Support for Alternative Layouts
This is a summary of how alternative layouts have been supported by kits such as Colevrak and Homing. It is not a discussion of alt layout performance and development, but if that interests you I highly recommend starting with Pascal Getreuer’s A guide to alt keyboard layouts (why, how, which one?). It’s a concise and comprehensive overview with links to some great sites that go deeper. He also has a separate Links about keyboards page. The Keyboard layouts doc he recommends explains layout goals and metrics in detail, summarizing the alt layouts discussed here as well as more than one hundred others. Sculpted-profile The majority of custom keycap sets are sculpted-profile (Cherry, SA, MT3, KAT, etc. - more on profiles generally here) so let’s start there. Because each row has a unique keycap shape, alt layouts require a unique keycap for each legend that moves off its QWERTY row. At first there were two The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak & William L....
Apr 23, 2024
Welcome to DCX Cyber Gen 1! As an ongoing in stock project, this is the 1st revision of MT3 Cyber's port to Drop's cylindrical profile (DCX). Quick Links:
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Gen 1 premises:
Planned updates for Gen 2:
Updates that I'd like to include, pending feedback (please fill the form for Gen 2 here):
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Thanks for checking out DCX Cyber Gen 1 - if possible please fill the form for Gen 2.
Your support is everything, so thank you very much!
- Path 1: Base Kit + 40s Addon Kit
Pro: - People who have common keyboards and happen to have 40% keyboards as a secondary keyboard strongly benefit from this. I believe most people who have a 40% keyboard also have at least one "normal" (60% or 65% or 75% or TKL, etc) keyboard, so on paper it makes total sense. Cons: - More expensive for the customer than a standalone 40% Base Kit. - It adds SKU complication to the project, the more niche addons (e.g. 40s Kit is a niche addon, novelty kits are popular addons) the more expensive and complicated the project gets for everyone. - If the Base Kit sells out then the 40s Addon Kit (from a vendor's perspective) becomes useless, since likelyhood of somebody buying it on its own is low. It's "dead" money sitting on a warehouse that could be used to invest in other kits or other improvements for the profile. - Complicated to manage, once the set is getting restocked a bet has to be placed because no one really knows what is the parity between Base Kits & 40s Addon Kits.- Path 2: Base Kit and 40s Base Kit, both independent from each other
Pros: - Easy to manage from an inventory standpoint; - Unlikely to sell out but once it does a restock based on previous data can be made; - In the event of the Base Kit selling out, the 40s Base Kit still provides an oportunity for someone looking to build a board with that specific set of keys, before the regular Base Kit restock comes in; - Cheaper than the combination of Base Kit + 40s Addon; - Can be properly designed without legend/row compromises and other stuff that detract from a full experience, it kinda sucks to make compromises when buy 40% addons that are lacking a key or two (I've experienced this myself several times as a Preonic user). Cons: - Since most people who have a 40% keyboard also probably have some other keyboard, in case they want to change what keyboard the keycap set is being used on, buying both base kits becomes necessary. Of course there are probably many other Pros/Cons that I am missing (and perhaps even other paths), if people could chime in with their perspectives it would be appreciated.