This project implements a hardware driver for the Neo-Layout. It works by using an Arduino Mirco. The Arduino registers as BootKeyboard Human Interface Device to the Host using the HID-Project Library on the one side. On the other side, we attach a USB Host Shield to the Arduino to make it act as a USB Host for a BootKeyboard itself, using the BootKeyboard Library from the USB Host Shield Project. Then we run the inputs through a transformation Matrix to map it to the according to Input on the normal German Keyboard layout.
Why all this? For Linux, the Linux build-in Layout works well what I can tell from my experience, but for Windows, there are countless issues with both the software drives. One reason being additional modifiers added and lock Keys (Num-lock, CAPS-Lock) having a non-standard implementation. That confuses windows, so we have not always the behavior we want in all apps. Key-Combinations do not work and Remote-Desktop applications and Screen sharing behave differently every time. With this hardware solution, our layout stays transparent for Windows and when we press Mod3-J, we just send Shift-8 to the host for an open left bracket. No application will ever know we modified our layout. Especially with desktop sharing and VPN connections, that puts a lot of relief in productional use. You can even have two keyboards connected to the PC, where you are using neo-layout and the other person is using the german layout (not sure if this is real use case)
This project can also be modified for other Keyboard-transforming applications, like passing through everything, but playing macro sequences for some key-presses or having any layout you want.
- Download Arduino IDE https://www.arduino.cc/en/software
- Do not attempt to flash a sketch by selecting the "Arduino Pro Micro" in the List. It will work, but soft-brick the device for further programming.
- Use the Entry "Lily Pad USB" instead. Although this is not a Lily Pad, it shares the relevant specifications
- USB runs with 5V, but the board is 3.3V only and therefore has a design flaw and has to be fixed
- Furthermore, the reset pin of the shield (Not the reset pin of the Arduino) has to be connected to 3.3V. Unfortunately, this pin is GND in Arduino, so we cannot just set the Pin to HIGH. I went straight after following setup: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=80421.0 which i documented also under here
- The USB Host Shield Library has to be installed in the Arduino Library Manager
- The HID-Project Library has to be installed in the Arduino Library Manager, standard Keyboard Library is insufficient.
- After uploading the example to the board I can see the board working in the serial port monitor.
The Left Windows-Key is configured to interact with the driver. Following (under windows anyhow unused combinations) are therefore used to interact with the driver and are not passed to the Host-PC. To reach this behavior, the left Windows-Key behaves differently in that way. Therefore it does not appear in a pressed-State to the Host before another non-used combination is pressed or the Key is released without pressing a key. In practical use, you will not notice this difference. Please note, that only the left Windows-Key is configured for this use, not the right one. The settings are not stored to EEPROM and therefore reset after each power-reset from the Arduino. This behavior is intended.
- WIN + F12: Toggle between Neo-Mapping and transparent pass-through mode. (Default: Neo-Layout)
- WIN + F1: Opens the browser with this repository.
- WIN + F9: Unicode will be entered in decimal for Windows. (Default)
- WIN + F10: Unicode will be entered in hexadecimal for Windows. (Requires setup)
- WIN + SHIFT + F10: The registry entry for hexadecimal input in Windows is created. (Requires reboot)
- WIN + F11: Unicode will be entered in hexadecimal for Linux.
General note for Unicode on Windows: The decimal method only works in some apps (mainly MS Office) for all Unicode characters. For non-supported apps, only some of the Unicode Keys work. Hexadecimal setup does not require admin rights, but a reboot. It works with most apps, but apparently not with those where the decimal input is fully supported. So you have to toggle the Unicode method in respective to the app you are using. Linux is according to the specification I found, but untested.
To make life easier, I included a small ahk-tool which makes the Default method in windows work universally.
Additionally to the Neo Layout, I mapped custom combinations for Media Keys to Layer 4. This is a workaround for the not yet working media keys on the keyboard on the one hand and also spice up standard keyboards.
- L4 + Page Up: Volume Up
- L4 + Page Down: Volume Down
- L4 + Insert: Mute
- L4 + Delete: Play/Pause
- L4 + Home: Previous Track
- L4 + End: Next Track
As we have full control over the LEDs without changing the actual Locking state reported to the host, I decided to have the NUM-Lock LED switched off in the case of M4-Lock. Furthermore, all LEDs are lit, when the keyboard is in compose-State.
- No universal Unicode input method which works in all applications and does not require additional software available for Windows.
- As we are using HID-Boot Protocol, only the “normal” keys on your keyboard are supported. Media Keys Readin or whatever else you have on your keyboard is not supported. However, I mapped the most important Media Keys to L4 Layer, and you can map like many other as you want if you edit the source code ☺.
- Because of storage limitations, only compose sequences leading to a 2-Byte Unicode-Character could be considered. The goal is to have a almost complete version as in Neo-Layout. For further storage reasons, letters with diacrical marks can only be accessed by the most common and intuitive way, using the corresponing dead key. You can compile your own compose sequences by adding them in a *.module file and compile it to C++-Code with the included Python-Script
