What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
Turns out, you can. There are Bluetooth dongles supporting "HID proxy" mode which basically means they'll connect to a Bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse and expose it to the host OS as a USB keyboard/mouse.
I have not tried this yet (waiting for my VB87M), but it appears that a Laird BT820 dongle will work in HID proxy mode for BLE devices. You can also switch it over to HCI mode under Windows 8 or Linux (don't know about Mac, didn't check) to hand off control to the OS if you like.
I couldn't use the keyboard in BIOS yet - not sure why. It might be that my BIOS doesn't understand a composite device. Media keys also don't work yet. Right now I feel confident that with some more tweaking I could resolve both issues.