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Author Topic: First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack  (Read 28472 times)

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Offline Input Nirvana

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« on: Thu, 28 July 2011, 14:44:05 »
I should have my WASD Keyboards purchase tomorrow!

I'll review with pics ASAP.
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Online keyboardlover

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« Reply #1 on: Thu, 28 July 2011, 15:17:47 »
Nice!
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Offline rightbraingeek

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« Reply #2 on: Thu, 28 July 2011, 16:58:09 »
Would love to see the a pic of the keycap combo you chose...would you post?
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Offline N8N

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 28 July 2011, 17:02:58 »
Can't wait for review... really hoping this works out for you because I love their (his?) concept

So who's going to step up and buy a board?  I am holding off until I can get color printing but it is under serious consideration here...  was thinking Filco but am willing to give WASD a try given the price difference and the customizable keycaps...  only downside is I'm going to void the warranty as soon as I get it because I just got another clears board in the mail today :)
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Filco Majestouch-2 with Cherry Corp. doubleshot keys - Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Force with Wyse doubleshots - Silicon Graphics 9500900 - WASD V1 - IBM Model M 52G9658 - Noppoo Choc Pro with Cherry lasered PBT keycaps - Wyse 900866-01 - Cherry G80-8200LPBUS/07 - Dell AT101W - several Cherry G81s (future doubleshot donors) (order of current preference) (dang I have too many keyboards, I really only need two)

Offline Aznguyen316

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« Reply #4 on: Thu, 28 July 2011, 17:22:48 »
Cool, subscribed to see what it turns out like.
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Offline pascoa341

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« Reply #5 on: Fri, 29 July 2011, 10:05:26 »
Very excited about this, I'm curious as to what the quality of the board will be like!
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Offline kentalish

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« Reply #6 on: Fri, 29 July 2011, 17:48:59 »
any news?
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Online tsangan

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« Reply #7 on: Fri, 29 July 2011, 20:01:30 »
I want to see pics!!!
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Offline noodles256

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« Reply #8 on: Fri, 29 July 2011, 23:13:48 »
asap is so fast
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Offline sordna

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 29 July 2011, 23:18:42 »
Quote from: input nirvana;388887
I should have my WASD Keyboards purchase tomorrow!

I'll review with pics ASAP.

Did you buy a keyboard or just keycaps? Did you visit the place??
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Offline Input Nirvana

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« Reply #10 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 03:00:07 »
I got my hands on the 2 keyboards today (they were not for me, as I don't do flat boards or flat women). I will actually go to WASD mid/late next week to get additional keys and pay money that I wasn't charged for over a dozen keys that I received for my Kinesis Split project.

One board was all black with engraved legend keys, black cherry switches, with 4 optional keys (1 red ESC, 4 blue WASD, none of the 5 engraved). The other keyboard had white, blue, gray keys, brown cherry switches, and no legends. I took one apart and photographed the controller, the back label, underside of the spacebar, stabilizers (with grease!), USB cord is a braided, very cool. I have close ups of the engraving on the black board. A cool thing, each keyboard came with a key puller.

A brief summary (in depth to follow Saturday)
The keyboards: were solid, quality items. They overall have a good feel and look very sharp, easily comparable to other names such as Das, Filco, etc...

The options: with the engraving is very cool, although I didn't do anything exceptional (again, these boards are for others, not me). I liked the tight, clean look and feel of the engraved legends.

The company: was very helpful, polite, professional, fun. I didn't have any problems, but I have the distinct impression that any issues would be addressed and taken care of. A warm, fuzzy feeling.

The experience: was great. One of the more pleasant business experiences I've had recently, and I deal with a lot of businesses very regularly. I look forward to dealing with them again. Thumbs up!

Here are a couple pics, I'll post more tomorrow.

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« Last Edit: Sat, 30 July 2011, 03:35:17 by input nirvana »
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Offline Zalcor

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 03:11:58 »
Dang, sounds almost too good to be true.  I'm excited for pictures.
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Offline N8N

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 07:51:17 »
sweeeeeeet.

Eagerly awaiting additional information; if the WASD boards turn out to be good, I might use one of theirs instead of a Filco which was my original plan for a good board w/ clears.  I like the black w/engraving (is that what is called "etching" on the web site?)  sort of otaku but not completely, kind of like a ninja keycap set.  I'm really glad you posted pics because (hint) there's not enough pics on the web site to really get it.  How about a pic of the underside of the board?  Are the feet sturdy and grippy?  How about channels for the USB cable?  USB to PS/2 adapter included, and if so, did you have a chance to confirm functionality on PS/2 for the old school members of the audience?

Have you at least test driven the boards?  Confirmed NKRO?  Any hint of the dreaded "Filco Ping?"

