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
Staying Hot-Swappable After testing different types and brands of hot-swappable sockets, we found 5-pin PCB mount Kaihua sockets to be the best choice for the SENSE75. In our switch socket selection process, we took painstaking care choosing the right set components to drastically reduce bent switch pins—a common issue caused when the plate and sockets don’t perfectly align. Throughout our testing, we’ve found our build tolerances to be precise enough to virtually eliminate switch misalignment.
Taking Our Own Stab Perhaps the most frustrating part of customizing a keyboard is getting that perfect touch and feel, only to have it ruined by a rattling stabilizer. Buying a beautiful keyboard and then having to modify and tune your stabs seems counterproductive. When creating the SENSE75, searched the market for out-of-the-box stabilizers that provided similar performance as an enthusiast tuned custom product—and nothing even came close. Rather than send our users a box of bandaids and clippers, we worked with Gateron to design an all-new high-performance stabilizer from the ground up. It’s called the Phantom Stabilizer, and you’ll find it on the SENSE75.