This is a new 60% keyboard based on
Matias ALPS switches -- which are available in both
clicky and
quiet versions. You'll be able to buy it as individual components you can use to build one yourself, or fully assembled by us (no effort required).
PC and Mac layouts are shown below, along with preliminary case drawings.
Arrow keys + PgUp / PgDown / Home / EndThe Matias 60% has fewer compromises vs. the Poker and others out there... You get not only arrow keys, but a full Nav Cluster, which is unheard of on a keyboard this small.
Awesome new 3/4u and 1.5u PBT keycapsAll of the above is possible because of the special 3/4u and 1.5u PBT keycaps we designed, and because ALPS switches can support 3/4u spacing (Cherry switches cannot).
Cherry support for top 4 rows of keysHaving said that, we plan to offer Cherry switch support for all the keys above the bottom row, since they all use standard spacing. This will make it much easier to find replacement keycaps.
Right Fn & Menu / Option keys (for those who want them)We understand that some people may NOT want full Nav key support. If that's you, the kit will also support Arrow keys + Fn + Menu / Option keys on the right side. Just solder in two switches instead of four.
Fn-Arrow keys will also map to PgUp/PgDown/Home/End to accommodate people used to that.
ProgrammabilityWe had requests for programmability. In the spirit of that, we are supporting system-side Fn layer macros. The keyboard itself will not be programmable, but each key in the Fn layer will have its own unique keycode, which you can capture and assign to a macro on your PC/Mac. The side benefit of this is that you can assign different macros for different OSes, allowing you to use the same keyboard on multiple OSes, without conflicts.
Further in the programmability vein, we will be posting the mechanical specs of the PCB, so if you really really REALLY want it programmable, you can buy the case/plate/stab/keycap parts and make your own electronics using a
Teensy or
whatever.
DIP switches for swapping Ctrl / Caps Lock and othersYou will be able to set various options via DIP switches. Ctrl / Caps Lock will be swappable, as will Esc / Tilde for the Fn layer. You'll also be able to set the layout to PC or Mac (shown below).
Please post with the options you want...Please post your interest in each of the categories of options below.
Keycaps:Nav Cluster:- Full Nav Cluster (option A)
- Arrow Cluster (option B)
- Arrow Cluster WITHOUT Delete next to Shift key (option C)
Switches:Pre-Assembled or Kit:- Fully Assembled Keyboard
- DIY Parts
- Both
