Keymap of My Split Keyboard

Misc

The Design

Customizing a 36-key split keyboard can significantly enhance productivity, especially for those who, like myself, require one-handed navigation with a keyboard. With a dedicated layer activated by the left thumb, arrow keys are easily accessible, allowing for seamless navigation in tandem with a mouse. The left-hand keys are optimized for frequent use, ensuring the most commonly used functions are at my fingertips, which reduces the frequency of switching between keyboard and mouse. Additionally, a numpad layer is assigned to the right side, enabling quick number entry.

The right thumb activates a layer for function keys, while another layer, activated by the right hand, is reserved for symbols, streamlining complex inputs. The layout of symbols resembles a traditional keymap. Opposite hands hold the modifier keys—shift, control, alt, and GUI—balancing functionality across the keyboard. This thoughtful layout exemplifies the efficiency of a well-designed custom key map.

Lastly, the key layout is QGMLWY, which has been proven to be more ergonomic than QWERTY.

Design principles

  • Keep frequently used keys on the left hand.
  • Low learning curve and memorization.
  • Use thumb to activate layers.
  • Use modifier keys (Shift, Control, Alt, GUI) on opposite hands after a layer is activated.
  • Use QGMLWY
  • Include a numpad layer on the right hand for entering numbers quickly.

Base Layer

Q G M L W Y F U B ;

D S T N R I A E O H

Z X C V J K P , . /

⇧ SPC ⌫ ⏎ TAB ⇧

Left Hand Layers

🔈 ⏯ VOL⏷ VOL⏶ [ ] 7 8 9 ⠀

GUI ALT CTRL ⇧ ( ) 4 5 6 ⠀

+ - * / { } 1 2 3 ⠀

⇧ HOLD ⠀ 0 . ⇧

ESC HOME ⏶ END PGUP ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

TAB ⏴ ⏷ ⏵ PGDN CAPS ⇧ CTRL ALT GUI

⏎ ⠀ INS DEL ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⇧ ⠀ HOLD ⠀ ⠀ ⇧

Right Hand Layers

BT 0 BT 1 BT 2 BT 3 BT 4 ⠀ F7 F8 F9 F10

GUI ALT CTRL ⇧ ⠀ INS F4 F5 F6 F11

BTL BT ↓ BT ↑ →USB →BT DEL F1 F2 F3 F12

⇧ ⠀ ⠀ HOLD ⠀ ⇧

! @ # $ % ^ & * = GAME

GUI ALT CTRL ⇧ | \ ⇧ CTRL ALT GUI

~ ` _ ’ ” ⠀ CAPS ⠀ ⠀ BASE

⇧ - + ⠀ HOLD ⇧

Gaming Layer

ESC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ⌫

TAB Q W E R T Y U I O P BASE

⇧ A S D F G H J K L ; ⇧

CTRL Z X C V B N M , . / CTRL

GUI ALT SPC ⏎ ALT ⠀

Keys

⠀ - Hold to activate layer ⠀ - Switch to layer ⠀ - To be update

  • BT - Bluetooth
  • BT N - Bluetooth Next
  • BT P - Bluetooth Previous
  • BTL - Boot Loader
  • SPC - Space
  • →USB - Output to USB
  • →BT - Output to Bluetooth

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