##Design goals:
My layout differs from most in the placement the ARROW keys, ESC
, VOL keys, use of double-tap CAPS
, and the GAME LOCK function.
I put the layer buttons in the usual spots. I originally wanted only function/symbols layer, but that proved detrimental. I use some timed press actions to save some space, but this has been accounted for, (see GAME LOCK below). I'm not fully satisfied with the current product (see NOTES below), so it may change in the future.
##Effective layers:
There is also a toggle for the DVORAK/QWERTY layers, but in normal typing this is not of concern.
###Special keys:
RSHFT
and ENTER
are combined. Tap once for ENTER
and hold for RSHFT
. ENTER
will be registered on release if released within 200 ms, else RSHFT
is registered starting at 201 ms until release.ENTER
key in any way, (some problem that may never happen), I have added a regular non-modified ENTER
key on the same key in the [ACTION] layer.LSHFT
and CAPS
are also combined. The key works like a normal LSHFT
unless double-tapped, in which case it counts as CAPS
. This functionality unfortunately delays all key presses by at most 200 ms, but I have added ways to disable this both temporarily or permanently, described below.CAPS
key is on the same key in the [ACTION] layer.UNDO
, CUT
, COPY
, and PASTE
keys. This was intended to be a universal way to use these commands since in macOS cut is ⌘ + C
but in Windows it is ⌃ + C
. Unfortunately these special keys only work in Windows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯##Game lock:
TL;DR the game lock toggle disables the double-tap CAPS
, and disables GUI
keys (WINDOWS key).
I wished for this keyboard to be fully usable in the most demanding of games. The most demanding game I know of is ARMA 3 which has a binding to practically every individual key of a 107-key keyboard. This means I need to have pretty much every key possible somewhere. I also wanted the keyboard to be responsive in games for every critical keypress. This means having a way to disable features that introduce an inherent delay to registering keys, such as double-tap.
I do not expect to see this used by the pros, but I enjoyed making it. As for use in ARMA 3, I got a little ways into the APEX campaign, but I found a few flaws. For Example, I cannot enable my HUD GPS since that requires RCTRL
+M
but RCTRL
is not bound. The obvious fix is to rebind the action to a new key, but I still take this as a shortcoming of my layout.
###If you wish to disable double-tap
####Disable it temporarily
Turn on the game lock. While on, it registers as normal LSHFT
and has no delay. Whether in game mode or not, CAPS
is on the same key in the [ACTION] layer.
####Disable it permanently
Open the Makefile
and set TAP_DANCE_ENABLE = no
. I wrote the layout to compensate for this change, and no further changes to the code should be necessary. Whether or not it's disabled, CAPS
is on the same key in the [ACTION] layer.
##Notes:
ALT
and GUI
are reversed compared to the normal US layout. I will also be using my Planck on my mac, and that's the standard in the Apple ecosystem. I may add a special compiler flag in the future to swap the two.Z
key is to the right of the S
key instead of under it as part of a compromise I made to keep the ARROW keys available on the default layer. I prioritize the ARROW keys, so the DVORAK layout is the one to suffer.Makefile
and set AUDIO_ENABLE = yes
.