Pseudo Split Keyboard Layout

Ergonomic columnar-style typing on a standard keyboard.

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Overview

This project explores how far you can push ergonomic typing on a regular keyboard using only software remapping.

By shifting the typing position and rethinking how the spacebar is used, this setup emulates key ideas from high-end split columnar keyboards (Corne, Voyager, etc.) including thumb clusters, layers, and home-row modifiers, without the cost or availability issues of dedicated hardware.

⚠️NOTE: I am new to the ergonomic keyboard community, and this layout is very much a work in progress. Expect changes, experiments, and refinements over time.

Motivation & Story

I’m a Computer Science student from Nepal, and I often spend long hours on the keyboard. While I could comfortably reach 100+ WPM on QWERTY, long sessions eventually led to hand discomfort and strain. That pushed me down the ergonomic keyboard rabbit hole.

I dove into the world of ergonomic keyboards and started by switching to Colemak-DH. While I enjoyed the stats and the comfort improvement over 3 months, I still felt a hunger to optimize further.

I realized that Columnar Split Keyboards (like the Voyager, Corne or custom) are the gold standard for ergonomics. However, there was a barrier:

1. Cost: Most are $300+ (We use $2 keyboards in Nepal 😄).
2. Availability: Shipping these niche electronics to Nepal is difficult and expensive.

So instead of buying new hardware, I asked a different question:

How much of the split-keyboard experience can I recreate on a laptop keyboard using software alone?

This project is my answer.

The Concept: The "One-Row-Up" Shift

The biggest limitation of a standard keyboard is the Spacebar. On a split ergonomic keyboard, you have "Thumb Clusters", multiple keys accessible by the strongest digit (the thumb). On a normal keyboard, you just have one giant bar.

To solve this, I shifted my typing position:

1. The Shift: I moved the "Home Row" UP by one physical row.
   • Standard: Home row is ASDF.
   • My Layout: Home row is physically located on the QWERTY row.
2. The Thumb Cluster: By moving my hands up, the physical bottom row (standard ZXCV) is now positioned perfectly under my thumbs.
   • This allows me to treat the bottom row keys as a dedicated Thumb Cluster without buying new hardware.

The Layout

My alpha layout is a custom hybrid of Graphite and Gallium. It is designed to minimize finger travel and maximize comfortable rolls.

Features

• Software: Powered by Kanata for Windows.

• Home Row Mods: I use dual-function keys on the home row (hold for Ctrl/Shift/Alt/Gui, tap for the letter).

• Layers:

  • Base (Graphite/Gallium Hybrid)
  • Thumb Keys
  • Symbol Layer
  • Number Layer
  • Navigation Layer

  Layers other than the base are highly inspired from the Pascal Getreuer's keymap.

Visualizations

• View on Keyboard Layout Editor

Usage

This setup relies on Kanata, a software keyboard remapper that intercepts keyboard input and sends custom events.

1. Download Configuration:

   • Clone this repository or download the kanata.kbd file.

2. Run:

   • Run Kanata with the configuration. see Kanata's documentation for more details.

References & Inspiration

This layout stands on the shoulders of giants in the mechanical keyboard and ergonomic community. Huge thanks to:

• Pascal Getreuer: For the extensive documentation on keyboards and layouts.
• Ben Vallack: For his videos on layout optimization and minimizing finger travel.
• Graphite Layout & Gallium Layout: The foundation of my alpha key arrangement.
• Colemak Mod-DH: My gateway drug into ergonomic layouts.
• KeymapDB: For layout visualization and inspiration.
• Keyboard Layout Stats: For detailed layout analysis.
• r/ErgoMechKeyboards: For the endless inspiration.