Buckling springs and gaming

[BababooeyHTJ]

In all of the machanical keyboard threads that I see here no one seems to ever recommend a board that uses buckling springs for gaming or for anything else as much as the cherry switch boards. I just got a unicomp in the mail and I can't think of one thing that cherry blue keyswitches do better and that includes typing.

It also seems like people don't seem to like them for gaming. Is it just the noise? The keys feel much smoother and double tapping is also much easier with the unicomp than it is with blues at least on my blackwidow.

It's mostly the tactile bump that I didn't like with the blues. Are browns really that much different? Is the tactile bump on browns more similar to an AT101?

[bugfix]

Personally I think that BS are a little to stiff for gaming, especially in FPS where have to hold them down for a long time.

[gregh]

I am using a white label Model M from 1991 and I have no problems whatsoever when gaming. I play Battlefield: Bad Company 2 a lot, as well as various other games.

Holding down the keys aren't nearly as tiring as say, a Cherry MX Black, for me anyway. Others may disagree, obviously.

[keyboardlover]

I mainly wouldn't want to use them for gaming because of the 2-kro. For FPS I really need 6-kro. They're fine for games that don't require 6-kro. Ripster's son uses a Unicomp to play TF2 but he's a spy so he just sneaks up behind people and knifes them

[BababooeyHTJ]

I mainly wouldn't want to use them for gaming because of the 2-kro. For FPS I really need 6-kro. They're fine for games that don't require 6-kro. Ripster's son uses a Unicomp to play TF2 but he's a spy so he just sneaks up behind people and knifes them

I don't think that I've ever owned a keyboard with anything other than 2-kro and I've only had problems with one of them in game and that was the sidewinder x6. I use wasd and haven't run into any problems so far with the unicomp either.

Surprisingly even without headphones I haven't noticed the sound of the keys while gaming. I'm really liking this board so far.

[Jerri]

I really dig the Model M for gaming, especially for FPS, Wow is also great, but it took a little bit until i got used to it (if you do all the spells on the number keys). After that it was fine!
I think it's a personal matter of taste , that's all. Some have stronger hands, some can't stand the stiffness...

[keyboardlover]

If in FPS you do any combinations of strafing while ducking or jumping, you would definitely notice a difference in using a 6-kro keyboard. I suspect that most folks don't really notice that they are losing keystrokes and they get used to this and make up for the keys that don't always register by double tapping.

[gregh]

I'm using an IBM Model M, as stated earlier and I could press 6 keys at once, using this test:

http://www.microsoft.com/appliedsciences/content/projects/KeyboardGhostingDemo.aspx

Is that normal? I thought 6 keys at once, meant that it has 6 KRO. I am using a PS/2 to USB adapter, if that makes any difference.

[keyboardlover]

No, 6-kro means that you can press ANY combination of 6 keys on the keyboard and the keystrokes will ALL register. The registering of the keystrokes is important.

[gregh]

I've tried about every combination that I can think of, particularly involving modifier keys (used for gaming) and it's always 6 keys? I'm pressing them all simultaneously and they're all lighting up.

EDIT: I take that back, after more playing I have found some (very unlikely used) combinations that will only allow for say, 3 or 4 keys, etc.

Using specific key combinations that I actually use for gaming, such as shift + strafe(a),forward(w),jumping(space), they all register fine. That's probably why I don't have a problem with gaming, I"m just lucky with the key combo that I use.

[gregh]

An (important) note:

Your choice of USB adapter is extremely important. From my experience, there are three classes:

1: Won't work at all with the IBM Model M.

2: It will work, but the KRO is all screwy and you can't play games effectively. See the Adesso: http://www.amazon.com/Adesso-Adapter-connects-connectors-ADP-PU21/dp/B00008ZPED/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296397911&sr=8-1

3: it will work fantastically with no weirdness.
See the StarTech: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-USB-PS-KEYBOARD-USBPS2PC/dp/B00028OP2Y/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1296397911&sr=8-10

Hopefully that saves someone some trouble that I went through, haha.

[chimborazo]

It's mostly the tactile bump that I didn't like with the blues. Are browns really that much different? Is the tactile bump on browns more similar to an AT101?

i havent tried the browns but according to this review it almost has the same semi-linear feature than the at101. wait, let me take that back. this is hearsay.

edit - this is what wellington said about it back in two thousand eight

That said, while that makes the sensation somewhat unpleasant and unsmooth, I can still type very fast on this thing, so I can only imagine, if it was smooth, it would probably be pretty cool.  But then that said, the resistance is too light for me. These are like cherry browns except not as smooth. There is a 'bump' (they're tactle, but like browns, when typing fast you dont notice or care), and then there is progressively increasing resistance on the way down (unlike browns), but again like browns, you dont notice or care when typing at speed.  Besides, 'resistance' here is entirely relative, because you bottom out on every stroke quite easily.

So - it is easy to type fast on; the click and clack (fairly noisy) is entirely from bottoming out (but its not so loud that you'd get in trouble in most circumstances; certainly softer than cherry blues for instance). But the really unsmooth travel kills the deal for me.

hope it helps

[BababooeyHTJ]

If in FPS you do any combinations of strafing while ducking or jumping, you would definitely notice a difference in using a 6-kro keyboard. I suspect that most folks don't really notice that they are losing keystrokes and they get used to this and make up for the keys that don't always register by double tapping.

The only keyboard that I've ever had that issue on is the Sidewinder x6. I've yet  to find a useful wasd gaming combo that breaks the unicomp.

i havent tried the browns but according to this review it almost has the same semi-linear feature than the at101. wait, let me take that back. this is hearsay.

edit - this is what wellington said about it back in two thousand eight

hope it helps

Yes that does, thank you. One of these days I may have to try out a nice keyboard with cherry browns.

[NamelessPFG]

I gamed on a Model M for quite a while and didn't really feel held back or anything.

Only reason why I'm not doing so now is because I decided to try a DSI Modular Mac with Cherry MX Blues for a change of pace. (6KRO + 4 modifiers.) If I wanted to have a board REALLY suited for gaming, I'd use one of my BTC-5339s (full NKRO, linear), but I don't like the key feel at all. (They're foam element + spring boards with capacitive switches on the PCB.)