Keyboard Builders' Digest / Projects
One-handed Mist
The Mist by defiant00 is a one-handed, mirrored keyboard with an own firmware and chording layout.
Published January 16, 2022
The name MIST comes from the board's primary design goals: MIrrored and STaggered – and German speaking folks were apparently not consulted before the naming. :D
Anyway, Mist is a one-handed symmetrical and columnar keyboard, with mirrored thumb keys providing 17 usable keys for either hand. It was designed for anyone needing to type with one hand, or those wanting a staggered one-handed macropad that can be used with either hand.
The keyboard is built around an Adafruit Feather RP2040 and CircuitPython. It has choc spacing and slightly further thumbs compared to the Ferris Sweep to reduce thumb tuck.
Mist exists because accessibility should be more accessible. Commercial one-handed keyboards can be prohibitively expensive, and there are very few open source keyboards designed specifically for one-handed use. Through this and the purple firmware/layout project we hope to provide another option – defiant00.
Speaking of firmware and layout, the author is currently using it with purple his own custom firmware (and both Artsey) and Soar, his own attempt at a one-handed layout.
Purple is a CircuitPython firmware for one-handed chording keyboards based on the KB2040 and other RP2040-based boards from adafruit.
Files in the repos:
- Mist – the keyboard/macropad
- purple – the CircuitPython chording firmware
- Soar – the one-handed chorded keyboard layout
Btw, this is the first PCB defiant00 has ever designed.
Published on Sun 16th Jan 2022. Featured in KBD #61 (source).
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