(I know, I know, so many questions, that's what you get for being the guinea pig.  But I am still excited about this company and really want him to succeed...)
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Filco Majestouch-2 with Cherry Corp. doubleshot keys - Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Force with Wyse doubleshots - Silicon Graphics 9500900 - WASD V1 - IBM Model M 52G9658 - Noppoo Choc Pro with Cherry lasered PBT keycaps - Wyse 900866-01 - Cherry G80-8200LPBUS/07 - Dell AT101W - several Cherry G81s (future doubleshot donors) (order of current preference) (dang I have too many keyboards, I really only need two)

Offline kentalish

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 08:43:28 »
^^ I am on the same boat as N8N wanting a filco but these guys caught my eye any additional info like even whats in the box is helpful to us
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Offline oneproduct

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #14 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 08:52:07 »
Looks like you may be missing the semicolon on the ;: home row key?

Also, I'm curious as to how much your fingers can feel the indentation left by the laser etching. Trying to decide if I'd rather have blank keycaps or etched ones.
« Last Edit: Sat, 30 July 2011, 08:55:07 by oneproduct »
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Offline nrd

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #15 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 10:52:26 »
Quote from: input nirvana;389800
I got my hands on the 2 keyboards today (they were not for me, as I don't do flat boards or flat women). I will actually go to WASD mid/late next week to get additional keys and pay money that I wasn't charged for over a dozen keys that I received for my Kinesis Split project.

One board was all black with engraved legend keys, black cherry switches, with 4 optional keys (1 red ESC, 4 blue WASD, none of the 5 engraved).
Looks good, which font/size/style did you use for the legends? Would be helpful to get an idea how the different options actually turn out on the keys.
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Online keyboardlover

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« Reply #16 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 11:43:40 »
Psssh. We want to see photos of the good stuff!

PCB, plate, controller! :D
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Offline Oqsy

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #17 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 11:49:08 »
Quote from: keyboardlover;389941
Psssh. We want to see photos of the good stuff!

PCB, plate, controller! :D

Also your new neighbor...
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Online keyboardlover

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« Reply #18 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 12:57:09 »
Lol. Looks like it says "F*gs Down"
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Offline wasdkeyboards

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« Reply #19 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 13:02:54 »
Quote from: ripster;389949
Lasers need to be tuned better.
Show Image


See pics of KBC PBTs in the Key Ref Wiki sticky above.

Sorry Ripster, this is as tuned as it gets with my laser. I spent the last 2 weeks looking for a solution and tinkering with the laser settings. Even though I have a low watt laser tube, the plastic needs to be engraved at a very low power. I was almost able to get it "smooth", but the laser tube was on the edge of firing and not firing. The natural fluctuations of power within the tube made it very inconsistent at that power.

What you see here is the very next power level with dramatically increase speed to keep the plastic from totally melting.

Currently, it's no good for for small fonts and very detailed graphics. Also, depending on the color of the cap, the results will be slightly different. Black absorbs the most laser light and has to run at a higher speed than other colors and thus, you can see the laser marks more.

I am still working on it and if I get any new breakthroughs I'll let everyone know. But right now, that picture really doesn't do it justice. The Page Down looks kind of blurred, but a key would never leave my shop like that. I'm sure input nirvana can confirm this. Here's a picture, if you haven't seen it already, of sample engraving up close with a DSLR.

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Offline reaper

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« Reply #20 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 13:08:06 »
Very nice.  Bring on the tenkeyless and you'll have another customer.
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Offline Input Nirvana

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« Reply #21 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 13:28:56 »
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Logo is attractive and understated.
Blue leds.
Strain relief is beefy.
USB plug has a keyboard imprint, I've never seen that before. Cute.
Adjustable feet are sturdy, they don't pop back down. Rubber is grippy on the melamine surface I had it on.
When I removed the keys I saw white lithium grease on the stabilizers connecting to inserts.
The etching on the keys has an indentation and a raised portion. You can feel it as you type.
After removing the screws, the top/bottom case interlocks with clips that hold the keyboard together...really almost doesn't need the screws. Used the thin steel ruler to pop apart.
Spacebar is just over 4-5/8" long with the stem dead center.
The controller (mounted on the bottom case) has a plug the connects to the pcb (mounted on the top case). No cable connecting them.
The keyboard label says WASD and has a keyboard serial number.
I took a picture of the blue ABS keys I got for the Kinesis Split Project.

I have more pictures, I'm going through them now. I'm sorry many didn't turn out very well (blurry, ****ty quality) since I'm not used to using my camera, it's just a point and shoot that I almost never use. (my iPhone takes decent enough pics often). I'm actually going to WASD next week and will take better photos at their business and post again.

Pics that will be added to this post: interior of keyboard, etc.
« Last Edit: Sat, 30 July 2011, 20:03:18 by input nirvana »
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Offline peda

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #22 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 13:29:51 »
Quote from: reaper;389996
Very nice.  Bring on the tenkeyless and you'll have another customer.

