geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: menuhin on Wed, 07 December 2016, 13:50:32
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Not until recently I just realized most of the keysets have their bottom two rows (the 'Z' row and the space bar and Ctrl Alt row) designed as R4 + R4 profile (e.g. GMK Dolch, Hyperfuse, etc)
There's obviously also the R4 and R5 bottom row profile in some older keysets and a few new one, for example this GMK WoB:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0267/1905/products/originative_render1_1024x1024.png?v=1479974660)
How big of a difference does the two profile settings give you? Why there aren't too many R4+R5 keysets out there nowadays?
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Cherry used A row profile (R5 in GMK's terminology) in the early nineties.
Original Shift (B/R4) and Ctrl (A/R5) caps from a vintage G80-1000HFD:
(http://i.imgur.com/5zYRCod.jpg)
But in '95 they added the windows keys, and since then they are not using that row profile any more.
Newer Cherry keyboards use B row profile (=R4) for Ctrl/Alt/Win keys (same as Shift.)
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That white on black set is one of the very few that include the now forgotten Row A bottom row, as an option. It even includes a Row A windows key.
Regarding your questions. You can really feel the difference between Row B and Row A profiles. The last is very angled, therefore your thumbs and pinkies will feel the difference for sure. I can use both; but, I prefer the Row A for the bottom row.
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R4 on the left, R5 on the right.
(http://i.imgur.com/aznjCUC.jpg)
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I've got some RGB mods from an old and rare Desko set that are vintage Row A on my Leeku 1800 and I love the angle. It's really nice to have on my Ctrl and Alt (1.5u), wish I had more vintage Row A caps in 1.5 and 1.25u.