Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
1–10 of 51 posts
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#2Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on?
At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years.
I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#3Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on? At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years. I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
The foam has disappeared, but the enthusiasts are going on. While it's not a craze, I believe mechanical keyboard is still superior for longer writing sessions (Apple's and Logitech's scissor switch keyboards are pretty good, too).
Gamers are moving to hall effect switches because of the things they enable, but from what I have seen, some people are still building their keyboards, and people still use mechanical keyboards.
I'd love to continue use mine, too, but they are bit too noisy for my office, and I don't continue computers at home as much, anymore.
Another chilling effect is caused by the tariffs, because people can't get their keyboards or parts as easily anymore. I got mine from Kickstarter directly, but it's impossible for me now.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#4Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on? At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years. I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
Various patents expired and now you can get excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50. Basically everyone I know who types for a living has one.
Gamers have moved on to analog keyboards which are controversial because some of their features straddle the line into cheats. e.g. with an analog keyboards you can negate all inertia in Counter-Strike or do speed tricks in Trackmania not otherwise easily accessible to keyboard players.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#5Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on? At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years. I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
Mechanical keyboard is still a sensible choice. With the advent of cheap 3D printing and custom PCBs, there's now also a lively DIY community, especially for odd/split layouts. I don't think it's a craze. It's just a hobby.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#6Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on? At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years. I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
It's still a craze but the people who want a nice keyboard to use daily found theirs and drifted away from the novelty/modding, I think.
I've used a HHKB Pro 2 since 2010 and it's still going strong. I have a replacement ready if/when it dies, but other than a shiny space bar it looks and feels like new.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#7I want a keyboard switch with a weight on the end of a lever, typewriter or piano style. Or some other mechanism whereby the resistance would be constant or even reverse-linear-ish (from gravity and momentum), not linear (from a spring). But as far as I know no such thing exists. :(
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#8I want a keyboard switch with a weight on the end of a lever, typewriter or piano style. Or some other mechanism whereby the resistance would be constant or even reverse-linear-ish (from gravity and momentum), not linear (from a spring). But as far as I know no such thing exists. :(
There do exist switches with an almost flat force-curve, but those I've seen have been very light. For example 30g Topre.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#9Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on? At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years. I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
They have become mainstream, so they are not special any more.
Even keyboards with what used to be enthusiast features, such as aluminium case, double-shot PBT keycaps, switch foam, plate foam, flex cuts, hot-swap, damping, etc. are available off-the-shelf at very reasonable prices now.
Re: Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies
#10I don't know how their switches worked, but the Wang 2200 terminals¹ that my father worked with had an interesting angle on tactile feedback; on each keypress a single chunky solenoid attached to it physically moved to give a satisfying "chunk" noise and vibration.
The idea presumably was to give solid mechanical feedback to professional typists used to the same from electromechanical typewriters throwing the type arm onto the platten.
Note this was late 70s/early 80s so I may be confusing/conflating it with other machines.
¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_2200#/media/File%3AWang22...
