Vortex PC66 Keyboard Notes
Bluetooth
- Fn + Home until LED is solid blue.
- Now press any one of these to enter Pairing Mode.
- PgUp for Device 1
- PgDn for Device 2
- End for Device 3
Youc an now use Fn + PgUp, PgDn, or End to switch between devices
Shortcuts
- Fn + Esc = `
- Fn + Shift + Esc = ~
- Fn + 1 = F1
- Fn + 2 = F2
- Fn + 3 = F3
- Fn + 4 = F4
- Fn + 5 = F5
- Fn + 6 = F6
- Fn + 7 = F7
- Fn + 8 = F8
- Fn + 9 = F9
- Fn + 0 = F10
- Fn + - = F11
- Fn + = = F12
Navigation and System Controls
- Fn + Backspace = Delete
- Fn + ; = Insert
- Fn + P = Print
- Fn + [ = Scroll
- Fn + ] = Pause
- Fn + A = Previous
- Fn + S = Play/Pause
- Fn + D = Next
- Fn + F = Mute
- Fn + G = Volume -
- Fn + H = Volume +
Arrow Keys
- Fn + I = Up
- Fn + J = Left
- Fn + K = Down
- Fn + L = Right
Special Functions
- Fn + ? = 66key:Menu / 68key:Windows
- Fn + > = Windows_R
- Fn + Z = 66key:Windows / 68key:Menu
- Fn + Win = 68key:Winlock
- Fn + Spacebar = Capslock
Layout and OS Switching
(LED will flash a white color)
- Fn + any Alt + PgUp (press 2s) = Colemak
- Fn + any Alt + PgDn (press 2s) = Dvorak
- Fn + any Alt + End (press 2s) = Qwerty
- Fn + any Alt + HOME (press 2s) = Switch OS
Factory Restore
Fn + Alt_L + Alt_R (press for 3s)
Problems
Missing Tilde and Backtick :/
The I use the tilde and backtick keys a lot. They’re physically missing on this keyboard and it’s a PITA. On macOS, this means that I cannot use Command+` to “move focus to the next window” (i.e. cycling between instances of the same app).
The solution was the lovely Karabiner 🥰 Since I use Esc so little, I mapped it to tilde/backtick. Then mapped Ctrl+Esc to the real Esc. Pure Value™.
I also had to take care that this config was only applied to my shiny new keyboard and not the built-in one. For this, Karabiner Elements informed me that the Product ID was 592, and the Vendor ID was 1452.
Here’s the config. The device ignored at the end of it is my Kensington Wireless Trackball which creates a virtual keyboard for some reason. I needed to ignore it to get button combos to work (e.g. Button3+Button4 = Mission Control)
{
"profiles": [
{
"complex_modifications": {
"rules": [
{
"description": "Map Esc to ~ and `",
"manipulators": [
{
"conditions": [
{
"identifiers": [
{
"is_keyboard": true,
"is_pointing_device": false,
"product_id": 592,
"vendor_id": 1452
}
],
"type": "device_if"
}
],
"from": { "key_code": "escape" },
"to": [{ "key_code": "grave_accent_and_tilde" }],
"type": "basic"
}
]
},
{
"description": "Map Ctrl+Esc to Esc",
"manipulators": [
{
"conditions": [
{
"identifiers": [
{
"is_keyboard": true,
"is_pointing_device": false,
"product_id": 592,
"vendor_id": 1452
}
],
"type": "device_if"
}
],
"from": {
"key_code": "escape",
"modifiers": { "mandatory": ["control"] }
},
"to": [{ "key_code": "escape" }],
"type": "basic"
}
]
},
{
"description": "Map (Command + Esc) to (Command + Backtick) so you can 'Move focus to next window'",
"manipulators": [
{
"conditions": [
{
"identifiers": [
{
"is_keyboard": true,
"is_pointing_device": false,
"product_id": 592,
"vendor_id": 1452
}
],
"type": "device_if"
}
],
"from": {
"key_code": "escape",
"modifiers": { "mandatory": ["command"] }
},
"to": [
{
"key_code": "grave_accent_and_tilde",
"modifiers": ["command"]
}
],
"type": "basic"
}
]
}
]
},
"devices": [
{
"identifiers": {
"is_keyboard": true,
"product_id": 65535,
"vendor_id": 1149
},
"ignore": true
}
],
"name": "Default profile",
"selected": true,
"virtual_hid_keyboard": { "keyboard_type_v2": "ansi" }
}
]
}
Connecting Wirelessly
When not connected via a cable, macOS will think this is an Apple-made Keyboard. This has apparently been a problem since macOS Ventura. The Karabiner config above addresses this issue as well 🌸