Custom layout

[hoggy]

I've got a firmware programmable Access keyboard and thought it would be fun to change the layout.

I type (badly) using the dvorak layout - so first of all I've changed it to a dvorak keyboard - so I can type my network password using dvorak instead of qwerty.

Then I stood on the shoulders of lowpoly and added a layer so I've got navigation keys around the home keys.  If that doesn't make sense to you then check out the mini guru.

So far - so good.  All tested - quite happy.



Once you start fiddling, it's difficult to know when to stop...  I've made a few changes, but I haven't saved them to the keyboard yet.

I use punctuation far more than I use numbers - I suspect that many programmers fall into this category - so now the number row is shifted - if I want " then I just need to press the 2.  If I want 2 then I need to press GeekHack and then the 2.

I swap to other non dvorak boards from time to time and I use autohotkey to translate qwerty to dvorak.  To avoid unwanted double translation of already dvorak to well, something else entirely, the numlock key turns the script on/off.  Sadly, this makes the standard numpad keys on the access almost useless.  To fix this, I've changed the numpad keys to the numbers from the top row.  

I've also added a copy and paste on the f and d keys.




So any thoughts, comments or other ideas?

[Rajagra]

Looks good - both the physical layout and how you've programmed it. You could try swapping the Hack and Alt keys. That would make it easy to change layers by curling in your left thumb.

I would also think about swapping the # and Enter keys, but that's a personal preference. Or make them both act as Enter and move # to the ISO key next to left shift.

Could you use scroll lock to turn off the AHK script instead of numlock?

Edit> They have some nice boards but I don't see any with your physical layout. Did you take a AKC127 and blank off unwanted keys to make the layout? Nicely done.

[hoggy]

I like those ideas.  

Swapped the alt and hack keys.  

Modified the # to produce return when pressed but gives # when pressed with the geekhack key.  Ever since I've adapted to the filco tenkeyless I've preferred the ansi layout as it gives better access to the return key from the home keys, but I wouldn't have thought about reusing the # - thanks!



I downloaded an ahk script that used scroll lock, but had to change it as scroll lock made lotus notes pretty much unusable.

The physical layout as the same as when I got it.  Funnily enough, AKC127 isn't listed as a template in the software, so I wonder if the board I have is a variant of the AKC127 family and not a predecessor as I originally thought.

I'm now toying with the idea of dropping the numpad and moving the cursor keys out to the right...

[hoggy]

Edit> They have some nice boards but I don't see any with your physical layout. Did you take a AKC127 and blank off unwanted keys to make the layout? Nicely done.

Typical - just found one.

[Rajagra]

I think I'll set up an ebay search for access keyboards. ATM all I can find is these.

I don't suppose their boards support NKRO? That would be too much to hope for.

The website mentions double-shot keycaps, so there might also be a good source of funky keys.

[hoggy]

One of these turned up today.


I noticed that if you put your fingers on the home row, the enter key is directly under the right pinky.  If I was still using qwerty, I'd be happy to swap ; for the enter key.

Edit:
On the mod front - I think I'll modify the '-' key to be enter by default, and place '-' on the layer, much the same as the '#'.