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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jkercado on Wed, 28 December 2011, 21:44:10
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After I got the tiny G84-4100 from Dante, I was like :^) at first, but then I was like :^/. Why? Basically the switches felt stiff and "tight" on my initial try. Therefore, aliens...er, therefore, disappointment.
But is all lost? No! Follow me.
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll236/jkercado/temporary-21.jpg)
I decided to give the little Cherry a second chance, and if you will, figure it out. So today I plugged it back in and started messing with typing on it. After a few minutes of casual and not-so-casual typing, I hit on the key (pun unintended) to getting a satisfactory performance from this keyboard: you have to "float" your fingers.
Yup, that's it. You definitely have to be light-fingered wiht this keyboard. Initially, since the switches feel stiff, the normal tendency is to hit them a bit hard. But if you float your fingers, it gets magically smooth and easy to type on. One thing, though--it is definitely sensitive to getting keys struck on the edge. Do so, and about 40% of the time you get a "hard" hit on the key (but the keystroke registers properly).
Right now I'm typing on it and it feels quite nice. Responsive and silent. The layout is funky, though--the placement of the Delete and tilde keys is kinda driving me nuts. But you do get full-sized dedicated arrow keys, and the key spacing, although narrow at 6.875", doesn't feel horribly cramped. I don't know the results on really long-term typing, but I've been typing all afternoon on it (including this post), and so far my hands feel okay.
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll236/jkercado/temporary-20.jpg)
So in the end, I'm liking it. Lesson learned: Don't discard something right off the bat. So if you manage to get a hold of one of these tiny things, remember, float those fingers and you'll do okay.
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Thanks for the review and you do know that we have a "Review" section (http://geekhack.org/forumdisplay.php?38-reviews), right? =P
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Oops, thanks. I wonder if moderators can move this post to that area...Although this is not like a full-blown review.
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What kind of switches does this keyboard use?
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Cherry ML. I can't believe I forgot one of the most important details!
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Cherry ML (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Cherry+Corporation+Switch+Wiki).
Edit: OP beat me to it. lol =D
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Nice, do you have the pad printed or dye sub version? The dye sub caps were quite nice. :D
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I love small keyboards.
But I don't love ml switches.
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Nice, do you have the pad printed or dye sub version? The dye sub caps were quite nice. :D
Pictured keyboard is pad printed. Other 4100s are lasered. Haven't heard of any dyesubbed at all.
A guy is banging solely on 4100 for something like 10 years, so the pad printed legends have worn off. I gave him as a gift brand new lasered 4100. Let's see how that goes.
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It sure feels like this keyboard will last for years to come--it's one tough little bugger, solidly built, no creaks or rattling anywhere.
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Pictured keyboard is pad printed. Other 4100s are lasered. Haven't heard of any dyesubbed at all.
A guy is banging solely on 4100 for something like 10 years, so the pad printed legends have worn off. I gave him as a gift brand new lasered 4100. Let's see how that goes.
Ask reaper about his SPAUS version. :P Now that I think about it, that variant is probably somewhat rare.
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Ask reaper about his SPAUS version. :P Now that I think about it, that variant is probably somewhat rare.
You got me searching. Actual product name is G84-4101SPAUS.
http://blog.naver.com/ybass6/10086349479
http://kbdholic.net/xe/kbd/93
http://larealta.tistory.com/entry/CHERRY-G84-4101SPAUS
I'd grab one NIB if still available.
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You got me searching. Actual product name is G84-4101SPAUS.
http://blog.naver.com/ybass6/10086349479
http://kbdholic.net/xe/kbd/93
http://larealta.tistory.com/entry/CHERRY-G84-4101SPAUS
I'd grab one NIB if still available.
Friends and I nabbed around 15 of these at a swap meet.
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Does that mean you have one NIB for sale?
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I agree, it needs some time, but when one gets used to it, it's a really neat small keyboard. Sadly the pad printed keys have worn off extremely fast in my opinion. Well I did buy this one used, but still, I rearranganed the keys to the Neo-Layout, and my homerow is pretty worn out. And now that the coating is missing, the texture doesn't feel so well too. I guess the lasered keycaps are really worth the extra money.
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Does that mean you have one NIB for sale?
They weren't NIB, and they were all gone 9 months ago.
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Oh, well. I will be on the lookout for one.
Funny how I never stumbled upon 4101 ..
Thanks for enlightening me.
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I agree, it needs some time, but when one gets used to it, it's a really neat small keyboard. Sadly the pad printed keys have worn off extremely fast in my opinion. Well I did buy this one used, but still, I rearranganed the keys to the Neo-Layout, and my homerow is pretty worn out. And now that the coating is missing, the texture doesn't feel so well too. I guess the lasered keycaps are really worth the extra money.
I used only G84-4100PPAUS in the last 10 years, maybe 12. I have 3 or them. I like them (go figure !), but they are tampoprinted. When one faded, I took another one, and so on. On the last one, the paint is still good. The switches are ML, and I like the very low-profile. My keycaps are ABS. I don't like the Windows key versions, not because of Windows - I'm a Linux guy, but the spacebar is shorter, they had to squeeze in 3 more keys on the bottom row. The sound is nice, non-clicky.
I'd love to find a lasered one, or two-shot keycaps.
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Does anybody know what kind of keypads a G84-4001QAU/00 laptop keyboard has: printed, lasered, dye sub ?
tks
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Ah, what the heck. Here's a vid:
[video=youtube;PFM9Cgh1PcM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFM9Cgh1PcM[/video]