+1 and thanks for that project.

I wish you all the best for your business!



Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
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Offline Input Nirvana

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« Reply #23 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 13:36:07 »
[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 22783[/ATTACH]

This is a much larger pic, you can see the photo is blurry. The key did not look like that. Sorry :(

RE: MISSING SEMI-COLON. Also, I should have mentioned the black etched keys were a last-minute grab from a "key test bin" because they were liked more than the original grey etched keys. So there may be a problem or two that may get corrected. The reject/test keys are not the WASD business model, but the guy who got the keyboard was short on time, and didn't care too much about those details I guess. Kudos for customer service though!
« Last Edit: Sat, 30 July 2011, 16:09:41 by input nirvana »
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Why do I love my keyboard so much? Because my keyboard blows me
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Offline Input Nirvana

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« Reply #24 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 13:54:31 »
Quote from: ripster;390023
Can you post a review in the Reviews subforum?  It's more objective since I feel like I'm pissing in a vendors subforum if I say anything negative here.

Also, if you take a pic like this I'll stick in the Key Ref wiki.
Show Image


These WASD keys look Filco compatible to me.

I did take a couple similar pics, and they came out quite poorly, so I won't post them. I had access to the 2 keyboards for about 2 hours yesterday and they're now not in my possession. I'm going to WASD in a week, I'll make arrangements to take much better photos to post.

I'll answer the questions some are asking in this thread later today and tomorrow as I can (short on time this weekend). I wanted to post the pics and what info I could as soon as possible.
« Last Edit: Sat, 30 July 2011, 14:00:12 by input nirvana »
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Why do I love my keyboard so much? Because my keyboard blows me
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Offline N8N

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #25 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 14:37:33 »
after looking at the pics, it appears that on the PCB there are a lot of components on there soldered with pins/legs bent before soldering...  I'm assuming that those are just jumpers, and the switches are the ones that just have the solder blobs, correct?  (still thinking about modifications.)  Too bad you couldn't hold onto the keyboards long enough just to test drive at least for a little bit...

thanks

nate
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Filco Majestouch-2 with Cherry Corp. doubleshot keys - Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Force with Wyse doubleshots - Silicon Graphics 9500900 - WASD V1 - IBM Model M 52G9658 - Noppoo Choc Pro with Cherry lasered PBT keycaps - Wyse 900866-01 - Cherry G80-8200LPBUS/07 - Dell AT101W - several Cherry G81s (future doubleshot donors) (order of current preference) (dang I have too many keyboards, I really only need two)

Offline Input Nirvana

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« Reply #26 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 14:52:12 »
I did type a little. I didn't notice the 'Filco Ping' but I was not in a dead silent room (usual room sounds, background hum in another room, computer fan, etc.) not a noisy room, but not a cemetery either. No testing of NKRO, and no connecting USB to PS/2. The feel of the black cherry and the brown cherry and the overall key feel and keyboard feel was pleasant. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting but I was enjoyably surprised.

The keyboards felt tight. No creaking, "plasticy" sounds, rattling, or loose keycaps/switches, nothing sticky or slow response.
« Last Edit: Sat, 30 July 2011, 20:05:24 by input nirvana »
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Why do I love my keyboard so much? Because my keyboard blows me
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Offline Findecanor

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« Reply #27 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 15:08:32 »
Quote from: input nirvana;390015
(Attachment Link) 22767[/ATTACH]
[...]
USB plug has a keyboard imprint, I've never seen that before. Cute.

PS/2 connections usually have both a symbol and a purple colour to show that it is a keyboard cable.
This is something that I have missed with USB keyboards. Very good!
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Offline N8N

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First WASD Keyboards purchase and review on Geekhack
« Reply #28 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 15:59:02 »
well, really, I think that lack of detectable ping in a room with normal ambient background noise is all that any reasonable person is looking for...

In a quiet room I can hear a ping-like ringing from my Cherry board w/ browns when I get a good head of steam up, just because I'm bottoming out and *something* in there is hitting a resonating frequency...  (which is part of the reason I am so anxious to order a good board to mod to clears so that I can get rid of all the objections to my various current boards in one fell swoop...)
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Filco Majestouch-2 with Cherry Corp. doubleshot keys - Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Force with Wyse doubleshots - Silicon Graphics 9500900 - WASD V1 - IBM Model M 52G9658 - Noppoo Choc Pro with Cherry lasered PBT keycaps - Wyse 900866-01 - Cherry G80-8200LPBUS/07 - Dell AT101W - several Cherry G81s (future doubleshot donors) (order of current preference) (dang I have too many keyboards, I really only need two)

Offline noodles256

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« Reply #29 on: Sat, 30 July 2011, 23:53:00 »
my keyboards clicks for some reason

I have cherry blues
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