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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: TacticalCoder on Mon, 14 March 2011, 21:33:36

Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: TacticalCoder on Mon, 14 March 2011, 21:33:36
I'm always using full sized Model M's and I do center the keyboard by putting the "center" of the main part of the keyboard (i.e. the exact middle between the 'F' and the 'J' on a QWERTY board) aligned with the middle of the screen.  So the keyboard itself isn't "centered" but my hands definitely are.

I'm right-handed but I'm "mouse-ambidextrous" so I'm using my mouse with my left hand and of course this helps: not only I don't have to reach far-right for the mouse but I also have less to travel to the left.

So basically my setup is nearly the same as if was left-handed and using a space-saver, except that my board is wider to the right than a space-saver of course.

So, for those that are using full-size boards, how do you do it?  Hands centered or "keyboard centered" and where do you put your mouse?
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: seung on Mon, 14 March 2011, 21:39:11
I center it as if I had a tenkeyless board. I don't have any problems with having my mouse on the right of my 'board. Or maybe I just don't know what I am missing out on.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: killy on Mon, 14 March 2011, 22:48:21
(Typing as much as possible to get a feel for the blues)

I center my eyes on the monitor, and then let my arms and shoulders rest at their natural width. Keeping my arms straight, I then align the keyboard's WASD with my left hand and the mouse with my right.

Over the years I actually ended up preferring the typing setup where my left hand and arm are perpendicular to the keyboard and my right hand approaches at an angle.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: theferenc on Mon, 14 March 2011, 23:05:53
I actually have mine centered between 2 of my monitors, but angled slightly to the right. In other words, the right corner is closer to the edge of the desk than the left corner.

I have 4 monitors hooked up in my office, but find that I use the 2 on the right the most frequently. Hence the slight angle on my keyboard.

Also, being a UNIX person, I tend to rarely use the mouse anyway, and when I am, it's just the mouse. So I tend to move the keyboard over to accommodate the mouse when I need it.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: What is X? on Tue, 15 March 2011, 02:23:57
i have my mouse on a separate stool so the whole "tenkeyless = awesome mouse space" thing doesn't apply to me. Keyboard is currently on the keyboard tray of my desk but when i get my blackwidow it will be going on top somewhere.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: vun on Tue, 15 March 2011, 02:59:27
I don't really center mine, I keep adjusting mouse and kb position depending on how I'm sitting and what feels comfortable, although when I look at it the keyboard is pretty much centered. The volume control aligns with the center of the stand on my primary monitor, though it wasn't really a conscious choice.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: mr_a500 on Tue, 15 March 2011, 03:08:39
I whip out my foot-long penis, which has markings on it for just this purpose.

No, actually my Model F keyboard is the exact width of my monitor, so I just make sure it's lined up.
(...thus saving me from having to pull off my pants)
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: Findecanor on Tue, 15 March 2011, 03:33:19
I usually have it centred against the centre of the main monitor.
Yes, my hands are not angled symmetrically.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: db_Iodine on Tue, 15 March 2011, 06:04:02
I never could center them correctly, so I stopped using them all together.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: Hak Foo on Tue, 15 March 2011, 23:35:13
Work:  Centered about 5cm left of line between two 19" 5:4 monitors.


Home:  Centred below single 24" 16:10 monitor
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: DeltaGunner on Wed, 16 March 2011, 01:21:46
Keyboard isn't aligned with the screen but my left hand(WASD, gaming) and right hand (mouse) are right on the edges of the screen so my head is centered. For typing i do the same as Killy.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: Surly73 on Wed, 16 March 2011, 07:20:45
Having only had full sized keyboards until about a week ago, I think I usually ended up aligning the board with the display, or possibly slightly to the right for most "work".  When I play games I would usually recenter the keyboard far to the left so that WASD was a straight shot and the mouse lines up better.  Then my wife would come in and ask "what's going on here?" since my gaming position is completely unsuitable for typing and is also different than her "gaming position".  

My gaming position is partially a function of the way my desk and chair line up too and it needs to be comfortable for spells without any real movement so I don't want desk edges etc.. to be pinching nerves, blood flow, or sucking all the heat out of my hands :)

EDIT: I just looked at my office layout and noticed that I'm starting to migrate to a more tenkeyless centering here without noticing :)  My mouse is moved a little farther right (my 103UB is here in place of my Model M atm) and the board is nearly tenkeyless centered (thus slightly to the right).   Hmm.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: TacticalCoder on Wed, 16 March 2011, 16:54:09
Quote from: theferenc;311902
Also, being a UNIX person, I tend to rarely use the mouse anyway, and when I am, it's just the mouse. So I tend to move the keyboard over to accommodate the mouse when I need it.


Ah ah... Un*x person here too. And my 'Caps lock' is of course remapped to 'Ctrl'.  

And because for a touch typist Emacs's over-reliance on 'Ctrl-x' makes simply no sense I've got this, since forever, in my Emacs config file:

(define-key global-map [(control ,)] ctl-x-map)

:biggrin:

And because I'm just simply sick my Emacs is configured so that alt+{i,j,k,l} moves the cursor a la vi/vim :biggrin1:
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: rustybarnacle on Wed, 16 March 2011, 18:42:02
My full size keyboards inevitably end up to the left of center with the monitor.  I've also purchased 2 (nearly 3, if i can get in on the kbc deal) tenkeyless keyboards because it bugs me.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: BababooeyHTJ on Wed, 16 March 2011, 19:23:24
Quote from: kalrykh;312944
The proper way to center a full size keyboard is to sell it and get a tenkeyless, preferably a NIB model m mini. I'm petting mine lovingly right now.


Don't rub it in. I'll just keep telling myself that Unicomp has a mini on the way.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: killy on Wed, 16 March 2011, 20:16:44
It doesn't make a difference either way. I ended up placing the Noppoo WASD in pretty much the same spot compared to my old full size keyboard.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: theferenc on Wed, 16 March 2011, 20:54:33
Quote from: kalrykh;312944
The proper way to center a full size keyboard is to sell it and get a tenkeyless, preferably a NIB model m mini. I'm petting mine lovingly right now.


Personally, I prefer my 122 key aircraft carrier. I call it the Nimitz.
Title: How do you center your full-sized board?
Post by: keyboardlover on Wed, 16 March 2011, 21:02:00
In order to center my full-size keyboards I first need to center my spirit and re-align my chi.

(http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/41598_130783200278362_634_n.jpg)