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
I'm going to put Laser on a black on black Exent with gateron black switches.
Edit: I actually really like that board the more that I look at it. Love that it retained it's arrow keys.
I have even been considering getting into keycap design recently and I may try getting into contact with some designers (looks at MiTo...) for recommendations on things like software/books/articles in the near future
@Thatonecat I use 65-68% exclusively asides my Novatouch (which is a TKL) and the Planck I have inbound. Won't be like this for long, once Input Club's new Infinity 60% and K-Type release those will be coming home, still, the Leopold 660C is my favourite keyboard and that is, in my opinion, the best layout both functionally (for anyone that uses arrow keys often enough) and aesthetically.
Most GMK sets however tend to range between $100 (at the very least, for simple sets with no novelties, standard compatibility, etc.) and $150. I'd say overshoot and plan for having to pay like 150 shipped. Yuri's base set should definitely be under 150 for example, I'm looking forward to that one very much!
Depending on how many kits you get yea, in theory SA should be slightly cheaper than GMK is - seeing as they're super split rather than one big package as GMK does, you're only really paying for what you actually want rather than paying for everything. YMMV but for Godspeed for example I bought Alphas, Mods, 40% mods, space bars, novelties and forums and it came out at around $175 shipped (internationally), so more than a base GMK set but seeing as that includes novelties and forums which are expensive with GMK as well (think Carbon's novelties/forums were like $50 for 28~ 1u keys?) then it sort of evens out.
The board, as I stated earlier, will require assembly. The price will start at $199 without under-lighting for the case & PCB. There is no option for a black case at this time; but there will be options for grey, silver, and orange cases available. They plan to open preorders one week prior to launch.
The lighting option is exciting for me, I wonder what type it will be. I may choose grey case with lighting.
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=88750.0
You get what you pay for most the time, the materials on that Revo board for example are insane, the anodizing will be done by the same factory that Apple uses, two plates, LED diffuser, etc. Does that justify paying $400 for a keyboard with less switches than a 60%? Maybe. Maybe not.
Edit: I wonder if the keyboard will bend in your backpack the same way the iPhone bent in your pocket...