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+---
+title: "Planck and QMK"
+date: 2022-10-08T18:35:00+03:00
+draft: false
+categories: [keyboard]
+tags: [keyboard]
+url: /posts/planck-and-qmk/
+author: "Christoph Cullmann"
+resources:
+  - name: "featured-image-preview"
+    src: "images/planck-final.webp"
+---
+
+## The Planck Keyboard
+
+Over the past two years I tried out a few different keyboards for fun.
+
+I started with common form factors like TKL boards, went over 75% boards like the [Q1](/posts/keyboards-and-open-source/) and then to a 60% [HHKB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard).
+
+For typing feel, the HHKB is really amazing, but unfortunately the programmable features of a stock HHKB board are very limited.
+
+Now that I went down to 60%, I will give a more extreme keyboard a chance, the 40% Planck ortholinear keyboard.
+
+This one is fully open-source, you can even produce your own PCBs and Co.
+You find more or less all stuff freely at [GitHub](https://github.com/olkb).
+
+Given that the Plank designer funded [QMK](https://qmk.fm), too, naturally you can fully customize the Planck boards.
+
+Unlike for my tries with the Q1, this time I just went the plain QMK route, without any UI like the closed [VIA](https://www.caniusevia.com/) or the open [VIAL](https://get.vial.today/).
+
+The Planck board offers a nice platform for experiments, given the plain grid layer that allows really to freely shuffle all your keys and experiment with extreme layouts.
+
+![Building the Planck keyboard](images/planck-building.webp "Building the Planck keyboard")
+
+## Install QMK on NixOS
+
+As I use at the moment [NixOS](https://nixos.org) at home, here the needed steps to get going with QMK on that distribution.
+
+Install the qmk package. This will install the needed cross compile tool chains, too.
+
+Ensure the udev rules are setup, e.g. add to your configuration.nix
+
+{{< highlight nix >}}
+services.udev.packages = [ pkgs.qmk-udev-rules ];
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Run qmk setup, here with some own firmware location
+
+{{< highlight bash >}}
+qmk setup -H ~/install/qmk/firmware
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Configure QMK to use the Planck as default
+
+{{< highlight bash >}}
+qmk config user.keyboard=planck/rev6_drop
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Use my github name as keymap name
+
+{{< highlight bash >}}
+qmk config user.keymap=christoph-cullmann
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Create own keymap based on default
+
+{{< highlight bash >}}
+qmk new-keymap
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Compile the firmware
+
+{{< highlight bash >}}
+qmk compile
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Put the keyboard in boot loader mode (e.g. trigger RESET)
+
+Flash the firmware
+
+{{< highlight bash >}}
+qmk flash
+{{< / highlight >}}
+
+Now the keyboard should auto-restart with the new firmware.
+
+## Have fun :)
+
+Below the state of a finalized Planck board with some more or less standard first layer layout.
+
+It even plays a nice startup sound on powering up.
+
+![Finalized Planck keyboard](images/planck-final.webp "Finalized Planck keyboard")
+
+My current keymap can be found on [GitHub](https://github.com/christoph-cullmann/planck).
+
+As the history of this repository shows, I already experimented if some different layouts.
+
+## Warning ^^
+
+Yes, the paper on the left of the keyboard is a printout of the lower & raise keyboard layers.
+
+My typing speed is still abysmal on that new layout and I guess I need to build as second one for at work, otherwise I will never get used to the layout if I swap daily between this and a HHKB.
+
+Therefore, if you like to try such a board and are not a lot more experienced with switching between different layouts: you will need some time to get used to this.
+
+Even just the removed row staggering is confusing the first few days.
+