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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: EpomakerKeyboard on Mon, 13 June 2022, 21:05:26
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We have more and more kinds of 1800 compact keyboards now. To remain a numpad in a compactg keyboard is such a great idea. The zero key on the numpad is usually shortened to 1u to save more room. some can adapt to this change quickly while some others don't like it at all. So do you think the 1u zero key on the numpad bothering you?
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i find it pretty weird when using a 1u 0 key, 1800 layouts can be kind of goofy as a whole and i think i would more prefer a well done budget tkl with multi-layout support and a detachable numpad
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I think 2u is ideal since you can use your thumb untucked to hit it, it's very comfortable and natural that way. 1u is okay if you're pecking around but touchtyping a numpad the 1u 0 is very awkward.
aesthetically it's hard to beat the 1u zero, people like the exploded arrow keys and 1800compacts have been doing that for decades. it's a smart layout and looks really good. personally something like the m011y has an excellent layout that is able to keep the 2u 0 key and saves a ton of space.
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Can't comment on a 1800 specifically (I like to put my mouse between the keyboard and the number pad, so a 60/65% + number pad is my preference), but I've used few different number pads versions, including both the Varmilo VA21 and VA22. Never got used to the 1U 0 + 1U 00. 2U 0 for me.
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Having used a 1u for years I've got used to it (would surely have been quicker if I used it more often) but it was the hardest part of adapting to life with an 1800. If it were on a full size board it would be worse but the extra wrist rotation spins the index finger past the thumb so it only takes a slight bend in the thumb.
As with everything your experience may differ so it would be best to give it a try. Easier said than done...
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I don't use numeric keypads that much ... but IMHO on a right-handed numpad, the 0-key is a thumb-key and should therefore be more on the left.
The 2u 0-key fitted into a rectangle is an aesthetic choice, not an ergonomic one. A 1×1u 0-key below '2' is outright wrong.
Have a look at these vintage keyboards:
[attachimg=1]
Left-flung 0-keys are also not uncommon on larger desktop calculators.