What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
I will be selling mine. The lights are fancy and OK but i find it more distracting than anything.
Also I don't know who leads this drop, but the stems I got were not ALPS, but Cherry MX stems. Which is better, since you can customise the keycaps much more easily or cannibalize the board for the nice see-through keycaps.
I bought this same keyboard from Amazon a few months ago and received the ALPS-compatible stems as pictured in the photo. They were hot swappable, but they were also practically stuck in the face plate, and it took a ton of force/cursing/macerated fingertips to get them out. Several did fracture as pictured (see top row) below:
So, it is technically hot swappable, but the tight fit of the factory switches in the face plate (and associated switch fracture), the oddball pin pattern, and the ALPS stems make this the most poorly thought out hot swappable keyboard in history.