3d printing a steno keyboard?

[Brooke Lyssy]

Hi there,

Quick intro to me: I'm currently a super-broke freelancer doing a combination of choir directing, transcription, video/radio production, and music gigs. I've always been a pretty fast typer, which is why I started looking for transcription work once I started freelancing in January. I stumbled on stenography soon after (thanks to this video), and I'm obsessed. I really want to start practicing in earnest, but I haven't been able to pull together the $$ for a steno keyboard, or even for an n-rollover keyboard.

WELL, I just found out that my local library apparently got a 3d printer, and they're doing FREE 3d printing for, I think, the rest of the month. The librarian referred me to thingiverse.com to look for 3d printing patterns (patterns? idk what they'd be called... anyway...).

I have close to zero technical knowledge or understanding of how electronics or computers work, nor do I understand how github works yet tbh, but I'm willing to spend the time to figure it out in order to build my own steno keyboard, now that I potentially have access to a 3d printer.

First question is this: Which steno keyboards or parts of steno keyboards can be 3d printed? I'm guessing you could print the keys and the frame of one ("frame?" see, I don't even know what all the different parts are called 😩 )?

I found the following on thingiverse.com: 

• Steno Machine ... can anyone vouch for this?
• Stenoboard ... I've read about this one before but it looks like the rest of the parts for it are no longer being sold?
• Laser-cut steno keys for Plover - I think these are to be used with an n-rollover keyboard? That's what it looks like based on this Plover blog post from back in May 2012.

And here are my other questions:

• Are there any other 3d printed steno keyboard "patterns" (hopefully someone can tell me the correct word for this) out there that I should know about?
  
• I found this blog (designangle.org/tag/3d-printing) which might be describing what I need to do, but honestly can't tell because there are so many new vocabulary words (stripboard? flying leads? actuators? lugs? ahhhh) that I don't understand the post yet.
• How much would the rest of the parts of a steno keyboard cost (as in, whatever couldn't be 3d printed)? And how would I find those parts?

If anything just being pointed in the right direction would help a ton!! I want to go take advantage of this 3d printing opportunity before it's gone, and I can learn the rest later, but for now I just need a good pattern to start with! Hope someone can help. Thanks so much!

Best,

Brooke

[Ted Morin]

Hey Brooke,

Thanks for writing. There are lots of options available, but the expensive parts of the steno machine aren't usually the parts you can 3D-print.

They would be called "3D models" I believe.

I think the best thing to print would be StenoToppers, in order to use them on an N-Key rollover keyboard. That would be the best value option I can think of.

I'm guessing you are in the States, if so I'd recommend a keyboard like this one: http://a.co/hgbJm1h

In particular, we're looking for:

- N-key rollover / full anti-ghosting

- A very light linear switch (Gateron Clear/White, Kaihl Silver, or Cherry MX Red)

Reds are a *little* heavier than the other two I listed... and beware of the very heavy MX Clear! (I know names are confusing).

At $60 hopefully that fits better in your budget. With the free 3D-printing you could get a seriously useable steno setup going.

Hope this helps,

Ted

[Ted Morin]

You should be able to print these locally, depending on the quality of your local printers. It might take a few tries and a little patience to figure out what quality works best for you.

You also need to have a compatible keyboard (Cherry MX stem; meaning cherry, Gateron, Kailh) to fit them on.

Printing a whole set will take a while. Of course you can use something like Shapeways or 3D Hubs, but I'd definitely recommend ordering a test print (one or two key caps) so that you can judge if the quality is okay.

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 9:49 AM, <dvora...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have  a 3D printing question.

If I 3D print the Steno toppers, do I still have to wait for something to come in the mail? The 3D printing company still has to manufacture the product.

It doesn't look like something you can print from Kinkos or the College printer.

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[Ted Morin]

I don't know how good any particular vendor is, but like I said, just get a key or two, try them out. The cost for just two keys should be around five dollars or less, depending on how they charge (and more if you need to pay for shipping).

Of note, these will not work on the Zalman as it doesn't have Cherry stems.

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 10:16 AM, <dvora...@gmail.com> wrote:

I forgot to thank you and the rest of your group for the research that went into development of Plover and the various keyboards.  

Is this a good place?

 https://astoria-ny-5706.theupsstorelocal.com/

 

According to

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[dvora...@gmail.com]

On amazon i read the description.

It says gaming antighost white or clear and i watched out for what ypu said

I could use it with plover?

[Ted Morin]

I hope so, if it doesn’t work you can always return it (and please let us know if that is the case!)

[Mirabai Knight]

I don't think the UPS store does 3D printing. Just regular printing.

On May 24, 2017 2:10 PM, <dvora...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ill post the results of the keyboard as soon as i try it out without even any steno top keys

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[Brooke Cruz]

Thanks for continuing this conversation y'all and thanks Ted for your help with all this!! I visited the library on Monday and spoke with one of the librarians. I think it's actually one of the first 3d prints they're going to do so we'll see how it turns out.

Do y'all have any thoughts on this keyboard? Do you think it might work with the StenoToppers? 

