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
This time, we’re talking to Yanbo Wu, who leads the Mech Keys team at Massdrop. First, we’ll let you read a little about his background and passions. Then, we’ll turn the mic over for a community Q&A. Submit your questions in the comment section, and stay tuned for the answers in a follow-up post.
When did you start getting into the mech keys community? What got you interested? I actually only got into mechanical keyboards after I was hired by Massdrop. I’ve had a lot of experience previously with mass production and project management. Also, being bilingual, it helped smooth out a lot of the communication issues with our overseas vendors. After a few weeks on the job, I was hooked. Now, I check Geekhack, Reddit, and Deskthority, and I’ve even got quite a few of my friends hooked.
What’s the biggest investment you’ve made while building your setup? Probably the Varmilo VA68M. But the VE.A is calling my name...
What’s a small addition that can make a big difference to your board? I’ve been thinking about getting a board with tactile Cherry MX Grays. I really enjoy the tactile feedback of those switches.
What’s your favorite thing about working here? The people are all very passionate about what they do, and everyone genuinely cares about the community. Also, Kunal and Alex.
Which mechanical keyboard companies are you excited about today? I’m more excited by the community and all the cool home-brew projects I’ve seen. People are very creative, and something like hand-wiring a whole keyboard is pretty amazing to see.
Bonus question: Favorite burrito?
It's pretty hard to pick a favorite burrito when there are so many to pick from. But California burritos (carne asada, French fries, cheese, salsa, and guacamole) have always hit the spot for me.
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