Now I have an earworm to the tune of Cypress Hill’s “Insane in the brain” except with the words: “Disdain for the membrane”
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The best option to fit bigger components with the Framework would be to have a kit to make it seamlessly integrate into a Pelican case or something.
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That might be one solution, although not really elegant. If that is really the best we can muster, then the time has come to admit that bespoke input - and “mechanical keyboards” lie outside the “guardrails” of permitted Framework modification.
For the time being my ultra-thin laptop coupled with an Atreus remains serviceable for typing on the go. It is hard to countenance going back to a staggered row keeb now.
Arstechnica is reporting on a scratch-built replica of a vintage GRiD Compass laptop (no, I’ve never heard of it either). It uses Framework internals and has (yay!) low profile mechanical keyboard like the Reform.
Whilst more of a novelty rather than an everyday proposition, here is proof it is possible to design and build an alternative laptop chassis to house the FW motherboard.
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so i’m surprised this didn’t get backlinked here, but over in one of the keyboard transplant threads i saw this: Thinkpad keyboard mod (super early stages)! - #45 by C_Scott_Ananian
and looking at the internals it seems an awful lot like it’ll be a lot easier to adjust the hinge offset on the fw16 than it was on the fw13.
of course i don’t think anyone here in this thread has gotten close to their fw16 order shipping yet, or there would be more traffic.
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Yup…I’m batch 12, so very eagerly awaiting news of the next few batches so we can get an idea of, maybe, what the rate is and how long it might be for me to get my “getting ready to charge” email.
same, haunting the single digit guilds, lamenting my batch 15 placement.
That’s so awesome.
Imagine if somebody actually built a split ergonomic keyboard that has batteries and ZMK with bluetooth, so you can take it out and use it wirelessly. That’d be so damn awesome and also actually possible. In docked mode it’d lock in and be connected with some pogo pins and charge the battery.
I don’t really know what the exact restrictions are wrt positioning of the input modules, but with a 3x5 layout and a small thumb cluster each there should be a decent gap in the center of the laptop, where you could put something useful. As the hinges need to modified for extra height anyways, you may be able to fit something like a 5" (touch) display.
Yeah that’s definitely the input module of my dreams, lol
Edit: small grammar fix
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my goal is to eventually commission stuff for an 18mm pitch keyboard to go into the fw16. provided i can find someone willing to do that for an approachable amount of money. (i.e. not thousands of $)
hopefully thre’s a hobbyist who will find that interesting enough to be worth some trouble
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I know you wanted a full featured one, but the small (through necessity) keeb on the Pocket Reform has a pitch at least that small. Like the original Reform it uses the so-called Choc switch.
Perhaps the same switches and keycaps could be used to build a bigger form factor to fit the full size reform? I think ortholinear will probably be the way to go, because there will not be the oblong keys account for staggered rows in the traditional keyboard.
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I’d love to have mechanical ULP switches in my FW16!! But only if it’s realistic and doesn’t require a massive overhaul. I’d literally throw money without second thoughts or regrets for that. I’ve spent $100-$200 for mechanical keyboards in the past without batting an eye. I love my Wooting.
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I’m just hoping for an ortholinear keyboard in any form, hopefully with at least 3 thumb keys per hand. I suspect I can adapt to anything else – I have a weird enough layout that I use for laptop keyboards already!
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Well this thread speculates on a deeper chassis for the Framework, so it would require a donor machine for parts or ordering the internals separately. As a small scale enthusiast-led thing it might also be cruder than the factory part.
On the other hand, if it proved popular then Framework may well choose to bring the feature in house.
Is a deeper chassis really necessary? Why not a deeper slightly thicker screen frame with the screen slightly recessed?
Fixes screen flex, and theoretically is less work.
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the lid containing the screen is part of the chassis. note some of the speculation involves adjusting how the screen sits relative the input deck.
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I mean, the solution being talked about requires modification to the hinges at minimum, at that point just changing the whole lid isnt really getting any deeper in work
Shimming the hinges could be very easy. If it works / is stable enough. Then you just need a 3d printed hinge cover and a bezel with a lip. Looks like we only need 0.5mm extra to fit Cherry ULP switches, if you save space with a polyimide PCB.
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It is difficult to articulate why, but I find something about having to jack up the hinges to accommodate any prospect of a hand-built keyboard leaves a sour taste. This is my area of interest and makes me think the benefits of Framework to creators and customisers have been oversold.
Maybe there was a problem in expectation management here, and that Framework should have made more distinction between the - very laudable - goal of offering ease of repair and availability of spare parts, and that of being a “customisable” machine. The documentation and CAD files for the various components are unarguably a good thing, but the implication is that is so they may be (re)used in other projects, not so that makers can actually fabricate compatible parts for their FW laptops.
You can always spend a fortune on milling a custom case AFTER you got your custom keyboard working with shimmed hinges if the sour taste remains.
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Why is the implication not to fabricate compatible parts?
No I understand if you don’t want to have custom parts or shims or the like. Personal choice. But part of the idea of Framework is users to be able to both repair, and customize their machine. And customization includes modifying/shimming/etc.
Now is it ideal? No. Would it have been nice if Framework added a few millimeters to leave us space for custom keyboard modules with low-profile mechanical keys? Yes.
But I don’t see why it’s a bad thing.
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