After a long time using a keyboard, it is common for people to find the position of the keys strange when they change notebooks or purchase a new accessory. This is because Brazil has two layouts for this peripheral: ABNT and ABNT2.
Next, understand what ABNT means and the differences between the two keyboard models.
What is ABNT?
Founded in 1940, the Brazilian Association of Standards and Techniques (ABNT) is a private, non-profit and public utility entity. The body’s objective is to develop norms and standards for various processes in Brazil.
It is very common to hear about ABNT in the academic environment due to the rules for writing monographs and other documents. But it also operates in a number of industries – including technology and, consequently, keyboard manufacturing.
ABNT or ABNT 2 keyboard
Thus, the entity systematized the format of Brazilian keyboards and demanded the presence of Portuguese graphic symbols. For example, the insertion of square brackets, high numerals and the traditional accents of our language.
Both models follow the QWERTY standard, created by Christopher Sholes in 1870. Developed to facilitate the use of typewriters, this format organizes letters in order to speed up the formation of English words.
Difference between ABNT and ABNT2 keyboard
At first, there are few differences between ABNT and ABNT2 keyboards. Both have the letters, numbers, accents and other keys located in the same places – including the letter “Ç”.
However, ABNT2 has an extra key: Alt Gr. Located on the right side of the space bar, it is used to activate the third function of another key. When using it, the person can enter the following characters: ¹, ², ³, £, ¢, ¬, ª, º, and §.
The table below highlights in blue the characters that are generated when using Alt Gr. Pressed on an ABNT2 keyboard:
Another subtle difference from the ABNT2 keyboard is that the models have the question mark (?) Key next to the Shift key in the right corner. Something very simple, but that allows the user to type punctuation more quickly.
Certain examples of gamers or mechanical keyboards, such as the Logitech G915 TKL, do not use the ABNT2 layout. Therefore, it is important to be aware of this information when purchasing or importing a new peripheral.
