Author Topic: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure  (Read 4518 times)

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Offline ScarletSwordfish

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Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« on: Sun, 10 October 2021, 20:26:11 »
I'd like to make my own iterations on the Dactyl (specifically the Ex-Dacty fork which adds an extra inner column https://github.com/LSChyi/ex-dactyl-keyboard). However I am not a programmer and I cannot make heads or tails of the Dactyl Clojure code, or any other kind of computer code for that matter. Has anyone written a guide for people like me that explains what all the different parts of the code do and how to edit them? It's frustrating that the Dactyl has so much potential for customization that is completely inaccessible to non-programmers.

Right now the main changes I'd like to make to the Ex-Dactyl are changing the switch holes from MX to Alps/Matias, tilting it backwards to match the basic Dactyl's neutral tilt (the Ex-Dactyl was has a positive tilt) and making it a single-piece case like the Dactyl-Manuform (it currently is a 2-piece case). But I may also want to play around with things like column and row curvature, thumb cluster angle, switch hole orientation. And I'd like to know what other modifications are possible with it.

Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 10 October 2021, 22:33:49 »
Check out this configurator. Should get you close to what you want. Has pop downs for most variables.
https://dactyl.siskam.link/manuform
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Offline ScarletSwordfish

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 13:00:40 »
I have played with that in the past but it doesn't allow an inner column for the standard Dactyl, only the Dactyl-Manuform.

Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 13:03:06 »
ahhhh.... got it now....
you want the original dactyl. but in a 5x7 configuration....
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Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 13:08:55 »
on that site, they call it the lightcycle
https://dactyl.siskam.link/lightcycle
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Offline ScarletSwordfish

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 13:12:48 »
Yes, but that configurator does not allow you to add an extra inner column like the Ex-Dactyl or the Dactyl-Manuform. You can add another outer column, but not another inner one above the thumb cluster.

Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 13:53:02 »
i know what you mean. for your layer switching like your split aek. don't know that it's supported in the clojure script (out of the realm of what i know).

you're good with cad stuff, what about generating one that's what you want minus the inner column, and edit that in once you import the scad file?

or start with the Ex-Dactyl files?
https://github.com/LSChyi/ex-dactyl-keyboard
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Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 13:54:59 »
also, the ergodash is very close to that layout, although flat, not curved.
i have a set of pcb's i put together, but i'm not fond of that layout.
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Offline ScarletSwordfish

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 17:43:37 »
I did spend a few hours trying to modify the Ex-Dactyl model but I haven't gotten it to a place where it's printable yet. I was hoping that it would be faster to be able to change variables in the code, but I can't even identify what they are. I searched for the key words of the things I want to change but nothing that comes after them makes any sense to me.

I really want to make a proper curved board. My BFO-9000 has been serving me well for the past few months but I only built it as a stopgap. If I have to I will try modeling a curved board from the ground up again, but if I could figure out how to modify the Dactyl parametrically that could save me many many many hours. It's just a big itch that I don't know how scratch.

Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 11 October 2021, 21:21:03 »
Have you tried to reach out to the author of the ex-dactyl code?

Usually these people are very receptive to questions about their projects.

Sorry, that clojure stuff is above my pay grade. But once you got it figured out you can teach me...
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Offline nevin

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Re: Looking for a Layperson's Guide to Editing Dactyl Clojure
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 12 October 2021, 08:23:30 »
there's also this, that just hit IC
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