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ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

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Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#91

Post by neodymiumphish »

baz00 wrote: post #13
fimdomeio wrote: post #4

What's with the gradient/rainbow led trend? Is it just me that don't have the necessary cultural references to find it appealing? To me I immediately associate it with an unprofessional, cheap look.

I agree. It looks tacky, cheap, unprofessional and distasteful. Not only that half the RGB keyboards fuck out fairly quickly or have power and USB problems. Electric truck nuts. That's all it is.

I don't mind them in devices like this, where the configuration is built into the device firmware. Where I found it incredibly frustrating was with the Razer laptops, where the rainbow stream would run constantly until the Synapse software finally launched and it switched to your preferred configuration. I wish default on some of these devices was just basic white or off to keep from running into issues.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#92

Post by lq0000 »

rgoulter wrote: post #83
lq0000 wrote: post #75

The layout is eerily similar to one I designed last year [1]. I may be biased, but I'm not sure if it is worth the $365 price point. That being said, it is a bit more refined and has some nice accessories bundled. I may pick one up for comparison. But, just noting that there is a comparable open source design available. ;) [1] https://github.com/eggsworks/egg58

$365 does seem pretty steep. But budget options pretty much demand a variety of skills. DIY boards require soldering, and flashing firmware to the microcontrollers. If a mistake is made when soldering, this can be very difficult to diagnose, and harder to fix. -- Paying someone else to solder is sometimes an option, but can be expensive, too. Even with cheap boards from e.g. AliExpress, you still might have to be fam…

Yeah, I agree full DIY is not for everyone, but SMT assembly is pretty affordable even in small batches these days. I just placed an order for 5x of a 60% unibody ortho board and it came out to roughly $40 a piece before switches, case, etc.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#93

Post by uticus »

rgoulter wrote: post #25
krzyk wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and lack of F1-F12 is a show stopper for me, I use them in my IDE.

These small keyboards trade-off the benefit of "bring all the keys within easy reach of the hands" at the cost of a more complicated layout. The intent is "be able to press F1-F12 without having to move hands so far from home row"; it's not "I want a smaller keyboard and don't need F1-F12".

Exactly this. I would add also, do you want to accomplish by additional hand/wrist movement (access F-key row) or by additional keypresses (layer, tap-dance, etc)?

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#94

Post by baz00 »

neodymiumphish wrote: post #91
baz00 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. It looks tacky, cheap, unprofessional and distasteful. Not only that half the RGB keyboards fuck out fairly quickly or have power and USB problems. Electric truck nuts. That's all it is.

I don't mind them in devices like this, where the configuration is built into the device firmware. Where I found it incredibly frustrating was with the Razer laptops, where the rainbow stream would run constantly until the Synapse software finally launched and it switched to your preferred configuration. I wish default on some of these devices was just basic white or off to keep from running into issues.

This is the problem I had. I cracked my Logitech mouse open and just snipped the LEDs out in the end.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#95

Post by uticus »

rcarr wrote: post #89
shivekkhurana wrote: post #14

If anyone from ZSA is here, please make wireless keyboards. I’m rocking an Ergodox for the past few years. It’s worth every penny, but I cannot carry it around with all the cables.

If you buy a bt-500 from handheld scientific you can hook up to a powerbank and use it semi wirelessly. You’ve still got a cable going to the powerbank and adapter but at least you don’t have to run a cable to the laptop. Alternatively keebmaker sell wireless cornes and Ferris sweeps - you’re best off getting the sweep because the leds on the Corne drain the battery life even when they’re switched off.

Where is a good review of the Ferris sweep? Have looked at this before but haven't seen what makes it stand out.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#97

Post by fimdomeio »

pkilgore wrote: post #37
fimdomeio wrote: post #4

What's with the gradient/rainbow led trend? Is it just me that don't have the necessary cultural references to find it appealing? To me I immediately associate it with an unprofessional, cheap look.

Unsure what you mean by "cultural references", but rainbows and gradients tend to be the best means to visually answer the question: "What range of colors can these LEDs I'm selling display."

maybe cultural context would make more sense. I mean I was always into things like punk and more dark aesthetics, so maybe it just doesn't make sense to me personally but would make sense for someone who as different contexts.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#98

Post by JadoJodo »

Zambyte wrote: post #38
SamSkjord wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

steep learning curve if you've never used a split\ortho board but once you learn how to type again (couple of weeks for me), other than that my wrist pain is now gone! only real downside is people asking why I have a pair of glowing oven gloves on my desk

I'd like to add that switching to a drastically different keyboard is the perfect opportunity to simultaneously switch keyboard layouts if thats something you've been considering. I switched from QWERTY to a layout based on Programmer Dvorak when I got my Moonlander. I'm really glad I did.

Same, though it was painful. Took me ~6 months to go from 6-fingered pecking to full proficiency with split-keyboard Dvorak. 100% worth it, though.

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#99

Post by JadoJodo »

ajford wrote: post #61
fimdomeio wrote: post #4

What's with the gradient/rainbow led trend? Is it just me that don't have the necessary cultural references to find it appealing? To me I immediately associate it with an unprofessional, cheap look.

It demonstrates the level of control the firmware can have over LEDs. Cheap boards might have a single color setting or only be able to set blocks of keys (i.e. alpha vs modifier keys). No one says you have to use unicorn vomit colors or a constantly shifting color pattern. But it does look good in a demo and does a great job of indicating that it's not a solid color. Some people don't like the lighting at all, and t…

> I switch backlight colors based on layout.

Same. I use Dvorak as my primary layer, as well as blank keycaps, and have a QWERTY gaming layer that has LEDs outlining the standard gaming keys (WASD, crouch, etc).

Re: ZSA Voyager: Low profile split keyboard

#100

Post by prometheon1 »

Zambyte wrote: post #38
SamSkjord wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

steep learning curve if you've never used a split\ortho board but once you learn how to type again (couple of weeks for me), other than that my wrist pain is now gone! only real downside is people asking why I have a pair of glowing oven gloves on my desk

I'd like to add that switching to a drastically different keyboard is the perfect opportunity to simultaneously switch keyboard layouts if thats something you've been considering. I switched from QWERTY to a layout based on Programmer Dvorak when I got my Moonlander. I'm really glad I did.

This was exactly my line of thought when I got the Moonlander (except I thought Colemak). It has been gathering dust in my shelf for almost 2 years now.
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