Tiny Keyboards: An Explanation 

Wonderful!

It's a hella fun rabbit hole to go down. One year later for me and I have two handbuilts, one of which is a split from Keeb.io and the other an ortholinear from Drop. Then I found out I could plug these into my phone using an OTG cable... Oh ho ho! So now I'm taking this little rainbow keyed Preonic into the office rather than my laptop now. :)

Once you fall in, you can never get out

🤣🤣🤣🤣 welcome my friend.

I'm working on an intuitive layout and printing on keycaps that is easy to pick up on! Stay tuned!

www.wasdkeyboards.com/designer/keyboard_data/models/87-Key%20Custom%20Cherry%20MX%20Keycap%20Set/layouts/38-87-vim-progdvor-black/87-vim-progdvor-blk-thumb.png

I saw this vid at a similar time. Here's my story: I wanted only one Keyboard, if i was gonna spend Money on it. Therefore i wanted it all: QMK, no RGB cancer, Split, ortho, 60% bc i didnt want to find i had not enough keys. Oh and the NEO Layout please, since i am learning that atm. To cut a long story short, i built a nyquist with custom wasd keycaps. I thought i was done for the next 10 years. Oh boy, was i wrong. I ordered a gergo kit 5 hrs ago, but with switches and keycaps included. Living in europe sucks for shipping from the us. I will go abroad for a year, and a friend wanted to play around with a macropad. Will probably take the gergo with me if i can build it in time, lend the nyquist to said friend. Original plan was to build a viterbi, but keeb.io doesnt accept paypal anymore.

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards I was just reading about DIY dye sub printing. Seems like a blank set would be fine for you anyway. You know all the keys from memory.

@@seven9766 The Corne keyboard seems ideal. I'm gonna build one of those suckers.

I just heard vim and I was like this dude knows what he's talking about

I've stopped counting the amount of time i've heard: 'Wow how do you work with a 60% ??! I NEED my arrow keys for VIM' Mate just press Fn + WASD.

@@dedelabinouze5110 arrow keys suck This post was made by hjkl gang

@@JohnDoe-qz9ji I think you would have to do it a similar way on a 40%. You could have a toggle layer key that replaces the top row with F keys. Personally I use vscode and don't use shortcuts that complicated. Both my numbers and F keys are accessible from layers triggered by keys I hold down with my thumbs. I think you could also set up the layer key to function as both hold and toggle. Hold to hold. Tap to toggle. Or... you could arrange the F keys on a layer in a grid pattern (like a numpad) on the right side. So you could hold down the layer key with right thumb and hit the F keys with your right fingers, freeing up your left hand to hold down both option and cmd, etc. You have many options!

@@JohnDoe-qz9ji Oh and I think you could also do things like put Cmd+Option on the same key on your F key layer.

Always been a fan of the Pain27 :D

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards I need to find out how to buy one. I have always wanted a ridiculously overpriced paperweight.

LOL

I think you have to make one yourself. I think it could be used if you could do some alpha key tap/hold layering. I've wondered about that kind of layering for a while, but never tried it out. The Pain27 would probably force me to do it, and I could finally test it :D I theorized that you could do mods or layer changes on unused english bigrams (much like modal changes in vim using 'jk' or 'fd'), or you could do holding mods on double taps of certain keys. Imagine being able to hold z to change layers, but if you tap it, it's just z. Or if you type 'jkc' the next key you press would have CTRL as a modifier for it. Creativity is found in limitation, and I think there are few keyboards more limiting than the Pain27! :D

@@ultimatecheeze9066 there is someone on etsy that sells kits, like 60$ when I got my kit.

The great thing is that there are lots of options available. There are tenkeyless (missing only the number pad), and 60% (only keys from ~ to backspace and below). Now, there are more that fall in between and include arrows, functions, and page clusters fitted into the 60% form factor. The real power is in the programmability helping you get your work done faster. You can get that out of a basic mechanical keyboard, even if it's full size.

Yeah, seems a lot to cram, in addition to relearning to type.

Wouldn't work very well for gamers, for example, or anyone who is using only one hand. A modifier key at one end of the keyboard and need the character while holding that modifier at the other end doesn't work too well when you're using one hand. I'm speaking specifically about 40%s and it might actually work for some people for specific games. I use a 60% because I don't use function keys in any of the games I play and I love the space it frees up and how easy it is to transport. But I definitely use my number row and I can't be moving too many fingers for one key press so modifiers to make my important, regularly used keybinds work is a no go for me. Some keyboard shortcuts such as push to mute, mute game, etc that are not intense gameplay keybinds can obviously use modifiers and more complicated keybinds but that's something else.

