Ultra Classic Unicomp just arrived!!

[iBro]

Hello all. As the title suggests, my Ultra Classic, aka Unicomp Spacesaver has just been un-boxed moments ago. I have it set up and I'm typing this on it right now. First things first, it feels damn fine to type on.

Now I won't go into too much detail at this point in time because I'll most likely write up a formal review after it sees some more use, but there are a few things that I would like to ask fellow Unicomp keyboard owners.

What type of keys came on your Unicomp keyboard? I ask this because it was my impression that this keyboard came with single piece key caps. I got this impression from other Unicomp owners online both at Geekhack and Deskthority. But it turns out that apparently all of my key caps are two piece key caps.

My second question is, what do you like better, single piece or two piece key caps? I ask this question because I plan on ordering some more key caps from Unicomp and would like to know what kind I will be happiest with.

And lastly, when I opened the box the F5 key was not attached to the board and the spring was exposed (I will get more into the packaging when I type up a formal review) and I put it back in, but the key looked peculiar. It was a two piece key, but the top piece was still attached, and there seemed to be a white stem coming out the back. It went back on ok and works fine but I'm just curious to if that is what a single piece key looks like essentially, or if something else came out attached to the key.

[sordna]

If you can post a pic of the F5 key underside it would be helpful. From what I have seen from my model M's (also with 2-piece keycaps), the keys have a stem for the spring to go into, which is part of the key. I don't know if you ment the F5 key has a different stem that does not have the same color as the key itself. Anyway, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

[jkercado]

So Unicomp uses two-piece keys? Interesting! Do you have a Model M to compare it against?

[iBro]

If you can post a pic of the F5 key underside it would be helpful. From what I have seen from my model M's (also with 2-piece keycaps), the keys have a stem for the spring to go into, which is part of the key. I don't know if you ment the F5 key has a different stem that does not have the same color as the key itself. Anyway, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Well the F5 key is back into place now, and since I don't have a key cap puller at them moment, I would rather not try to take it off just to take a picture of it. But I think it was the same thing that you were describing. It was a two piece key cap, but the top half was still attached to the bottom half. Then it looked like like the bottom half of the key just had a stem that went into the place where the spring is located.

So just to clarify, this is basically what a single piece key would look like? And if you don't mind, could you comment onto which key cap you like better, the single piece keys, or the two piece keys.

[sordna]

It doesn't make a big difference to me, but most people prefer 2-piece keycaps. For one thing, 2-piece keycaps allow for easier rearranging of keys since you can just remove the tops. If you google images for "model M keycaps" you'll find several of photos to see what they look like underneath.

[jkercado]

Oh man, this is making me want to order a nice black EnduraPro...

[NorrisB]

pics?

[False_Dmitry_II]

You don't need a keypuller for an m. You can just pull it with your fingers, assuming you can get a good grip on it.

[iBro]

You don't need a keypuller for an m. You can just pull it with your fingers, assuming you can get a good grip on it.

I can definitely pull the top piece off a two piece key cap with my many fingers. But if I want to remove the whole key of a two piece key, is that also possible to do safely without a key cap puller?

[iBro]

Bump.

Still looking for a few questions to be answered.

Is it safe to try to pull the entire two piece key off with my hands?

And what do people prefer, single piece or two piece key caps? I am wanting to order some more keys soon so keep the comments coming! :happy:

[NeeGo]

i use the edge of the top piece to slide under the bottom piece and just pull back to pop the bottom piece out. is it safe? who knows :noidea: but it works and it's quick. and for this reason, i prefer two piece lol

edit: nevermind, this only works well for keys at the edges of the keyboard. for inside, i just make my way through from the out which isn't the best [quick] way

[squarebox]

My Unicomp Classic 101 also came with 2-piece keycaps. Will post pics of the caps when I get home.
Meanwhile:

[Quarzac]

Bump.

Still looking for a few questions to be answered.

Is it safe to try to pull the entire two piece key off with my hands?

And what do people prefer, single piece or two piece key caps? I am wanting to order some more keys soon so keep the comments coming! :happy:

Totally safe. It's not like a cherry board where you could pull the switch out. Just pull on it. The top piece will come off. Then pull off the second one. I personally prefer the two piece caps. I've had a model M with two piece caps, and a SSK with one, and the Model M was just easier to work with, especially if I wanted to change keyboard layouts.

[iBro]

So I'm beginning to understand that the two piece key caps are preferred by many because they are easy to change out and customize. This is great but I am really more interested if there is a noticeably different feel when typing on the two piece keys versus typing on the single piece keys. If anyone can comment about the feel of each of them, that would be awesome.

[slueth]

You can use your fingers or a screw driver or anything to pop the keys off.  Cherry switches are more finicky, Unicomp boards are more robust.

[NorrisB]

My Unicomp Classic 101 also came with 2-piece keycaps. Will post pics of the caps when I get home.
Meanwhile:

Show Image

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thats too big for my tastes, how much was that though?

