project-image

Glove80: The Incredibly Comfortable Ergonomic Keyboard

Created by MoErgo

A customizable split contoured wireless keyboard, with perfected ergonomics that uniquely adapts to you

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Day 120 Post Kickstarter
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Jun 26, 2022 at 03:19:54 PM

Overall picture/TL;DR

TL;DR: We are now deep into pre-production territory. Chris has been enjoying typing on a Glove80 with a T0 injection molded case and “hopefully-final” PCBs. The custom parts are all using pre-production tooling, and the non-custom parts are from the candidate suppliers. We are continuing to finalize the tooling and getting ready for certification.

Chris' new daily driver Glove80, with T0 injection molded case, and "hopefully final" PCBs inside. And he is loving it.

Progress - Injection mold

We received the T0 (first injection mold test) samples in early June. The T0 samples look beautiful and work much better than our previous SLA 3D-printed cases. Please note that T0 samples do not yet have texture, and the mold will undergo a couple more milestones (T1, T2) before finalized.

The case is so much more rigid compared to the SLA 3D-printed prototypes, which were already quite solid.

The top and bottom fit so much better than I could imagine. I was really quite worried, as the tolerance is tight. We had lots of difficulty with SLA 3D-printed prototypes with the fit due to the shrinkage and warping. But the T0 is just perfect in this regard.

The new press-fit thumb screws for the palm rest work really well. You will no longer need to use a screwdriver to attach or detach the palm rest onto/from the keyboard. This is a new “surprise” improvement we kept quiet, as we were not sure if it was technically achievable due to the many constraints. We worked hard with the injection molding factory, and together we managed to find a solution.

No more screwdrivers needed. So quick and easy now to detach and attach the palm rest.

 That said, being super picky that we are, we have compiled a list of each of the functional issues and cosmetic issues that we are working with the factory to improve, including:

  • The key switches are a little loose in their holes, so they will be tightened to fit the switches snugly
  • The palm rest has some minor warping that makes it slightly wobbly. The injection molders are modifying the molding parameters (temperature/pressure/duration etc) to counter the problem
  • Various cosmetic imperfection such as sink marks on the palm rest which are expected for a T0 mold

The factory has been busy the last couple of weeks fixing these issues. Due to how finicky it is to tighten the tolerances of each of the 80 key switch holes, and the quality level we expect, it is taking longer than we planned. But all in all, we are really happy with the progress.

Progress - Electronics

The “hopefully final” PCBs arrived a few days ago. They are working great so far. In fact Chris’ new daily driver Glove80 uses these “hopefully final” PCBs.

Chris installing and soldering the "hopefully final" PCBs into the T0 injection molded case

We still need to run a few more formal tests with the oscilloscope to complete the validation. But so far the Controller PCBs are working perfectly.

The new finger PCBs fit the curvature of the plastic shell far better than the previous version, which means less stress on the key switch solder joints. However we will make one more round of finger PCBs for minor tunings to improve the efficiency of production PCB assembly, as well as adding test pads to facilitate QA testing.


Progress - Bootloader and ZMK Firmware

We have finished the work on the bootloader. The enhanced bootloader has:

  • Ability to enter into USB mass storage mode for downloading new ZMK firmware by simply pressing a key combo at power-up, even if the ZMK firmware is bricked.
  • Ability to completely wipe the run-time configuration of ZMK by pressing a key combo at power-up, so that the two halves can be paired together again without using the complicated ZMK procedure. This feature is useful for replacing one half of a Glove80, or to recover from corrupted run-time ZMK configuration.
     

We have also started working on upgrading the ZMK firmware. Chris’ new Glove80 is now running the (almost) latest version of ZMK with:

  • Recent ZMK features such as macros, and RGB support for split board
  • About ⅓ of the new ZMK/Glove80 specific features we intend to add
  • Improved battery life

Progress - Test Jigs

Quality assurance and a repeatable manufacturing process are the keys to successful mass manufacturing. As a wise man and hardware hacker extraordinaire once said “The test jig is the product behind the product. In some cases, a product designer may spend even more time designing a test jig than they spend designing the product itself.“ (https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=5450)

Towards that end, we are planning a series of custom test jigs to help our factories efficiently and effectively attain the quality we expect from Glove80.

The first and most complex test jig is designed to automate the comprehensive testing of the two Glove80 Controller PCBs (i.e. the brains), with the goal of:

  • Flashing test firmware
  • Testing every connector
  • Testing every key voltage in the system
  • Testing the LiPo charging circuit
  • Testing that Glove80 works on both USB and battery power sources

These tests should exercise most of the solder joints on the Controller PCBs.

