Really, swapping key caps is the lowest common denominator of keyboard modifications, but I'll mention this anyway, in part because my Mystery Keyboard Project X is proceeding slower than hoped, and also because my platform is relatively novel.
Behold, the Wolfking Warrior gaming keyboard. The red one was acquired for US$6 at a local yard sale. The white one was procured online, new, for US$30 shipped, to be used as a key donor. (Only the white model has non-black keys, alas. Presumably to make Mac fans happy.)
I've been intending to post a review of this keyboard, but for now let's suffice to say that it's fine, and while it's not sufficiently advanced I like it all the same, perhaps because it's just my speed.
My primary gripe is that it's pretty easy to get your hand lost from the "home row". There isn't a nipple on the "S" key for tactile indexing, and if you get displaced, it can take a moment finding your way home in that big ocean of uniformly colored, irregularly shaped keys. Even if you are properly situated, finding specific number/function keys can take more time than the ideal.
Hence my interest in indexing keys by color.
Using the white-key donor, I spent a few fun hours here at Megarat Labs, experimenting with many different layouts, and I finally settled on a mix that I like. (Some layouts were more aesthetically pleasing than this, but less functional, so most of my time was spent finding an optimum balance between the two.)
Behold, the "after" photo:
Problem solved. Well, sort of. It's much easier to find my way around, although it could still use a nipple on the "S" key. I'll figure that one out someday ... maybe with a soldering iron.
I've thought about getting fancy with the Rit Dye, but I don't think I'm into this keyboard enough to invest the time (and face the risk). Instead, I now have a pair of working and nicely indexed gaming keyboards. I'll probably be selling the white one for cheap if anyone is interested. (A Megarat Labs original!)