[iBro]

You can use your fingers or a screw driver or anything to pop the keys off.  Cherry switches are more finicky, Unicomp boards are more robust.

Hmm I see. I tested taking a few keys off with a flat head, and it worked pretty good thanks!

[ch_123]

The white ones have usually come with two piece keycaps. It used to be the case that the black/grey keyboards were one piece only, but I think they are also two piece now.

[Deverica Wolf]

My order from July 6th, 2011 of the Black/Gray Spacesaver are one-piece keycaps only.

I was encouraged by Jim Owens to use a butter-knife for the keycaps.

[woody]

The white ones have usually come with two piece keycaps.

Mostly, I think. The 104/105 versions have few single-piece caps.

[dorkvader]

My order from July 6th, 2011 of the Black/Gray Spacesaver are one-piece keycaps only.

I was encouraged by Jim Owens to use a butter-knife for the keycaps.

Black spacesaver Nov 2010 has one piece (much to my dismay). I'm considering replacing them with green printed ones, but it's EXPENSIVE.

[zmenchho]

Hello all. As the title suggests, my Ultra Classic, aka Unicomp Spacesaver has just been un-boxed moments ago. I have it set up and I'm typing this on it right now. First things first, it feels damn fine to type on.

Now I won't go into too much detail at this point in time because I'll most likely write up a formal review after it sees some more use, but there are a few things that I would like to ask fellow Unicomp keyboard owners.

What type of keys came on your Unicomp keyboard? I ask this because it was my impression that this keyboard came with single piece key caps. I got this impression from other Unicomp owners online both at Geekhack and Deskthority. But it turns out that apparently all of my key caps are two piece key caps.

My second question is, what do you like better, single piece or two piece key caps? I ask this question because I plan on ordering some more key caps from Unicomp and would like to know what kind I will be happiest with.

And lastly, when I opened the box the F5 key was not attached to the board and the spring was exposed (I will get more into the packaging when I type up a formal review) and I put it back in, but the key looked peculiar. It was a two piece key, but the top piece was still attached, and there seemed to be a white stem coming out the back. It went back on ok and works fine but I'm just curious to if that is what a single piece key looks like essentially, or if something else came out attached to the key.

Cap and stem or solid key?  that's the question, we use both key cap / stem or a solid key.  depending on the model of the keyboard.

[Deverica Wolf]

Black spacesaver Nov 2010 has one piece (much to my dismay). I'm considering replacing them with green printed ones, but it's EXPENSIVE.

Yep, I believe $2 a piece he told me...so you're looking at $200+.

[wompwomp]

Does anyone know what KRO these are?

I've been thinking about picking one of these up since my Model M is too bulky. :/

[ch_123]

Mostly, I think. The 104/105 versions have few single-piece caps.

The small Alt and Win keys are one piece because they're a non standard size.

I think in general they just go with whatever they have lying around.

[gilgam]

The small Alt and Win keys are one piece because they're a non standard size.

I think in general they just go with whatever they have lying around.

Yes indeed on mine the two pieces keycaps have different colors, as if they took them at random in a bag.

[woody]

The small Alt and Win keys are one piece because they're a non standard size.

I think in general they just go with whatever they have lying around.

IIRC my BackSpace was single-piece as well. Not enough motivation right now to inspect precisely.

[woody]

Does anyone know what KRO these are?

What KRO do you expect from a membrane keyboard?

[BucklingSpring]

And lastly, when I opened the box the F5 key was not attached to the board and the spring was exposed (I will get more into the packaging when I type up a formal review) and I put it back in, but the key looked peculiar. It was a two piece key, but the top piece was still attached, and there seemed to be a white stem coming out the back. It went back on ok and works fine but I'm just curious to if that is what a single piece key looks like essentially, or if something else came out attached to the key.

Is this what you are talking about? (Left with the "insert" in, right with the "insert" removed)

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 36872[/ATTACH]

[iBro]

Is this what you are talking about? (Left with the "insert" in, right with the "insert" removed)

(Attachment Link) 36872[/ATTACH]

No that isn't what happened. The key was a two piece key cap. And now that I know more about buckling spring key caps, I think the entire two piece key came out leaving the spring exposed.

So obviously nothing is broken and I just put the key back in, but it was a bit disheartening seeing that a key missing from my board upon un-boxing.

[iBro]

IIRC they bluetape the spacebar for shipment.  That's better than 99% of the other keyboard vendors.

Yes in fact my space bar was bluetaped.

But, the keyboard came wrapped in a thin layer of see-through plastic. It had no other packaging materials in the box, and since the box was larger than the keyboard, it was free to slide and bounce around; Which I'm sure it did a lot of during the shipping process.

[squarebox]

My spacebar still came loose when I received it but I strongly believe it's partly due to courier companies...
[video=youtube;PKUDTPbDhnA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUDTPbDhnA[/video]

[h2oxide]

My spacebar still came loose when I received it but I strongly believe it's partly due to courier companies...
[video=youtube;PKUDTPbDhnA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUDTPbDhnA[/video]

That's insane.

