MoErgo Glove80 User manual

Glove80 User Guide
Date: 14 February 2023

Table of Contents
The story behind Glove80 4
What’s in the box? 5
A look at Glove80 6
A quick test drive of Glove80 9
Typing with Glove80 10
Setting up Glove80 for comfortable typing 10
Palm rests 13
Attaching palm rests 13
Default key layout 14
Base layer 14
Lower layer 15
Magic layer 16
Making the key layout yours 16
Indicators 17
Caps-lock, num-lock & scroll-lock 17
Key layout layer status 17
Battery indicators 18
BT and USB indicators 18
Operating Glove80 wirelessly 19
Introduction 19
Selecting BT Profile and USB-connected device 19
Pairing with a BLE host 20
Troubleshooting 21
Unpairing from a BLE host 21
Unpairing from all BLE hosts 22
BT Indicators 22
ZMK USB/BT Output Fallback Mechanism 23
Battery-powered operation 24
Charging 24
Battery indicators 24
Battery saving with RGB Underglow 24
Configuring the RGB underglow 25
Battery saving 25
Customizing key layout and swapping keycaps 26
Customizing key layout 26
Page 2 Glove80 User Guide

Glove80 Layout Editor 26
Loading new ZMK firmware onto your Glove80 27
Putting Glove80 into Bootloader for firmware loading 29
Entering bootloader mass storage device mode from ZMK 30
Entering bootloader mass storage device mode on power-up 30
Replacing keycaps to match key layout 31
Customizing the tenting angle 33
Benefits of tenting 33
How to adjust the tenting angle 33
For lower angle tenting adjustments 34
For higher angle adjustments (up to roughly 25/30 degrees) 34
Appendix: Specification 36
Appendix: ZMK 37
Creating a ZMK config repo and building ZMK firmware the “traditional way” 37
Appendix: Custom mounting 38
How to custom mount 39
Leg stud positions 39
Installing tripod mounting plates 40
Preparing the non-quick-release tripod mounting plate 41
Preparing the quick release mounting plate 41
Appendix: More Customizations 42
Extending the Glove80 electronics 42
Sidecar Module 44
Appendix: Glove80 with switches-not-soldered option 45
Replacing and soldering key switches 45
Appendix: Compliance and Certifications 47
USA 47
Canada 47
Page 3 Glove80 User Guide

The story behind Glove80
Thank you for choosing Glove80. Glove80 is not your usual keyboard. It was designed by a
bunch of keyboard warriors for themselves.
We are a small group of I.T. professionals, suffering from RSI and OOS. We needed a good
ergonomic keyboard to do our jobs.
Nothing available has been good enough. We were using contoured keyboards, but we knew
we could make one much better. A keyboard that would fit more hands and be more
comfortable for all of us.
And so we did! We began in 2014. We had no idea how difficult it would be. Hundreds of
variations and experiments later,1we finally made the keyboard we were happy with.
For five years, we used these keyboards as our daily drivers. We knew we had a great keyboard
on our hands.
News was getting out. Our friends were clamoring to get their hands on one of our keyboards.
In 2021, Stephen took up this challenge and re-designed Glove80 for mass-manufacturing. The
same battle-tested ergonomics, distilled into a product anyone can use. The end result was the
keyboard you now hold in your hands.
Glove80 is a labor of love. We hope you will love it too. Thank you for believing in Glove80.
An earlier iteration of Glove80 that was our daily drivers for years
1https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/repetitive-strain-injury-rsi-how-ultimate-ergonomic-keyboard-created
Page 4 Glove80 User Guide

What’s in the box?
- Glove80 keyboard (a pair of 2 halves)
- A USB-A to USB-C cable
- A set of extra M4 threaded rods for high angle tenting
- 12 extra feet for high angle tenting and custom mounting
- 12 extra silicone pads for high angle tenting and custom mounting
- 12 half height M4 nuts for tenting
- An M4 wrench
- A keycap puller
Page 5 Glove80 User Guide

