Quad-Key Layout Grid

Keyboard Revelations

Red Dvorak DiGlyphs

White Dvorak KeyCap Designs,
with Qwerty shadowed in Red for reference,

and for use WITHOUT Key Remapping,
or for comparison of the layouts differences

These Caps were applied to My Classic MS Ergo Keyboard, which is about to get a nice even coat of Black spray paint applied. the keys are then capped with matte cellophane tape over and around each printed letter or symbol, rubbed down until it goes clear, leaving a nice smooth slick finish that relaxes the fingers.


I'm finding that Dvorak switches hands more often than Maltron, because of the Vowel segregation of AEIOU. I prefer the <>;:'" characters on the bottom row as on the Maltron Layout, because they are more often covered by the hands. The first two rows, being easier to reach in general, then allow access to the top 20 letters with the remaining 6 dropped down (3 on each side)

I also re-key-capped the new Apple USB Keyboard I had from my Dad's new Mac. He needed the Apple Extended Keyboard (with a full keypad) to Access all Finale's functions, but the standard board was already bundled with the Mac. He uses Keyboard Maestro for system macros on Mac, it's nowhere near as flexible as AutoHotKey for PC, but it has a clean interface.



Staggered Keyboards abound, but the square key layout is so much less messy. That said, any derivation from the standard PC Keyboard layout has benefits, so after I know Dvorak better, I will make a skin for my TypeMatrix Keyboard and enjoy the benefit.

My brother is learning to use the Dvorak as well, so this will be his take-home concession prize for coming to see me and Dad. I asked if he'd like any custom keycaps, but I think he's going for an "au natural" key treatment. (he will come around eventually)

It could be quite cool to have oversized glow in the dark leters on the keys, and maybe even integrate an enclosed light charging tray to recharge the keyboard's phosphorescence quickly when it fades.

Last Thoughts: Does a Backlit Keyboard with a Square arrangement exist? How about one that could be arranged in a sunken key-well formation?

Keyboard Nirvana

The 3-month Journey for a perfect keyboard has led me here, customizing both the innovative FrogPad and TypeMatrix Keyboards in a way that visually expresses their intrinsic awesomeness.

The TypeMatrix and The FrogPad are both miracles of "engineering done right" , light and super portable. The whole process has ended up teaching me so much about input devices and Windows automation and I finally,truly Grok It. A Maltron Keyboard is the Holy Grail of Keyboards, and Windows does only one keyboard remap for all
attaced keyboards but thanks to an advanced type correction word list, any mismatched key layout gibberish resolves to words after hitting Space. This must drive any keylogger crazy! It allows for obfuscation also so people don't shoulder-surf you or see a word before Commit is pressed.

Shifted up One Row

So I reclaimed the F-Key Row for numbers (Esc shifts numbers to F-Keys as a modifier) to allow the super-useful sub-alphanumeric Matched Symbol Row that the Maltron Contoured Keyboard provides:
( [ { -_ =+] } ) (with <, >. also on some models) -Balanced!

F-Keys that often used were lowered F2 rename / F4 path+closewin / F5 reload+find / F8 replace (in TextPad)

F6 hop active panes / F11 fullscreen moved up out of the center


Esc is moved down one, and used to shift the symbols (made primary for coding) to numbers. The FrogPad is still a superb dedicated NumPad as well as a full keyboard to itself

I flipped Right Alt / Ctrl to match the left side. KeyTweak (used for TypeMatrix boards) can be used to remap the relocated keys in the registry.


The FrogPad however, sharing the same SW keymap, is thrown off because windows does not have the ability to support multiple keyboard layouts (it lumps them all together as one keyboard)

I wrote a short remap script that is toggled by the caps lock key, (For Frog Use Only)

and alternate solution:
word-replace filter that corrects for the incorrect characters being sent due to the remap (15,000 word permutations, gathered from my chats and emails over the last 10 years)

e.g.
"<-can become - "Keyboarding" -> can become -> ">y=euacim.f "

... the correct word is dropped in when you hit Space. Hey, it's Kludgy, but quite fast on a 2GHz PC due to AutoHotKey's Awesomeness
When I type BFE it launches my keyboard.ahk script, for customization.

Ergo Maltron Key Caps

Finalized Tosh-Pad

The Last Ergo Mod

FrogPad on my KeyPad!

So, I own a Lefty FrogPad, but the Right Handed USB model is OUT OF STOCK indefinately, so...

Thanks to the extra keys on newer keypads, I was able to provide the Full Functions of a FrogPad: The only exception is Ctrl-Alt-Del, which is not allowed in AHK to avoid maliciousness. Not a deal-breaker, by far:




I used an AHK Script to handle the key/modifier presses and modes, adding a few beeps to the toggles: short high beep (single character shift), longer high beep (lock down) and low beep (release lock)

Besides the symbol key being off-center, and Shift moved to the side, it's a full clone! The extra left button is a "Clear" Key, to release any held-down modifiers

This layout is Right Handed, taking advantage of NumPadEnter's double width key for Space, The most-hit key on the pad.

If anyone is interested, send me your email and I can provide the Keycaps (to be printed on Avery sticker Paper, cut and attached) and the AHK Script that makes the magic happen.

Cloned 1-Hand Keypad

I made another Keypad, as a Gift to my brother, CAD superstar.

Right-Handed Configuration:



Left- Handed Configuration:


Thanks to the Genovation Programmable 24-Key PS-2/USB Keypad, I was able to make a cloned FrogPad that wasn't missing 3 keys (like my former clone) In fact there are 4 extra keys. Only 2 can be pressed at a time. If not, I'd make Space double-wide. To do that now would require me to cut the contacts for the 2nd Space keyswitch. Because of this, I used the 20 centermost keys. N-Key Rollover, it's a crime you have been so neglected in the PC Keyboard industry. Small Gripe Over.

Thank you Genovation for enabling me to keymap F13-F24 and some Media Keys and AutoHotKey for handling the keypresses. The code was a good way to learn some more advanced AutoHotKey behavior, with variables and functions consolidation.

Next Post: Using the extended NumPad on the MS Ergo 3000 Keyboard as, guess what, another Frog Clone!

3 Steps to Laminated Keycaps

Before I got my FrogPad, or made my FauxPad, I prototyped it by retrofitting my old PS/2 Keyboard. I couldn't square off the key grid, but did everything else to it. The actual white lettered keys are below the stickers, in the Lefty Format

Here is a BETA print of the keycaps, on my old MS Ergo Test Model:

Left Side, Lefty Layout:




















Right Side, Righty Layout:
















FrogPad ACTUAL (Laminated):

FrogPad Keycap Diglyphs!

Original Key Map:















First Step:












Many Versions Later, My Final Design


Lefty FrogPad Layout:

















Righty FrogPad Layout:
















Since I'm a hunt and pecker at heart, although I have it memorized, creating this keymap has improved my speed on this thing!

Here's the result, fro ma previous printing of the keycaps:




















VERY Happy with the results! WIN!