Also OP could we get some pics of the Ultra Classic please? I'm most likely getting one soon so some decent/quality pictures would be great.

[TheProfosist]

Just ordered a endurapro myself

[Lekz]

So do the newer black ones come with two-piece keys? I'm thinking of getting one of these.. I have an old (non-functional) model m and it would be cool to have its caps as spares.

[Roguemaster8]

It's a shame Unicomp doesn't include more detail in their online store.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 40213[/ATTACH]

And when you "Click to Zoom" it doesn't even work as advertised.

[zmenchho]

It's a shame Unicomp doesn't include more detail in their online store.

(Attachment Link) 40213[/ATTACH]

And when you "Click to Zoom" it doesn't even work as advertised.

The site is still under development and we are making improvements all the time.

these items will come soon.

[rknize]

My black "Classic 104 Trackball" has 2 piece keys, though I didn't look at them all.  I have a black Endura Pro as well, but I can't remember if I've ever popped the keys off.

[rknize]

FWIW, my '94 Model M (sound like I'm talking about a Ford) and my two Unicomps seem to follow this scheme: normal keys and 1.5 unit keys (Ctrl/Alt, Tab, and backslash) are 2-piece.  Larger keys on the Model M (ones with the guide pin, space bar, etc) are 1-piece.  For the 104-key Unicomps, the 1.25 unit modifiers are also 1-piece as are the "notched" G/H/B keys on the Endura Pro.  The bottom part of the keys are a grab-bag of colors:

http://www.knizefamily.net/russ/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/keyboard-unicomp-keys-1.jpg

[TheProfosist]

my endurapro and its replacement caps came with 2 piece caps i even got extra GHB caps to mod so that I could have blue around my trackpoint.

[Roguemaster8]

The site is still under development and we are making improvements all the time.

these items will come soon.

I appreciate the feedback, it's good to know reps come here to check on Geekhack's needs and interests.

Don't worry though, it didn't stop me from placing an order for an Ultra Classic. Eagerly awaiting it to arrive on Wednesday, hopefully from a gentler man then the one in squarebox's post.

[1391406]

Just ordered a Classic 104 (black USB) myself. I've been curious to see how these stack up against the original Model M's, of which I own four.

[rknize]

Mine have a slightly more "pingy" or even "hollow" sound than the Model M.  Then again, the Model M has way many more miles on it.  Personally, I wouldn't buy a Classic 101 from them.  I'd rather just have the real thing.  On the other hand, it's great that we can get USB and compact versions of buckling spring awesomeness.

The two Unicomps that I have I use on my server and shop PC.  They are in the basement, so the wiffy isn't bothered by them.  One has the trackball and the other is the EnduroPro.  The former is much more useful.  The trackpoint on the Endura kind of sux.

[1391406]

Mine have a slightly more "pingy" or even "hollow" sound than the Model M.

Interesting. I've heard the exact opposite from some Unicomp customers, but then it may depend on the original Model M it's being compared with, as not all of them have the same level of ping / ringing.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a Classic 101 from them.  I'd rather just have the real thing.

One of the reasons I considered purchasing a Classic 101 is because I liked the idea of owning a board that was as close to the original Model M as possible yet is new, for the look but mainly for the feel of a brand new Model M. However, I can always ship one of my original Model M's to Unicomp and have them refurbish it for $30.

[Roguemaster8]

Mine have a slightly more "pingy" or even "hollow" sound than the Model M.

Any way you could do a sound comparison? I'm curious just what the hollowness is that you describe.

My Ultra Classic should be here on Wednesday. Having never tried a true Model M, I don't think I have much to be disappointed about.

[rknize]

No, the difference is subtle.  As I said, I've had this Model M since '94.  It has seen a lot of use, mostly at work (software development).  It also has greased springs now, so it's not really fair to compare them anymore.  It doesn't have any broken rivets, as far as I can tell.  The Unicomp classic seems to ping more.  Maybe it's the metal plate.  The EnduraPro is less so, but it doesn't have that big, empty case to reverberate.  

Years ago, the guy that sat next to me had an older Model M (grey label).  It was noticeably louder than mine

[Roguemaster8]

I'm starting to notice the ping you were referring to a couple days ago. The left shift and backspace keys both have a considerably louder ping to them the rest of the keys.
Isn't their a floss mod one can do to reduce it?

Also, much quieter then I previously thought, I was expecting to hear these thing from across the house. I might post audio samples based on what surface the keyboard is typing on and what the floors are made out of so people can have a better idea of how loud it's going to be in their house before they buy it.

[rknize]

Placing the keyboard on a rubber mat will also help reduce how much noise your work surface reverberates.

[Roguemaster8]

I'm not concerned with the overall noise, in fact I personally think I would like it louder. It's just higher pitched noise that gets to me.

[rknize]

My Model M might have sounded like that back when I bought it.  But that was almost 20 year ago.