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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Mikecase00 on Thu, 05 March 2009, 11:33:29

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: Mikecase00 on Thu, 05 March 2009, 11:33:29

I'm looking to add another keyboard to my arsenal.  In particular I have the following requirements:

 - Mechanical/tactile/clicky key switches (buckling spring, blue cherry, or ALPS equivalent).
 - Solid construction (it doesn't have to be as beefy as my M's, but it can't feel cheap)
 - Dark color (black, dark grey, etc)
 - Standard 101/104 key layout
 - Wireless

As far as I can tell, no such keyboard exists.  One wonders why not.  Surely there's a market for something along the lines of a well made DasIII or IOne in a wireless design?  Is there already something like this out there that I just haven't seen yet?

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 05 March 2009, 11:37:35

I think there might be something in the Filco line that might interest you.  I can't remember off hand what form factors they come in.  There are blue Cherry and white Alps versions, but again, I am not sure what versions they come in.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: bhtooefr on Thu, 05 March 2009, 11:59:01

Are the Filcos plate or PCB mount? If they're PCB, then you could buy a FKBT104M/EB and an iOne Scorpius M10, and swap the springs and stems.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 05 March 2009, 12:00:56

They are PCB mounted.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: Chloe on Thu, 05 March 2009, 12:12:32

Switches are plate-mounted:
http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/majistouch.html
http://flickr.com/photos/emilwu/sets/792591/

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 05 March 2009, 12:17:33

Here I am looking at my plate-mounted switches in my ABS ans typing PCB.  Fail.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: Chloe on Thu, 05 March 2009, 12:24:21

Well, they are PCB mounted too... :) ALPS need the face plate, two pins are not stable enough.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: nerp on Thu, 05 March 2009, 18:41:16

What about a Customizer 104? It pretty much meets all your categories. ** except wireless. :/

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: wheel83 on Thu, 05 March 2009, 19:04:25

a customizer with a 5m extension cable should do wonders haha

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: FKSSR on Thu, 05 March 2009, 19:37:54

yeah, a unicomp with a wireless mod of some sort may be possible, but that may take some work...

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: wheel83 on Thu, 05 March 2009, 19:48:04

wireless adaptors are definitely possible with todays technology. im pretty sure ive seen such devices exist cheaply.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: bhtooefr on Thu, 05 March 2009, 22:06:06

But WUSB adapters are quite large things that... let's just say they're the size of a wireless router, and have a power brick that big, too.

You're going to have to do a controller swap, and the only controller I could find that was readily available... can't really be reprogrammed without some specs that the manufacturer won't give to an individual.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: iMav on Fri, 06 March 2009, 01:15:07

There exists a Filco 'board with bluetooth and blue Cherry keyswitches.  Since you don't want/need a tenkeyless, you should be good to go with Filco.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: bhtooefr on Fri, 06 March 2009, 07:08:29

What's the model number, though? I'm guessing it has "91" or "108" somewhere in it? :)

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: chongyixiong on Fri, 06 March 2009, 10:10:35

http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=495

I believe this is EXACTLY what fits your bill.

They come in either soft tactile brown or linear black though.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: bhtooefr on Fri, 06 March 2009, 10:29:51

Right, I already mentioned that... but it doesn't have blues.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: Mikecase00 on Fri, 06 March 2009, 13:53:59

Quote from: chongyixiong;23720

http://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=495

I believe this is EXACTLY what fits your bill.

They come in either soft tactile brown or linear black though.

That's close, but coming from a Model-M I'm not sure I can live with the loss of clicky feedback.  In an ideal world I'd buy a black, blue tooth enabled, IBM M-2 keyboard, but obviously no such keyboard exists.  I was wondering if there might be something wireless with clicky mechanical switches.  If the Filco had cherry blues I'd be in business...

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: Mikecase00 on Fri, 06 March 2009, 13:55:03

Quote from: nerp;23653

What about a Customizer 104? It pretty much meets all your categories. ** except wireless. :/

I already have several Model-Ms, a Customizer would be redundant.

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: bhtooefr on Fri, 06 March 2009, 13:58:24

Well, if you feel like doing a crap-ton of soldering, you could always put blues in it...

Title: Looking for the perfect keyboard
Post by: FKSSR on Fri, 06 March 2009, 14:37:21

sounds like a good mod project, whether you mod an IBM, Unicomp, or Filco. :D

EDIT: This is my 100th post! :P