That being said, I’d like to try out Colemak-DH but, for proper key arrangement, it requires the ISO standard type of keyboard that isn’t sold in North America (where I’m located) where there’s an additional key to the lower-left of “A” that is directly to the right of the left shift.
So a Colemak-DH ISO standard physical keyboard would be swell!
(you can technically use Colemak-DH on a North American-style ANSI keyboard but that variant moves the “Z” key to where “B” is located and, as someone that uses Ctrl+Z quite often, I’d prefer to not make that specific keyboard shortcut a pain to use - especially since I have small hands)
Considering that keycaps can be re-arranged, it would probably be efficient to simply sell the two bumped keycaps for a given layout (U & H for Dvorak, etc.) and flat F & J keycaps as opposed to an entire keyboard. And for more popular layouts such as Dvorak, whole keyboards for those who don’t want to risk it with their keycaps would also be good
I just pre-ordered a Framework 16. I intend to rearrange its keycaps into the Dvorak layout, as I did to my MacBook Pro’s keyboard, but I would really love it if I could buy unpipped F and J keycaps and pipped U and H keycaps to make the conversion fully bespoke. Surely that can’t be a huge manufacturing ask, can it?
I’m not asking for the ability to order custom keycaps with arbitrary graphics on them. I’m not even asking for a predefined set of new graphics. I am literally only asking for the same graphics as are already being screened onto keycaps at the scale of millions, the only difference being which batch of plastic parts (pipped or unpipped) get dumped into the machine before starting a run with “F” selected as the graphic to print, etc. Given the relatively lower demand for these parts, probably one manufacturing run of them would keep the store’s inventory stocked for years to come.
You might have a point about storage of inventory, although even 1000 keycaps wouldn’t really take up much space on a shelf. Besides, Framework have already stated their goal of eventually producing every keyboard layout in existence, so they’re going to have to do a run of unpipped F and J keys eventually.
Oh, please. The four keycaps can be mailed in a recycled paper padded envelope. Or if ordered when ordering a Framework laptop, then four extra keycaps would be a completely negligible addition to throw into the box.
I’d be interested in that, if they could achieve an exact aesthetic and tactile match.
What? They are just clipped on with plastic clips. They pop right off. Are you telling me that Framework would have us throw away an entire keyboard when the only thing wrong with it is that someone’s toddler dropped a toy on it and cracked/chipped a plastic keycap? That wouldn’t at all be in keeping with their mission of producing a user-repairable product with minimal environmental impact.
I am also considering that option, but I don’t have the skills or equipment to screen or engrave graphics onto blank keycaps, and I don’t want to use stickers, as I dislike the feel.
Another idea I am considering is to buy both a US English keyboard module and a blank keyboard module and just swap all the letter and punctuation keycaps on the former out for blank keycaps from the latter, but I’d really rather have the keycaps labeled, as it helps when hunting for a keyboard shortcut with one hand or typing my password upside-down, etc. (I am very happy that I rearranged all the keycaps on my MacBook Pro that I am soon to replace with a Framework, but the pips on the repositioned “F” and “J” keys look silly, thus my wish for a conversion kit.)
@anon81945988, you seem to have an axe to grind. I kind of wonder why you’re even here if you hate DIY so much.
I’m not concerned about rearranging keycaps. As I said, I did it to my old MacBook Pro, which uses essentially the same plastic scissor mechanisms. 33 keycaps popped off and reattached to convert from QWERTY to Dvorak. 0 plastic bits broken. Took about half an hour. All you have to know is which edge of the keycap seats vertically and which edge slides horizontally. A quick search on YouTube will answer that question. (You answered it for the Framework keyboard indirectly with the video in one of the posts you quoted.) So okay, maybe the keycaps are not designed to be user-replaceable, but they are. Most consumer products are not designed to be repairable, but many of them are nonetheless.
Today I performed this rearrangement of my new Laptop 16 keyboard to the Dvorak layout without incident. I do understand why Framework warn against attempting this, as perhaps burlier human beings might not employ the delicate touch necessary to do this without breaking anything, but if you exercise all due care, it’s really quite a doable modification.
I have posted a video to YouTube for anyone curious what the process looks like. It does appear as though I’m straining a lot to pop the keycap off, but that’s because I didn’t notice I was using the wrong side of the spudger. The shorter side works better. (It’s hard to see well when there’s a camera between your face and the work piece.) When using the shorter side, the keycaps come off more easily and in two steps, as the two clips detach individually rather than simultaneously as they did in my video.
