Free tap-timeout calibrator for anyone using tap-hold keys (secondary / dual role) or home-row or bottom-row mods

I thought I’d share this little tool here as well (had posted it on Reddit a while ago).

The UHK supports tap-hold behavior (also called “Secondary role”, “dual role” in UHK terms): a brief press registers as a tap, while holding the same key longer triggers another action, for example a layer switch or a modifier such as Ctrl when using home-row or bottom-row mods. The duration, usually defined in milliseconds, that separates the two is called the tapping term. Set it too high and hold actions will feel sluggish; set it too low and deliberate holds fail to register. Getting it right is personal.

On my website you will find a simple browser widget to measure how long your keypresses actually last, and to get a feel for what hold duration feels natural to you. An accompanying tool shows the overlap timing between simultaneously pressed keys. Both can help you find or fine-tune your personal tapping term.

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Interesting… I’m pretty new to HRMs, and I still make a ton of mistakes trying to get the timing right. I’m sure this will be quite useful, thank you!

:smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

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Love your widgets; thanks for sharing! I hadn’t seen this before!

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Thanks Mr. HRM! :smile:

You can also try to put them on the bottom-row. Works especially good for alternative layouts which typically have a low bottom row frequency. This is how I use them and do not need fancy rules or algorithms for them to work. You still need to get the timing right, but it is less problematic. Especially when you have a dedicated shift key (for capitol letters).