9 AMAZING ZMK Features That Make My 18 KEY Keyboard Possible

Some features will need certain branches of ZMK to work. The fork that my config uses includes all needed branches so feel free to reference it in your configs.

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Contents:
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0:00 Intro
1:14 Left hand forward delete key
1:52 App Switcher support
2:59 Repeat Key
3:59 Direct to second alpha layer caps
5:51 Hold-tap for layers and mods
8:01 Arrow keys and mods
8:40 Window and tab management
9:03 Meh key on space
9:50 Repeat firing

[skysi]

every time there is a video from Ben, i want to open a bottle of wine and drink a glass of wine and take my time, because im getting some fine cultured small keeb entertainment.

[wjcferguson]

Thanks Ben, this is all very interesting to understand how a minimal key layout can work out. I'd love to hear you continue to expound on these techniques you're using, successful or not. Your explanations of what doesn't work so well are probably almost as useful as the successes.

When you're describing how combo of features work, I think using more concrete examples would help with clarity. As you're talking fairly quickly through quite generic description of scenarios it's quite hard to mentally grasp the abstract scenario to understand how it will play out in specifics (meanwhile you're moving on to say more). I mean, we can skip back and slow it down while we digest what you're saying, but I think additional specific examples could be helpful in some cases.

I'm not sure who else is generating this sort of info out there, so thank you and please keep it up!

[hewsontran]

Love the content and production quality - watched all your videos multiple times!

[prgnify]

Ben, I can't be alone in my opinion - if you put out a video of just you editing some code from the downwards facing shot and the vim window overlaid transparently on top; I could watch it for half an hour easily.

[JavierPortillo]

Hey, thanks for that tip about the hold-space-to-meh + [key] to switch or open applications, sounds super useful! Even for bigger keyboards 👍👍👍

[kelseycanto]

Love your videos, I was curious if you could do a full build video/list for your piano layout? I’ve been trying to get into alternate keyboard layouts and this one seems like the one!

[andrewenyeart]

Hey Ben, I love your channel! Your videos have been very influential on my split keyboard journey, particularly in purchasing and configuring my Moonlander. I would personally enjoy your videos even more if there were more / longer pauses mixed in to aid listener comprehension. You give wonderfully thorough descriptions, but the amount of complexity and detail combined with the quick delivery means I have to slow down the playback just to keep up. (For reference, I generally watch most vids at 1.5x.)

[ahrengroesch]

I need to leverage layers more. I love this idea of a system layer. I could have all kinds of modifier commands and macros on single presses. I would probably spend more time in that layer than in typing mode.

[atemoc]

Very cool video!
I've experimented for almost a year on smaller layouts, but have ended up sticking with 42 keys, and 30 keys where I add many cool shortcuts on my Moonlander Mark I.

I am currently using the ISRT layout for the Alpha (with now the “Q” and “Y” swapped as well as the “J” and “K”) and I have no problems at all with any of my custom layers, but I struggle to type words like “system” and words that roll “is” “si” “sy” and “ys” as well as “ox” and “xo”, but any other place on the layout I've found only makes things worse.

What I would ideally want would be to have all the alpha keys in an ISRT-like layout, but that would solve or soften these issues, and I would want it to *not* move the index finger an additional row on the side, I want all my alpha keys to be on 4×3 blocks (with also two Alpha keys on the thumb cluster) and not 5×3, so that my fingers only have to move up and down from their home position and not to the sides, and I have tried some things, but I just cannot get it to work the way I want it to.

If anyone in this community has an idea to make this work, your help would be gladly appreciated.
Here is my current Alpha-only layout :
Q C L M J Z F U '" :;
I S R T G P N E A O
Y V W D K B H, ? .! X

What I would want is something like :
X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X

X X

[Joeyworks-tk]

Hi there, Ben, are you available for custom keypad design work??? I know what I want, but I don't know how to design or program. If your not available, could you recommend someone who can?
Cheers

[juliajean]

I was literaly in the middle of cutomizing my Moonlander layout X) definitely gonna take a break and see if I can't apply a few thing from this and your're 16K too

[sebastianstierstorfer]

Just when I finished my wireless corne build... Impeccable timing

[vorrnth]

Is there also an Alt Repeat key like in qmk?

[BlnkStr]

hi ben... qq did you share the pcb prints for the split so we can 3D print them through your sponsor? ( im looking to order the PCBs for the split piano config you have for the 18 key layout). thank y0u!

[christopherebner]

Hi Ben what is this clamp you are using for your keyboards to be held on the front of the table ?

[maxwibert]

@1:42 great video, but my guy you're in vim, why not just use "d" to delete?

[abimakov]

hi! could you please share this video's version with pauses in speech not cut out?

[makingvideogamehistory]

Thanks Ben, great video!

I’m curious about how your overall speed on the 18 key layout compares to your previous best (in what ever layout that might have been in).

I’ve been using roughly this layout for a few weeks and am at roughly 2/3 my previous best, topping out in the low 60s.

The biggest issue I’ve had is impatience with the sys layer when I am deleting and just creating a bunch more errors. Did you ever run into that / grow more accustomed to the timing with experience?

[ethansiew]

I tried using as repeat key for a while. The way I implemented it was a bit rudimentary, but it was interesting. Similar to your experience, I found it a bit weird to use, but offloading tasks to the non-dominant thumb was nice. Currently, my offhand thumb does chords, oneshot shift, and a navigation layer.

[RyanTuller]

Are you still using this layout months later? Thanks for all the tips man