Test jig for QA of Glove80 Controller PCBs

A second test jig will help the factory ensure that the key switches and RGBs are properly soldered, and that the key switches themselves are of good quality. It will help detect sticky switches, glitching switches, and switches that are not properly soldered.

These two test jigs are the most complex electronics-wise. We have completed the design of these two test jigs, and they are now being made. The next steps are to write the test applications, and to test the test jigs when they arrive.


Oh, and Covid

Progress was a little slower this month. My family finally got struck by Covid. We had been lucky in New Zealand in the last two years being so sheltered from Covid. I am now 80% recovered, after a rough week or two.

What's next?

The highest priorities are to finalize the injection molding tooling and finger PCBs as well as completing Controller PCB validation, so that we could work towards attaining the product certifications. As part of that process, we will need to write the draft user documentation for Glove80.

That’s it from us for now.

Day 90 Post Kickstarter
almost 2 years ago – Wed, May 25, 2022 at 05:18:31 AM

New International Keycaps & Supplementary Keycaps

Amongst the contoured keyboards on the market today, Glove80 has the unique feature of allowing a user to easily swap any keycaps to match the chosen keyboard layout. On this basis we have developed a range of keycaps to support several international layouts.

During the Kickstarter campaign, some of our supporters asked for even more different legends to match various extra use cases. We have been working with our Discord community, and together we have created and finalized these lovely supplementary keycap sets. We would especially like to shout out to @tynstar for his organization effort.


Supplementary Media Set
Supplementary Universal & Classic Set
Supplementary Apple Set
Supplementary Nerds Set
French AZERTY Set
Bépo Set

New items on Backerkit

As a result of the community work on the new international keycap and supplementary keycap sets, they are now available on Backerkit. If you wish, you can add them to your order at https://glove80.backerkit.com

We have also added black opaque caps as add-ons, but they do come with a big caveat: the indicator LEDs would be much less visible especially during day-time. We generally recommend to use white translucent keycaps with Glove80 for the keys that work as indicators.

If you have ordered a white add-on keycap set during Kickstarter, and would like to change to the equivalent black add-on keycap set, please contact support at Backerkit for manual adjustment.

Please note that the Glove80 keyboard itself does not have a black keycap option; for detailed reasons please see the #glove80-info channel on our Discord.


Progress - Injection mold

We have reached the very important T0 milestones for all Glove80 molds.

The top case has proven to be a mighty challenge for our injection molder, due to its incredible complexity and fine details. However the molder managed to overcome these challenges after a small delay (while navigating the Covid lockdown too). Instead of regular milling, a large portion of the mold has to be machined using electrical discharge machining (EDM). EDM is a machining process that uses a high voltage spark to chip off bits of metal. Think of it as targeted lightning to blast bits off. EDM is typically used for precision molds; the details achievable by EDM is stunning but an EDM mold takes significantly longer to make.

First test articles of top and bottom keyboard case. Surface texture not yet added. The color is a random black for testing.

Now that we have reached the T0 milestone, the factory will continue to refine the mold.


Progress - Electronics

We have validated the new LED driver circuit. The factory is now currently manufacturing a batch of “hopefully-final” prototype circuit boards. We are expecting the factory to ship this in the coming month for us to begin our validation process.

Still at the factory. First sample for component placement validation. We can't wait to get our hands on this.

Progress - Firmware

We have started enhancing the Adafruit nRF52 bootloader that we use in the Glove80.


Case color

In the last update, we mentioned that we made the choice of RGB #57595c for the keyboard case. It turns out that this color is a tad too light when injection-molded. We are now trying to match a color closer to RGB #3c3e3f https://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_picker.asp?colorhex=3c3e3f

Referral Gift

If you are eligible for a referral gift, you should have received an email with a list of choices. Please reply with your selection as soon as possible.


What's next?

We will continue to work on the bootloader improvement, production planning and PCB test-rig design.

That’s it from us for now.

Day 59 Post Kickstarter
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 12:55:36 AM

Backer Survey

So far almost 95% of Kickstarter backers have completed the Backer Survey. That’s an incredible response rate. Thank you!

If you find that for some reason you have not received an invitation to the Backer Survey, please contact us at [email protected]. We noticed that a number of backers with Apple email addresses had problems receiving the invitation.

Please do note that we will not yet lock the orders. In fact we are working towards releasing a new batch of add-ons asked for by our backers, including the supplementary keycap sets and the black keycaps. We will send a Backer’s Update when they become available.

Case color and black keycaps

We have been working on the selection of the color of the slate grey case. It is more an art than a science to achieve an exact plastic color. After receiving the black and grey keycap samples, and consulting with our designer, we have decided to select a dark grey with a more neutral tone so that the grey case will work better with both the white caps (which come with Glove80) and the optional black caps. The slate grey chosen will be closer to a charcoal grey (roughly RGB #57595c).

