From c592b9ab3339b65bd99fda7693217645b477d028 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: William Rickert Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:58:05 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Column-staggered left half with thumb cluster Same 36 keys, columns offset for finger length, spacebar broken into four stepped thumb keys. Comes out ~7u wide instead of 8.5u because the function row loses the 104's arbitrary gaps. Also records the tenting dependency: hardware is CAD, but mounting holes are PCB and need a case scheme chosen before routing. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 --- README.md | 41 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ docs/half-left-staggered.svg | 47 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 88 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/half-left-staggered.svg diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index ec665e5..0bcaf5e 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -160,6 +160,47 @@ socket footprints per key with one populated. See `docs/half-left.svg` and `docs/half-right.svg`. +### Column stagger, not row stagger + +A 104's row offsets are a typewriter artifact — mechanical linkages needed the +room, hands didn't. Since these are new PCBs, the columns get offset vertically +to match finger length instead: middle column highest, pinky and inner-reach +columns down ~0.4u. + +`docs/half-left-staggered.svg` is the left half rebuilt this way. **Same 36 +keys**, and it resolves into a clean 7-column grid: + +| Column | Holds | +|---|---| +| 0 (outer) | Esc, `, Tab, Caps, Shift | +| 1–5 | the finger columns, 5 keys each | +| 6 (inner reach) | F6, 6 — only two keys | + +That last column is honest rather than a defect: on a 104, `6` and `F6` really +are an index-finger stretch, and the stagger makes it visible. + +Side effect worth having: it comes out **~7u wide instead of 8.5u** (~134 mm vs +~162 mm), because the function row no longer carries the 104's arbitrary gaps. +Narrower *and* better. + +### Thumb clusters + +Both spacebars break into stepped thumb keys. On the left that's Ctrl / Win / +Alt / Space stepping down and inward. This is where the pinky relief actually +comes from — a stock 104 puts Tab, Caps, Shift *and* Ctrl on the weakest finger. + +⚠️ Only about **two or three** of the four are genuinely comfortable; the +outermost is at the edge of thumb travel. Consider dropping Ctrl to a home-row +mod and reclaiming that slot for a layer key. + +### Tenting + +Tenting hardware is a CAD/case job and comes after the PCB — but the **mounting +holes are PCB**, and where they go depends on the case scheme. Decide sandwich +vs tray *before routing*, or you'll find the case wants a standoff exactly where +a switch or a matrix trace already is. Holes can't be added later without a +respin. + ### RGB: numpad underglow only Per-key RGB is arithmetically impossible on a bus-powered hub. Each half sits on diff --git a/docs/half-left-staggered.svg b/docs/half-left-staggered.svg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..673cc18 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/half-left-staggered.svg @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ + +Left half, column-staggered with a thumb cluster +The same thirty-six keys as the straight 104 split, but each column offset vertically to match finger length, and the spacebar broken into a four-key thumb cluster stepped below the inner columns. +Left half — column stagger + thumb cluster +Same 36 keys. Columns offset for finger length; the spacebar row becomes a thumb cluster. +Esc +` +Tab +Caps +Shift +F1 +1 +Q +A +Z +F2 +2 +W +S +X +F3 +3 +E +D +C +F4 +4 +R +F +V +F5 +5 +T +G +B +F6 +6 +Ctrl +Win +Alt +Space + +Alphas · 32, column-staggered + +Thumb cluster · 4 +Middle-finger column sits highest, pinky and inner-reach columns drop ~0.4u. Thumb keys step down and inward. + \ No newline at end of file