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
THE BASICS
Default Hot Keys - All Drop V2 keyboards, SENSE75, and CSTM80 Hold FN + listed keys to activate LED Keys
Fn + W: LED Brightness Increase Fn + S: LED Brightness Decrease Fn + E: LED Animation Speed Increase Fn + D: LED Animation Speed Decrease Fn + R: LED Hue Increase Fn + F: LED Hue Decrease Fn + T: LED Saturation Increase Fn + G: LED Saturation Decrease Fn + Q: LED Toggle (All, Keys, Edge, Off) Fn + A: LED Next Pattern Fn + Z: LED Mono Color Mode Fn + X: LED Breathing Effect Fn + C: LED Rainbow Mode Fn + V: LED Rainbow Pinwheel Mode Keyboard Option Keys
Fn + N: Toggle keyboard 6KRO/NKRO (Default state 6KRO) Fn + LCtrl + O: Windows / Mac OS Swap (System / Alt location change) Fn + LCtrl + |\: LCtrl / Capslock Swap Fn + LCtrl + Backspace: Reset Keyboard Default Hot Keys - All Drop V1 Keyboards Hold FN + listed keys to activate LED Keys
Fn + A: LED Pattern - Select previous Fn + D: LED Pattern - Select next Fn + Q: LED Pattern - Decrease scrolling speed (for animating patterns) Fn + E: LED Pattern - Increase scrolling speed (for animating patterns) Fn + Caps Lock: LED Pattern - Change scrolling direction (left to right, right to left, bottom to top, top to bottom, radial center to edge, radial edge to center) Fn + W: LED - Increase brightness Fn + S: LED - Decrease brightness Fn + Tab: LED - Toggle breathing effect Fn + X: LED - Toggle all LEDs off/on Fn + Z: LED - Toggle mode (keys + edge, keys only, edge only, all off) Fn + R: LED - Increase brightness of edge LEDs only (up to brightness of keys LEDs) Fn + F: LED - Decrease brightness of edge LEDs only Fn + V: LED - Toggle every other edge LED off Media Keys
Fn + Page Up: Volume Up Fn + Page Down: Volume Down Fn + Print: Mute Fn + Insert: Play/Pause Fn + Home: Stop Fn + Delete: Previous Fn + End: Next Keyboard Option Keys
Fn + N: Toggle keyboard 6KRO/NKRO (Default state 6KRO) Flashing
Fn + B (hold for three seconds then release): Put keyboard into firmware flashing mode (also referred to as “resetting the keyboard”)
CONFIGURING YOUR KEYBOARD 1. Download the Drop Keyboard Configurator application.
- If you use Windows, download here.
- If you use a Mac, download here.
2. Launch the Drop Keyboard Configurator application. After the application launches, make sure your keyboard is identified and then click Configure Keyboard. If you are using a CTRL V2, ALT V2, or SHIFT V2 keyboard, your keyboard will be recognized right out of the box. If you are using a SENSE75, CTRL V1, ALT V1, or SHIFT V1, first go to the "FLASHING YOUR KEYBOARD" section below."- By default the keyboard will be set to Advanced mode with no safeguards. Remember with layers to always create ways to return to your home layer
- Momentary mode is also available for those looking for some customization with guardrails.
- Remember Boot Magic is always available to wipe your EEPROM and reset the keyboard back to factory settings.
- You can access Boot Magic by holding down the ESC key while your keyboard is disconnected.
- While holding down the ESC key, plug in your keyboard.
Once connected you can let go of the ESC key and the keyboard should be reset.FLASHING YOUR KEYBOARD 1. Launch the Drop Keyboard Configurator application. After the application launches, click “Flash Firmware”.
For CTRL V1, ALT V1, SHIFT V1 users that would like to continue using the older web-based configurator, see instructions here.