Twiddler 3.x Eliminate Pad Printing on Keys?

tony 2021-01-19 18:04:34 UTC #1

We all know, if you are looking at the Twiddler when you are typing, you are using it incorrectly. This really limits the value of printing labels on the key caps.

Also, if you are using a custom config the keys printed on the caps are not valid.

Do you think we should eliminate the pad printing on the key caps and just deliver black caps?

akraut 2021-01-21 19:45:45 UTC #2

This thought has crossed my mind quite a bit, namely when I use the tutorial. The reason being that the tutorial aligns the keys as if you're looking at them, which means you're twisting your hand around quite a bit. So I think it does make sense to eliminate the keycaps. In conjunction with that, I would show the key positions in the tutor as if you were looking through the back of the Twiddler. And lastly, I would consider a small update to the firmware that will write a plaintext keymap to a text file within the memory for reference either on poweron or when the keymap changes.

tony 2021-01-24 00:07:04 UTC #3

@akraut

This is really difficult to do because the Twiddler is an HID device and only sends HID codes to your Host. It does not really "know" what key your OS has mapped to that HID code.

This task would be much easier to do in Twiddler Tuner.

akraut 2021-01-24 03:49:27 UTC #4

Yeah, that does make sense now that you explain it.

mindpear 2021-08-31 05:30:36 UTC #5

I think the caps should instead be marked with https://twiddler.tekgear.com/doc/doku.php?id=specialchords

tony 2021-09-13 17:02:32 UTC #6

How? With 3 button chords how would you show that on the caps?

mindpear 2021-09-13 18:33:20 UTC #7

N+S is a part of each of those 3 button chords. Either mark the keys with N+S in addition to the abbreviation for what the button does or skip the N+S to have space for longer abbreviations or larger font.

tony 2021-09-13 22:36:07 UTC #8

There is currently very little room for the Non-Chord key and the 3 chord keys on the keycap. Where do you think it would fit?

mindpear 2021-09-13 22:52:31 UTC #9

Seeing how little room the currently used font takes and how much room is available, I think the markings could be fit in addition to the current markings in the center of the keycaps. Obviously, 3-letter abbreviations would fit. Small pictograms could work nicely.

If the users agree that the current alphabet markings are superfluous, we would have a nice clean spaces for micro-art.

If You wish so, this could be the start of the twiddler pictogram art contest with the winner pictograms appearing on new twiddlers

Geoff 2021-09-14 08:22:48 UTC #10

I vote for black caps.