A look at Glove80
Glove80 is a split keyboard, consisting of a left half and a right half.
The left half is called the Central in ZMK vocabulary and acts as the “brain” of Glove80. When
connected to a host like a PC or a phone the connection is always made with the left half. The
left half communicates with the right half (which is called the Peripheral in ZMK vocabulary)
through a Bluetooth Low Energy connection.
When connecting Glove80 to a host with a USB cable, the USB cable must be plugged into the
left half. When Glove80 is connected to the host via Bluetooth Low Energy (BT Low Energy or
BLE), the left half is the half that is talking to the host wirelessly.
Contoured keywell: Keys to type with your four fingers on each hand
Thumb cluster: Keys to type with your thumbs
Detachable palm rest: Optional palm rest
Page 6 Glove80 User Guide

Power button: For switching off power. Please note that it is still possible to charge the battery
even when powered off.
USB port: For connecting to the host (left half only), updating firmware, and battery charging.
Page 7 Glove80 User Guide

Fixed leg: The leg that is not height adjustable
Adjustable legs: Legs that are height adjustable
Side-car anchor studs: two M2 studs for attaching a sidecar add-on
Palm rest thumb screws: For attaching the palm rest to the keyboard
Page 8 Glove80 User Guide

A quick test drive of Glove80
Procedure:
1. Plug in the USB cable to the left half of your Glove80
2. Plug in the other side of the USB cable to a host, such as a PC
3. Switch on both the left and right halves by pushing in the power button on each half
4. Start typing
If all goes well you should see the keystrokes showing on the host.
Your Glove80 is shipped with its battery partially charged. We recommend fully charging both
halves before using Glove80. Sometimes the battery may have depleted during storage and
shipping, in which case please charge batteries on both hands before the test drive.
Page 9 Glove80 User Guide

Typing with Glove80
Setting up Glove80 for comfortable typing
Glove80 has been designed to encourage good typing postures. For an overview of Glove80’s
ergonomic design features and the rationale behind Glove80, please read The Ergonomic
Design of Glove80 Split Contoured Keyboard2.
Here are quick instructions:
1. Make sure you have a properly set up and comfortable desk and chair, or alternatively a
standing desk.
2. Level the Glove80 such that all legs are touching the desk by adjusting the height of
each adjustable leg.
Hint: Start by adjusting the adjustable legs, until the fixed-height leg is touching the desk.
Then adjust the adjustable legs until all legs are touching the desk.
3. Attach the palm rest to each half of your Glove80.
Note: you can type on your Glove80 without the palm rests. However for maximum
comfort, we recommend attaching the palm rests.
4. Place the two halves in a comfortable position, such that:
● The two halves are separated at a distance suitable for your shoulder width;
● Your wrists are straight when viewed from above, i.e. no ulnar deviation;
● Your forearms are horizontal or slightly pointing downwards when you place your palms
on the palm rests. If necessary, please re-adjust your desk and chair.
<some pictures/illustrations of the 3 bullet-points above would be useful>
5. Place your fingers on the highlighted keys in the image below. This is the typical rest
position for your fingers, also known as the “home row”.
2https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ergonomic-design-glove80-split-contoured-keyboard-moergo.
Page 10 Glove80 User Guide

6. Glove80 is a columnar keyboard: it is designed to reduce the need for fingers reaching
sideways. Most of our finger movements are to curl and uncurl. The index and the pinky
fingers are each responsible for two columns, while the middle and ring fingers are each
responsible for one column. Adjust the position of your palm (and if necessary the two
halves of the keyboard) until you feel comfortable reaching the finger keys.
7. Glove80’s thumb cluster is unique. It is designed to require no or very little palm
movement to reach all 6 thumb keys. Try pivoting your thumb from the base joint of your
thumb to reach each of the thumb keys.
That’s it! Here is a video of one of our testers typing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68v-AztMob8
Page 11 Glove80 User Guide

If you are already familiar with typing on a columnar keyboard such as an Ergodox, you should
very quickly adapt to your Glove80. If you have never typed on a columnar keyboard, there will
be a learning curve to adapt to the columnar finger movement. Most people find themselves
picking up the basics within a day, but mastery will take at least a few weeks of practice.
There are learning tools that will help in learning new keyboard layouts. Some of the well-known
ones are
●https://www.keybr.com/
●https://monkeytype.com/
●https://ranelpadon.github.io/ngram-type/
●https://type-fu.com/
Note: we are not affiliated with these tools, and are not endorsing them.
Page 12 Glove80 User Guide