@@Sinehmatic To each their own poison. A QMK programmable full size board can do the same magic tricks. Just need to get creative with your spacebar. Chopping that up is long overdue

yeah, good on you for recognizing the biggest challenge with these keyboards I've seen people online buy an ergo mech, try it for a week and go wHy IsN'T iT wOrKiNg. you need to be dead set on taking years familiarize yourself with these layouts - def. not for everyone

My favorite thing to do with a 40 is to take it along with me so I have a handy keyboard I can use on my phone with a usb to go cable. Android phone support usb devices natively, and if I need to do some actual work on my server, I get all my macros, key combinations, and speed when I SSH into my server.

learning a layout is surprisingly easy when all buttons on the different layers are where it makes sense to you...

Actually I found the transition from horizontal stagger to grid to be extremely smooth. ZXCV keys are notorious because they move the most, but after a day I was totally fine. I even went further and staggered vertically with my latest design, Signum 3 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xisWlKNjoU4.html

I design my layouts maintain modifiers on every layer possible, so you would go to the target layer (the one with escape), then hold the modifier, and press the key. This can get weird for combinations like control+alt+delete, so for common key combinations, I recommend programming one key to be control+esc, so you don't have to think about it too much.

I hope you're not talking about me specifically because that would mean more people are doing this. You are exactly right, and I think 40 percent keyboards are an invitation to rethink the concept of input devices. We've been far too long with then >100 year old design, and we're only not looking for ways to improve, and this is causing us to question all our preconceptions. "If I'm carrying around my custom keyboard, what else can I carry around? A USB drive? My passwords? An entire computer?" "My keyboard can do macros to automate basic functions and navigation on my computer, what else can it automate? Mouse movements? Combinations of the two? Can my macros change based on what program I'm working in at the time?"

Yes, my keyboard layout is a bit of a mess, but only because I keep trying new things and tweaking what doesn't work. There are a lot of iterations here: www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/2b26cee77ba243e0e6b8e9d71efe7e21 You can also find a poorly recorded video where I discuss my 40% layout: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xovjSR5Zj7c.html

Numpad is actually useless. You want numbers ordered ergonomically on the row above home row, with 1 and 0 on home row index position. Ordered according to Benford's Law with Zipfian distribution.

@@Cons-Cat Have a number layer toggle then, with a key to exit that layer. (don't do one key do toggle, have to keep mental track of toggle, a waste). Then, you don't have to press keys with the same hand that is holding a key. Swap 1 2 and 7 8 keys. More efficient, and you keep muscle memory.

You could learn the new keyboard layout, then relearn QWERTY so you can still type on a standard keyboard. But look into it more if you actually want to switch. Or, take your preferred ortholinear or vertical staggered keyboard and your game key bind config along with you in a USB stick (don't forget it :) You could have your preferred key layout in that custom keyboard XD

I knew about that one too, but typing jk to exit insert mode is extremely fast! imap jk

Cheapest 40% I know of is the JJ40, but you have to solder it yourself. That's part of the fun and ownership though. :)

Exactly! I feel like so many people are using mechanical keyboards, capable of literally doing work for them, and they settle for the feelz, or the clack when they could be doing so much more. I'm planning on making a video with an introduction to some simple shortcuts for your programmable keyboard that save time and reduce movement.

Nobody should ever use Dvorak, it's inferior to colemak in everyway. Colemak is mathematically more efficient, and colemak changes less keys than Dvorak, so ctrl z x c v all work on colemak

Ignore the print on the buttons, it doesn't match the function. I've moved to an ergonomic keyboard of my own design, but it is still a 40%, and you can find the layout here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-49iE37HOVbk.html

Keys at different parts of the keyboard have different profiles, so they slant more or less depending on how high or low they are on the keyboard. I took the keys with the most slant and turned them upside-down so they slant toward your thumbs. This way you don't get a pressure point on the edge of the key where your thumb normally meets the key. Further, the slant is contrasted with the high profile F1 and F2 keys, which make it easier for your thumbs to feel the peaks and valleys of the different keys so you can feel the keys more easily without looking.

