kukkurovaca

If you build using nice!nano controllers, you can get batteries that fit neatly under the (socketed) controller, you can just tuck it in there loose or tape it in place. If you use those batteries, which are very small, it's best to build the board without any power-drawing features, such as LED illumination or OLED display. Most PCBs that are designed for batteries will put contacts in that vicinity, or you can wire the batteries directly the nice!nanos.

If you build this way, there's no impact on the external size or portability. If you want to use larger batteries, you will need to make room in the case for them, if you're using a case. [I have some chunky batteries taped to the bottom of my caseless Kyria, which is obviously not doing anything good for portable use or aesthetics, but it does work.)

If you haven't used ZMK before, that will be a bit of a transition. ZMK is great, and in some ways it's a much more elegant solution than QMK, but it can be a little tricky to get used to at first and if anything goes wrong, troubleshooting is usually more annoying.

For portable use, a PCB that supports a power switch to disconnect the battery from the controller is kind of essential IMO, since without a hardware switch, there's no way to turn the board off or put it to sleep. So if it's in your bag, it'll constantly be waking up and connecting to your phone if paired.

Case (I have not bought any, I’ve just made a wooden panel, cutting it ad hoc), but I may buy one in the future or 3D print one, let me know what you think about it.

This looks great. You can also use adhesive-backed foam for a really low profile (while not scratching up your desk)

When I keep them pressed they are not recognized and I have to repress them. I don’t think it is a firmware issue, because I have tried different configurations in ZMK and now all of them fail with the same keys, independently of whatever character I map on those keys. I am thinking that it maybe due to some diode that may be missoldered or some pin in the controller, because the first days it worked fine.

Could be some cold joints, it's not unusual for them to work fine at first and then start to fail later on. Check the soldering on the affected keys and diodes and reflow anything that looks supect. You can also ask in the SplitKB discord to find out which controller pins should be checked based on the keys where you're seeing issues.

Lately I've been really enjoying Black and White's Elkin Guzman Strawberry Catiope and Hydrangea's El Paraiso decaf (which is incredibly good if you like fruit-forward coffee and are looking for decaf).

I also have some less funky coffees on hand from Flower Child, but I haven't been doing those as espresso lately

The one from the ceramic cup felt more bodied, while the one from the wine glass felt lighter and more acidic.

Yeah, I think that temperature is very likely to play a role specifically in this aspect mentioned by OP. The glass would have dumped heat much faster, and perceived acidity normally increases as the coffee cools.

Defederation is an inevitable fact of life for a federated ecosystem and it won't always be for things where everyone agrees (just look at the fediblock tag on mastodon). The important thing is that instance owners have clear criteria for how they defederate from other instances and transparency about their reasons for having done so, so that their users and other instances have the correct expectations for their future behavior.

It's early days for a lot of instances and probably many of us will end up migrating to other instances as it becomes clear which ones make decisions that suit our values.

What I do worry about is the fact that folks are setting up communities wherever they first land and Lemmy doesn't yet have tools for migrating a community between instances (correct me if I'm wrong about that). That seems like a ticking time bomb in some ways.

The US also runs concentration campus, has slave labor, forced sterilization, torture, genocide, violently repressive police, persecution of religious minorities, etc. etc. etc. Hence why it's a red flag (no pun intended) when people in the west have A Lot To Say about China and just China.

::slaps top of any country:: you can fit so many human rights violations in this bad boy

(I have a lot more complaints about the US than China, but that's because I live in the US, not because I think other imperial powers are exempt from criticism.)

See keycodes here for toggling between bluetooth output and usb output:

https://zmk.dev/docs/behaviors/outputs

Personally I really like the Himalaya for the most part, except for the converter. (Which is why my recommendation is for the Jaipur)

In terms of guzzling ink, this is both normal and necessary for a flex nib, at least up to a point. Without sufficient ink flow, the pen will railroad, which is the most common failure mode for flex/semiflex pens.

In terms of "softness", is the issue with the tactile feel, or that it flexes too easily (which most flex users would consider a feature, usually), or that it lacks sufficient springback to get hairlines? I don't find the FPR's ultraflex nibs to be extremely soft relative to other flex nibs, but there is also sample variation to consider.

If you write with a very heavy hand, this could be part of the problem, in which case there might just be a period of adjustment to using a lower amount of force.

One thing you might try is adjusting the nib and feed, for example, you might try setting it up so that the nib sits a bit further back in the section. This will reduce the amount of flex you can get, but might improve consistency. Heat setting the feed also often helps performance, but if you arlready have more than adequate flow, this might be unnecessary.

Re: ink, good performance in a flex pen will vary from ink to ink, and basically the trick is to find a fast-flowing and viscous ink that is not prone to excessive feathering. Personally, my favorite ink for flex writing is J. Herbin Lie de The.

When searching for DIY Keywell models, use "dactyl" in your search terms for most results. Most DIY Dactyl builds are handwired, although there are some models that make use of flexible PCBs such as the ones from BastardKB. (My keywell board is a TBK Mini from them.)

Re: the number of keys, this is pretty personal. Most ergo mech users are using something in the ballpark of a 60%, 40%, or 35%ish layout. (My objection to the Glove80 is that it has way, way too many keys for me)

Most ergo users have numpad on a layer. (Here's how I have my layouts)

It looks like you're focusing on prebuilt boards. Most ergo mechs are sold as DIY kits with a fair amount of soldering required, and for keywell boards it's very common for them to be fully handwired.

You can also buy assembled keywell boards, for example from bastardkb and there are a few folks who build dactyls for sale. These options will probably be relatively expensive as they are basically handmade by one person.

Flat ergo boards will be cheaper in general than keywell ones. If they have a tenting option and you use keycaps with a strong sculpt like SA or MT3, that might get you a fair bit of the way towards keywell functionality. But you'll still need to find a good layout for you (which is totally personal).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kukkurovaca/52064906373/in/photolist-2njNfKx-2oBeHCK-2njQEqG

It will be somewhat easier to find fully assembled or easy-to-assemble flat ergo boards, like the Keebio Iris or Boardsource Lulu.

If I were getting a tacticool vibes bag today the top of my list would be the Mystery Ranch Blitz 30 or 2-day assault. It's almost certain to fit better since it has an adjustable yoke and comes in two torso sizes, plus MR's harnesses ares just better overall IMO. However, the internal organization on their bags doesn't suit everyone.

Hill People Gear also worth a look, that's probably a bit more BIFL these days.

For a bag with a lot of organization, people really love the Tom Bihn Synik/Synapse, and they have a great reputation for durability.

Edit: I also think Inside Line Equipment bags are criminally underrated among boxy bags with simple but beefy straps. I think for a "onebag" there's a lot to be said for something like their Race Day or Travel Pack. If speed of access/packing isn't a priority, oldschool messenger makers like Re:Load bags also a good option.

I'm referring to literal nazis, it's not a figure of speech.