# Hardware layout converter
**URL:** https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726
**Category:** Typing & Ergonomics
**Created:** [July 6, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726 "2018-07-06T16:20:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jamadagni](https://community.keyboard.io/u/jamadagni)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726/1 "2018-07-06T16:20:45Z")
I hope this is the correct category for this post. If not, please move as appropriate.
Remembering having read of a QWERTY - DVORAK hardware adapter a few years back I googled and found this:
[http://www.keyghost.com/qido/](http://www.keyghost.com/qido/)
But isn’t 150 USD too much for something that merely changes a handful of scancodes? Couldn’t it be done a lot cheaper especially with today’s Arduino etc availability?
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### Author:  [@JohnAtl](https://community.keyboard.io/u/JohnAtl)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726/2 "2018-07-06T17:04:45Z")
Definitely. Or just changing the setting in the OS. I use macOS with Dvorak and don’t have any problems.
This company also makes key loggers. Not cool.
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### Author:  [@algernon](https://community.keyboard.io/u/algernon)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726/3 "2018-07-06T17:07:46Z")
You can also convert your layout in the firmware, so the adapter becomes unnecessary with any programmable keyboard. With layers, you can even have QWERTY and a DVORAK layer, and switch on demand, no extra hardware or software necessary, and you can even deviate a little from the “stock” layout.
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### Author:  [@noseglasses](https://community.keyboard.io/u/noseglasses)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726/4 "2018-07-06T17:25:59Z")
Here is [a USB to USB converter](https://geekhack.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=1laksnp3qt26sbp5mg0nt9071nvif0de&topic=69169.0) that probably does what you need. It runs [TMK](https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard) as firmware. There’s also a (dated) [review](https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=74708.0). If you don’t want to build your own, you can [buy it](https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72052.0) for around 60 USD.
This is useful when you want to reprogram an old non-programmable keyboard, thus avoiding having to fiddle with the OS layout.
I stumbled upon the linked thread when I was looking for a way to have a programmable build-in laptop keyboard a while ago (unfortunately I never found an appropriate solution for that problem, as build-in keyboards are not connected via USB).
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### Author:  [@JohnAtl](https://community.keyboard.io/u/JohnAtl)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726/5 "2018-07-06T17:46:38Z")
You might be able to use [Karabiner Elements](https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/) to do what you want.
I use it to map caps lock to F18. Beyond that, I don’t know much about it.
macOS only, AFAIK.
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### Author:  [@JohnAtl](https://community.keyboard.io/u/JohnAtl)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/hardware-layout-converter/1726/6 "2018-07-06T17:52:29Z")
[Hammerspoon](https://www.hammerspoon.org) might be useful as well. I haven’t used it, but it seems to be the more difficult to use cousin of [Keyboard Maestro](https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/).