There's plenty to think about! Eliminating motion is as much speed as it is ergonomics, so try to target any weird or repetitive (or both!) key sequence. I made a long and poorly recorded video going over my 40% layout: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xovjSR5Zj7c.html

There are issues with disabling the keyboard completely depending on the OS. After fighting with a number of solutions, I just figured that to have a keyboard that is light weight and distributes the weight evenly (as in a full bottom mat, rather than 4 rubber feet) sits on the laptop keyboard and can be used without pressing any laptop buttons.

More space is a thing as well, I'm graphic designer and I use a big drawing tablet next to my keyboard, if I use a full size keyboard I have to keep my arms open in an uncomfortable position and I end up with neck and shoulder pain, a smaller keyboard solves that for me. And is also good for extra mouse space too. Most of my keyboard usage is software shortcuts on the left side of the keyboard.

Here's my living 40% keyboard layout: www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/2b26cee77ba243e0e6b8e9d71efe7e21 I tend to stay off layer 3, but that's mostly because I rarely use the Function keys

You sound like someone who has actual experience with this stuff! Part of the problem with holding down keys is modifiers in the wrong place on the keyboard. In my optimized 40% layout, the thumbs are used for all modifiers, as I've found the thumbs to be the best method of holding any modifiers. I've further improved any thumb holding with some paddles of my own design, making holding modifiers even less motion. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pj75X-EcJ1E.html What keys/layers are intuitive and learnable vs forgettable depends very much on how your brain and hands work together. I tried dozens of layouts (particularly for the shifted number symbols) and finally found that assigning the symbols by mnemonics was easy to remember and fast to execute. Before that I tried all kinds of logical layouts and none of them seemed to work well with my brain. The other thing about these custom keyboards is they are programmable, so if you don't like the layout, you can change it. You should always try to build tools that make your work easier. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-49iE37HOVbk.html Identifying the pinky fingers as weak for holding keys is very accurate, change those modifiers to thumbs, or make them tap keys. The custom programming for the keyboard allows for the opportunity to try out new and weird ways to activate the keys, layers, and modifiers. Having modifiers be "sticky" where you just tap them and then tap the text key without any chording is a long-supported feature of the custom keyboard firmwares.

40% from this video seems like a nightmare to me if you are using programs that require both mouse and keyboard to be operated, like Photoshop or video editing where you operate the keyboard with a single hand most of the time. I'd say 65% are the sweetspot, they give you great mouse space while mantaining everything except for numpad. A really underrated layout which I only found out about recently is the southpaw, which puts the numpad on the left side, that gives all the mouse space of smaller layouts while still giving you the numpad for excel or similar, plus even better it gives you the possibility of comfortably typing numbers with your left hand while changing textbox with your right hand using arrows or the mouse in a much more natural way compared to a normal keyboard. I'd love to get one but they seem pretty much nonexistend if you want Cherry switches apart from extremely expansive custom keyboards.

@@v0ldy54 I'm a designer and I spend all day long on the adobe software mostly illustrator and photoshop. I daily drive a 30 key keyboard, I started on a keyboard similar to the one on the video I loved it, but now that I'm used to working with the 30 key layout using the 40% keyboard feels weird and cumbersome. So it's not only doable but it's actually great. My next project is a split 30% keyboard so I can have a similar layout to my current 30 key keyboard but split in half so I can have my wacom tablet in front of me with each half of the keyboard on each side of the tablet.

Check out my 40% layout for some cool ideas here: www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/2b26cee77ba243e0e6b8e9d71efe7e21 Generally, the few rows make it harder to game. You may have to get a little creative with the number row, by making a numpad to the right of your "game pad" area. I generally have problems gaming on these split boards, but the planck (all one piece) should be ok. QMK is capable of all types of macros, even to the point you press one key, then the top row turns into a number row for one tap. There are a lot of options there! I know a couple other people who game on their ergonomic or planck boards

