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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Hypersphere on Mon, 22 September 2014, 16:55:01
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I know that there are at least two TKL keyboards that have and embedded numeric keypad: the RF 87u and the IBM SSK.
Are there others? If so, which ones? Thanks.
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If you're willing to get a custom controller for a TKL board, you can set one up yourself. Many of the most popular TKL boards have had a custom controller made for them. Not much of an increase in price over the base price of the board. Maybe $25 more, more or less.
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Undervalued feature if you ask me. I always see people refer to them as useless. I do not entirely agree.
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Undervalued feature if you ask me. I always see people refer to them as useless. I do not entirely agree.
I love them, personally. They make all the difference in the world. Remove desk clutter; no need for extra numpad and save money. When I got my HHKB custom controller, I set one up on it. Best thing to happen since getting the board in the first place.
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It can be handy to switch on an embedded numpad if you have a lot of data entry. There are also situations where you want to send the proper ASCII codes for the numeric keypad.
One of the workarounds if you are using a TKL board without an embedded numpad is to use remapping software to map your own embedded numpad, but this is dependent upon the remapping software in the computer to which the keyboard is attached at the time, and it is not as handy as having a built-in embedded numpad, as found in the RF 87u and IBM Model M SSK.
In any event, I was curious about which TKL keyboards with embedded numeric keypads might exist other than the RF 87u and IBM SSK.
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I was trying to think because I've seen others before. Aside from certain ergonomic boards, the Noppoo board does. The Choc Mini, if I'm right. Maybe their other boards might as well? Check Keycool as well.
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I was trying to think because I've seen others before. Aside from certain ergonomic boards, the Noppoo board does. The Choc Mini, if I'm right. Maybe their other boards might as well? Check Keycool as well.
Yes, I think you are right. I don't think of the Choc Mini as a TKL board, but it is a board that lacks a physical numeric keypad and that includes an embedded one.
Another example is the Matias Mini Quiet Pro and Mini Tactile Pro; these are not what I think of as TKL boards, but they are boards that lack a physical numeric keypad but that include an embedded one. The Mini Tactile Pro does not show the numbers on the embedded keys as it does on the Mini Quiet Pro, but both of these models do include an embedded numeric keypad.
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Similar to TKL size with your functionality is the Quickfire TK.
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DK1087 has it
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If you're willing to get a custom controller for a TKL board, you can set one up yourself. Many of the most popular TKL boards have had a custom controller made for them. Not much of an increase in price over the base price of the board. Maybe $25 more, more or less.
The Costar replacement controllers (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Costar_replacement_controllers) are amazing. I have a Frosty Flake on my QFR and I love it. It turns an inexpensive entry-level board into one that's every bit as programmable as a Phantom. I can't recommend them enough and I think it's unfortunate that they're so overlooked.
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If you're willing to get a custom controller for a TKL board, you can set one up yourself. Many of the most popular TKL boards have had a custom controller made for them. Not much of an increase in price over the base price of the board. Maybe $25 more, more or less.
The Costar replacement controllers (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Costar_replacement_controllers) are amazing. I have a Frosty Flake on my QFR and I love it. It turns an inexpensive entry-level board into one that's every bit as programmable as a Phantom. I can't recommend them enough and I think it's unfortunate that they're so overlooked.
x2. This FW (https://code.google.com/p/corecon/) includes a virtual number pad for the TKL controllers.
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Thanks for the tips about replacement controllers and firmware for them! These are interesting options that I hadn't considered.
Although I use Mac, Linux, and Windows computers, my primary OS is OS X. I found that I can use Karabiner remapping software to set up an embedded numeric keypad in software. However, a replacement controller and firmware would provide a solution that could travel with the keyboard to different computers.