I know the keycaps are all custom designed for the M01. What I am wondering is how much their footprint differs from a ‘normal’ keycap.
I’m planning a key plate for a home-made portable version that will use the M01 keycaps. Can I use a tool like the keyboard-layout-editor, and just plug in the keys as 1u or 1x2u blocks (more or less what Gergely has done), or will I have to account for the specific size of each keycap?
I think I’ve answered my own question. Opening up both the Model 01 and my Atreus, I see the spacing of the switches is pretty much the same, or at most within about 1/32", both in the vertical and horizontal spacing. The most unusual shapes, like the 1, 0 and x keys, are all designed so that their connection with the switches will be on the regular grid. That is, the ‘extra’ length of the keycaps hangs out away from the center of the keyboard. Meaning that as long as these keys are on the outside edge of the board, which is the only place they’ll make sense anyways, no special accommodations need to be made in spacing the switches.
As an aside, the wooden case is really tight. Which is a testament to the quality control you guys have done, but it was a little frightening trying to force it back on. I won’t be doing that again without a good motivation. Probably doesn’t help that in the days since I opened it up we dropped into a brutal dry cold snap here in Ottawa, so the wood may have shrunk a bit. Next time I’ll put the case back on immediately to avoid humidity issues.
I just noticed the same – the weather’s been seasonally appropriate here in Helsinki and the office air feels very dry. I put the wooden frame overnight in a plastic bag together with a damp cloth, and it was much easier to snap on in the morning.