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geekhack Community => Ergonomics => Topic started by: vivalarevolución on Sun, 18 November 2012, 13:41:20
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Just wondering if anybody has taken the Typematrix for a ride. Not quit as flashy as the Truly Ergonomic and doesn't have mechanical switches. The keys also look low profile. A poor man's Truly Ergonomic at best.
http://www.typematrix.com/shop/
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I have both 2020 and 2030. Some keys on the older one are too stiff, but it has improved a lot with the new generation — 2030 is very solid. I might write a bit more later (if someone is interested).
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I am in the process of buying a used 2020. I like how the two sides are farther apart.
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Doesn't the typematrix have 3 key rollover? Could be an issue if you're a gamer.
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it's not really meant for gaming
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I'm not going to get one, I just wanted to know what people thought if the layout actually helped compared to your typical keyboard layout.
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It definitely helps. For example B and Y (on QWERTY) and two-row Shifts are much easier to reach.
A poor man's Truly Ergonomic at best.
Not really. At least for me, they serve different purposes. I sometimes bring the 2030 to school: it's nearly silent (especially when compared to Cherry MX switches), very compact and only slightly wider than my 12" thinkpad (hence I've no problem carrying it in my backpack).
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A poor man's Truly Ergonomic at best.
I have both the TEK and the TM. I moved from the TEK to the TM as I was never comfortable with the number of center keys on the TEK. My fingers refuse to do what they should and by the end of the day my mind is in knots. I moved to the TM and don't regret my decision. In fact, I purchased a second keyboard for home. (I have a blank qwerty at work, and a qwerty at home). The TEK has superior keys, but if you like the keys on an old school laptop, you will feel at home on the TM. Personally, I'd love to have a TM with the chiclet keys of the Mac keyboards.
I'm writing this post on the TEK. First time I've used it in ages. Love the feel of it. Must resist the urge to switch back and live with a single keyboard for a year.
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A poor man's Truly Ergonomic at best.
I have both the TEK and the TM. I moved from the TEK to the TM as I was never comfortable with the number of center keys on the TEK.
Do you have the TypeMatrix 2020 or 2030?
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Do you have the TypeMatrix 2020 or 2030?
2030.
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@davkol (and any others):
I'm probably going to order a TypeMatrix 2030 in a few days. Any particular things you dislike about the keyboard?
I'll be using it as my main keyboard, so it's not just for taking it with me or so.
Thanks!
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I use a typematrix 2030 at work since 2009, it's a real pleasure.
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@davkol (and any others):
I'm probably going to order a TypeMatrix 2030 in a few days. Any particular things you dislike about the keyboard?
I'll be using it as my main keyboard, so it's not just for taking it with me or so.
Thanks!
I've been using it quite a lot recently, and can't think of any deal-breaker except price. Some details are nice (e.g. hardware Colemak support, great rubber pieces on the bottom), some less so ("dots" on Down, F and J are too spiky).
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I have one 2030, but it is a pain in the ass to get used to it and then having to use a regular layout at work.
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I've been using it quite a lot recently, and can't think of any deal-breaker except price. Some details are nice (e.g. hardware Colemak support, great rubber pieces on the bottom), some less so ("dots" on Down, F and J are too spiky).
Whoa there! I didn't know about the Colemak support. Its not on their product pages, but now I see other people are talking about it.
One would think TM would advertise Colemak support, as there must be a big overlap between people who want to use a modern layout and those who want matrix keys (which is another, complementary modification to layout).
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It's buried somewhere in the documentation on their website. Fn+F5 = instant Colemak.
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it is a pain in the ass to get used to it and then having to use a regular layout at work.
That's why you buy two.
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I occasionally use a 2030. Typing words with it is fine, but when I need to hit a modifier or special character I get lost in the layout.
For long term use, it's too flat and the halves are too close together. I feel like I am adapting to the keyboard instead of the other way around.
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That's why I liked the 2020 better initially: The halves are about 3x farther apart than on the 2030. I have a 2020 laying around here but it is broken. It seems anything but durable.
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TM2030 with a skin is basically... silent.
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I love the hardware selectable Dvorak layout on the 2030, but I wish the 2 halves were angled more, instead of just a rectangular grid. My wrists hurt after a while. I also wasn't super thrilled with the layout of some of the non-letter keys. For the price, it's tough to beat, but I'm happier with other keyboards.
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I've been typing on a TM 2030 for almost a year now (Colemak). I really like it, I only wish the keys were a little bit softer. The key placement is really great and since I have pretty big hands I love that the keys are little bit bigger than on a standard keyboard.
I recently bought a TEK and have been typing on it for a week but I'm not really happy with it, it makes my wrists hurt. I bought it because I wanted an ergonomic keyboard with softer keys. And the keys on the TEK are great, no doubt about that. I think the angle of the left and right side key block is just wrong for me. I don't think I would have this issue if it had a real matrix layout.
So for now I'm back to my TM. I'm going to get an ErgoDox which hopefully works better for me :)
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Welcome to Geekhack. I think you'll like the ergodox. What switches are you going with?
Are you able to return the TE? It can take a long time to get used to a 'board, but since you've already adapted to a TM it might just be the TE isn't for you.
I've been typing on a TM 2030 for almost a year now (Colemak). I really like it, I only wish the keys were a little bit softer. The key placement is really great and since I have pretty big hands I love that the keys are little bit bigger than on a standard keyboard.
