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Author Topic: Hello from Nashville  (Read 1388 times)

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Offline rtaylor76

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 0
  • Location: Nashville, TN
Hello from Nashville
« on: Wed, 10 February 2016, 15:24:44 »
Yes, the Music City, Nashville, TN. I am sure there are a few of us out there.

Just getting into mechanical keyboards after learning how to type on old IBM Selectrics and IBM Model M keyboards back in the day. By the time I could afford my own computer in college, rubber domes were king and I had no idea why they felt so different, but I knew they were way cheaper than what I was used to. Then I got a laptop in 2007, and still used my Microsoft Natural Keyboard when I was at a desk.

I started doing some research a few weeks ago, and I bought a Apple Extended II on eBay that came with the iDevice dongle. I have to say, typing on these dampened salmon Alps keys brings me back to a time in high school when they only had one Mac in the library with a very expensive CD-ROM (look out guys - very high tech here for 1991). It also reminds me of the days of Netscape and telnet chatrooms.

I will say that I am about 5 WPM faster on average than with my Microsoft Natural Elite (50-55 vs 55-60). You would think an ergonomic keyboard would be faster, but not really because those have greater finger travel sometimes and they are rubber domes (bottoming out).

With the AE II, I am not sure where I want to go from here. The Alps switches are in not the greatest shape on this board - I have already opened up some of the switches to bend the leafs to get some of the keys to work again after cleaning it. I can also tell that some of the switches have already gone "clicky", but it is a bit quieter now that I have cleaned it. It must have washed away funk from those rubber dampers. I can also tell that not every key is uniform in force and hysteresis - something that most aging Alps keyboards must suffer from. I would love to try out Cherry MX Blues and Browns as well as the Matias keys. I would love to try out an Alps SKCM blue, but the Northgate Omnikey go for way too much with a keyboard with no real support. Still can't decide between full size, TKL, and 60%.

I would also love maybe building my own keyboard as I am pretty handy with a soldering iron after putting together small electronics, like the Objective 2 (O2) headphone amp, as well as building a few tube guitar amps. I have never programmed a Teensy, but I guess I am not afraid to try. I just have to find the time and the right project.
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Offline rowdy

  • HHKB Hapster
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Re: Hello from Nashville
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 10 February 2016, 20:11:15 »
Welcome to Geekhack!

AEKII was apparently one of the best keyboards around in the day.  I'd like to try one eventually, but there are very few of them down here.

Sounds like you need to go to a keyboard meetup and try a few different keyboards!  Have a look in off topic, there's usually a few meetups in the pipeline.

Have you considered getting another Model M?  The stand the test of time very well.  I have 5 of various sizes.

Full size keyboards are great if you need the numpad.  If not, TKL is excellent, and includes dedicated function and arrow keys.  If you need something for travelling, you can't go past 60%, like HHKB or Pok3r, to name just two.

Thought: if you occasionally do need a numpad, you can get a TKL or 60% plus a separate numpad.
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline tigersharkdude

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Re: Hello from Nashville
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 10 February 2016, 20:51:17 »
Hello, I too am from the city of Hot Chicken and Mecca of Hipsters
« Last Edit: Thu, 11 February 2016, 18:57:56 by tigersharkdude »
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Offline mashby

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  • Location: Nashville, TN
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Re: Hello from Nashville
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 11 February 2016, 18:25:41 »
Welcome to GeekHack!

Nice to see another fellow Nashvilian on the forums!

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Offline xtrafrood

  • formerly csmertx
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Re: Hello from Nashville
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 11 February 2016, 20:43:51 »
Woah, lots of newer people talking about building keyboards  :eek: Welcome
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