Author Topic: Got my MX-11800 (Read 4927 times)

patrickgeekhack · « **on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 17:13:06 »

For $10, it's still in good shape. It just needs some cleaning. I'm currently typing on it right now. And although it has brown Cherries as my Filco, the feeling is different. I would say that typing on the Filco is nicer because I can hear the friction more. However, it's too early to form a definite opinion. One thing I will have to get used to though is how stiff the spacebar is.

timw4mail · « **Reply #1 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 17:34:35 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;129979

For $10, it's still in good shape. It just needs some cleaning. I'm currently typing on it right now. And although it has brown Cherries as my Filco, the feeling is different. I would say that typing on the Filco is nicer because I can hear the friction more. However, it's too early to form a definite opinion. One thing I will have to get used to though is how stiff the spacebar is.

Swap out the spacebar plunger and spring for the one in pause/break. It will be a lot more satisfying typing on it that way.

Xero · « **Reply #2 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 18:23:56 »

i definitely am annoyed by the space bar on my mx-11800, after a while it gets to be a bit much. I would try swapping it if i cared enough, but my g80-3000 w/browns doesn't have that problem (it's a brown switch under my spacebar IIRC) and is pretty awesome to type on

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #3 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 18:28:36 »

Quote from: timw4mail;129984

Swap out the spacebar plunger and spring for the one in pause/break. It will be a lot more satisfying typing on it that way.

I thought about swapping with another key after I took it apart. How easy is it to do? Does it involve any soldering? I don't know anything about soldering.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #4 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 19:13:23 »

I swapped the Escape key switch and the Spacebar switch. Since I did not have the appropriate tools, it was easier to open the Escape key because there was more room around it.

timw4mail · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 20:02:37 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;130001

I swapped the Escape key switch and the Spacebar switch. Since I did not have the appropriate tools, it was easier to open the Escape key because there was more room around it.

Yeah, no soldering. Do you like it better now?

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #6 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 22:47:55 »

Quote from: timw4mail;130009

Yeah, no soldering. Do you like it better now?

Don't know yet. I have cleaned the keys and am still waiting for them to dry. Will have a better idea tomorrow.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #7 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 22:50:16 »

Quote from: Xero;129993

i definitely am annoyed by the space bar on my mx-11800, after a while it gets to be a bit much. I would try swapping it if i cared enough, but my g80-3000 w/browns doesn't have that problem (it's a brown switch under my spacebar IIRC) and is pretty awesome to type on

The grey Cherry really requires a lot of force to fire.

PRISONER 24601 · « **Reply #8 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 23:34:38 »

I just got mine a few days ago too. Was gonna make a thread as soon as I found a good place to host the pics.

Love this thing. It's strange getting used to the numpad and the function keys, but it's totally worth it.

I actually like the sound of the keys bottoming out, it's helping me train to type softer. years and years on rubber dome boards have taught me to PUNCH THE KEYS for god's sake, and it's a bad habit.

it's really satisfying to type on, but i still gotta try some blues as soon as i can.

PRISONER 24601 · « **Reply #9 on:** Mon, 02 November 2009, 23:38:11 »

i really don't mind the spacebar either. i like the stiffness and the unique sound it makes.

the one i picked up has really worn in keys, the letters are significantly looser than the lesser worn numpad and f-keys. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Considering swapping all the worn switches out for other ones, but i don't even know if that's possible... much less worth it.

Rajagra · « **Reply #10 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 06:53:47 »

I hadn't even noticed the space bar was so much heavier than the other keys. I need to decide whether or not to modify the 6 of these boards I have now, lol.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #11 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 07:36:39 »

The space is much better now. It was really stiff before.

PRISONER 24601: Swapping the keys is not that hard. You just need the right tool, especially if the keys are close.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #12 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 07:38:50 »

Some of the things that will take some getting used to:

Home, Delete, etc further up rather than to the right.
The left ALT key is between left Shift and Z instead of between Z and X. I used the left ALT key a lot for shortcuts.

timw4mail · « **Reply #13 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 07:58:14 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;130075

Some of the things that will take some getting used to:

Home, Delete, etc further up rather than to the right.
The left ALT key is between left Shift and Z instead of between Z and X. I used the left ALT key a lot for shortcuts.

How about the actual feel of the keyboard, do you like it more or less than the Filco?

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #14 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 08:05:22 »

Quote from: timw4mail;130079

How about the actual feel of the keyboard, do you like it more or less than the Filco?