I recently bought a TEK and have been typing on it for a week but I'm not really happy with it, it makes my wrists hurt. I bought it because I wanted an ergonomic keyboard with softer keys. And the keys on the TEK are great, no doubt about that. I think the angle of the left and right side key block is just wrong for me. I don't think I would have this issue if it had a real matrix layout.
So for now I'm back to my TM. I'm going to get an ErgoDox which hopefully works better for me :)
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Welcome to Geekhack. I think you'll like the ergodox. What switches are you going with?
I plan to get reds because they are easy to get with the Massdrop offer and it seems they are a good fit for an ergonomic keyboard since the activation force is even a bit lower than with browns. But I think I'd also be fine with browns, so I need to see whether the reds will work for me :)
Are you able to return the TE? It can take a long time to get used to a 'board, but since you've already adapted to a TM it might just be the TE isn't for you.
Yeah, I'm still within the 60 day money back period so I think I can send it back. I think I'l give it another try once the current pain is gone. Maybe it works much better if you really keep your elbows very close to your body. Which is kind of the opposite of the TM, where you need to keep them a little bit away from your body so that you can move easily between the the different rows without bending your hands. I guess this are all non-issues with the ErgoDox since it is adjustable, so I'm really looking forward to that :)
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I ordered the TypeMatrix 2030 at the end of 2012 and have been using it exclusively and intensively for about 6 weeks now, with the colemak layout (which I was already using before). Thought I'd add my experience here for any future readers:
Ordering and receiving went smooth - it took a bit more than a week I think, since I'm in Europe and it was sent from the US. That cost $30, but that's pretty much what it actually costs (they first sent it to a representative in France, who sent it to my country with the French mail service).
After initial inspection it turned out 1 of the keys wouldn't press down smoothly. This was easily fixed. I removed the keycap according to the instructions on the typematrix site. The rubber dome was placed slightly off-center, so the pin of the keycap wasn't aligned with the "shaft" in th rubber dome. I replaced the keycap while nudging the rubber dome to align with the keycap pin, basically fixing the problem. I really should have removed the rubber dome and re-glued it to the center or so, but this was good enough.
I got a free skin using a promotion code from their mailing list. However, when using it, pressing keys took too much force for my taste (and health).
So I quickly switched to using the keyboard "naked".
I pretty much immediately remapped a lot of the non-letter keys, and after that key placement was very good. Your (well, mine anyway) thumbs can comfortably reach a few keys, allowing you to map some oft-used keys there. For example, I mapped left alt to enter, right alt to backspace, the "desktop" key (right thumb) to control and "shuffle" (left thumb) to alt. This is good stuff. I do feel there would have been room for one more key near each thumb, taking a piece off the space bar, and it would have been nice to split all double-sized keys for more remapping options, but I guess they wanted to keep the layout somewhat conventional. A further minor note: If you want to remap a lot of keys, you'll probably have to use the keyboard in "106" mode -- but you have to put it in this mode every time your computer starts up, but yeah, just a minor thing.
A minor downside of the layout is that some key combos require a twisting hand movement, f.e. pressing shift + tab or ctrl + tab with just the left hand, but I suppose you could fix this by just using the right shift/ctrl in such cases or remapping.
Another minor downside, ergonomically speaking (although I am no expert), is that the placement of the cursor keys requires you to move your right hand/forearm back quite a bit -- they're placed "lower" on the keyboard than normally. This placement *does* reduce your right arm moving to the right like on a regular layout, obviously, but this is the cost you pay for that.
Now I'm arriving at some big problems I have with this keyboard. I want to stress that this is just my experience, and I have suffered / am suffering from mild RSI, so your mileage may vary.
For me, after extensive use, I eventually get pain in the hands - a type of pain I hadn't experienced before with my mild RSI -- The keys require too much force to actuate (specs are 55g +/- 10), and/or the mechanism (rubber dome with scissor switch) is bad for my hands. Perhaps it's bottoming out too abruptly, I don't know. I can say that - like any rubber dome, I guess - the actuation force is mostly up front. The pain feels like it's caused by hard impacts, so that would make sense, but this is all just my personal interpretation.
On the plus side, I do believe the matrix layout is beneficial to reduce weird finger reaches/stretching/angles: The other type of RSI problems have not returned, which were mostly due to stretching my pinky fingers too far away.
All that said, there are plenty of people who have a great experience with this keyboard. Unfortunately it's not good for me.
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Now I'm doubting whether or not I should keep the board. I can return it, but that would cost me about 20 euros and the refund covers only standard shipping (reasonable ofcourse, I'm not complaining), so after all is said and done I'll have paid about 40 euros to try it out.
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The 2030 is great, the keys feel great, sound, travel and force to actuate. Instead of the clack when you bottom out, you get a nice/softer MX Blue like click.
The 2020 (older model) key feel was not good and separation really took time to get used to (reason why I upgraded to the 2030).
Been using for a month now with large keyboard stickers (for visibility in low light) white, grey and yellow.
This is my original design, waiting for the greys to do the middle index fingers (f5 & f6 and some bottoms).
I might do yellows on the shifts (2X landscape keys on the left and right).
[attachimg=1]
This is the original:
[attachimg=2]