be placed wide apart, and becomes usable for foreign language or math.
[see Keyboard Design Flaws]
Xah Talk Show 2019-11-17
Preonic Keyboard
Apparently, there's Planck with more keys.
What About as Steno with Plover
It sucks.
I think Plover is a bad concept.
The very concept, of using a computer keyboard as steno machine, is a bad one. It's a fast way to get Repetitive Strain Injury.
Because, Steno machine keys, are not like computer keyboard keys. Steno has large keys, each steno key has a area that's some 5 times larger than computer keyboard key, And, steno is designed so that you can easily press hold multiple keys down, but computer keyboard keys are not.
Using planck plover as steno, is like, using fork as knife, you get forknife. See your doctor about mouth cut.
If you go to the trouble of actually learning steno, as a way to improve typing speed and or ergonomics, then, i think a design with far greater potential, and greater versatility, and economic viability, is piano keyboard.
Where to Buy
You can buy the kit at http://olkb.com/planck/