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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: enimole on Sat, 16 April 2016, 13:20:36

Title: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: enimole on Sat, 16 April 2016, 13:20:36: Hey keyboardhumans

I live in switzerland and we use here the ISO layout with the letter öäü and its quite hard to find compatible keycaps for that. So Im not sure if I can ask that here but will a ANSI keyboard still work like an ISO keyboard if you keep the settings on your computer on german? Would it miss any keys?
Title: Re: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: Olumin on Sat, 16 April 2016, 13:42:26: Unless you change the layout on your operating system, using a ANSI keyboard will not change anything. So yes, you can still use the ISO layout with an ANSI keyboard. I use a HHKB myself and switch back and forth between German ISO and ANSI, it works fine for me.
Title: Re: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 16 April 2016, 13:47:40: Quote from: enimole on Sat, 16 April 2016, 13:20:36
its quite hard to find compatible keycaps for that

There are alternative keycaps available but primarily for MX-style switches. You might be able to find junked keyboards to salvage caps from.
Title: Re: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: soilheart on Sat, 16 April 2016, 14:00:29: Yes. An ANSI keyboard can be used with an ISO keysetting, with some caveats.

I would assume that the key above the ANSI enter would map to the left of the ISO Enter, so you just need to learn to find the £$}-key in a different spot (above the ANSI Enter).

The <>\-key would be missing though, as ISO keyboard have an extra key compared to an ANSI keyboard, so you wouldn't be able to write <, > or \ without some custom keybinding/application.

EDIT: So to answer your question. Yes, one key would be missing, and one key would be moved.
Title: Re: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: chyros on Sat, 16 April 2016, 15:08:58: I use UK ISO on all my keyboards, including ANSI and International ones. It works fine, except that the pipe key | sends # instead on non-ISO boards, so I have to use alt+124 for that.
Title: Re: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: seville57 on Sun, 17 April 2016, 05:29:19: Quote from: enimole on Sat, 16 April 2016, 13:20:36
Hey keyboardhumans

I live in switzerland and we use here the ISO layout with the letter öäü and its quite hard to find compatible keycaps for that. So Im not sure if I can ask that here but will a ANSI keyboard still work like an ISO keyboard if you keep the settings on your computer on german? Would it miss any keys?

I'm from Sweden and we also use the ISO (Nordic) layout with the letters Ö, Ä and Å. It is a hell to find good lookin ISO/Nordic keycaps sets here in Sweden.

We have shop 1 that sellin ISO Nordic keycaps sets, the shop has some sets from WASD.

Some years ago I bought a ISO Nordic Cherry MX keycaps set from WASD (US), you can take a look here: http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/keycap-set/105-key-iso-cherry-mx-keycap-set.html

http://support.wasdkeyboards.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1374997-are-your-keycaps-compatible-with-backlit-keyboards-

So after some time I bought my first ANSI k-board, I'm runnin swedish Win 7 64 bits HP, usin the ISO Swedish keysettin.

My white ANSI Ducky One RGB YOTG and one of my ISO/Nordic Ducky Shine 3 k-boards.
(http://i.imgur.com/R5s3icd.jpg)
Title: Re: Would an ANSI keyboard work like an ISO keyboard
Post by: chyros on Sun, 17 April 2016, 05:40:29: Is the G key not working on your keyboard by any chance? XD