Realforce 108UH and Mac - Compatibility questions

[Mokuboy]

Hey guys.
Currently I’m considering picking up a Realforce 108UH while I’m in Japan. Initially I was sold on the HHKB, but after a typing test, I think I want the 108UH with all 45g. It has that better feel and I enjoy the JIS layout.. I’m not against picking up a HHKB if it’s more suitable for my needs.

My question is in regards to compatibility.
I mostly use MacOS Sierra, and some Debian distros.
It’s tricky to find much info from searching, and I’m sorry if it’s already been addressed in a past post.

From what I can see, the Mac won’t recognise the numpad on the full-size Realforce? Is there any way to get it working?
Are there any hiccups I should be aware of before purchase?
Should I just suck it up and grab a HHKB and Hasu controller and save myself the hassle?

Any and all help is appreciated!

[losing_ctrl]

The RealForce 108UH and HHKB are such different keyboards, it's interesting that you've narrowed your choice down to those two. I've owned and liked both boards, and they both obviously have their quirks. I don't remember any problem with my Macbook Pro recognizing the numpad on my all-45g 108, so I'm not sure why you think Macs don't recognize the numpad. I set it up as an ANSI board in MacOS and put on some different keycaps to help me keep things straight. Sorry I don't really have any good info to help you with your choice, other than buy both, then sell the one you like least.

[Mokuboy]

Yeh, I can see how that may be mind boggling. I think once I finally put my fingers on the HHKB, I got a true sense of the size and potential learning curve. I’m still undecided, and will contemplate over the next week before leaving Japan. The HHKB with Hasu’s controller does seem to be quite powerful and potentially a better set up in the long run. I’ll see how I go.

Your board looks gorgeous. Something is really drawing me in to that full size. And the numpad is great for data entry.
I’m not sure why I thought the numpad didn’t work, I think I saw some posts saying that numlock had issues in MacOS. But I think I’m aware of how to get everything working smoothly.

Thanks for the reply, it’s actually helpful to at least know there is someone using the 108UH with a Mac. It’s quite hard to find English posts about this board for a keyboard amateur such as myself, who may not always know where to look.