We reviewed Murasaki ‘s prototype “Akasha Amrita,” a split keyboard using the Lotus sequence.
Here is a brief summary.
Representative of GreenEchoes Studio
He launched his own media as a site operator and web writer, and now plans and manages multiple corporate media. He often types heavily in his work, and in his search for greater efficiency, he became addicted to the keyboard swamp and established “GreenKeys”.
Top plate processing and painting
The original Akasha Amrita has a black body.
The black top plate, gold logo, and purple key switches combine to create a keyboard with a very noble impression.
This time, since it was offered to us, we decided to go with “pure white” to discover a new side of Akasha.
First, mask the top plate with white film.
Then I tried to spray paint it white…
Unexpectedly, the newly adopted “thin putty spray” matte finish turned out to be quite good, so we decided to adopt the base color without painting.
KawamuraNo, really, this putty has a nice color.
Assembly – Machining
Please refer to Mr. Murasaki’s build manual for assembly instructions.
In my environment, the Type-C cable I had was too thick to stick, so I modified it.
KawamuraShocked to notice after painting.
complete drawing
It’s already the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
Click here to see a typing video.
We fell in love with this design and were provided with a prototype board.
I thought I had exhausted column-staggered split keyboards, but Akahsa opened my eyes to a whole new world.
From the following, I will tell you the secret of the ease of typing Lotus array that I felt and my personal “If it were more like this…”.
Consideration of the ease of typing Lotus sequences
We will start by reviewing the Lotus array definition.
What is Lotus Array?
The Lotus sequence was conceived based on the Willow sequence.
https://note.com/akasha_min/n/n57049e27d452
When you place your hand on the keyboard, if you place the center of gravity on the thumb side (twist your hand inward) and move your fingers up and down, the finger movements will be similar to those of the Willow layout, but if you place the center of gravity on the little finger side (twist your hand outward) and move your fingers up and down, the finger movements will be unique to the Lotus layout.
The Lotus sequence was created by focusing on this change in finger movement.
This time, we did not want to include any preconceptions, so we dared to type without reading this explanation and posted it as it is in the video.
Additional information about the arrangement and typing method by the producer
The Lotus layout seems to be more suited to the extended finger position as shown in the image below.
On the other hand, the Willow arrangement was said by the producer to be more suited to those who bend their fingers to type, as in thrusting.
KawamuraI have found that I tend to type with my fingers bent, probably because a palm rest is a must.
In the future, I would like to practice the method of typing with fingers extended.
This is a very deep world we are talking about!
Advantage of 8 degree tent angle.
We found that the tilting angle was designed to “make the user aware of typing with the center of gravity on the little finger.
In this way, support is naturally provided on the little finger side (the tip of the ulna since in most cases a wrist rest is used).
This allows for more dynamic movement of both index fingers, which are the defensive fingers in touch typing.
Perhaps because of this, the fingers feel very open compared to a regular column-staggered keyboard.
This may contribute to the ease of typing.
Requests for “more like this…” that I felt.
It was provided to us as a prototype, but when we asked the author about it, he said he wanted to make it better…
I would like to write a few words of my own “I wish it were better like this! I would like to write a few words about “what I would like to do better!
Key pitch could be a little narrower.
We compared it to Corne V4, which we use on a daily basis.
As for V4, the key pitch has been slightly widened from V3 and modified to the common 19.05mm spacing.
While using Akahsa, I thought the keys were a bit far from each other, so I measured the actual key pitch and found that the key pitch is 1mm wider than corne.
Considering the center key as the standard, the further you go to the edge, the more horizontal it becomes.
Since the Lotus layout has the center of gravity on the pinky side, we thought that narrowing the key pitch would make it easier to type with less distance traveled by the index finger.
KawamuraFor me personally, I can use either a QAZ layout (one-handed 5 x 3) keyboard or a regular 6 x 3 keyboard, but this time I am using 5 x 3 with a key switch blocker.
This was due to the large distance traveled by the index finger, which resulted in more mistouches on the center key.
KawamuraBecause the center of gravity is on the little finger, it was less traveled if it was shifted to the center by one key.
Also, as I will explain later, the keys at the base of the little finger, which is the advantage of the Lotus layout, were always in contact with each other when I typed, so I blocked them up.
(Sorry Mr. Murasaki.)
Comment from the producer
It is made with the general 19.05mm, but I think it is wider because the alignment is “wu” shaped.
Currently, we are modifying the arrangement in the direction of narrowing the key pitch.
The height of the base could be a little lower.
This may be a matter of preference depending on one’s typing style, but for me personally, who types in a “downstroke” style, Akasha Amrita feels a little “high” to me.
The height of the wrist rest I normally use is 13mm, so I would need a higher wrist rest for my typing style of typing down.
This area may depend on personal preference.
Regarding the height of the foundation
Since this was my first case, I made the bottom 3 mm thick to prevent deflection.
I overdid it a bit and will probably go a bit lower next time. We plan to eliminate the angle of the tent or make it about 4mm.
The keycap profile choice can be quite distressing.
The choice of keycap profiles was quite difficult.
This is because, with my “strike down” style, for some reason, the miss-touch was very noticeable with the XDA profile, which is close to flat, so I settled on the Cherry profile.
We don’t have a clear idea yet, but it may simply be that Cherry is easier to hit down as a result of the lower overall height of Cherry than XDA, which makes Cherry easier to hit down.
This does not seem to be a problem, especially if the height of the keyboard itself is lowered.
Also, if you are a nudge typist, you will have no problem.
About Key Caps
The keycap I am making is based on DSA and has a height of 7 mm, and I had no complaints here.
This difference may be significant since XDA has a height of 8.5 mm.
Summary｜A chance to learn the depth of the keyboard
This is our review of Murasaki’s prototype Akasha Amrita.
This article is a bit on the geeky side, and the average keyboard enthusiast will probably be asking, “What? for the average keyboard enthusiast.
However, I think that’s good enough for now.
I believe that the interest in keyboards starts with the questioning of the popular low-staggering and the doubts about integrated keyboards.
Perhaps many of you reading this article are thinking, “Is this really a keyboard?” Many of you may have felt “Is this really a keyboard?
Recently, almost complete column-staggered keyboards are also available, and we encourage you to try them as well.
View Corne V4 at Yousha Kobo ▷▷▷
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Murasaki for providing the substrate.
I look forward to the day when it is updated, the word “prototype” is removed, and it is in the hands of more people!
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