Ptechinos Keyboard

Ptechinos is an ergonomic keyboard inspired by Pteron36 and Balbuzard.

Layout

This diagram was created using draw.io Click HERE to view a copy that you can edit

What ?

• 36 keys layout
  • Maximum 1U movement from home position for fingers and thumbs
• Use layers instead of reaching
  • Base layer always reachable
  • Dual function layer keys
• Use both hands instead of contortions
  • Mirrors modifiers
  • More used keys on the opposite side of the activation key
• Avoid unnecessary complication
  • No magic functions
  • No auto-complete features
  • No auto-shift
  • ...
• Colemak or Qwerty support

Why ?

This layout is mainly designed with programmer / game developer in mind:

• Typing text / code is fast and painless
  • No hand torsion
  • No reaching
• Allow fast access to
  • C-key / S-C-key
  • Vim like movements (arrows, home, end)
  • Common symbols (;, :, -, =, +, _)
  • Small digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4)
  • Debug keys (F10, F11, F12)
  • Refactoring keys (F2, F3)
• Protection from dangerous keys (F4, Q)
• Allow good enough mouse replacement
  • Movements with the left hand
  • Left/Right/middle buttons with the right hand
  • Scroll, PageUp, PageDown
• Debugging / Playing games does not require a special layer

How ?

Modifiers:

• Lower mod-tap overhead
  • Ctrl on thumbs
    • Autocompletion (C-space)
    • Common shortcuts thanks to mirrored Ctrl
  • Shift on pinkies
    • Combinaison with Ctrl is easy
  • Others on bottom rows to avoid breaking gestures
    • WASD
    • Mouse
    • Arrows
  • Same position on all layers

Layers:

• Layer switching does not use any timer so breeze and take your time (adaptation of Callum modifiers to layers)
• One Shot or Hold
  • One Shot = Fast to write a symbol and move on to next key with the hand activating the layer
  • Hold = Fast to write multiple symbol like when editing markdown ^^
• Move To or Hold
  • Move To = Vim like navigation layer, scrolling is a breeze
  • Hold = Fast small movements (move cursor, select words, ...)
• Base layer is always reachable avoiding getting lost on layers

Combos:

• Easy to get used to
  • Vertical ones required more practice but it totally worth it !
  • Horizontal ones are addicting (I wanna type them on a normal keyboard ...)
• Does not break gestures / game movements / typing
• Combos using both hands avoid incorrect activation
  • Adjust layer cannot be activated by errors
  • Caps Lock cannot be typed by errors (yes I use it to write C++ macros ...)

Hand placements:

• Columns splay to respect normal splay of fingers
• Aggressive pinky stagger to reduce stress
• One hand activate a layer while the other could type the most used keys
• One shot layer avoid reaching when key on the same side
• Mouse emulation on the left to let the right hand rest (the one using the mouse)
• No hard to reach pinky keys
  • outer column is way less stressing
  • outer keys used for the least useful keys

As a French guy I also optimize the layout to type faster special characters : é, è, à, ç, ù). Space could be used to put your specific language common characters. Current implementation required to use English US International with Dead Keys software layout for them to work as intended.

Getting started

Currently this keyboard layout is not part of the QMK repository so some manual steps are required :

1. Unpack or clone this repository to your keyboard folder inside your QMK installation
2. Flash the keyboard using qmk flash -kb ptechinos -km base
3. Enjoy !

Notes

• Add bluetooth keys (require to test PCB with Bluetooth and ZMQ)
• Move Q below P and / at P on SYM layer
  • 💚 Avoid pinky extension on all configurations
  • 💥 Lose comment code shortcut (C-/, C-S-/)
• Remove unused keys MB4, MB5