Congrats on the rare tenkeyless! They're really great! Xmodmap can do a lot for you in terms of keyboard control! I'd recommend rotating caps lock, left control, and left alt. That makes caps lock into alt, alt into control, and control into caps lock. Makes the more useful control more accessible to your thumb, and alt is tappable (you don't have to hold it down for most uses) on the pinky key. I know the HHKB, and I have a Leopold topre board, and while I do like the feel of the topre switch, I don't think I like the lack of sound. The board is n key rollover, so you can do layering on it with a custom controller. Yes, Vim and Emacs are both fully customizable input hogs. They'll pick up all your input no matter the keystroke (aside from some OS interrupt keys such as GUI and Ctrl+Alt+Del), but the goal should be to reduce chording wherever possible, or move to your thumbs where possible. This is why I like the custom ergonomic boards and the 40%, because your thumbs should be the only ones chording. But in Vim/Emacs environments, you should make use of modality (vim native, or evil in emacs) to assign regular old keys to your functions. Supplement this with a leader key layout like spacemacs does, and you can end chording entirely! If all of my work was in vim or emacs, I would have no problems. Unfortunately, I'm flipping through desktops, browser tabs, and windows, while trying to remember the keyboard shortcut for excel's recalculate formulas. The keyboard functions as a sort of translator to unify all your input across all these different things. You can program it with easy to remember shortcuts to Emacs, Chrome, Putty, and Excel. You can even set up layers specific to Excel so you have all your excel shortcuts on a layer you turn on whenever you're in excel. Tools like X-Mouse do this well by letting you change what buttons do based on the window you're in. So Mouse3+Scroll is a zoom in 3 different graphical programs even though each of those programs uses a different key combination for zoom. Unifying your input so you don't have to remember extra garbage.

Most people swap the caps lock with control, not alt, so that's a new one on me. I actually had three of these model M keyboards, two were found at a ham flea market for about $20 each NIB with the PS2 cord (detachable). The third was found on ebay for under $50, also NIB. One of them got zapped when the house was hit by lightning. I did manage to find a replacement control board, but one of the arrow keys and the left shift key never worked after that. Maybe something got fried on the key switch wiring. Anyway, I gave that one away to someone who thought they could fix it. So I still have a spare, but I might eventually have to replace the plastic rivets with screws according the the model M wiki.

@@scharkalvin Yes, I did a caps lock to control swap for a very long time, until I realized that any chording on the fingers is not good. Ctrl on the thumb is easier anyway especially if you have to reach when doing a control Y or similar. Sounds pretty lucky on those model Ms, the bolt mod is very popular.

scharkalvin Autohotkey dude

Drop? As in Massdrop? I hope it goes well. Let me know if it doesn't! There are alternatives.

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards Yes Drop.com or formally known as Massdrop. I got a Preonic kit from them which is excellent. Just got Plank kit on order expecting the same quality. Both of them feature interchangeable switch PCBs.

Penny for the Guy! The Glider was adopted as a symbol for a group of computer users years ago, and I've been carrying it forward. I love the concept of an emergent complexity or behavior off random inputs and simple rules. Like the Mandelbrot Set.

I wouldn't recommend it, but here it is! www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/2b26cee77ba243e0e6b8e9d71efe7e21 I've also linked it at my website troyfletcher.com, where it will be updated from time to time.

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards Yeah, pretty whack, but I have a better understanding of it now. Thank you so much

I Vim and Emacs pretty hard on my Signum 3 40% :) I just can't get over the gigantic waste of spacebar. It should be one space, one backspace, and lots of modifier keys.

I have a video on Vim vs Emacs which has suggestions for getting started in Vim.

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards awesome, I'll check it. Thank you, sir

Yes, gaming is usually a problem with fewer keys because there is a lot of muscle memory based on current keyboard layouts, and many actions should be accessible without layering, while playing with one hand. Some people do game with smaller keyboards, but they are in the minority. Gaming is the only field I do not actively recommend people get a 40%

For some reason I was thinking about the SW reference too before he even said it.

Interesting! I don't really think it's that much different! What did you have in mind? My macros? My vimrc? Honestly, once you learn the board it's just like a full keyboard. There are some limits as far as double modifiers with rarely used keys, but I don't think it's that much different. Maybe I'm too close to it!

Troy Fletcher Well, I've never considered a 40% before watching this video, but I can help but worry about how vim's default mappings were originally design looking at a standard ISO (Edit: I mean ANSI), so using bracket movements, markings, leader mappings, etc. Might be cumbersome (?). Maybe going through everything: vimrc, mappings, how the layout on the keyboard matches the vim workflow, and a big etc; will make an awesome series of videos!

There is very little available that discusses my formula; (move less + type less) * time. Please send me an email. There are some ergonomic options, but they are few. fletcher.troy@gmail.com

This covers a lot of the mechanics of what I learned about ergonomics in dealing mith my RSI ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FU_n6p-i1kw.html

I write in a lot of languages at this point, but my latest focus is Javascript, PHP, and Python. Generally writing webapps, or automation scripts for boring processes. Usually automating dumb spreadsheet work :) Yes, all of my keyboards are DIY. I design, build and sell them at my website, troyfletcher.net

when you developing webapps, did you using mouse for your pointer or the keyboards?

