Model M keycaps on a Unicomp Spacesaver

[clickly]

I have a set of Model M two-piece keys that I'm thinking about putting on my Spacesaver.

Has anyone tried using Model M keycaps on a Unicomp keyboard? Does it feel different? sound different?

[kode]

They should be perfectly compatible. And yeah, half of the keys on the customizer I'm writing this on has ibm made keycaps.

[timw4mail]

Other than a slightly different texture, they shouldn't feel much different, no sound much different.

[clickly]

I notice that the Model M (1996) I just got has a noticeably muted click compared to the unicomp. The Unicomp is more high and pingy. I'm wondering if this is in part because the IBM keys are broader at their base with less room in between each key, which would muffle some of the sound coming from under the key.

[InSanCen]

Just try it.  Most geekhackers don't find there is a big difference on a meaty switch like the IBM Buckling Springs.  Where you see a difference is on the lighter Cherry switches and modern (read cheap and thin) keys.

This.

I've swapped a few one and two piece caps around... no difference.

Swapping caps from my Wang (ALPS) to a board with compatible switches, suddenly makes the cheap board into something usable and likeable.

[erricrice]

This.

I've swapped a few one and two piece caps around... no difference.

Swapping caps from my Wang (ALPS) to a board with compatible switches, suddenly makes the cheap board into something usable and likeable.

You gotta watch where you put your Wang man, you could get some pretty bad diseases.

And a Wang in the right place can make a lot of people happy.

lol

[wellington1869]

I have a set of Model M two-piece keys that I'm thinking about putting on my Spacesaver.

Has anyone tried using Model M keycaps on a Unicomp keyboard? Does it feel different? sound different?

I did exactly this on my endurapro which is my daily driver. In fact here's a pic: http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:4992

I've actually thought about the differences in key feel.  Here are my thoughts:

1. Dont let ripster or webwit tell you otherwise; there IS a difference

2. The differences are in both feel and sound.

3. The differences are subtle, but it might make enough of a difference to you. Also, even subtle differences "add up" as you use the board.

4. In terms of sound, the sound is *slightly* lower-toned, deeper, than the one-piece keys.  For myself, I like that deeper sound. The sound is also a touch less rattly/noisy. Which I also like.

5. In terms of feel, with the 2-piece keys, less of the "buckle" of the spring is transmitted to your fingertips as you type.  I did think that one of the things that I liked about one-piece keys here is that you feel a slight 'shock' of the buckling spring on your fingertip as it buckles, and that too is part of the 'audio-tactile' feedback of the switch.  I like it at one-piece levels and the two-piece keys do reduce it slightly in comparison.

So for myself I was left with a dilemma -- i like the sound of the two-piece, but I like the finger-tip feel of the one-piece.

So far I'm still on the two piece, but I wouldnt mind trying the one-piece again to see if I'd like to switch to those (so to speak). But those are the differences.

Keep in mind of course, if you're a boorish typer, virtually all these subtleties will escape you ;-D  For instance, I'm a lover not a fighter: I make love to my keyboards. Ripster on the other hand attacks his with circular saws and hammers. That should tell you everything ;-D

[itlnstln]

POM keycaps > ABS.  I am not sure what the Model M uses, but I can tell a huge difference between my Filco and my Cherry G80-3000.
 
I just put on my blank caps for my Filco.  Let's how long it takes to get shiny.

[timw4mail]

POM keycaps > ABS.  I am not sure what the Model M uses, but I can tell a huge difference between my Filco and my Cherry G80-3000.
 
I just put on my blank caps for my Filco.  Let's how long it takes to get shiny.

I'm pretty sure that they are all ABS, albeit thick ABS.

[itlnstln]

I'm pretty sure that they are all ABS, albeit thick ABS.

Yeah, Model M caps are ridiculously thick.  All other manufacturers need to take notice (if they are using ABS).  The POM caps on the Cherry are thick; somewhere in between the M and the Filco, but POM (and PBT, for that matter) are more durable, so they don't need to be quite as bulky.  From a typing standpoint, I like lighter caps, anyway; it's easier to feel the switch.

[itlnstln]

I've had them one day, and the spacebar looks like it was dipped in laquer.
 
OK, well it's not that bad.

[itlnstln]

Actually, the biggest issue I am having is the separation of the brain from typing.  I KNOW where the keys are, and if I think about what I am typing, I'm fine.  The problem is that I start thinking about where the keys are and the act of typing.  Then, I start to trip up.  I think that's what the blank stare at the keys used to "fix."
 
I think once I use these blank keys for awhile, I will be a better typist in the end.  I can already tell that I am getting better already.  I would say that , in about a month's time, I will be able to type without even thinking about it.

[wellington1869]

The problem is that I start thinking about where the keys are and the act of typing.  Then, I start to trip up.  I think that's what the blank stare at the keys used to "fix."
 
I think once I use these blank keys for awhile, I will be a better typist in the end.  I can already tell that I am getting better already.  I would say that , in about a month's time, I will be able to type without even thinking about it.

ya, probably like any bodily skill acquired from practice, its performed best when your body does it  rather than your mind. Bodies are funny that way  but thats one of the most reliable things about bodies. The way mere muscle and tissue record and replay learned behaviour much more efficiently than the brain ever could.

[itlnstln]

Yeah, and trying to "un-learn" is much more difficult than learning in the first place.  It makes me wish I would have tried harder in school when we did the typing tutors in my computer class.  I would hunt-and-peck the 35 WPM, or so, that we needed to pass that section.  Now, about 20 years later, it's kicking my ass.

[itlnstln]

Just wait until the phone rings and you type with one hand.

That's when I just ignore the phone or hold it in between my shoulder and ear, so I can type with two hands.  Sometimes, I might even put it on speaker if I really need to.

[InSanCen]

Just wait until the phone rings and you type with one hand.

I thought everybody did that (Seriously!)