DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks

For keyboard controllers/converters such as the USB-2-USB QUICKIE^¤, using Hasu's TMK

• "Extend" layers using Caps Lock as a modifier for navigation/editing from the home position and more
• Angle/Wide ergo modifications to improve wrist angles, hand spacing and right pinky stretch/load effort
• Curl-DH ergo modifications to encourage natural finger curvature (only for Colemak as of now)
• The 4 Tarmak transitional Colemak layouts for learning Colemak or Colemak-Curl in smaller steps if desired
• Mirrored Colemak that allows one-handed typing (normally used as second layout with a switch key)
• In addition, a few other layouts that may interest users

More info

• Run the enclosed MakeFlash script with -h for more help and info.

• The MakeFlash script can install the needed AVR tools for Linux, and Git plus TMK before building/flashing.

• The install switches (-a and -g) can also update existing tools/TMK.

• If you already have TMK, this dir should be placed within or beside the tmk_keyboard dir.

• Alternatively, the contents of this dir could be placed directly in the tmk_keyboard dir.

• The hexfile folder holds precompiled .hex binaries, most for the USB-2-USB converter; new backups may also go there.

• The unimaps folder holds universal keymaps suitable for all controllers.

• Hasu's PS/2-USB converter currently uses the ATmega32U2 chip, vs the USB-USB controller's ATmega32U4

• To compile for the PS/2-USB converter: $> ./makeflash_tmk_dreymar.sh -d converter/ps2_usb/ -m Makefile.unimap.rev2

• On Windows, Win+r then run devmgmt.msc for the Device Manager (to check device drivers etc).

Links & notes

See the docs folder README or its predecessor, the DreymaR's Big Bag (USB-2-USB) topic on the Colemak Forums. There are plenty of explanations and further links in there.

Also, obviously the main TMK GitHub repo.

There are other tools for flashing that you may prefer (as I've had my share of trouble using Atmel Flip on Windows!):

• QMK Toolbox; "a collection of flashing tools packaged into one app. It supports auto-detection and auto-flashing of firmware to keyboards."
  • On Windows: Asked whether to install drivers. Successfully installed a driver for the Hasu device. It showed up in Device Manager as "Atmel USB Devices -> ATmega32U4".
• DFU-programmer; "an implementation of the Device Firmware Upgrade class USB driver that enables (...) Atmel chips."
  • This is a commonly used flashing tool on Linux.
• kp_boot_32u4; "a simple bootloader for the ATmega32u4 family (...). The code size is <1kB and doesn't need drivers on Windows."
  • Command-line-based. Seems compact enough? Installed w/ a Python script. Apparently, KeyPlus below uses it?
• KeyPlus; "an easy to use keyboard firmware (...) in beta". Precompiled, w/ a GUI.
  • On Windows: Didn't find my Hasu (atmega23u4) device, at least not right away...?

Lately I've been using the QMK Toolbox on Windows. It works great.

Happy TMK hacking! _~ DreymaR_

---

¤: QWERTY USB Input, Colemak Key Input Emulated (my pet name for USB converters like Hasu's).

2FIX:

TODO:

• How hard would it be to port this to QMK? Would that work for the Hasu USB-2-USB device? QMK is so popular these days.
  • Casuanoob on the Colemak Discord told me than yes, Atmega32u4 runs QMK and there's support for the Hasu USB-USB device.
    • https://discord.com/channels/409502982246236160/548799170765389834/1316924223200952330
    • https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/keyboards/converter/usb_usb/hasu
  • Could the UNIMAP remaps be used as-is? May need some reordering of the enumeration? It's called a wrapper, apparently.
    • https://github.com/drashna/qmk_userspace/blob/custom_drashna/docs/wrappers.md
  • Things are done through userspaces and maybe GitHub workflows?
    • https://github.com/qmk/qmk_userspace
• Are UNICODEHEADER and UNICODEFOOTER superseded now, by the handy TMK UNI[X|W|M]_() macro syntax (that I devised)? Rewrite?

DONE:

• Added Sym mod variants, merging them and ISOANSIADAPT (4-level keys, ISO-Nor hack) into a new SYMBOLKEYS setting.
  • Also changed the BSLS key to FBsl; now using that for ANSI and the similar NUHS/FHsh key for ISO (re)mappings.
  • The Sym mods should work for some non-Cmk layouts too, like QWERTY and Canary. Dvorak, however, already has a "Sym mod".
• Uncoupled the "soft" Curl mod from "hard" keymaps, removing the '_CA(W)' maps. Instead, Cmk-DH and Extend respect CURLMOD.
• Converted the Forum docs to Markdown+HTML and added them to this repo in a docs folder.
• Nuked that accursed old Workman entry. The Canary and Gralmak layouts constitute better replacements. Kept Dvorak for nostalgics, though.
• Nuked the old DHk ergo mod, keeping only standard DH(m) now. Sorry, user of DHk, but you'll now have to edit it in yourself.
• TMK repo: Pushed tmk_core ST(), MOD_() and UNI[X|W|M]_() #define functions for macros, simplifying typing and unicode input.
• TMK repo: Made a tmk_core type_code() function, so typing (registering/unregistering) key codes is easy and clear.

HOLD:

• Add Extend3 and Extend4 layers, memory permitting? Not necessary, as I don't use them now.