Hello,
I've always had dome keyboard and didn't even know there was any other type, until a few months ago. Since then I've been toying with the idea of getting a mechanical one, I always like to have the best, if I can afford it.
Thanks
So - there's how fast the board _feels_, there's how fast you can make it go, and there's how fast it _can_ go.
A slow feeling board feels yucky, and if that feeling doesn't go away, then a new board is needed - the numbers be damned. It is, however, a personal thing.
So - I've been measuring a 1983 IBM Model F, terminal board, run through a custom USB converter. It doesn't get much slower than this - though some USB converters, apparently, do manage to really bugger it up.
Using Autohotkey, which is only giving 0.01 second resolution (10 ms), here are some samples for keyflicks (left hand, via thumb - numbers are similar for either hand when hitting space as well):
A2 01D u 0.02 Ctrl
A2 01D d 0.39 Ctrl
A2 01D u 0.02 Ctrl
A2 01D d 0.36 Ctrl
A2 01D u 0.05 Ctrl
A2 01D d 0.34 Ctrl
A2 01D u 0.03 Ctrl
A2 01D d 0.33 Ctrl
A2 01D u 0.05 Ctrl
... where I am hitting the key about three times a second, and the key looks to be staying down for what looks to be 20-50ms.
For reference, a frame at 60Hz, say on an LCD, is rendered every 16ms. Games will sample at this rate, or ideally somewhat more often - perhaps at 100Hz or better. (every 10Ms). Doing better than that on windows is possible, but tricky due to the timer architectures on windows, though. Games choose not to, generally - though not for coding effort. Introducing higher sampled timers can impact on whole system performance, and thus reduce visual frame-rate.
So - the minimum keystroke is in the area of 20ms, if you trust them numbers....
for a more reasonable test, here's me rapid firing on the control key with my right hand at about 25 Hz:
A3 11D d 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.02 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.06 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.11 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.06 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.06 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.02 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.05 Right Ctrl
A3 11D d 0.03 Right Ctrl
A3 11D u 0.03 Right Ctrl
I can modify my firmware to get the numbers that the keyboard produces more precisely, though from what I remember of my last test, an F can physically get down to about 4-5ms duration of keypress. Is there any interest in this? I have a cherry brown I should be able run through the controller and generate numbers for comparison, as well.
Given that this allows a key to be pressed and released three times per rendered frame, I don't think the problem is the physical hysteresis of the mechanical switches. I'm guessing that the feel is not right for your style.
On an M or F, any time spent moving past the click and back up is dead-time for yer game. It takes a while for the hands to get used to it - and it won't clearly even happen at all if yer spine refused to be your friend.
I grew up on these things, and the arcade-style sprung contact switches... I have never been able to make the rubber domes work for me. Oh well.
more info and/or tests if there is interest,
dfj
