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Open or download the original, exactly as it was given →Loop 2.1 — Keyboard Guide
Section 1
Getting Started
Loop 2.1 now has a full keyboard control system. You don't have to use it — everything still works with the mouse — but once the bindings are in your fingers, operating the machine feels fundamentally different. Your eyes can stay on the loops.
The system is designed to be learned incrementally. Start with the three keys you'll use constantly:
Space — Start / Stop the clock E — Send (inject current value) R — Send ALU answer to loop
Those three alone are worth learning. Add bus chords when you're ready. Add the rest whenever it feels natural.
Input Fields
Keyboard bindings are automatically suppressed when any text field has focus — speed input, TG threshold, chat, notes, anything. You won't accidentally start the clock while typing a value. Press Escape at any time to leave a focused field and return keyboard control to the machine.
On Learning
Nobody operates fluently on day one. The binding positions were chosen for ergonomics, not memorability — they reward time at the machine, not time studying this document. Refer back here as needed. The cheat sheet (?, coming soon) is always one key away.
Section 2
The Keyboard Layout
Most bound keys live on the left side of the keyboard so your right hand can stay on the mouse. The four loop keys — S D F G — match the left-hand home row, spatially ordered to mirror the Working, ALU, Memory, and Big loops as they appear on screen.
Number row ` 1Bus A 2Bus B 3Bus C 4Bus D 5Bus E 6Bus F 7Bus G 8Bus H 9Bus I 0 [Slower ]Faster Top row Tab QClear ESend RAnswer TChat Y U I O P Home row Caps SWorking DALU FMemory GBig HValues J K L Bottom row Shift ZSlot→Loop XWrite CCap Route VALU Op B NChallenge M .Step Space row Start / Stop Clock Loop ALU Memory Inject Bus Chat Challenge
Keys 5–9 are shown at reduced opacity — they're for toggling networking buses and use the same double-tap pattern as 1–4, but don't support chord entry.
Section 3
Clock & Stepping
KeyAction SpaceStart / Stop the clock .Step one tick (global — all running loops advance one position) [Decrease clock speed one step ]Increase clock speed one step
Speed steps: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 6 · 8 · 12 · 16 · 24 · 32 · 48 · 64 · 96 · 128 · 144 Hz. Each press of [ or ] moves one step along this ladder. The recommended operating speed for most work is 24 Hz.
Step Mode
With the clock stopped, . lets you step through computation bit by bit. This is the best way to trace an unexpected value or verify that a bus is routing correctly.
Section 4
Loop Controls
The four loop keys are spatially mapped to the left-hand home row. Working is under your pinky, then ALU, Memory, Big moving toward the index finger. Shift adds gate control to the same positions.
KeyActionLoop SPause / ResumeWorking DPause / ResumeALU FPause / ResumeMemory GPause / ResumeBig Shift+SToggle gate open / closedWorking Shift+DToggle gate open / closedALU Shift+FToggle gate open / closedMemory Shift+GToggle gate open / closedBig
Pause vs Gate
Pausing a loop stops its bits from moving but leaves the gate open — values can still enter or exit. Closing the gate blocks the loop's eject point entirely so nothing leaves regardless of bus state. They're different operations and together give you fine-grained control over when values move.
Section 5
ALU Actions
KeyAction RSend ALU answer to loop Shift+RSend comparator result to loop VCycle ALU operation forward Shift+VCycle ALU operation backward CCycle capture route forward (OFF → A → B → C → D → OFF…) Shift+CCycle capture route backward
Operation cycle order: ADD → SUB → AND → OR → XOR → NOT → SHL → SHR → NEG → INC → DEC — and back to ADD.
Why R and Not A
A is reserved as a chord target (it means "ALU loop" in the bus chord vocabulary). R for result — top row, left index finger reach, directly above the home row ALU key.
Section 6
Inject & Input
KeyAction ESend — inject the current switch value into the Working loop Shift+ERandom inject — a random value within the configured min/max range QClear all input switches (set to zero)
Set your value with the bit switches, then press E to inject. Q clears the switches so you start fresh for the next value. For random-number work, configure the min/max in the RNG panel, then use Shift+E to fire values without touching the switches at all.
