This Question and Answer interview is intended to be a fun series targeted at well-known community members whom most, if not all of you have most likely "met" here on geekhack. If you have username suggestions for further interviews, please add them in your comments. If you want to see some questions added for future interviews, please type them in your responses as well! (Can't guarantee that all requested questions will be added, as keeping the overall interview length reasonable is important for respondents.) This week I present to you an interview with engicoder (https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;area=summary;u=21969).
Previous interview with Oblotzky may be found here: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95684
Question & Answer interview with engicoder :
Please let us know what motivated your geekhack.org username or else what it means to you, if it's not Top Secret information.
I received my undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering. Unfortunately, at the time, the cold war had just ended and the job market was non existent for my field. I went back to school for a degree in computer science. So I am bit engineer and a bit coder.
How did you get into the keyboard hobby? Stories or anecdotes are welcome.
I have always appreciated a good keyboard. Over the years I kept keyboards I liked and used them with newer computers; a Northgate, a few IBMs, a Zenith, etc. In late 2012, my new laptop did not have a PS/2 port so was forced to look for a USB keyboard. All the keyboards I could find in local stores were terrible. The internet led me to GeekHack and Deskthority and the world of modern mechanical keyboards. My first keyboard purchase was a Leopold FC200 with MX Browns; please don't judge me :)
What's your main area of interest in the keyboard hobby: the looks, the feels, the customization process (DIY or combining keycap sets with various keyboards), endless variety of keycap sets, artisans, ergonomics, anything else?
I enjoy building and refurbishing keyboards especially when I can work with others. The "maker" side of this community is amazing. The community in general is what makes the hobby enjoyable for me. The looks and feels are a bonus.
Show us a picture of your favorite keyboard [that you own] with a brief description
It is difficult to choose a true favorite, but every time the Zenith ZKB-2 comes up in my rotation, I fall in love again. It uses Alps SKCL Green switches which are smooth and lightly weighted, with a curious hint of tactility at the bottom. The keycaps and case combine for a great sound. I can't really describe what makes this keyboard special. It has character that many keyboards do not.
(https://i.imgur.com/jGGTvzA.jpg)
What is your current "daily driver" keyboard(s)? Also with photographs, if it's not the same board as above
I don't really have a daily driver. I swap my keyboard every week or so and enjoy or suffer through it. Some weeks it is something modern but most it is something older as I have a few to choose from.
(https://i.imgur.com/VTpgmPy.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/9WzRr76.jpg)
Wish list or dream keyboard(s) or keycap sets?
Keyboard: IBM 4704-300, aka F77. The original is, for the most part, unobtainable. Fortunately, Ellipse and his new Model F keyboard project (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=79141.0) will one day fulfill my dream.
Keycap set: Doubleshot Cherry profile Tai-Hao TH series Alps keycaps. https://deskthority.net/wiki/Tai-Hao_TH_series
(https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=67080.0;attach=85405;image)
Favorite keyboard switch
I don't really have a single favorite switch. My top 3 "modern" switches in no order:
- Model F (Capacitive) Buckling Spring
- Alps SKCL Green
- NMB/Hi-Tek 725 Series linear
Favorite keyboard layout/size:
I always seem to come back to the Tenkeyless; winkeyless as well for looks. The separated arrow cluster is easy to find by touch, regardless of which keyboard I am using, and lack of tenkey moves the mouse closer. I prefer the standard layout (or something approximating it) for the main block (alphas and mods). I have tried several alternate and reduced layouts. While they have merits, as I have gotten older I find it difficult to swap back and forth between a custom layout and the standard layout and be productive. The one change I do prefer is having Control where Caps Lock is. The original IBM PC, Sun workstations and more recently, the HHKB have it there and it seems to be more comfortable to use.
Any guilty-pleasure keyboard type or size, or layout that you would never be caught using? (at least outside the secret privacy of your hidden typing shrine, like an old shiny Razer BlackWidow or a very pingy Model M)
I still have and use that original Leopold FC200 with MX Browns. In fact it has a set of GMK Dolch keycaps on it. This keyboard got me into the hobby and will always be a little bit special.
(https://i.imgur.com/q71zLsn.jpg)
Favorite plate material or lack thereof and why
I prefer rigid materials. This usually means steel but I am intrigued by thicker, pocketed, machined brass or aluminum plates.
What is your current mouse?
Gaming: Corsair M45, Work: G400 I have not purchased a new mouse in quite a while
Any ergonomic / desk organization preferences?
I use a 3M adjustable keyboard tray to get the right arm and wrist position. I prefer my keyboard to be flat or at a slightly negative angle. I also have an Aeron chair that I received in lieu of payment for some work I did. As far as desk organization, I try to keep the piles a few layers deep at most ;P
Please share your favorite drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) or snack
Favorite drink: Blood Orange Sanpellegrino
Favorite snack: Cheddar Goldfish
We'd love to learn about your other hobbies, if you wish to share
Designing microcontroller based electronics, their pcbs and firmware. It crosses over with both the keyboard hobby and my profession in software, but consumes large amounts of my free time, so it must be a hobby, right?
Got any pets? If so, let's see their photo(s)!
Not at the moment. I still working up my courage after losing my last dog, a German Short Haired Pointer named Chester.
(https://i.imgur.com/SjeDRxE.jpg)
Any advice for people who are just starting out in the keyboard hobby?
The "endgame" is an illusion. Avoid becoming fixated on what the majority considers the "best". Try have fun. Experience a variety keyboards and switches, appreciate what makes them different and use what makes you happy.
Closing words:
The community has grown immensely since I first joined. I have met many amazing people and seen an astounding increase in options available to the keyboard enthusiast. I look forward to seeing where things go from here.