RGB #57595c

The opaque black MCC-profile POM keycap samples have arrived. They are beautiful, and the legends are crisp. Do be aware that these black keycaps are opaque, so they won't let through the LED light; it will be difficult to see the Glove80 LED indicators in day-time. White translucent MCC-profile caps are recommended for Glove80, and these are what will be shipped with Glove80. The opaque black POM keycaps will be available on Backerkit as add-ons.

Opaque black keycap pre-production samples, which will be available as add-ons. Glove80 will be shipped with white translucent keycaps.

If you would like to update your choice for the case color, you can do so on Backerkit. If you would like further discussions on the case color, please find us on Discord.

Progress - Injection mold

The injection molds are progressing well. The designs for the molds are completed, and molds are being made. The injection molding factory has produced the first test article with the palm rest mold. 

Injection mold for the bottom case being made
First test article of the palm rest mold with a random black color. Surface texture not yet added.

Progress - Electronics

We have been busy working on the redesign of the PCBs. The Kickstarter process and our Discord community have given us plenty of ideas for improvements.

We have been listening. Here are the improvements we are incorporating into the controller PCBs:

  • LiPo battery connectors, so that no soldering is needed to replace LiPo batteries.
     
  • A more powerful LED driver to power LEDs at a brighter setting. Previously limited to 300mA (per side), now the LED current will be firmware limited to around 700mA (per side).
     
  • Improved battery life through a combination of electronics and firmware improvements.
     
  • More extension GPIO pins for electronics hackers. Previously 4, now 6!
     
  • An 1.27mm male pin header for GPIO extension. This is particularly exciting as it makes it far easier to extend the capability of Glove80. You will be able to plug-in a pre-made add-on module into the 1.27mm male pin header, without soldering.
     

To say that life is interesting in electronics-land is a bit of understatement at the moment. You will have heard of the supply chain crisis, but apparently it is getting worse and not any better. Quite a few of our preferred components are now globally out of stock, so we had to look for alternatives. Unfortunately this does mean that we have to test and re-qualify each of these replacement candidates, and to re-design the PCB around the replacement component.

We have completed the layout of the two controller PCBs. However we still need to complete the validation of the new LED driver design before we can make a batch of these (hopefully final) prototypes. We are now working on the PCBs for the fingers and thumbs.

PCB layout for the left hand controller board. Small & quite densely packed. Not to scale.

Referral Gift

If you are eligible for a referral gift, please be reassured that we have not forgotten about you. We are waiting for the black caps and the supplementary keycap sets to be finalized before sending the questionnaire.

What's next?

We will be continuing to work on the PCBs and to produce these (hopefully final) prototypes. The next major chunk of work would be production planning and PCB test-rig design.

That’s it from us for now.

Your chance to have your say in Glove80 supplementary keycap sets
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Apr 04, 2022 at 06:43:03 AM

With its support for completely rearranging all keycaps, Glove80 offers a high degree of customizability when it comes to keycaps:

  • The labelled version of Glove80 ships with a total of 86 labelled keycaps
    Note: we include a second "Alt" key which is not in the picture.
  • Availability of add-on keycap sets for a range of international layouts (GB, DE, SE, NO, DK, JP & French AZERTY). Add-on keycap set for French BÉPO  layout is coming.
     

However, in our Discord community, many backers have expressed interest in supplementary keycap sets covering media keys, OS-specific symbols, neutral/universal symbols or other, "nerdy" keys.


If any of this sounds like something you are interested in, we need your help! Please fill out the Google Form below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyFAW8drtloGkUA9PGX1WpR25XNu-QFCg0hhzBtvDSMth8mQ/viewform?usp=sf_link


Note for backers: this is unrelated to managing your Kickstarter pledge or customizing your Glove80 order on Backerkit. Also, even if you don't fill out this form, you will be able to add keycap sets on Backerkit once we add them there. This Google Form is for collecting data so that we could determine what to include in each supplementary keycap set.


If you want supplementary keycap sets, you would help us greatly by also providing more specific data: please open our Glove80 Keycap Candidates for Supplementary Set(s) spreadsheet where we collect votes for individual keycaps.  Add your Discord name (or a unique nickname) to each keycap that should be in a set that you would buy.


If you have questions or would like to discuss supplementary keycap ideas, please join our Discord community at https://discord.gg/F9bHduXbq9 and open the channel #glove80-supplementary-keycaps.


A big thank you to @tynstar and other supporters on Discord for driving this effort. Thank you again.

Day 28 Post Kickstarter
about 2 years ago – Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 03:45:07 AM

This is our first Backers Update. It has been an incredibly busy 28 days since the end of the Kickstarter campaign.