Section 7
Memory
KeyAction XToggle Write to Slots on / off Shift+XToggle Auto-Increment on / off ZSend current slot to loop Shift+ZBatch Write All — stream all 16 slots into the Memory loop
Z sends whichever slot address is currently selected. Shift+Z runs the full batch sequence regardless of the current address. Use X with Shift+X together to set up an auto-incrementing capture pass: enable Write to Slots, enable Auto-Inc, then start the clock and let words accumulate into consecutive slots.
Section 8
Bus Controls — Toggle
Two ways to toggle any internal bus (A–D) on or off:
- Double-tap: press the bus key twice rapidly (1 1, 2 2, etc.). The threshold is 300ms — it's generous, not a trick shot.
- Shift+number: Shift+1 through Shift+4. No timing required, always reliable.
Both methods produce identical behavior. Use whichever you prefer.
Double-tapShift+keyBus 1 1Shift+1Bus A 2 2Shift+2Bus B 3 3Shift+3Bus C 4 4Shift+4Bus D
Toggle vs Configure
Toggling on/off is separate from configuring source and destination. The toggle keys only flip a bus active or inactive. To change what a bus is connected to, use the chord system (next section) or the sidebar panels with the mouse.
Section 9
Bus Chord System
The chord system lets you configure a bus's source and destination with three keystrokes. The grammar is fixed:
Press 1, 2, 3, or 4 to start a chord for that bus. The machine enters chord mode — a status display appears at the bottom of the screen showing your progress. Then type the source component, then the destination. The bus updates instantly on the third keystroke.
1 W A → Bus A: Working → ALU
2 A M → Bus B: ALU → Memory
3 M B → Bus C: Memory → Big
4 B W → Bus D: Big → Working
↑ Four-loop pipeline in 12 keystrokes
Component Keys KeyComponentSourceDestination WWorking loop✓✓ AALU loop✓✓ MMemory loop✓✓ BBig loop✓✓ PPattern Matcher 1 output✓— TThreshold Gate 1 output✓— KGlobal Counter✓✓ FFile Save—✓ Sources produce data; destinations receive it. PM1 and TG1 outputs are source-only — you can route from them but not to them. File Save is destination-only. If you attempt an invalid combination (e.g. 1 F W — trying to use File Save as a source), the chord cancels cleanly and the status display shows why. PM2 and TG2 The chord keys P and T map to PM1 and TG1 respectively. If you need to route from PM2 or TG2, use the sidebar bus configuration panels with the mouse. During fast operation, PM1 and TG1 cover the common case.
Cancellation Press Escape at any point during a chord to cancel it. The bus is left unchanged. A chord that receives no input times out and cancels automatically after 2 seconds. While a chord is active, all flat-layer keys are suppressed — pressing Space mid-chord won't accidentally stop the clock. The only active keys during a chord are the component target keys and Escape.
More Examples
1 P W → Bus A: PM1 output → Working
2 K A → Bus B: Global Counter → ALU
3 T M → Bus C: TG1 output → Memory
1 W F → Bus A: Working → File Save
1 1 → Toggle Bus A on/off (double-tap, not a chord)
2 A W → Bus B: ALU → Working
2 2 → Toggle Bus B off
Section 10
Networking Buses
Buses E through I are the networking buses. Their source/destination and peer configuration is click-only — there's no chord grammar for them. But toggling them on and off during active networked computation is a mid-flow action, so it's covered by the keyboard.
Same two methods as internal buses, same timing:
Double-tapShift+keyBus 5 5Shift+5Bus E (External) 6 6Shift+6Bus F (P2P Left) 7 7Shift+7Bus G (P2P Right) 8 8Shift+8Bus H (Net0) 9 9Shift+9Bus I (Net1)
No Chord for 5–9
Pressing 5 once does not enter chord mode — it starts the double-tap timer. If no second 5 arrives within 300ms, the press is discarded with no action. This prevents accidental chord entry on buses that don't support it.
