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Author Topic: hello! I need a starter drug!  (Read 3665 times)

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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« on: Sat, 26 June 2010, 16:58:13 »
heya guys,

been lurking here on and off for a while, reading up on switches n' stuff, and think I'm now finally ready for my first non-rubber dome keyboard.

So hello geekhackers, and let no time be wasted!

It seems like cherry browns are the ones for me after what I've been reading, I program a lot (Computer Engineering student) but also game competitively (TF2) so they seemed like the best middle ground.

I am intrigued by Cherry G80 boards because they seem to pop up fairly cheap on eBay, and pretty much fell in love with the G80-8200 discussed here:
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:10034

It's just such a beautifully ugly board, if I found one in black I'd probably... I don't know, do really crazy things to get it.  Especially all the programmable buttons intrigue me.

Edit: I see Amazon has the G80-8200 right now, but for $100.  Seems a guy sometimes sells them for $37 on eBay.

But anyway, enough ranting, I cam here for advice, so here's my question:

wait for another one of these to maybe pop up on eBay or go for something else?  If so, what?  I don't have too much molah to throw around right now, and also, more expensive boards can come later, once I'm hooked.  So it looks like I'm pretty much confined to G80s right now.


Thanks!
« Last Edit: Sat, 26 June 2010, 17:48:58 by eleanor296 »
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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 26 June 2010, 18:23:19 »
Quote from: ripster;196765
I kinda like the Cherry MX8100 (aka G80-8113LRBUS).

There's a used beige one here for $40.  The big ADVANTAGE is it's Nkey.

The big DISADVANTAGE is the switches used tends to be a bit of a crapshoot - generally Cherry Browns but you may also get a Cherry Clear (which is not a disaster by any means).  The safest thing is to find a seller that will pull the key for you and tell you what color he/she sees.  

And hope the Ebay seller isn't colorblind.

Thanks for letting me know that there might be whites in there too!  I'll be on the lookout for those boards.  Black ones mostly, don't like the beige that much.
« Last Edit: Sat, 26 June 2010, 18:23:48 by eleanor296 »
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Offline microsoft windows

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 26 June 2010, 19:55:18 »
Looking for Brown Cherries? I wouldn't recommend one of those fancy old POS keyboards. Just get one of these.
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Offline elbowglue

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 26 June 2010, 20:52:58 »
I would recommend getting the Compaq Mx 11800 listed above on ebay.  Then chop off the tenkeyless section via This Mod.  It requires a hacksaw and soldering 3 connections.

After my length journey of keyboards this is what I have found to be the ultimate keyboard.

Another option would be the Adesso MKB 135b if you want clicky switches.

Oh yeah - consider the Ricercar SPOS.  This sucker is awesome, has programmable keys, great form factor.  If you are like me though you will need to remap the layout a bit.  It may be hard to come by though.
« Last Edit: Sat, 26 June 2010, 21:06:22 by elbowglue »
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My keyboards: Filco Cherry Blue Tenkeyless(daily home), Compaq MX11800 (modded to blacks), Compaq "MX 84u",  Wellington\'s Dampened Endurapro, Pinkalicious Filco Blue Cherry, Chicony KB-5191, Chicony KB-5181, Desko MOS 5023 UP "elbowglue" spos (modded to blues), Siig Minitouch (monterey blue), SMK-88 (blue cherries), Ricercar SPOS
Smallest to biggest keyboards in inches (Length X Height) - Length is most important for a midline mouse position
KBC Poker: 11.6 x 3.9 - HHKB: 11.6 x 4.3 - Siig Minitouch (Geekhack Space Saver): 11.6 x 6 - Deck/Tg3 82: 12 x 6 - Noppoo Choc Mini 12.4 x 5.3 - Compaq "MX 84u": 13.1 x 7.5 - Filco Tenkeyless: 14 x 5.3 - Cherry "ricercar spos" G86-62410EUAGSA: 14 x 7.75 - Topre Realforce 86u: 14.4 x 6.65 - Desko "elbowglue spos" MOS 5023 UP: 14.5 x 8.4 - IBM Model M Spacesaver: 15.3 x 7 - G80-1800: 15.9 x 7.1 - Adesso MKB-125B: 16 x 7.3 - Compaq Mx11800, Cherry G80-11900: 16.25 x 7.5 - Filco Standard: 17.3 x 5.4 - Unicomp Endurapro: 17.9 x 7.1 - Adesso MKB-135B: 18.3 x 6.0 - Cherry G80-3000: 18.5 x 7.6 - IBM Model M, Unicomp Customizer: 19.3 x 8.27

Offline williamjoseph

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 26 June 2010, 21:18:25 »
Unicomp ccustomizer. Nuff said. Linky
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Offline lowpoly

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 27 June 2010, 08:48:00 »
Quote from: ripster;196813
Unicomp, Compaq, Adesso, Ricercar.  Nice keyboards but not programmable and not N-key.

Ricercar SPOS is programmable and has 6KRO according to thread. Never tested any of these on mine though. This would be the 'board I'd recommend for the OP.
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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 27 June 2010, 12:01:16 »
I've been looking at the Ricercar, and it looks really good... just not sure where I can find one.

As for the Unicomp, I don't think I want a buckling spring keyboard right now.

The Compaq... I'm sorry, but it's fugly.  I know the G80-8200 isn't what most people would consider pretty, but I like it.... just can't see myself with the MX11800.

Thanks for the advice though, people.
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Offline Oqsy

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 27 June 2010, 16:05:55 »
I always liked pot as a starter, but these days kids are so ambitious and at the same time so apathetic...  You might considered heroin or crystal methamphetamine.  

Wait, what?  

Oh disregard all that, I think a brown cherry mx board is a great place to start.  I kind of started with an mx11800 and a model m at the same time (not considering the model F my family had when I was 4-8 years old).
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Offline lowpoly

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 28 June 2010, 08:44:04 »
Quote from: ripster;196900
Who posted that?   The Ricercar SPOS fails ASX.

Ricercar SPOS

Quote
N key rollover web page showed me QWASFD once, so 6 key rollover is tested.
Might be the old minimum vs. maximum thing. :-/
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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 28 June 2010, 10:01:28 »
Well I'm watching some 8113's and two 8000's on ebay right now... 8200's are nowhere to be seen, sadly.
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Offline ricercar

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 28 June 2010, 16:17:05 »
The ricercar MX SPOS is 2-key. I corrected the initial post. Way back then I didn't understand N-Key testing.
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I trolled Geekhack and all I got was an eponymous SPOS.

Offline TexasFlood

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 28 June 2010, 16:56:17 »
Quote from: ripster;197343
Back in the day I used to argue N-key didn't really matter.

Come to think of it, I was Right!


I was thinking of testing my Northgate Omnikey Ultra T since yesterday I noticed that page 2 of the scanned manual states that it has "true n-key rollover".  But maybe doesn't matter, :wink:
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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #12 on: Tue, 29 June 2010, 12:29:53 »
heh, you guys are losing me now.

Anyway, still on the look-out for that G80-8200.  Just now read the Cherry WIKI, should have done that much sooner and I would've known that most the other boards I'm looking at have blacks in them...
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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 29 June 2010, 13:00:29 »
Quote from: ripster;197630
Gotta keep up.

It's not like OCN.  That place is filled with slackers.


Well, bigger forums usually attract more mischievous people.  It's the price of popularity I guess lol.
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Offline eleanor296

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hello! I need a starter drug!
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 02 July 2010, 18:42:03 »
well I got myself a G80-8113 just to try out (28 bucks shipped on eBay, used but guaranteed to work).  We'll see.
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