It may be too early to say, but for the time being I like the Filco better because the sound seems to be more high-pitched. I would compare the sound of the MX-11800 a muffled sound for lack of better words to describe it.

itlnstln · « **Reply #15 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 08:20:06 »

I, personally, like the muffled sound better than the Filco. The sound is a little more soothing than sterile tapping of the Filco, IMO.

timw4mail · « **Reply #16 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 08:29:22 »

As much as I like the double-shot set of keys I have on mine now, I really like the POM lasered keys, as they seemed to be more tactile than the higher-profile keys on my MX8100.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #17 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 13:25:13 »

Quote from: itlnstln;130085

I, personally, like the muffled sound better than the Filco. The sound is a little more soothing than sterile tapping of the Filco, IMO.

I'll tell you in a few weeks if I've changed my mind.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #18 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 13:28:53 »

I has been a somewhat painful experience today because of the lack of Windows, and menu Key and the Escape key being so far up. It's amazing how moving the delete key away from the same "longitude" as the left arrow key can cause some frustration.

I turned my F7 into a Windows key, my left Control key into a Menu key.

Is it not good for the brain when we force it to learn something new from time to time?

itlnstln · « **Reply #19 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 13:31:02 »

That's my biggest beef about the MX11800. The layout is tough to get used to. These were rack-mount server keyboards, so, ideally, these wouldn't be getting extensive use, so the layout wouldn't be that big a deal in that role.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #20 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 13:39:55 »

Quote from: itlnstln;130191

That's my biggest beef about the MX11800. The layout is tough to get used to. These were rack-mount server keyboards, so, ideally, these wouldn't be getting extensive use, so the layout wouldn't be that big a deal in that role.

I can see why. This is why I will decide over the next couple of weeks whether I will keep it at the office or take it home and use it on my Linux machine which I don't use that much. I'm glad I did not pay more for this keyboard, not because it's bad, but because of the layout.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #21 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 13:47:15 »

I guess all MX-11800 are not identical. Mine does not have "dot" in the middle of F, J and 5 keys.

itlnstln · « **Reply #22 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 14:06:32 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;130203

I guess all MX-11800 are not identical. Mine does not have "dot" in the middle of F, J and 5 keys.

There were several revisions. I think the one I had was the oldest. The newest ones have Windows keys.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #23 on:** Tue, 03 November 2009, 21:26:22 »

It's amazing how much we (most of us at least) take the layout of a keyboard for granted. But, once we are given a keyboard with a different layout, productivity drops dramatically.

Rajagra · « **Reply #24 on:** Wed, 04 November 2009, 07:58:43 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;130286

It's amazing how much we (most of us at least) take the layout of a keyboard for granted. But, once we are given a keyboard with a different layout, productivity drops dramatically.

It wouldn't have been so bad if they kept the Ins/Del/Home/End/PgUp/PgDn keys in a 6-pack on their own. It wouldn't have been too hard.

But as said before, keyboard layout was less important than finding a way to cram these boards into a 19" rack.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 04 November 2009, 08:09:58 »

Quote from: Rajagra;130316

...But as said before, keyboard layout was less important than finding a way to cram these boards into a 19" rack.

Yes, I've been reminding myself of this so that I don't go insane :-) I knew what I was getting myself into when I was buying this keyboard, well sort of, until I really tried it.

timw4mail · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 04 November 2009, 11:19:49 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;130319

Yes, I've been reminding myself of this so that I don't go insane :-) I knew what I was getting myself into when I was buying this keyboard, well sort of, until I really tried it.

I guess some of us have layouts ingrained in our minds a lot more solidly than others. While I probably would have a lot more difficulty if it were a blank keyboard, I never did find the layout of the MX11800 all that difficult to work with.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 04 November 2009, 12:51:12 »

Quote from: timw4mail;130350

I guess some of us have layouts ingrained in our minds a lot more solidly than others. While I probably would have a lot more difficulty if it were a blank keyboard, I never did find the layout of the MX11800 all that difficult to work with.

I think you got that right. I rarely look at my keyboard. The rare times I look at it is when I have to use the function keys or #$%&. In my case, a blank keyboard would not really affect me that much. But, I think with a bit of practice, I should be able to get better on it. If not, I can always bring my Filco back to the office.

JBert · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 04 November 2009, 15:53:02 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;130286

It's amazing how much we (most of us at least) take the layout of a keyboard for granted. But, once we are given a keyboard with a different layout, productivity drops dramatically.

The same applies for the model F AT.
On one hand, this keyboard is incredible to type on (given you have a model in decent condition), yet it is frustrating that its layout is inherently backwards.

The worst problem is the fact that the arrow cluster cannot be used in Linux to select text...

Xero · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 04 November 2009, 17:24:56 »

yeh the layout drives me nuts, particularly with page up/page down, which I'm used to using a lot in linux and is relocated in a very inconvenient place.

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Author Topic: Got my MX-11800 (Read 4927 times)