Alice layout

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The Alice (or Arisu) layout is an ergonomic layout where the innermost four columns on each hand have been split, and separated and angled inwards. The remaining keys have a slight symmetric stagger. Most keyboards are a flat single piece.

The name comes from the TGR Alice keyboard, designed by Malaysian designer Yuk Tsi. She had based the keyboard layout on the EM.7. <ref name="tgraliceic">Geekhack—IC TGR-Alice. Dated 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2023-07-18</ref>

Variations

The original EM.7 has arrow keys in an inverse-T form below the right Shift key, two keys on the top right and a straight column of three keys on the top left.

The Alice omits the arrow keys and staggers the top-left column to fit the left alphanumeric cluster.

On the EM.7 and Alice, there are 'B' keys on both sides that mirror each-other. The '2' and '-_' keys pop up above the rest. There is a 2.75u space bar on the right and a 2.0u space bar on the left, flanked by a 1.5 modifier each. There is a 1u key under (the left) 'B'. There are two keys to the left of the right Shift key before the row bends. The numeric row is split between '6' and '7'.

The Arisu keyboard, inspired by both, reintroduced arrow keys, and has a staggered column of three nav keys above them on the right. The second 'B' is omitted. There is only one key to the left of the right Shift key before the row bends. The designer FateNozomi made files freely available under the MIT license.

After these, many variations have been introduced, both free, as custom keyboard kits and commercial.

Keyboards

This is far from a complete list. Please add to it

Commercial

• Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus: Arrows, straight right 3-key column
• Keychron Q8 (arrows, right column and volume knob) and Q10 (adds right column and function keys)

Split

• Mistel MD600 (60%)
• Rabbit Capture Plan (60% with arrow keys)

Tented

• Mont Cervin — Arisu-like arrow keys, 3-key left, 2-key right columns
• KBDfans Mountain Ergo (60%)
• Type-K — No arrow keys, 4-key right column)

Gradual curve

• Feker Alice80 — arrows, 3-key right column, volume knob
• Fox Labs Sand Glass Ergo

Extreme curve

• Sagittarius — 60% with 4-key left column
• Yamada Iteya — Sagittarius clone with more thumb-keys, function keys, arrow keys and volume knob

External links

• FateNozomi on Github — Arisu PCB.

References

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