Palm rests
Glove80 comes with detachable 3D sculpted palm rests, Generally speaking the palm rests are
recommended for the maximum typing comfort.
Unlike other keyboards, through minimizing palm movements during typing, it is comfortable for
many users to type on Glove80 while gently resting the palms on the palm rests.
However if you prefer to type without palm rests it is simple and quick to detach the palm rests
by unscrewing the thumb screws. Some circumstances that you may want to detach the palm
rests include:
● High angle mount especially vertical mount
● Traveling light
Attaching palm rests
To attach a palm rest:
●Turn the two thumb screws gently until they don’t turn anymore.
Page 13 Glove80 User Guide

Default key layout
Glove80 supports the concept of multiple layers.When you power on the keyboard, the Base
Layer will be active. However, you can switch to different layers in which the same key can
serve multiple purposes. This isn’t as confusing as it may sound; you do the same when you
use the Fn key on a laptop. There are two ways of switching layers: You can switch to another
layer momentarily (for as long as you hold down a trigger key, à la “Fn”) or indefinitely until you
switch layer again.
When shipped, Glove80’s default key layout has 3 Layers: Base Layer, Lower Layer and the
Magic Layer.
Base layer
Here is the Base Layer. This layer is active when you switch on the keyboard.
Please note that legends in the illustration above, R1…R6,C1…C6, and T1…T6, define the
convention for key positions on Glove80. For example, in the default layout Base Layer, LH
C2R3 is “R”, and RH T1 is the “Shift” key on the right hand.
The Base Layer is the home for the most commonly used keys on the keyboard. The functions
of each key should be obvious, other than the Layer key at LH T3 and the Magic key at LH
C6R.
If you press and hold the Layer key at LH T3, Glove80 will momentarily change to the Lower
Layer. As long as you continue to hold down the Layer key, the other keys will have the
Page 14 Glove80 User Guide

functions shown in “Lower Layer” below. Please note that in the illustration above, the key says
“Lower” as that is the function associated with the Layer key in this Base Layer.
If you double-tap the Layer key at LH T3, Glove80 will persistently change to the Lower Layer:
without further holding down the Layer key, the other keys will continue to have the functions
shown in “Lower Layer” below. Pressing the Layer key again will return to the Base Layer. This
is useful for using the numeric keypad and arrow cluster in the Lower Layer.
Single tap the Magic key at LH C6R6, and the RGB LED indicators will show the status of caps
lock, scroll lock & num lock, charge level of both batteries, status of BT Profiles and which layers
are active.
The Magic Layer is activated momentarily by holding the Magic key. While the Magic key is
depressed, the other keys will have the functions described in the “Magic Layer” below.
Lower layer
The Lower Layer contains:
● F11 and F12
● Less commonly used keys
● An extended numeric pad
● Media keys
To make F11 and F12 as comfortable as possible for everyone with different hand sizes, each is
associated with two key positions. Activating the Lower Layer and pressing either of the key
positions will generate the F11/F12 key code.
Page 15 Glove80 User Guide

If you have persistently changed to the Lower Layer, pressing the Layer key at LH T3 will
return to the Base Layer.
Magic layer
The Magic Layer is the layer for controlling Glove80 itself.
This is the layer for:
● Controlling the RGB LED behavior
● Selecting which BT Profile or USB to output keystrokes to
● Other system functions on Glove80
Making the key layout yours
As you become familiar with Glove80, you may want to customize Glove80’s key layout to
match your typing habits.
Page 16 Glove80 User Guide

Indicators
When you tap on the Magic key, the indicators are activated for 10 seconds. The left hand RGB
LEDs will light up to indicate the status of the Glove80, showing:
● Caps lock, scroll lock, and num lock status
● The battery level and status of both left and right halves
● The status of each of the BT Profiles
● Which key layout layer is currently active
Here is a diagram showing the meaning and position of the indicator RGB LEDs:
Caps-lock, num-lock & scroll-lock
If the respective indicator is red, the lock is enabled.
Key layout layer status
If the respective indicator is purple, the layer is active
Layer 0 is the Base Layer of the key layout.
For the default key layout, Layer 1 is the Lower Layer.
For the default key layout, Layer 2 is the Magic Layer.
If you are using a customized key layout, the meaning of Layer 1 to Layer 5 will depend on your
definition. If your customized key layout has more than 6 layers, the status of Layer 6 or above
won’t be shown.
Page 17 Glove80 User Guide

