Peripherals Mechanical Keyboards

I've got no issues with the browns for gaming, double taps register just fine. It's actually about the only time I don't bottom out the keys. I may give blacks a go but I don't know that I'd like them if they're heavier than the browns.

I can see the thinking behind that one. TBH the standard QWERTY keyboard layout is pretty appalling and that one looks to be much better thought out than most. However, I have over 25 years using that particular layout and it's rather familiar now. No way would I be able to easily adapt to that. Actually, something along the layout of the MS Comfort Curve with mechanical switches would be sweet for me.

 

My primary keyboard uses browns and it works great all around.

Blues are designed different, the piece that activates the switch itself is separate from the part the key you touch, it's what gives it the noise. Once you hit the switch point, it drops to the bottom making the click noise (the click happens after the key is actually pressed). Unfortunately, because it isn't directly connected to the part you touch, you don't know where it is in terms of it's stroke. While your finger may be on the way up, the second half could still be near the bottom, back up where there switch point is, or it could be above the switching point. If you start to press down again expecting a double tap, it needs to be above the switch point in order to work, but you don't know where it is.

All other Cherry switches are directly connected, you always know where the key is in terms of stroke. You have direct feedback.




That ergo keyboard could probably work well once you adapted, but if it is meant for efficiency, since they already changed the keys, there are faster layouts than qwerty they could have used. Odd keyboards are fine if it's only you who use them, and you better hope it ever fails because you may not be able to get another. Also, it stinks when someone else has to use it.

 

Question: How does one remove a key from a cherry mx keyboard without forking out a fiver for a plastic widget that does the same thing, or is this a bad idea?

 

Two paper clips, bend them open and leave the 90° bends at each end, slide under the key and make sure the horizontal part of the clip under the key is resting on both sides of the key.

Pull.

 

For the sake of £5 i would buy one will do it right and faster got me one the other day from kustompcs.

 

Carefully? The key puller I got with my Filco is actually two triangles of sprung wire moulded in to a plastic handle. Piano wire or similar twisted together and a certain amount of gaffer tape might do the trick. It needs to have some spring to it so you can get one edge under each side of the key but not have to worry about it coming loose.

 

Two loops of string works (one per side), or very carefully.

 

Had a play on the Deck Legend my friend was offering; while I like the look of the keyboard especially with the lit green, I can't say I'm a fan of MX Blacks when typing lots of lines of code.

He brought around a couple of other boards as well with different switches and based on the short trial runs I definitely want either Topre, MX Brown or MX Blue. From what I've been reading on here, the Blue probably isn't wise as I'm also going to be playing FPS games with the board.
Based on that I think I'll go for the Filco (as much as I like the idea of my custom designed WASD, the shipping on top makes it too much more than other MX Brown boards) for now which will cover me until I get more funds for a second Mechanical, which will later be a Realforce as Topre felt really nice while I was programming.

 

One paperclip worked wonders for the cherry keyboard I restored. There's no way I'm buying a key puller!

 

You could also try reds depending on availability. I believe they have the same weight of spring as browns, though my own empircal testing says they feel a little lighter being linear. I like them a little more for gaming, when pressing straight down to the bottom on keys like WASD or QWER it's nice to have a constant smooth travel.

 

Right, red use same spring as brown and blue, they just feel lighter since there is no interruption.

 

Ta for the advice folks. The only irritating bit is that I can't find any readily available keyboards with reds - I'm kind of stuck on the ISO layout so unless Filco start using reds I'm stuffed! Then again, I like the browns so I dread finding something I like more as I'd then not just be looking for a work keyboard but a home and work keyboard.

 

corsair k60?

 

Arg, the work keyboard! The better I get at typing with mech boards, particularly red switches, the worse I'm getting at typing with the cheap HP rubber dome keyboard at work. Missing a lot of keypresses and generally feeling strained by the "heavy" strokes. At first it was just a thought of "maybe I'll upgrade it someday..." but now it's getting to be a definite need. Probably going to snag a board like yours Grim and pair it with a Filco numpad on the left as I do a lot of CAD work so I'm constantly dancing between the mouse and the numpad with my right hand.

 

For cheap 'work' boards, best get some used Cherry G80 blue or brown and some black stems and swap them or vice versa get blacks and some 50g spring. It's super easy and a whole lot cheaper than getting a reds board for most people with the same end. But definitely get a PCB board like a G80, plate boards is not worth the extra work unless you really love soldering 104 switch. PCB can just pop the top of switch housing easy, whole board stems swap takes me about 20 minutes only.

 

Look at Rosewell keyboards on newegg. They can be had for $80 and are pretty much the same as a filco

 

I have to fire in call references quickly, I'm no touch typist so numpad rocks for that. I honestly don't use it at home so no loss there. I have to use a Mickeysoft el cheapo dome job at work as it's about the only keyboard available to me other than my Filco that doesn't want to me to install drivers when I change systems with the KVM. No multimedia, no additional "functions", just the essentials.

Serious question - do they come in ISO? Soldering? Can do. Swapping stems on the switches? Can do. ANSI or mini layout? Feckin' forget it! Let's just say that I'm somewhat "challenged" where some change is concerned. I have issues with my environment changing too much, a different keyboard layout qualifies as WAY outside of the comfort zone. I'm having enough trouble with the tenkeyless without moving things to where they didn't ought to be!

 

Cherry G80 sure does come in ISO, see pics of Lenny's a couple pages back. That is the exact series of board I'm talking about. Not sure about UK, but they come up on ebay US pretty frequently for less than $40. In Germany they are also cheap. You could probably find a used one for around €25 on Deskthority also. Plus another €10 or so for all the extra stems or springs.

 

Not having a stepped caps lock was annoying me more and more so I had a go at modifying one to fit the Das. Geekhack has some guides on how to do what I wanted but it involved things I don't have with me (drill, epoxy etc). I did have some Loctite super glue gel, wire clippers, and I bought some Krylon.

Signature Plastics sell surplus keycaps or whatever they are for pretty cheap (always blank I think) so I bought some stepped caps lock keycaps. They're not the same height as Das keys and the stem isn't centred:



Painted with Krylon:



Stem cut off and superglued back on:



Surprisingly, it fit the keyboard:



It doesn't match the colour of the other keycaps exactly but the difference is definitely more noticeable in that picture. Also, the offset from the raised plastic at the new stem location was enough to make the key sit pretty much flush with the rest of the row even though the key profile is lower than Das keys.

 

Interesting, why did that annoy you so much?