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
Thanks :)
Does anyone know how hard/easy it is dealing with stabilizers.
On mine, the spacebar uses Cherry stabilizers - super super simple to deal with. The 4 other keys use costar wires/inserts. On all but one it wasn't TOO hard to handle: remove key from switch, use pliers to carefully remove the wire from one insert, slide off other insert. Then just move the inserts over to the new keys and put the stabilized keys on before any others: slide one side onto the wire, use the pliers to put the other side onto the wire by bending the wire gently, push keycap onto switch.
The bad key (backspace) I was unable to remove the inserts from it - they're stuck pretty well. It might be worthwhile for you to go on to WASD keyboards and buy some extra costar inserts.
Thanks so much for guide and heads up!