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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: gcogger on Sun, 14 March 2010, 11:25:43

Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Sun, 14 March 2010, 11:25:43: I'm starting to think the keyboard I want does not exist as a mechanical keyboard, which I believe is what I should be looking for. I'm not a great typist - I've gone beyond 2 fingers, but I certainly don't touch type. I will use it for gaming and, occasionally, for moderate typing (I'm a software engineer/programmer and sometimes work from home). What I need is:

Full 105 key UK layout. That's what I have to use at work, so I want my home keyboard to be the same.
Reasonable n-key rollover (say 5 keys min). I've had issues in some games with the 2-3 of 'normal' keyboards.
Either white/cream/silver, or with decently backlit keys. I struggle with most non-backlit black keyboards (lighter colours are OK) as I often game in lower light. I play games 'left handed', with my right hand is in the area of the number pad and cursor keys, and it's awkward when I need to use the rest of the keyboard.
From what I've read, it sounds like I'd prefer something like the Cherry Brown keys (or maybe Black?).
Available in the UK.

Do you guys think I'll be able to find what I need, or should I give up on looking for a mechanical? If not mechanical, which 'ordinary' keyboards are reasonable to type on and meet my needs? Thanks.
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Sun, 14 March 2010, 12:01:47: Only match I can think of is the ridiculously overpriced Deck Legend. Current Cherry boards have only 2KRO. Filcos with UK layout and Steelseries are only available in black afaik. Actually I can't even think of a rubber dome that has decent rollover capabilities in the numpad area.

Things would be a lot easier if you could learn to game in the dark. Which I don't find exactly difficult on the numpad. (I'm left handed too.)
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Sun, 14 March 2010, 12:18:08: Thanks. To be honest, the main game keys are not a problem - it's just when I (occasionally) have to use the other keys. I also sometimes find black keyboards to be frustrating in normal use, due to the way the lighting is set up in my room (the keyboard is always in the shade). Maybe if the black keyboards had large bright white lettering, it would be OK, but most seem to have small lettering in light grey (e.g. the Filco). I know I'm being fussy, but I also know it annoys me on any black keyboard I've used.

(I wonder if you can get replacement keys for the filco in white?)
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Sun, 14 March 2010, 13:23:46: Quote from: ripster;163930
Not easy. You can harvest double shots from another keyboard. Those are pretty easy to see almost in the dark.
Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=8302&stc=1&d=1268340079)

And there is a nifty mod on Instructables on how to bring a LED out for lighting. :biggrin1:

Double shots ???

What you've shown in that image would almost certainly be OK - how do I know what keys will fit?
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Sun, 14 March 2010, 14:23:22: I'm afraid doubleshots in UK layout will be very hard to find as ebay.co.uk seems to be a barren place for Cherries.
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: didjamatic on Sun, 14 March 2010, 14:42:34: I might have some white doubleshot key caps like Ripster has in that photo, PM me if interested.

(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-sQ6TN93LvU/Sza9DsbvKUI/AAAAAAAAARo/e7F-6DDUFMs/s800/DoubleShotKeycaps%20012.jpg)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-sQ6TN93LvU/Sza9FZxz0MI/AAAAAAAAASA/GobKjHTWxwM/s800/DoubleShotKeycaps%20022.jpg)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-sQ6TN93LvU/Sza9GHFrJvI/AAAAAAAAASI/PP_jBa404uw/s800/DoubleShotKeycaps%20026.jpg)
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Sun, 14 March 2010, 15:49:57: Quote from: didjamatic;163970
I might have some white doubleshot key caps like Ripster has in that photo, PM me if interested.

Thanks - I'll do that if I decide to get the Filco :)

Would the keys need to come from a mechanical Cherry keyboard? I have an old (cheap) non-mechanical G83 I could cannibalise if they would work.

My backup plan is the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/productdetails.aspx?pid=105), which claims to do 26 keys at once and is backlit, but almost certainly not mechanical.
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Sun, 14 March 2010, 17:44:56: Keys from G80 or G81 boards will fit. G83 or anything else won't.
If you can get an old, dirty, beaten up G81 cheap, go for it. The older, the more likely it will have doubleshots. And the rest of the keyboard is garbage in any condition.
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Mon, 15 March 2010, 15:01:32: OK, thanks. All I can find at the moment is this one (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260560080767) on ebay. I'm not sure if it's old enough to have the doubleshots.

Actually, I'm still a bit vague on what's what with the doubleshot keys. Are they just made from a thicker material? Do I have to get doubleshots if I want to swap them onto a Filco keyboard?

didjamatic - do you have keys in US format or UK?
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: didjamatic on Mon, 15 March 2010, 15:06:58: US format. That board you linked has lasered key caps. The "L" in the model indicates Lasered caps in this case. It would be an "H" for High Quality key caps if they were double shot, though nothing is a sure fire bet with Cherry's nomenclature.

"Life is like a box of Cherry 'boards... you never know what you're gonna get"
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Mon, 15 March 2010, 15:48:10: The lasered caps will still fit on a Filco. They're just thinner plastic and don't look as nice as doubleshots.
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 15 March 2010, 16:08:14: Quote from: gcogger;164202
Actually, I'm still a bit vague on what's what with the doubleshot keys. Are they just made from a thicker material? Do I have to get doubleshots if I want to swap them onto a Filco keyboard?

Check it (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=All+About+Keys).
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Tue, 16 March 2010, 03:34:13: Quote from: itlnstln;164218
Check it (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=All+About+Keys).

Thanks - I've got it now :)
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Sun, 21 March 2010, 16:38:42: Well as you can see, I'm still dithering :) It sounds like a Filco with swapped keycaps is the ideal solution, but I'm wary of spending about £130 all in (nearly $200) on something that I might break when I modify it.

Does anyone know if I could fit the same keycaps to a Steelseries 7G? The wiki suggests they're almost identical to the Filcos, and 7Gs turn up second hand occasionally. I'd be less worried about swapping the keycaps on one of those (if I got it cheap enough) and, since I'm a much better gamer than I am a typist, the Cherry MX Blacks might be OK...
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Sun, 21 March 2010, 17:28:00: Filco and Steelseries keycaps are completely interchangable in any combination, they have the same size, height and slope. Cherry caps fit on both, but they're lower. No problem if you swap a complete set, but mixing them with Filcos/7Gs will look and feel a bit odd.
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: Brodie337 on Sun, 21 March 2010, 18:25:00: Are the double width keys (shift, etc.) with stabilizers a direct drop in to a Filco?
Title: Does my ideal keyboard exist?
Post by: gcogger on Sun, 21 March 2010, 18:39:17: Quote from: Mental Hobbit;165969
Filco and Steelseries keycaps are completely interchangable in any combination, they have the same size, height and slope. Cherry caps fit on both, but they're lower. No problem if you swap a complete set, but mixing them with Filcos/7Gs will look and feel a bit odd.

Thanks. That could make things awkward :( The only white/cream keycaps I can find would be from a Cherry keyboard. I believe the Steelseries 7G has a slightly odd key setup (e.g. a shorter backspace key) that would make it difficult to swap a full set.

didjamatic - I assume the keycaps you had were Cherry ones, and therefore lower than the Filco/Steelseries?