deskthority

Here is a sequence of layout designs, going from minimal to gigantic, based upon the following starting points:

1) Colemak layout, modified for ortholinear.
2) Power key on top right corner.
3) Accessory keys to be placed where they would work best in the context of the overall layout, and not ...

Ortholinear (mostly) with digraphs!

outward.png
This layout has a number of intentional properties:

1) Most of the top digraphs can be typed with the eight home keys, but they have been re-arranged from the Colemak standard so that when they are on the same side, such as "IN" and "AS" they are ...

So I've been reading about alternative keyboard layouts and I came across a page that lists some assumptions:

http://www.arcavia.com/kyle/Projects/ProgrammerKeyboard.html

One of the assumptions is that when rapping ones fingers on a table, one tends to go from little finger to index finger (inward ...

11U wide and centered:

I am sympathetic to the idea of splitting the space bar, but not to adding another row below it. Especially when we are talking about a sculpted profile, I just don't think that would be nice. I tend to hit the space bar between B and (qwerty) N, and having another key right below it would get in ...

Without stepped keys, there is exactly one reasonable configuration where the bottom row mods are all the same size and the space bar is centered:

1POINT5UMODS.png
Many keyboards have different sized modifier keys or the space bar is off-center slightly, or both; which is fine I guess, but we can ...

So many possibilities for hat keys:

SL89 wrote: that is rather interesting, is it symmetrical and staggered?

Thank you, the goal was to reduce the width as much as possible and have it still be a standard layout.

Mal-2 wrote:
My only suggestion might be to let the case take up the excess space on the staggered rows, and leave ...

To me, this is a very exciting development, as I would like see more different kinds of step and hat keys become available.

Here is what I want to build:
Even keyboard-layout-editor.com complains to me about the 1.25U hat keys!

I think adding a top row to the Sidekick layout would add significant utility:
However, I'd be in for one either way.

Personally I wouldn't waste the space in the top row.
If the case is bigger anyway why not at least use the space by adding some function/media/launch keys.

The top row will only be there if I build a version with a Raspberry Pi built in (hence, "power"). I will probably order a first prototype ...

Thanks! I'll take a look at that.

Here is an outline drawing of the (possible) plate:

412852648.969975.jpg

I have a few questions:

What are the dimensions of the modifications made to the holes on the Phantom plate that make it possible to open the switch housing while it is seated in the plate?

I was trying to parse the ...

Minor tweaks: added GREEK LOCK, Tilde, Prime, Integral, Derivative, Yen, DELETE, ENTER, and replaced some legends with symbols (BACK SPACE, for example, doesn't fit with the added legends on that key.)

NANOBOARD FOO.png

I think the front legends would be pretty expensive in small quantities ...

Now with front legends, and an added row which would only be for if there was a version integrated with something like a Raspberry Pi.
That symbol on the Greek layer on the ESC key is an alternative lowercase Pi.

Hmm. "Rectangular" layouts are a nice constraint to work inside, I find, and are easier to make look awesome when finished.

That's pretty much how I feel about it. I'd like the case to be as minimal as possible, if I was going to do a design with gaps, it would be because I wanted to go super ...

Here is a version with gaps and a giant spacebar:
Not that crazy about it really, but maybe I'll poke around with it a bit more, and see what I can come up with.

that's most likely a type. It had to be 2.25.

That makes sense.



nice keyboard btw! :)

Thanks!

I'm getting way ahead of myself talking about group buys at this stage anyway. First I need to receive my Round 5 order, then when I have those caps in front of me, I can finalize layouts for ...

I tried putting the symbols on control, shift, esc, tab, back space, and return; but didn't like the look of the result. That could certainly become an option, though, if this ever became a group buy or anything. I am also realizing that I don't really have enouggh modifiers. I think I will make it ...

Now with greek legends!

I just can't stop with two stepped keys, here we go again, now with off center hat keys! In row 4! Five new molds! Think enough people would want this to justify $20,000 to $25,000 (I'm guessing) in tooling costs?

NANOBOARD HAT KEYS.png

Oh, and here is a QWERTY version, just to show how mangled ...

Here is a version with some stepped keys:

NANOBOARD STEPPED KEYS.png

I think that would be a new mold, the SA pdf says there is a 1 x 1.25 with a .5 step L or R, which implies that the touch surface would only be .75U. Seems like that would be hard to fit properly on the switch, not to mention ...

Following Muirium's suggestion:

All the caps exist in their row profiles for SA according to the Signature Plastics SA pdf, except for there is no convex 2U spacebar.

Actual constraints used in coming up with the design:

1) Home row intact
2) All alphabetic letters on their own key
3) Standard staggering
4) Rectangular
5 ...

Here is my attempt at a design for a keyboard that is as small as possible, while maintaining the home row intact:
48 keys total, and aside from the legends all existing in SA except for the 2U spacebar.

Would it screw things up too much to have the A and O be 1.25U?

Looking at the SA pdf again, since SA really is my preference, I might have been a little over optimistic. The layout calls for a bunch of 1.25 unit step keys, and the line on the pdf actually says "1 x 1.25, .5 step L or R" which seems to indicate that the touch surface would be .75 units, which ...

Muirium wrote:SA wins! As always.

But hat keys!

Here is the DCS version:

Here is a revision with only keycaps that exist according to the SA pdf, at least as far as I can figure out. The numpad and keyboard parts are intended to be separate parts, but I put the images together so they would be displayed at the correct size next to each other.

existing SA keycaps.png ...

I'd certainly be interested in doing something similar to this, perhaps dialed back a bit to only include existing molds, with double Greek alphas, at some point after round 5 is done with and shipped. I'll look at the DCS pdf a little more closely and see what I can come up with.