Author Topic: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?  (Read 8430 times)

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Offline nickw

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  • Location: Vancouver BC
Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« on: Mon, 05 March 2018, 20:14:41 »
I'm curious what people use on the bottom row of their plancks, both in terms of key profile, and layout?

This question is partially driven by the fact that I keep seeing "ortho" key sets everywhere based on that same layout, which I found incredibly awkward and uncomfortable in both ways, and I'm curious if I'm the exception, or if the majority of planck users do a lot of customization.

for my keyboards, I use the full 48 key grid, and my favourite profile is SA 2-3-4-4, but I flip the middle 6 keys (which I press with my thumbs) so they're row 2 instead of pounding on the sharp bottom edges.
I've also done some using cherry and oem profiles with the flipped keys on the bottom row (which look stupid unless it's a blank set).  I also have used R3 SA (On the keyboard I'm using right now, in fact) and DSA.  Both of which are pretty okay, except that my thumbs get sore.
Flipped keys for the middle 6 is the way to go IMO.

As far as layouts go,
I have shift keys in the normal places on both sides.  Backspace in place of caps (got used to this when I was using colemak).  And my bottom row goes:
ctrl, win, alt, tab, (nav), (num), (punc), space, enter, alt, app, ctrl.

I put the space bar in the exact spot where I would naturally hit it on a normal 104 keyboard instead of in the middle, which seemed like a weird reach to get used to.  Then I put the modifiers in all the remaining thumb-key spots. 

The "nav" modifier puts a standard inverted T arrow key set under my right hand fingers when they're in home position, and an inverted T that is PgUp, Home, PgDn, End under my left hand home position. (Seems way more intuitive than the weird bottom row arrows.)

the num key gives me both a num pad under my right hand in home position, and a top row of number keys (on Q-P)  coincidentally, the 7,8,9 line up in both sets of numbers, and I use top number key codes for both, so I can num-shift-1 for a !, etc.

The punc key fills out the other weird stuff that I couldn't really find a good place for like []=-, etc.  It's the layer that still needs tweaking.

I would suggest anyone else who wants to try this layout should adapt it slightly for their typing habits.  Start by putting your space key where it's most natural, nav key on the other hand in the mirror position, then put num in the remaining spot on the left hand (assuming you want num-pad on the right), and punc in the last remaining place.

Does anyone else have any other good suggestions/optimizations that they use on theirs?

-Nick

Offline Phenix

  • Posts: 591
  • Location: Germany
Re: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 06 March 2018, 06:41:13 »
Im German and have to use shift a ****load of times. So: shift  if single tapped on a thumb Key, if hold down layer1 which makes asdf arrows
Winter is coming.

Offline crystalhand

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  • Location: USA-MD
Re: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 12 March 2018, 12:48:57 »
Mine is similar to yours but I have the space closer to the middle and the backspace to the left of it.  I have also ditched the multiple ctr and alt buttons as I see no need for them.  If you are required to have them it seems a tab vs hold choice in QMK would make more sense.  This gives some more options.  I am also a window tab addict so that is on the bottom.  That lets me switch between desktops easily.


Offline deacon

  • Posts: 46
Re: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 13 March 2018, 22:29:01 »
The question is probably how many buying these key sets for the Planck are full time users. I can't imagine not changing your keymap on a 40% daily driver, it's why I use them.

I have to use other people's regular keyboards a lot so I didn't want stuff too different. I don't change layouts well so I've shied away from thumb based Shift, Enter and Backspace and leave them close to the usually positions.

Mine now is Ctrl, Win , Backslash, Alt, (numbers, f-keys), 2u Space, (movement, symbol), Left, Down, Up, Right.

Right arrow is tap/hold RCtrl and Enter is tap/hold RShift. I normally use Vim arrows on the movement layer and change the bottom row arrows into the nav cluster keys. My number layer has a pad for comfort and a row for passwords.

Here's the whole Planck layout, Preonic is similar but with 4 1.25u mods on the left side omitting the Backslash key and the gaming layer.
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/c6c0ac051b2b118a34ef84ebadab54c7

I initially had [-=] in the bottom right instead of arrows but I've moved them to my symbol layer and have put the arrows back. I normally use the Backslash on the symbol layer too despite having it under my left palm too.

I predominantly use standard keysets with a haphazard bottom row or blanks because I'm cheap. Occasionally G20 as thumb keys on DSA and previously as thumb keys and mods with Cherry sets. I'll use SA Row 2 (how awesome would concave SA be?) or flip Cherry, Apple and MIX  for the center, bottom row but I've used Cherry Num/Backspace row blanks on the bottom too. You just have to hold those wrists up!

Offline JohanAR

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  • Location: Sweden
Re: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 14 March 2018, 10:44:48 »
I'm currently working on a layout for the Nyquist I just built, and I think it's similar enough to the Planck to be included in this discussion.

Until I finalized they layout I'm using some OEM caps I've borrowed from another keyboard, with the 4 middle buttons flipped. Planning to order G20 caps for the thumb buttons too

Currently the bottom row is: (unused), LCtrl, LAlt, LSuper, L2, space, enter, L3, RSuper, RAlt, RCtrl, (unused)

I like the mirrored modifiers because it avoids moving the hands away from home row to press combos. RAlt (aka. AltGr) is also very important when using Swedish layout but I'm experimenting with putting those symbols on L3 instead. Arrow keys are located on Vim locations on both layers. Space is under left thumb because it's very convenient for gaming. Haven't decided yet what to do with the corner keys

Offline nickw

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  • Location: Vancouver BC
Re: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 09 April 2018, 18:39:14 »
Yeah, as I figured, not many running defaults.

It's frustrating when nice sets keep coming out with no reasonable way to outfit a planck. :(

I'm grabbing  a set of pulse SA alphas, but I'm going to have to fudge the bottom row and edges with some random SA blanks, because there isn't really a reasonable way of getting the necessary blanks in coordinated colours, and I don't really like r3 for the full bottom row.  I've been typing comfortably for a lot of years with my palms resting on the edge of my desk, and I'm not going to switch to some awkward hover just to make it easier on my thumbs.

I agree.  Convex keys would be even nicer for the middle 6 keys if such a thing existed, but I think most planck users probably vary their stuff enough that a set with a variety of blanks in different rows would be far more usable for most users.

It's funny how the ergodox stuff is usually blank, but the planck sets have all been with useless legends with the exception of Nantucket selectric which is awesome.


Offline deacon

  • Posts: 46
Re: Bottom row on planck. Your setups?
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 10 April 2018, 10:52:46 »
HuB isn't going to be too far off for a non-grid Planck and the icon mods offer a bit of flexability. I was really excited to see LSB's Planck GMK Adapter IC and I'm sorry he killed it off. It would be awesome to revive it now that GMK has convex molds.

On a flat 12u wide ortholinear board bottom corner switches are easy to hit with the side of my palm.

I do find that I need to lower my keyboard to just below my elbows to make hovering comfortable but I still plant my palm on the desk when gaming.