TECK layout designer

[Mackansson]

...and then hell froze over.

Application to Reprogram the Truly Ergonomic Keyboard

We are pleased to announce that we now have an application to reprogram the Truly Ergonomic Keyboard, a Layout Designer.

ALL Truly Ergonomic Keyboards provide fully reprogrammable keys and layout customization, allowing for uncommon and unique key configurations. You can now very easily change the logical position of any key, add logical keys, create your own custom layout(s), have up to 6 layers at once, and have two distinct layouts at the same time, amongst others.

Your custom layout is then saved internally so you can connect your Truly Ergonomic Keyboard into any compatible computer without the need to install any additional software or to reprogram each time. No matter what compatible computer you plug in into, you can have the same layout without the need of any third party application or special drivers.

Additionally, you have the option to change any required keys for the letters or symbols of your preference. This includes all keys including both spacebars where each key can have its own functionality. There are no restrictions of which keys accept special letters/symbols or special functionality.

You can also visit our Support – Alternate Layouts Firmware section to review diverse layouts already made or to start the Layout Designer with a Default layout for your particular model/language. You can use the templates as such or you can open them in the Layout Designer to change required functionality, you can then save the firmware/layout file to upgrade your keyboard and save the layout as a new template for later use or to share it.

If you use or want to have two distinct layouts (Qwerty/Alternate or Work/Entertainment) or use two computers (Windows/MacOSX) without the need to constantly flip DIP switch #2, you can consider having one layout in the “Main” layer, and the secondary layout on the “Num” layer, having the NumLock¬LED showing if you are using the secondary layout – you can then use the “Fn” layer for the numeric keypad as well as special functionality. Learn more at the "Dual Layouts" section.

We have also created a "Minimal Stretch Layout for Programmers" (Emacs included) where several keys in the “Main” and “Fn” layers are positioned to facilitate typing for programmers. “Fn” layers have F1-F12 keys closer and diverse keys positioned on both sides symmetrically to be easily used in combination with the new location of the Fn key.

If you are using Windows/Linux and use the Ctrl key a lot, or if you are using Mac OS X and use the command key a lot, you can have the left space as a Ctrl or command to be pressed with the left thumb instead of your left pinky.

If you are using Mac OS X and prefer to have the Fn keys functionality as default, compared to require pressing the Fn along F6 F12 keys, you can reprogram Fn functionality on the “Main” layer and F1 F12 keys on the “Fn” layer. Review here.


Above options and layouts presented in our Support – Alternate Layouts Firmware section can be used as samples of what can be done to set up your Truly Ergonomic Keyboard. You can open any of the layouts in the Layout Designer to make further enhancements or combine ideas from diverse layouts.

If you create your own Custom Layout or use one already made, let us know your thoughts, observations, comments, and suggestions by replying to this email.

[tp4tissue]

Competition from the ergodox no doubt.. 

[nomaded]

Yes. It's great having an easy to use layout designer. It all comes from the excellent work of Yuri Khan. Here's his post of his version of the layout designer. The rest of the thread has some good discussion of how it came about.

[Architect]

Pretty neat, I've got lots of ideas.

Such as changing all the media control keys to F13-F24. I love having lots of function keys, and miss the days when I had two full rows of F1-F24 (the extended Mac keyboard goes up to F19). Otherwise I'm looking at replacing the center Del with Clear (on OS X that only clears the selected text), and the left corner ISO2 key.

On OS X ISO2 gives "§" and "±", two basically useless keys. Any other suggestions to map this to? I've been wracking my brains looking for another key but haven't found anything useful, except on idea is to put Guillemets there (« and »). I might find ways to use those, any idea how to program that into the keyboard?

[fatchoi]

Btw, does anyone encounter bug of volume control?

I flashed my custom firmware using the layour designer.
After that, when I press my volume up hotkey (Fn+ F12) a few times, it keeps "pressing to the maximum, non-stop", until I press Fn+F11, which zerorize my volume.

This is very annoying...

[Architect]

Btw, does anyone encounter bug of volume control?

I flashed my custom firmware using the layour designer.
After that, when I press my volume up hotkey (Fn+ F12) a few times, it keeps "pressing to the maximum, non-stop", until I press Fn+F11, which zerorize my volume.

This is very annoying...

Yes! I'm having the same problem. I thought it was a problem of the remapping. I'm seeing the problem on both keyboards I flashed.

[fatchoi]

Btw, does anyone encounter bug of volume control?

I flashed my custom firmware using the layour designer.
After that, when I press my volume up hotkey (Fn+ F12) a few times, it keeps "pressing to the maximum, non-stop", until I press Fn+F11, which zerorize my volume.

This is very annoying...

Yes! I'm having the same problem. I thought it was a problem of the remapping. I'm seeing the problem on both keyboards I flashed.

OOps.... So I'm not alone... Let us email truly ergonomic customer support and let them fix it.

I have only flashed one board yet. Don't want to flash the other as there's such a bug at the moment...

[Architect]

Don't worry I submitted a bug and Yuri and TE are working on it.

[Architect]

Don't worry I submitted a bug and Yuri and TE are working on it.

Workaround is to hold down Fn key longer. Check at Github for more details.

[fatchoi]

Don't worry I submitted a bug and Yuri and TE are working on it.

Great! Thank you. Hope it's gonna be fixed soon.

[rradonic]

So, maybe a dumb question, but how does the keyboard's firmware layout interact with the operating system's keyboard layout?

Disclaimer, I'm making the keys and key codes up for the purposes of this example.

If I'm understanding the firmware remapping concept correctly, the keyboard, for example, normally emits key code CODE24 when you press the physical key KEY24, and the OS interprets CODE24 as the letter D if you're using QWERTY. The OS would interpret this same key code as the letter S if you were using Colemak.

After I do some remapping, the keyboard now emits CODE 47 for that same physical key, instead of CODE24, which it used to emit before the remapping. The OS would interpret this key code as the letter P in QWERTY, but ';' in Colemak.

So, if the above is correct, that means that when I remap the keyboard's firmware layout using the layout designer on the TECK site for example, the keyboard layout selected in the OS has to be US English (QWERTY) in order for the mapping to do what I expect.

Is that how it works?

[AKmalamute]

So, if the above is correct, that means that when I remap the keyboard's firmware layout, the keyboard layout selected in the OS has to be US English (QWERTY) in order for the mapping to do what I expect.

Is that how it works?

9/10ths positive that, yes. You don't want two things remapping the keyboard ... just one. With firmware, it goes wherever you take the keyboard ... an advantage for a few. But if you plug a hardwired dvorak keyboard, into a computer that expects a hardwired qwerty and is actively interpreting it as dvorak instead ... the keyboard becomes all wonky.

[rradonic]

So, if the above is correct, that means that when I remap the keyboard's firmware layout, the keyboard layout selected in the OS has to be US English (QWERTY) in order for the mapping to do what I expect.

Is that how it works?

9/10ths positive that, yes. You don't want two things remapping the keyboard ... just one. With firmware, it goes wherever you take the keyboard ... an advantage for a few. But if you plug a hardwired dvorak keyboard, into a computer that expects a hardwired qwerty and is actively interpreting it as dvorak instead ... the keyboard becomes all wonky.

Great, that's what I though, just wanted to make sure. Thanks!