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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Lusio on Sat, 13 June 2020, 20:59:06

Title: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: Lusio on Sat, 13 June 2020, 20:59:06
I was thinking about making a board for a Hexadecimal Numpad would there be any interest for something like that?
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Title: Re: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: Findecanor on Sat, 13 June 2020, 21:11:29
Regardless of interest:
• I don't think you're going to source 1×3u Keypad-Enter and Keypad-+ keycaps.
• Windows does not support Keypad-<letter> or Keypad-= without special drivers. Mac and Linux do Keypad-= but  I dunno about Keypad-<letter>.
Title: Re: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: Lusio on Sat, 13 June 2020, 21:27:24
Regardless of interest:
• I don't think you're going to source 1×3u Keypad-Enter and Keypad-+ keycaps.
• Windows does not support Keypad-<letter> or Keypad-= without special drivers. Mac and Linux do Keypad-= but  I dunno about Keypad-<letter>.

watch me

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Title: Re: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: suicidal_orange on Sun, 14 June 2020, 03:55:46
It's an interesting idea (that I personally have no use for) but as above - big keycaps will be a problem (DSA spacebars or POS caps maybe?)  It also breaks muscle memory (you would learn in time) and ergonomically it's not ideal moving your hand to do * or / while doing decimal.  You don't need special keycodes to output letters though, unless some niche of a niche program knows the difference and you can use whatever you use now so this isn't a problem.

That said I think you would do better using a standard programmable numberpad with A-F on the 00-3 (or 1-6) keys on a layer.  The layer can be accessed by holding enter with your pinky similar to a Shift key, tapping it outputs Enter as usual.

Personally my numberpad has a split + key with = in the top half and Num Lock is mapped to tab to further reduce hand movement but the extra row of keys above is common enough.
Title: Re: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: niakulah on Tue, 16 June 2020, 21:01:00
I was thinking about making a board for a Hexadecimal Numpad would there be any interest for something like that?
A fellow network engineer?

I do this already on a layer with my kprepublic XD24 cospad. Just your standard numpad with an extra 4 keys on top. When I activate the layer, Numlock=a, /=b, *=c, etc.
Title: Re: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: v6ak on Wed, 17 June 2020, 02:28:53
I am another one who finds the idea interesting, but doesn't need it. But I have few thoughts on it anyway:

* I would probably rather use a layer on an existing keyboard.
* It's quite tall (3*6 for just digits), which requires quite much of hand movement. I would consider another alternatives. Maybe 4*4 (which is still quite a lot finger movement), 5*3+thumb (a bit ErgoDox-like) or maybe even dual hand 2*2*4.
* Where would you put keycaps with bumps?
Title: Re: Interest in a Hexadecimal Numpad?
Post by: bananasplit_00 on Wed, 17 June 2020, 02:53:17
Think this would be better in a 4x4, would avoid the need for those 3x1 caps too :)