KBParadise V60 Front Print Mini Mechanical Keyboard (Gateron Clear)

 https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1481

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 12:11 PM, Ted Morin <mori...@gmail.com> wrote:

I hope so, if it doesn’t work you can always return it (and please let us know if that is the case!)
> On May 24, 2017, at 12:25 PM, dvora...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> On amazon i read the description.
>
> It says gaming antighost white or clear and i watched out for what ypu said
>
> I could use it with plover?
>
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[dvora...@gmail.com]

I'm going with 3D hubs.

One more question. Could I take the steno toppers on and off?  I take them off before class and use the Gaterion as a QWERTY and then as a Steno keyboard when I practice.

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 10:08:57 AM UTC-4, Ted Morin wrote:

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[dvora...@gmail.com]

I received the Gaterion White keyboard in the mail. I attached it by USB to my Surface Pro 4.   I have Windows 10.

I looked for any word  with 8 or more steno keys that have to be pressed all at once,   and the word I intended to type got outputted so it looks like the new keyboard works with Plover.

One question is,  would I be able to remove the steno toppers so that I could do my regular job in QWERTY on this keyboard?  

I could type even faster on this new keyboard than with the Type Cover 4. NO strain of any sort.

[Ted Morin]

- you might be able to type on the stenotoppers anyways

- removing and replacing is okay, but the 3D printed keys may not be as durable

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[Brooke Cruz]

Would this keyboard work with StenoToppers?

[Ted Morin]

StenoToppers: yes.

N-key rollover: doen’t look like it; https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/3l834r/help_kbparadise_v60_right_shift_seems_to_be/

On May 26, 2017, at 11:26 AM, Brooke Cruz <brook...@gmail.com> wrote:

.

[dvora...@gmail.com]

One more question.  The keys in the mechanical keyboard do not have to come off, for the steno toppers to be placed on right?

I went to staples and purchased removable mounting squares so that I could just use the old keytops I took off the Zalman  just in case, though I'd prefer the steno toppers

[Brooke Cruz]

Yeah I think the idea with the stenotoppers is that you replace the regular keys, meaning you have to take the original key caps off.

If you don't want to take the regular keys off, you could use the key toppers that they sell in the plover store.

http://plover.deco-craft.com/shop/view_product/Laser-Cut-Steno-Keys-Kit?n=2910988&pn=1

Make sure you check out all the pictures on each page (the stenotopper page as well as the one I link to above)-- I was confused too for a while but the pictures help.

Brooke

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[Brooke Cruz]

Ok everyone, I'm super freaking excited to announce that I got the StenoToppers from the library and put em on the Qisan Magicforce keyboard Ted recommended. Here are some pictures of what it looks like:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm1G6eTh

I'm still just teaching myself vowels at this point but eeeee! I'm having fun. A little worried that a couple of keys appear to stick a little bit, but for now it's totally okay since I'm at, like, -50 wpm :P

On Tue, May 30, 2017 at 9:23 AM, <dvora...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for the info. I decided to put the steno toppers on after all; but I have the old Plover keytops handy just in case I have trouble taking off the keycaps.

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[Ted Morin]

Firstly: wowsers, what an amazing first Steno machine! Those are some great photos too. I now want a backlit steno machine.

Secondly: I'm wondering how you find the print quality (and where you printed them?)

Finally: if the keys are sticking, is it possibly the stem or perhaps keys rubbing together? Some sand paper might be able to help with that.

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[Brooke Cruz]

After a couple of days of use, I find the keys don't feel as stuck anymore. I think there's something about the stems not being precisely in the center of the keycaps that made the first day of use slightly awkward. But there's a sweet spot for where to press down on the keys; for the top row it's in the lower center of each keycap; for the middle row it's at the top center (which is right where my hands are supposed to be hovering/applying pressure in the first place, right?). It's still not a super-dreamy-buttery-smooth feel; but I am definitely *very* happy with this as my first steno keyboard. With a $10 coupon I had for amazon, the whole thing ended up costing me $50.

I can go back to the library (it's 30 min away from me so it might be a little while before I go back, though) to take a picture of their little 3d printer machine and look up what kind of a model it is. It's nothing fancy. I honestly have no idea what to compare the quality to, as this is the first thing I've ever 3d printed in my life. I'm just thrilled the keys fit and work.

I am daydreaming about taking the keys back off and borrowing my dad's engraver thingy to engrave the letters onto each key so I can feel the letters... but 1) i'm mildly scared of breaking something if i try and take the keys off 2) is this bad for pedagogical reasons in any way? idk... let me know if y'all have any thoughts on #2.

Off topic, but I'm trying to find and print out more charts to post up around my computer area and these look like they'd be great, but the links are broken. Can anyone help me out with a good link? http://plover.stenoknight.com/2015/07/black-and-white-alphabet-posters.html

Thanks guys.

Brooke

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[Ted Morin]

The PDFs aren’t present anymore, but the PNG is there: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-inYDsPNPel8/VbkSLXVgSkI/AAAAAAAASjE/lhz49c5CuLc/s1600/Steno-Alphabet.png

There is also the original color poster: http://stenoknight.com/plover/steno-alphabet-for-web-full-size.jpg

This is the alphabet from A-Z: http://stenoknight.com/plover/steno-grid-alphabetical.jpg

I like the layout in this blog post that includes numbers: http://designangle.org/2016/01/basic-stenography-hardware/

You could also print out the 100 common briefs: https://sites.google.com/site/ploverdoc/lesson-4-common-briefs#TOC-100-Common-Briefs

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