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
So far, I've not noticed any clear difference on the home row with the keycaps in either orientation. Are there other switches you think I should find to test with?
This problem is why all high quality custom boards are built with the switches in the correct orientation (as cherry intended them to be used).
I will say I have to really, really pay attention to feel it though, and it doesn't affect the sound enough for it to bother me so it could very well be a non-issue for most people. Still, cool of you to point it out either way. I know there are a lot of purists in the community and depending on what types of switches they want to use in the board it might be an issue :)
Of course now that I'm aware of it I'll probably never not be able notice it again haha.
I probably wouldn't use silenced switches in that orientation with GMK caps though since it would probably make them clacky and defeat the purpose.
Personally I like the feel of the Halo switches more than the Hako. They feel just a smidge more tactile to me.
One could easily saw a keycap in half and photograph how the switch hits the cap. Sadly I don´t wish to ruin my GMK sets. Someone at massdrop will likely have some spare r3 GMK keycaps to cut open and photograph with full travel switches in all orientations with and without LEDs (even though LEDs are not a problem on this kb as they are surface mounted). @YanboWu @john.yu
edit: took a video from the side of an ansi enter key. A direct side angle would be better, but even from this angle you can see the switch housing rubbing against the inner wall of the keycap (Gmk plum in this case) https://youtu.be/PSg6zvLzOO0
https://www.massdrop.com/talk/3890/testing-cherry-profile-clearances