Support for Alternative Layouts
This is a summary of how alternative layouts have been supported by kits such as Colevrak and Homing. It is not a discussion of alt layout performance and development, but if that interests you I highly recommend starting with Pascal Getreuer’s A guide to alt keyboard layouts (why, how, which one?). It’s a concise and comprehensive overview with links to some great sites that go deeper. He also has a separate Links about keyboards page. The Keyboard layouts doc he recommends explains layout goals and metrics in detail, summarizing the alt layouts discussed here as well as more than one hundred others. Sculpted-profile The majority of custom keycap sets are sculpted-profile (Cherry, SA, MT3, KAT, etc. - more on profiles generally here) so let’s start there. Because each row has a unique keycap shape, alt layouts require a unique keycap for each legend that moves off its QWERTY row. At first there were two The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak & William L....
Apr 23, 2024
And GMK caps are always expensive ffs.
I'm no expert, but I'm gonna guess that's not cheap to do.
Everyone is money gated, so long as there are buyers you will see things go for prices you find absurd, here and anywhere. Unless you are Warren Buffett you will need to accept that and work accordingly with your needs as well as means. If you don't understand/need this, let it be.
Having said that, both use cases that are very cheap and easy to produce. They are not comparable to this at all.
The top case and the plate are one solid piece, based off your reaction, you're not realizing just how uncommon this is. Massdrop had issues getting a quality CNC job done for easy-ass Planck cases IIRC. A design like this isn't cheap to get done right.
It not like this didn't take time and effort to be designed too. I'm pretty sure Skully didn't just pull a case and PCB design out of his ass.
I'm not here to convince you you should spend money on this or why you should do it. I merely responded to a rash statement that should've had more thought than "lmao" put to it. Continue to allocate your money toward audio equipment rather than mechanical keyboards, no one here should judge you for it, same as you should not judge them.
Perspective.
I wish you good luck.
I've been quite closely involved in the development of the Clueboard/Clueboard case and I'd like to share some perspective on the complexity of the manufacturing process and the corresponding benefits.
One of the big distinctions between this case and the norm is that it features an integral switch mounting plate. Typically, cases are essentially frames for the plate, which usually starts as 1.5mm stock, and is usually cut using a 2d fabrication process like laser cutting, water jet cutting, stamping, etc. This design approach has a few draw backs when it comes to the tactility of the product. Specifically, plates tend to be quite flexible due to the thinness/material removal that is mandated by the switch mounting geometries. This means that they can move relative to the case/frame in use, contributing to issues like the dreaded ping, as well as an overall reduction in sensation/feedback from the switches themselves. In the Clueboard, the mounting plate is machined directly into the top case, which starts life as a half inch thick piece of 6061 Aluminum. We remove material where necessary to provide proper clearance and mounting geometries for the switches, and we create local reinforcements wherever practical, some of which are more than twice the nominal thickness of a typical keyboard plate. Additionally, the through holes for the switches are individually profiled using a tiny end mill, driving up machining time, but yielding a fantastic surface finish and precise snap fit geometries.
That isn't where the complex machining ends. For instance, the entire outer profile of the case has been machined using tapered end mills, which are primarily used by the tool and die industry. Rather than using feet that have to be separately installed, the tilt of the keyboard is directly integrated into the case. We have also heavily iterated on the surface finish of the case, arriving at a light bead blast with a slick, satin surface.
In concert, these elements come together to create a keyboard that is, in my opinion, sensorily unparalleled. The tactility and noise of the keyboard are fanastic, the keyboard really does a great job of bringing the best out of any switch you put in it. It is by no means the cheapest keyboard to produce, but that wasn't our goal. Our goal was to create something world class, and I hope that you'll give it a try.
-Matt
-Matt
-Matt
Let me know if you have any other questions.
-Matt