Backer Survey

We are using Backerkit Pledge Manager to help manage the pledges. Pledge management is anything but simple. Do you know there are a whopping 48 variations of Glove80 that we will ship for this Kickstarter?

If you are backer of the Glove80 Kickstarter Campaign, you will soon receive (if you have not received already) an invitation email to Backerkit to customize the Glove80(s) you have backed. You have until 24 April 2022 to make your choices and fill in the backer survey.

Please note that if we have not received your filled-in backer survey by 24 April 2022, you will receive the default choice of Glove80, which is a Standard Edition white case with labeled keycaps and soldered red switches.


Pre-order store

If you missed your chance of participating in the Glove80 Kickstarter campaign, fret not.

We are releasing a limited quantity of Glove80s in our first production batch through the Backerkit Pre-Order store.


Add-Ons

By popular demand we have added a few accessory items for Glove80, including the quick release tripod mount connector plates. The add-ons are available either through the Backer Survey or the Pre-Order store.

(Demonstration of the Quick Release Tripod Mount Connector Plates)


Standard Edition and Gamer Edition

Glove80 comes in two forms. The Standard Edition was originally supposed to have 18 LEDs on the left hand, and the Gamer Edition has LEDs under all 80 keys.

Some of you may recall that that Gamer Edition was originally a Kickstarter stretch goal. Having two separate PCB designs and related certifications add a big overhead cost, and so we needed a stretch goal to make that happen.

However we figured out a way to make Gamer Edition happen without reaching the stretch goal. With the new arrangement, the Gamer Edition and Standard Edition are now sharing the same PCBs. The Standard Edition now has all 40 LEDs populated on the left hand: in other words, backers of Standard Edition are now getting a free upgrade of 28 extra LEDs.

Needless to say, the 28 extra LEDs in the Standard Edition do add to our bill of material (BOM) costs. In our private conversations, some backers expressed a wish to contribute to the extra BOM costs. This is not necessary, but if you’d really like to, a small tip is always appreciated.


Progress - Injection mold

Our highest priority job is to finalize the plastic design and begin the production of the injection mold. Building and perfecting the injection mold have a long lead time, so to keep the schedule this must be done first.

So what is injection molding and how do we make an injection mold? The vast majority of plastic parts you see in everyday life are injection molded or made with a related process.

Here is an animated illustration to show how injection molding works. At a high level, two big metal plates come together, and melted plastic is squirted into a cavity that is formed between them. Then the plastic cools, the plates open, and the formed part is ejected.

By LaurensvanLieshout under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

The two metal plates are pushed together and pulled apart in a single straight-line motion. So how is it possible to mold a complex 3D shape, such as the Glove80 case, which is composed of hundreds of surfaces all in different directions? The answer is through very careful orientation and a clever design of plastic parts free of undercuts. Designing such a part is like solving an extremely complicated 3D jigsaw puzzle.

By Christoph Roser at AllAboutLean.com under the free CC-BY-SA 4.0 license

In reality, even the simplest injection mold is made of hundreds if not thousands of components. Here is the design of our MCC-profile keycap mold that we have already made:

MCC-profile keycap injection mold design

The great news is that after working closely with our injection molder for the last few weeks, we have successfully modified the Glove80 plastic case and palm rest designs to pass the Design For Manufacturing (DFM) review. The purpose of the DFM review is to make sure that the plastic design is feasible to be made by an injection mold to the expected quality. For example DFM includes checking to make sure no parts of the plastic design are too thick that will likely result in a shrinkage mark, or too thin that will likely result in a high failure rate, or with steep edges such that the surface could end up with streaks due to the ejection from the mold. This DFM process draws heavily on the experience of the engineers of our injection molding factory, and their knowledge of their particular manufacturing process and machines.

During this plastic design refinement process, we have managed to add a few improvements too:

  • Two extra anchor points for attaching a peripheral such as a trackball just north of the thumb cluster. Perfect for people wanting to customize/hack their Glove80.
2 extra mounting points added to make it easier to attach additional hacks or modules
  • No more need for a screwdriver for attaching and detaching palm rests. We were able to add captive thumb screws.
  • Improved fit and finish

So where are we with injection molding? We have now placed the order and paid the deposit for the injection molds. The first cut of the mold (T0 in industry parlance) is expected to be ready in May.


What's next?

We will be focusing on finalizing the electronics. We are looking to make some improvements following feedback from our Backers. We will also need to address the issues emanating from the semiconductor supply chain crisis. Even though we had already re-designed the PCB to use only components available at the time, some ‘common’ components have since vanished from the market.

That’s it from us for now.