I've made the 0.1 design available to the public now.
Ive been using it for a few weeks myself and its quite nice to use, particularly with the aluminium chassis (the GitHub repo has FDM and CNC designs).
In any case, for those curious the GitHub is here: https://github.com/MickiusMousius/RolioKeyboard
I am working on the V1.0 model, PCB's should arrive in a few days. I think the V1.0 release should be good enough for others to make. The current model is nice, but there are a lot of improvements in the pipeline particularly regarding aesthetics.
V1.0 sample below:
It’s extra key presses hundreds or thousands of times a day ( I work with numbers). I also need a 10 key, but a separate 10 key is fine. I’ve been eyeing one of the ergonomic keyboards with the trackball because the central trackball would cut my hand movement by 50% (estimated).
This one does have a “math mode”, if the numbers layer key is double tapped it locks in the numbers and other “maths buttons” until the numbers layer key is tapped again.
Next I’d like to make a macro pad that has a ten key mode for “home use” with some big rotary encoders that matches the style of the Rolio (to be called Twistio).
That said, I am tempted to make a split with a number row (Rolio Max?). If I do that then there will be enough room for a 5 way stick below the roller encoder, I couldn’t fit that in this one. But this would be more for “fun” as I quite like the Corne after having used both the Sofle and Corne.
That said, it’ll need to be much later this year, I have a CNC machine on order. I’d not want to prototype something like this again without a CNC machine of my own. The process is a bit expensive, the controllers and displays are a bit pricey too IMO (though still good value given what goes into making them).
The “math mode” Is cool, but the Max sounds better for a mix of let’ letters and numbers. I saw a one-piece board on here with a central trackball that looked almost perfect but I really like the idea of a split because I’ve got wide shoulders so the angle of most ergo boards is still not enough to make them perfectly comfortable for me. A split with a trackball on one side and a scroll wheel on the other? That could be perfection.