Hardware remaping CAPSLOCK to CTR

May 28, 2009 11:47 PM

Is there a hardware solution that lets me either change the CAPSLOCK key into a CTRL key or swap the CAPSLOCK and the CTRL key?

Alternatively, a modern usb keyboard with the same feature would be nice. Even better would be if it used the Natural Keyboard layout.

I'm well aware that there are software solutions that can do this but for various reasons they are not an option. Please don't suggest them.

posted by cm to computers & internet (11 comments total)

You could pop off the keys and switch them...

Apparently, there's this. (Found via: this Google search.

Each key can be reprogrammed to represent any key you choose, allowing you to customize your keyboard layout to you specific needs. The most popular customization of the Prime is the swapping of the “Ctrl” & “Cap Lock” keys.

posted by disillusioned at 11:57 PM on May 28

Open the keyboard casing. Find the PCB traces that connect to the Caps Lock key, and the PCB traces that connect to the Ctrl key. Cut all four traces, and reroute the signals with hookup wire and solder.

This should work on any keyboard.
posted by flabdablet at 12:17 AM on May 29

get a sun keyboard, type 6 or 7 usb. no ergo that i know about, though.
posted by rhizome at 1:19 AM on May 29

Open the keyboard casing. Find the PCB traces that connect to the Caps Lock key, and the PCB traces that connect to the Ctrl key. Cut all four traces, and reroute the signals with hookup wire and solder.

This should work on any keyboard.

Note, however, that due to the way nearly all keyboards work, this will also end up remapping about half of your other keys as well. This solution will thus involve somewhat of a learning curve in discovering and memorizing your new keyboard layout.
posted by NMcCoy at 2:13 AM on May 29 [1 favorite]

My friend has a Happy Hacking Keyboard, which is almost what you want. The caps lock is somewhere else, but the CTRL key is where you want it.
posted by hooray at 5:13 AM on May 29

Does anyone know whether the key (or any key) could be physically removed (e.g. with pliers) from the keyboard without disabling the remaining keys (presuming none were damaged by the pliers)? I want to deactivate my "insert" key, which I often activate unintentionally.
posted by applemeat at 6:07 AM on May 29

Open the keyboard casing. Find the PCB traces that connect to the Caps Lock key, and the PCB traces that connect to the Ctrl key. Cut all four traces, and reroute the signals with hookup wire and solder.

This should work on any keyboard.

One other problem with this is that most keyboards that I've opened up don't have a typical PCB. Rather, they have the circuit printed between several layers of clear, flexible plastic. Much harder, but not impossible, to cut and resolder these traces. But, if you did reroute all four traces you would successfully switch the keys.

On preview, applemeat: you can pull the keys on most keyboards. I'd recommend using a small flat head screwdriver to pry the key(s) up.
posted by K5 at 6:11 AM on May 29

applemeat: Of disabling keys: Take apart the keyboard and put a piece of tape over the electrical contact that makes the Insert key operate. It works and is impermanent.
posted by cmiller at 6:20 AM on May 29

The Kinesis countoured keyboard allows you to remap all of the keys right in the keyboard itself; no software on the computer is involved. That keyboard layout is more radical than you're looking for (although it's great when you get used to it). They make more traditional keyboard layouts, but I can't tell from the website whether they have the same remapping firmware.
posted by Nelson at 8:45 AM on May 29

Note, however, that due to the way nearly all keyboards work, this will also end up remapping about half of your other keys as well

It won't either too.

Keys are just single-pole, single-throw pushbuttons. Each key has two connections. Two keys: four connections. If you cut those, you're not remapping anything - the rest of the keyboard will continue to work, but the two keys whose connections you've cut simply won't do anything.

Now, if you take the pins of the Caps Lock key, and wire them to the places that used to connect to the Ctrl key, then when you press the Caps Lock key the keyboard circuitry will react as if you've pressed the Ctrl key.

And when you take the pins of the Ctrl key, and wire them to the places that used to connect to the Caps Lock key, then when you press the Ctrl key, the keyboard circuitry will react as if you've pressed the Caps Lock key.

The only way you'll end up "remapping about half your keyboard" is if you fail to cut all four traces before you start rewiring. If the keyboard PCB is laid out in such a way that there are two traces connected to any single pin, and you can't disconnect the pin from the PCB without disconnecting those two traces from each other, then obviously you'll have to fix that up as well after cutting them both. But it's all do-able.

Yes, the flexible plastic PCB's make it harder. But you can still cut traces, and you can still solder wires from keyswitch pin to keyswitch pin; so when you're doing the rewire part, you just need to find another keyswitch pin that's still connected to the trace you just disconnected from the keyswitch you're rewiring, and jumper to that.

It ain't rocket science. Anybody who can solder can do this.
posted by flabdablet at 6:10 AM on May 30

K5 & cmiller: Thank you!
posted by applemeat at 6:17 AM on May 30