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
Its a sturdy build and I am happy with its build but ... at least this is only NKRO for Windows. If you use Linux, all modifies (Shift, Windows, Alt) become left-Shift. Sucks. The situation is similar with Mac but not exactly the same. (I did not test it in detail there).
Massdrop site doesn't mention but the manufacture's site only lists compatibility with Windows. So this may be expected.
Under Linux console (non-X), I run "showkey" command to check the situation.
All modifies under the NKRO mode produced "keycode 42" which is L-Shift under Linux.
Interesting thing is FN-key under the NKRO mode produced "keycode 190" (What is this?) and GNOME desktop toggles microphone input under Linux. (This may be related to the fact that FN under the NKRO mode caused up-arrow equivalent response under the MAC Xterm.)
I have no idea why FN-key transmit keycode to the PC. This NKRO mode maybe relying on some Windows only feature.
When switching to the NKRO mode under Linux, I do not see any rediscovery of USB device. NKRO itself is working since I can press more than 6 keys under Linux and Mac too.
I think I will use this keyboard as is for now. I hope the vendor releases some fix though.
With metal board mounted key switches, it was a bit noisy since the metal plate enhances noise. With some grease injected to the side of key stems in the key switches, noise is now reduced to be quiet enough.
Maybe ... later, I may put different controller such as Teensy with TMK to make FN key to offer more functionalities and right kind of NKRO.