With I always try to use my mouse as little as possible, because for most tasks, it's slow. Once I figure out how to play an FPS game on my keyboard, I will. For development I try to NEVER use my mouse because it increases the time it takes me to do all tasks. The custom firmware on the keyboard also simulates mouse movements and clicks, you can use arrow keys to move the mouse cursor around, which isn't nearly as fast or accurate as an actual mouse, but it's great for clicking into a large area you can't keyboard-tab your way into.

The great thing about the Planck is that it is 100% programmable. Literally every key can be programmed to perform any single keypress OR a series of keypresses. So you can pick any 3 keys that you want and make them Ctrl, Shift, and Arrow Key. You can also make any single key send that keypress combination. In fact, because of this keyboard's complete programmability, many people don't even use the Planck a "keyboard", but rather as a dedicated macro pad that is designed especially for the programs they use frequently.

I really enjoy the shift or shift + ctrl with the arrow keys, and used it a lot in text editing, so yes, I maintain the modifiers through layers. You would press the button for arrows, then hold what ever modifiers you want and use the arrows as usual. I eventually wound up setting up a layers specifically for spreadsheet work, which put the arrows on the left hand next to the modifiers and included the keys you would normally have to pick up your hand to reach, like Enter, Del, backspace, end, home, etc. Technically, since it's programmable, there are no shortcuts you can't do, but functionally, I always do a Ctrl+Alt+Del key, and a windows L key. Some people use windows + arrow keys more often, and I recommend a modified layout for that, but that's only because I rarely use the windows key.

There's no doubt about it; a grid layout will expose ALL bad typing habits you use (to be fair, the bad habits are usually tricks to work around the discomfort of typing on old style keyboards). Once you're using the correct fingers for the correct keys, touch typing becomes more intuitive. On these smaller boards, it's definitely easier to touch type because you have no reach for the alpha keys. Cheapest way to buy an ortho is to build it yourself with some light soldering skills. My favorite site at the moment for this is keeb.io. They have great designs and parts available. Purchasing one assembled is a little harder, as they are still quite rare.

Thanks. Yea, I figured ortho would expose all those "cheats" we have learned to use over the years. I have never soldered before, but I think I could learn pretty easily. I'll check that site out, thanks.

You can simulate mouse controls and commands on the keyboard, but it's clunky at best. EasyAVR has the best mouse controls, but QMK could probably be just as good with a bit of work. Generally, if you do a lot of mousing, and there's not a keyboard shortcut way around it (such as graphics work), you just need a mouse. I should note that after trying out a trackball, I started mousing a lot more because it was quick and more convenient than the keyboard mouse controls. The logitec m570 is cheap and robust. I have 3 now.

I've switched to an ergonomic 40% keyboard I designed, the Signum 3.0

I think the software matters as much as the hardware. I don't know how capable the XD75 firmware is, but look into QMK support, I imagine someone has ported it by now. Then you can start layering and really reducing your motion

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards It supports it. I decided on it over a 40% because it means a bit less toggling between layers.

This is the latest: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-49iE37HOVbk.html

I like that Vortex added programmability without software, but I can't go back after QMK and EasyAVR. There are just too many features in there. It makes the Poker's and Vortex's programming look like nothing. Obviously, it's a bit more complex though! Look up Easy AVR to see how easy it can be, and look up QMK to see how powerful it can be! There IS someone who installed QMK on his vortex...

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards well I bought the vortex for gaming. I'm not disappointed 😂

You can try to build scripts with something like Autohotkey, but the OS will process those shortcuts last, so you will likely run into problems depending on what programs you are running.

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards Thanks Troy! Yeah I finally tried out AutoHotkey and went through a ton of tutorials. It's working so far :) Thank you! here's my code. I appreciate the reply man, your video has inspired me to really really optimize how I see keyboards and typing as a whole. \ & a::Left \ & s::Down \ & w::Up \ & d::Right \ & r::7 \ & t::8 \ & y::9 \ & f::4 \ & g::5 \ & h::6 \ & v::1 \ & b::2 \ & n::3 \ & u::- \ & j::+ \ & i::* \ & k::/ \ & ]::\ \ & [::PrintScreen \ & =::Send #+s

@@makobobinzers Fantastic. I'm glad to hear it! Nothing really beats a good programmable keyboard though! Find one you can program, or one that has a 3rd party replaceable card that you can program.

@@TroyFletcherKeyboards Will do in the future for sure! I just have a Royal Kludge 71