Battery indicators
LH R3 (i.e. row 3) indicates the battery status of the left half of Glove80.
LH R4 (i.e. row 4) indicates the battery status of the right half of Glove80.
The number of LEDs in each row indicates the charge level:
● 1 LED: 0% imminent shutdown
● 2 LEDs: 0 to 20%
● 3 LEDs: 20 to 40%
● 4 LEDs: 40 to 60%
● 5 LEDs: 60 to 80%
● 6 LEDs: 80 to 100% or charging
If battery level is less than 20% the row will be in red
Otherwise if battery level is less than 40% the row will be in yellow.
BT and USB indicators
Each of the four BT Profile outputs and one USB output of Glove80 are represented by a RGB
indicator. The meaning of the colors for an output indicator is:
●Purple:
○ For BT Profiles: No device is paired to this BT Profile.
○ For USB: Unplugged
●Red:
○ For BT Profiles: The output device is paired but not connected.
○ For USB: Powered only but no data. Note: Some chargers and USB power banks
appear as a USB host and will appear as green or even white.
●Green: The output device is connected, but not being used for output.
●White: The output device is connected and is the current actual output device to which
typing will be sent.
Please note that due to the behavior of ZMK, the actual output device may not be the same as
the selected output device when the selected output device is not connected. ZMK’s output
fallback mechanism is explained further in the section ZMK output fallback mechanism. If the
output fallback mechanism is in operation, i.e., the actual output device is not the same as the
selected output device, the Output Fallback indicator will be lit in red.
Page 18 Glove80 User Guide

Operating Glove80 wirelessly
Introduction
Glove80 is capable of wirelessly connecting to your computer, your phone or other devices
through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Your devices need to support Bluetooth 4.2 or above.
Glove80 supports simultaneously connecting to up to 4 paired Bluetooth LE host devices (‘BLE
host’). Conceptually speaking, Glove80 has 4 BT Profiles, numbered BT Profile 0 to BT Profile
3.
Each BT Profile can be paired with a different BLE host. If you try to pair with the same BLE
host using two BT Profiles, pairing will fail and may cause unexpected behavior.
Selecting BT Profile and USB-connected device
On a default key layout, you can select a BT Profile by pressing the Magic Key and the
corresponding key highlighted in blue above.
Once paired and connected, you can quickly switch between BLE hosts and the USB-connected
device by selecting the corresponding BT profile or selecting Output to USB.
For example you may pair with a MacBook on BT Profile 0, and an Android phone on BT Profile
1. If you want to type on the MacBook, you can switch to BT Profile 0 by pressing Magic +
BkSp (on the default key layout). If you then want to switch to the Android phone, you can switch
Page 19 Glove80 User Guide

to BT Profile 1 by pressing Magic + Del. If you want to switch to the USB-connected device,
you can do so by pressing Magic + Left-Alt.
Pairing with a BLE host
NOTE: Before you pair with a BLE host, if you had previously paired the Glove80 with the same
BLE host, you must first remove the pairing from both the BLE host and Glove80, otherwise the
pairing attempt will fail or could cause unexpected behavior. Please see the section on
Unpairing from a BLE host.
Pairing procedure:
1. Select a BT Profile on Glove80 that is currently not paired with a BLE host.
2. Press the Magic key. The selected BT Profile should be indicated in purple, confirming
that it is not already paired to a device. See the section on BT and USB indicators for
further details.
3. On the BLE host you intend to pair with, use the procedure appropriate for your
operating system to pair with the “Glove80 Left” device.
Windows 10
MacOS
1. Go to Settings -> Bluetooth and other
devices
2. Make sure that Bluetooth is enabled
3. Click “Add Bluetooth or other device”
4. Choose the “Glove80 Left” device to
pair with
1. Go to System Preferences ->
Bluetooth
2. Make sure that Bluetooth is enabled
3. In the bottom selection of the
“Devices” list, choose the ‘Glove80
Left’ device and click “Connect”
Adding a pairing on Windows 10
Adding a pairing on MacOS
Page 20 Glove80 User Guide