Section 11
Chat
During networked sessions, the keyboard chat flow is designed to keep your hands on the machine.
KeyActionWhen TOpen chat — focus the chat inputNo input focused EnterSend message and exit chatChat open via T EscapeCancel — discard text, return to machineChat input focused
The key behavior here is that Enter both sends and exits when you entered chat via T. One key to send, no second key to return to machine control. The round-trip is: T → type → Enter → back operating.
If you clicked into the chat input with the mouse instead, Enter sends but leaves focus in the chat field — the assumption is you may want to send several messages in sequence. Use Escape to leave.
T in Chord Context
T normally opens chat. But if a bus chord is active (you've pressed 1–4 and are waiting for a source key), T acts as the Threshold Gate 1 source target instead. The chord state takes priority. Once the chord completes or cancels, T returns to chat.
Section 12
Challenges
Most challenge setup is click-only — selecting challenge type, configuring parameters, adjusting scoring. But the actions that happen during active computation have keyboard shortcuts.
KeyActionCondition NStart new challengeNo challenge currently active Shift+NAbort challengeChallenge is active HToggle Show ValuesChallenge active or complete EnterRELEASE — inject staged valueNo input focused; RELEASE button is lit
N respects the current challenge type and parameter settings. It's equivalent to clicking NEW CHALLENGE — it won't start if a challenge is already running.
Enter for RELEASE is context-sensitive. If the chat input or any other field is focused, Enter goes to that field as normal. It only triggers RELEASE when you're at the machine (nothing focused) and the RELEASE button is active and lit. The priority is unambiguous: you cannot accidentally release a challenge value while typing.
Chain Sum Keyboard Workflow
A complete chain sum by keyboard: Space to start → wait for RELEASE to activate → Enter to release → operate the machine → T to message teammates → Enter to send and return to operating. No mouse required once the initial setup is done.
Appendix
Quick Reference
Flat Layer
KeyActionCategory SpaceStart / Stop clockClock .Step one tickClock [Decrease clock speedClock ]Increase clock speedClock SPause / Resume WorkingLoop DPause / Resume ALULoop FPause / Resume MemoryLoop GPause / Resume BigLoop RSend ALU answer to loopALU VCycle ALU op forwardALU CCycle capture route forwardALU ESend (inject current value)Inject QClear input switchesInject XToggle Write to SlotsMemory ZSend current slot to loopMemory TOpen chat inputChat NStart new challengeChallenge HToggle Show ValuesChallenge EnterChallenge RELEASE (when lit)Challenge
Shift Layer
BindingActionCategory Shift+SToggle Working gateLoop Shift+DToggle ALU gateLoop Shift+FToggle Memory gateLoop Shift+GToggle Big gateLoop Shift+RSend comparator to loopALU Shift+VCycle ALU op backwardALU Shift+CCycle capture route backwardALU Shift+ERandom injectInject Shift+XToggle Auto-IncrementMemory Shift+ZBatch Write AllMemory Shift+1–4Toggle Bus A–DBus Shift+5–9Toggle Bus E–INet Bus Shift+NAbort challengeChallenge
Bus Chord Keys
KeyBusSingle pressDouble-tap 1Bus AEnter chord modeToggle on/off 2Bus BEnter chord modeToggle on/off 3Bus CEnter chord modeToggle on/off 4Bus DEnter chord modeToggle on/off 5Bus E(no action)Toggle on/off 6Bus F(no action)Toggle on/off 7Bus G(no action)Toggle on/off 8Bus H(no action)Toggle on/off 9Bus I(no action)Toggle on/off
Chord Target Keys (inside a chord)
KeyComponentSourceDest WWorking✓✓ AALU✓✓ MMemory✓✓ BBig✓✓ PPM1 output✓— TTG1 output✓— KGlobal Counter✓✓ FFile Save—✓
Always Available
KeyAction EscapeCancel active chord · Blur any focused input field