StenoKeyboards

This is not an in-depth tutorial, but a pile of resources for future reference. If your keyboard is mechanical and it uses QMK Firmware, try holding LeftShift+RightShift+N to enable nkro. If that doesn't work, check the  QMK docs . If you're really savvy, you can manually edit the firmware code. The most important piece of code is the #define FORCE_NKRO in the config.h file. More information on qmk and steno can be found  here . You can also check out the_uni branch on my fork of the qmk firmware github to see an example of the firmware that a Uni uses.

Redragon K582 Surara (has nkro) N-kro. Pronounced "en croe" or "en kay ar oe" is a phrase thrown around a lot. But what is nkro? Nkro is short for n-key rollover. This means the if you press any number of keys on an nkro keyboard, it will all register. Basically it makes your keyboard optimal for button smashing efficiently. Don't you hate it when your keyboard only types six letters when you faceplant into your keyboard? Now, with nkro, you can type all the keys you press at the same time. Sound familiar? Steno is very similar to resting your face on the keyboard. Both require lots of keyboard inputs to register at the same time. Most mechanical keyboards have nkro. Make sure the keyboard says nkro or full anti ghosting if you want to do steno on it. Side note: anti ghosting is not the same as nkro, but a lot of times gaming keyboards advertise their product as anti ghosting even when they actually mean nkro. But does my keyboard have nkro? First, if its a mem...

See the updated guide on setting up the Uni here! Thanks for purchasing the Uni! This is the layout: If you bought the PCB version click  here  for the build guide. Everything below is for those who ordered the fully assembled version. Fully Assembled Setup The fully assembled Uni will come ready to use out of the box. Almost. You just need to have Plover installed on your computer. Make sure to get the latest build. How to install Plover  : Click on the latest version of Plover (continuous 4.0.0 or whatever is newest). Under Assets install the Windows Installer (or macOS or Linux depending on your operating system). Go through the installation setup If you already have Plover installed do this: Open Plover. Click the Configure gear icon on the top left corner. Click on the Machine tab. Click on the drop down next to Machine: and select Gemini PR Below, click on the button that says Scan. Click on the drop down for Port and select the COM number that popped up. If more ...

Spring Swapping. It's not a new concept. Steno users with hobbyist keyboards do this all the time. Should I? Should you invest your time, money, and effort into swapping your springs? It depends on your skill level. If you are a beginner, swapping to lighter springs will probably just frustrate you more. Accuracy is really important. Light springs can help with speed, but it can come at the cost of accuracy. Maybe wait until you start to get better before swapping out your springs. If you are more advanced, consider swapping your springs. They are a life saver. Your fingers will thank you. Why? Why do we swap springs? The simple answer is that it's just easier to press lighter keys. Switch weights add up cumulatively. Pressing two 60 gram switches with one hand puts 120 grams of force on that hand. This happens because of a phenomena called physics. Lighter springs help alleviate this. Where to buy Great. Where can I find light springs? Check out  this  website under worldwide...

Quick, read this sentence out loud. Now, try to type that same sentence. Which was faster? Most people can read much faster than they can type. Stenographers, on the other hand, can type as fast as you read! But what is steno anyways? Sometimes, steno feels like magic. Words. Entire words, magically appearing on the screen. Steno is a method of writing that allows the user to press multiple keys at the same time to make an entire word. Here's a video of me doing stenography. Huh? Watch it again. Maybe you can understand it the second time around. Or maybe not. Still confused? I was too. But it turns out, it's not as complicated as it looks. Steno might look like playing a piano, and you're not wrong... Piano and steno are actually quite similar. Both use chords to represent sounds. Phonetic Spelling You write in steno by typing words as they sound. You spell "cat" by typing "KAT" in steno. There are only 22 letter keys on the steno layout even though the...

How to Build Your Own Uni Step 1: Buy a PCB Go to  StenoKeyboard.com  and buy yourself a PCB. Cool. You are done with this step. Step 2: Buy the other parts You need to buy these components: Pro Micro (or Pro Micro compatible Elite C) 28 PCB Mount* Switches (Mx, Alps, or Choc) 28  Keycaps  (You can also buy keycaps from other vendors) 4 Rubber Feet Solder and Soldering Iron USB Cable to connect your Uni to the computer *PCB mount switches have two additional plastic legs that makes it easier for the switches to stay on the PCB while you solder. Plate mount can work, but it will be harder. Alps switches are plate mount. Step 3: Solder the Pro-Micro Make sure to position the Pro-Micro on the side of the board WITHOUT diodes. It is also extremely important that you solder the pro micro on so that the smooth of the pro micro is facing up so that the footprints match up. The long pins fa...

Hello my name is Peter. I'm here to bring steno to everyone. Learning stenography doesn't have to be expensive. What is stenography? Stenography is a form of writing  where you can write whole words or phrases by pressing multiple keys at once. The entire system is based on the pronunciation of a word, for example, you can stroke the word "quality" by pressing "KWALT" on the steno machine. The steno layout: Source: Art of Chording Why stenography? With only 23 keys, stenography is much more efficient than the traditional method of typing. The world record for stenography is currently at 360 words per minute, held by Mark Kislingbury, but the average court reporter must be able to write at over 200 words per minute. Compare this to the measly 70 wpm average of a "fast typist". By the way, you can do anything a normal keyboard can do on a steno keyboard and I mean anything. Punctuations, symbols, capitalization, numbers, characters, emojis, shorcuts,...