Glove80
Overview
The Glove80 is MoErgo's split ergonomic keyboard. It combines a curved keywell, integrated palm rests, deep thumb clusters, wireless operation, and ZMK firmware so the keyboard can be tuned for comfort as well as heavily customized.
This page is about the hardware and platform itself, not about one specific personal layout export. Mihai Cîrcea's current GE52-based Windows configuration lives in Mihai Cîrcea's Glove80 keymap.
What It Is
Glove80 is designed for people who want a more neutral wrist and shoulder position than a regular row-staggered keyboard usually allows. The two halves can be placed independently, the key wells reduce finger travel, and the thumb clusters move more work away from weaker pinky reaches.
In practice, Glove80 is often relevant for:
- ergonomic typing setups
- custom keyboard layouts
- ZMK firmware workflows
- wireless split-keyboard travel setups
- long-duration typing and coding work
Why It Matters
Glove80 sits in the overlap between hardware ergonomics and firmware flexibility. That combination matters because a comfortable physical shape is only part of the result. Most users also end up caring about layers, thumb keys, shortcuts, OS behavior, pointing layers, hold-tap tuning, and how easy it is to rebuild or recover the board after a change.
The board is also unusually approachable for a programmable ergonomic keyboard because MoErgo provides both a hosted layout editor and lower-level ZMK paths for people who want to work closer to firmware source.
Key Characteristics
- fully split keyboard with separate left and right halves
- curved keywells and integrated palm rests
- low-profile Choc-switch ecosystem
- Bluetooth and USB operation
- ZMK-based firmware
- browser-based layout editing through the MoErgo editor
- support for advanced firmware customization through ZMK repos and source builds
Customization Model
There are two common ways to customize a Glove80.
The first is the MoErgo Layout Editor. That is the easiest path for most users. You can clone a layout, adjust layers, behaviors, combos, and settings, then build and download firmware without maintaining your own build pipeline.
The second is the more traditional ZMK route. That usually means working from a Glove80 ZMK config repository and building firmware with GitHub Actions or another ZMK workflow. That path is more flexible, but it is also more technical.
Firmware And Flashing
Most Glove80 customization ends with flashing firmware to both halves. If the board is moving from an older layout or older firmware state, the safe working assumption is to flash both halves, then reset and re-pair if the halves do not behave consistently afterward.
General operational points:
- use a direct USB connection when flashing if possible
- expect each half to mount as a separate boot volume
- treat unexpected copy errors with caution because UF2 drives often disappear immediately after a successful write
- if the board behaves inconsistently after flashing, reset configuration and pair both halves again before changing the layout itself
Official Setup Surface
The official supported surface for most users is the MoErgo ecosystem itself:
- product and hardware documentation from MoErgo
- the MoErgo Layout Editor for layout changes and firmware builds
- the Glove80 user guide for charging, pairing, flashing, and operational notes
- the layout editor guide for behaviors, layers, combos, macros, and advanced editor options
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Glove80 the same thing as a layout like Glorious Engrammer?
No. Glove80 is the keyboard hardware and firmware platform. Glorious Engrammer, QWERTY, Colemak, Dvorak, Enthium, and similar systems are layouts or layout families that can be implemented on it.
Can Glove80 be used without learning ZMK source files?
Yes. Many users stay entirely inside the MoErgo Layout Editor and never touch a separate ZMK repo.
Can Glove80 still be customized deeply?
Yes. If the hosted editor is not enough, Glove80 also has an official ZMK-based path for lower-level firmware customization.
Where is Mihai's current GE52-based Windows configuration?
It is documented separately in Mihai Cîrcea's Glove80 keymap, along with the local exported files and the working flash flow for that setup.