Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

imgur.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 373 posts

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#51

Post by 7thaccount »

Symbiote wrote: post #12
politelemon wrote: post #5

I'm simply a mechanical keyboard user, I have a few trusty Filcos that I use and I will sometimes buy a keycap set and wait 1 year for it[1]; I don't have the courage to build custom keyboards. However I do derive a vicarious pleasure looking at the build logs and end results shared by others, this post included. The two best places I've found to follow are the /r/mechanicalkeyboards[2] subreddit and the geekhack.org…

There's also a fairly new subreddit, /r/ErgoMechKeyboards/, which only has ergonomic keyboards (simply split ones, or more usually with staggered columns rather than rows, and often a 3D shape). Fewer fancy, expensive keycap sets, and more works-in-progress with wires sticking out. https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/

Can any of these be bought? I love mechanical keyboards, but I can only use an ergonomical keyboard

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#52

Post by chris_engel »

spectramax wrote: post #35

Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys? For me, Mechanical keyboards cause fatigue as the key travel, regardless of which flavor of the key type, is too much. I prefer using Apple's new magic keyboar with numpad. It has a 1mm or so travel and feels fantastic.

Yeah, I always scratch my head in wonder about the mechanical hype. I love keyboards with flat keys that are not required to press down a lot. Also I would love to have a keyboard with zero typing sounds.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#53

Post by ndeast »

ComputerGuru wrote: post #11
politelemon wrote: post #5

I'm simply a mechanical keyboard user, I have a few trusty Filcos that I use and I will sometimes buy a keycap set and wait 1 year for it[1]; I don't have the courage to build custom keyboards. However I do derive a vicarious pleasure looking at the build logs and end results shared by others, this post included. The two best places I've found to follow are the /r/mechanicalkeyboards[2] subreddit and the geekhack.org…

The last time I dropped by /r/mechanicalkeyboards it was full of people that thought Cherry MX was the be-all end-all rather than just a brand name and a poor substitute for something like a proper buckling spring switch. Is that still the case?

I would recommend Deskthority[0] for a much more diverse and vintage keyboard focused audience.

They also have a very in depth wiki on just about any known key switch and keyboard.

[0]: https://deskthority.net/

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#54

Post by cjbprime »

spectramax wrote: post #35

Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys? For me, Mechanical keyboards cause fatigue as the key travel, regardless of which flavor of the key type, is too much. I prefer using Apple's new magic keyboar with numpad. It has a 1mm or so travel and feels fantastic.

It's not just you. The main benefits are around aesthetics and reliability, and sometimes comfort/feel. I'm a faster typer on chiclet keys than mechanical (after years of practice on both), although I'm not sure I'd agree that the chiclets are better for my hands -- presumably less key travel means more force traveling into your fingertips.

But! There are low-profile switch mechanical keyboards now, and they're very similar to your keyboard. They're still a little hard to find if you want customization (like a preferred switch type).

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#55

Post by jseliger »

wishinghand wrote: post #7

I’m on the verge of doing this. I have an Ergodox EZ but I want thumb clusters that are more useful, plus I’d like an encoder knob or two. The Kyria is close but it doesn’t do RGB per key or have a thumb cluster that exactly matches what I want. To the drawing board I go!

https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/ may be heading in the direction you want.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#56

Post by vhost- »

StavrosK wrote: post #27
lawn wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you spelled "escape" wrong. Yes, I'm a vim user. On the keyboards that support it I've had it remap to another layer if I hold it, but I'm thinking of using it for escape/ctrl, as I do use some emacs commands from time to time (mostly evil mode, but not everything). But I haven't decided where to put my layer switch key yet.

Dual esc/ctrl is the way to go. I still get phantom esc presses when I decide half-way that I don't need to ctrl+anything, but it's worth it.

I do this and it’s my favorite thing to show people to induce a mindfuck. I hold for control and tap for escape. Then I hold out for a day or two and make them go crazy before pasting them a link to the qmk docs page for the feature.

Edit: I won't hold out that long here. Here's the link to the feature to make this possible for anyone interested: https://docs.qmk.fm/#/feature_advanced_keycodes?id=mod-tap

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#57

Post by lsc »

7thaccount wrote: post #51
Symbiote wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also a fairly new subreddit, /r/ErgoMechKeyboards/, which only has ergonomic keyboards (simply split ones, or more usually with staggered columns rather than rows, and often a 3D shape). Fewer fancy, expensive keycap sets, and more works-in-progress with wires sticking out. https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/

Can any of these be bought? I love mechanical keyboards, but I can only use an ergonomical keyboard

I use a kinesis advantage2 with brown cherry keyswitches. (I think it's available with others) - my only complaint is that it's kinda giant.

Overall, it's pretty great; if you don't want to build your own, and if you don't want to change your keyboard, it's the best choice because it has been in production since the early '90s with few changes to layout; for me? this is big- changing layout is a big deal. The kinesis has been in production long enough that I am pretty confident I won't have to learn a new layout until keyboards go by the wayside

It's probably the least portable keyboard I've owned, though.

Oh yeah, link to buy:

https://kinesis-ergo.com/keyboards/advantage2-keyboard/

You can get them next-day from amazon, too, which is nice for essential parts such as these.

Re: If You Can't Buy the Keyboard You Want, Build It Instead

#59

Post by bitxbit »

ComputerGuru wrote: post #11
politelemon wrote: post #5

I'm simply a mechanical keyboard user, I have a few trusty Filcos that I use and I will sometimes buy a keycap set and wait 1 year for it[1]; I don't have the courage to build custom keyboards. However I do derive a vicarious pleasure looking at the build logs and end results shared by others, this post included. The two best places I've found to follow are the /r/mechanicalkeyboards[2] subreddit and the geekhack.org…

The last time I dropped by /r/mechanicalkeyboards it was full of people that thought Cherry MX was the be-all end-all rather than just a brand name and a poor substitute for something like a proper buckling spring switch. Is that still the case?

People gravitate toward MX equivalent switches because you can customize them. You can mimic or surpass the topre experience which has been the gold standard. There’s also a thriving niche market for keycaps which is very much focused on MX compatibility.
Post reply on HN