Thanks for the help!

[ThoughtArtist]

I thought I was going to be conservative in my relatively new hobby, but thanks to you all, I have decided to become a fully fledged mechanical keyboard ****! Maybe I'll even get some crazy bright multicolor keycaps and crazy stiff and loud switches too.

I have a Ducky Shine 4 I got last year as my first good board, and just got a Ducky One TKL. Now I've ordered a Varmilo TKL and have Leopold keycaps in the mail. I'm also thinking of building my own number pad...

I guess this shouldn't be surprising to me because I've always enjoyed computers ever since I got my Commodore 64 when I was six years old back in the 80's and currently do graphic design....

Thanks!

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

We took keyboards for granted back then.  Each computer had a different layout keyboard with different switches, each lovingly made to suit each manufacturer's individual requirements.  We didn't bother about mouses, keyboards were the only input method, and manufacturers went that extra mile to make sure we had a nice keyboard to type on.

That is a nice collection you're amassing.  After 3 or 4 keyboards (why not get another C64, while you're at it?) it will be time to start collecting keycap sets

What switches are in your keyboards?

[ThoughtArtist]

I have looked at C64 caps, but I'm not sure how I'd come up with a working C64. Honestly, I still remember how much I struggled trying to get games to run, so I'm kind of leery to mess with one these days. However, I would like to at least try look at the keyboard again. I know I sure typed on it a lot and I bet it would bring back some visceral memories if I tried typing on one again.

I think as I get older I just sense more of these tactile and visual nuances. I feel the key presses more, I sense the lag and smoothness of the cursor more. I even notice the choppiness of 60hz more, whereas for years I just thought 60 fps was heaven.

I don't think switch testers would do much for me as I need to actually test typing on a real board. I remember typing on Selectric typewriters as a kid and liking the heavy feel of the keys, but I was mostly just pecking away at them. Nowadays, I'm appreciating the lightness of the keys as it helps keep my fingers from getting as tired. I have RSI issues from using computers all day, so I have to be careful. Rubber dome boards now just kind of feel annoyingly stiff compared to the browns. I was thinking of going a bit crazy with a set of MX greens and a 60% board with some funky key colors though... I'm still not sure.

I did just buy a set of GMK Dolch that should arrive at the end of this week so my cap collection is already started. I also have the Leopold black ninja caps that I am going to try on my Shine 4 as well, which I think would look pretty sweet with the bezel of that board. I think I'm going to enjoy the next few weeks with this. I know I wrote in another thread that the whole idea of using funky keycaps was a bit childish, but I had a realization a couple of days ago, after pondering that thought, that even if I prefer darker and less saturated colors, it's still a pretty good way to let loose in your creativity, to try all of these colors. I really never thought that keyboards and keycaps would be an avenue for letting loose, especially since I know all about music festivals and that scene, but I have really learned something new about not being as uptight. It's a small but significant realization.

[rowdy]

Perhaps you could nudge your co-workers, especially the writers, in the direction of an ergonomic keyboard, like an Ergo Dox.  They may have a certain amount of apathy with the familiarity of their existing spongy keyboards, but if they dare to take the leap they may never want to look back!

If you can visit MechanicalKeyboards.com, then it is highly recommended that you do so, but make sure you take along a bit of extra cash, or a spare credit card, because pretty much everyone that has gone there has tried a dozen keyboards and bought at least one.

[ThoughtArtist]

Yeah, I'll definitely not go visit them unless I can plan on buying something. I want to try the Matias clicky switches but I'm tempted to go ahead and order a KB with them anyway.

I shouldn't be as hard on my coworkers about peripherals. But I guess you make a good point, it's like if all you know is McDonalds, then a nice steak dinner may not even make much sense. I really had to try the more advanced peripherals for myself before I knew their value. It would just be more fun to share ideas with people I see all the time. Online communities like this are great, but I can't really dedicate the time to really immerse myself in the forums. I may be interested in awhile and then never look at them for weeks. But I really appreciate what everyone posts here. I've gotten many good ideas already. (for instance, the Matias clicky switches I mentioned)

[rowdy]

Yeah, I'll definitely not go visit them unless I can plan on buying something. I want to try the Matias clicky switches but I'm tempted to go ahead and order a KB with them anyway.

I shouldn't be as hard on my coworkers about peripherals. But I guess you make a good point, it's like if all you know is McDonalds, then a nice steak dinner may not even make much sense. I really had to try the more advanced peripherals for myself before I knew their value. It would just be more fun to share ideas with people I see all the time. Online communities like this are great, but I can't really dedicate the time to really immerse myself in the forums. I may be interested in awhile and then never look at them for weeks. But I really appreciate what everyone posts here. I've gotten many good ideas already. (for instance, the Matias clicky switches I mentioned)

I got my GMK caps installed on the Ducky One and I'm very pleased. My selection was made much easier due to lots of discussions I have read, and I feel like I have something I can be very happy with for a long time. I want to experiment a little more with different colors, but for now, this scheme looks really nice to me.

One thing I am going to try soon is the Leopold black ninja caps on the Ducky Shine 4, but I have 4 leftover buttons, so I want to add a little something interesting for those. I think a colorful accent of some kind could look pretty nice juxtaposed against the black sleekness of the rest of the board.

Some people put artisan keycaps on those extra 4 switches.

Or a small rainbow of GMK Esc or windows keys looks great!

[ThoughtArtist]

Yes, I have many ideas like that. I kind of like the idea of going with a magenta scheme on the leftovers since the caps/numlock LED will shine through the key windows as that color. I think that could help tie it all together. Normally, I wouldn't have thought I'd like magenta as much for keyboard colors, but now when I see the numlock lit up that color, it actually seems pretty cool to me. I doubt I'd go for black/pink still, but a darker magenta with black seems pretty visually attractive to my eyes.

I'm really anxious to just type on the Shine 4 with the PBT caps since I can see how improved the Ducky One is with the GMK caps. Just the sound is so much better. Now the Shine 4 stock caps feel a bit like paper and sound hollow compared to this. I'm already checking out the group buys here and seeing what I come up with.

[ThoughtArtist]

I might even do red/blue/red/blue for the 4 leftover keys on the Shine 4. That might fit even better overall.

[rowdy]

Yes, I have many ideas like that. I kind of like the idea of going with a magenta scheme on the leftovers since the caps/numlock LED will shine through the key windows as that color. I think that could help tie it all together. Normally, I wouldn't have thought I'd like magenta as much for keyboard colors, but now when I see the numlock lit up that color, it actually seems pretty cool to me. I doubt I'd go for black/pink still, but a darker magenta with black seems pretty visually attractive to my eyes.

I'm really anxious to just type on the Shine 4 with the PBT caps since I can see how improved the Ducky One is with the GMK caps. Just the sound is so much better. Now the Shine 4 stock caps feel a bit like paper and sound hollow compared to this. I'm already checking out the group buys here and seeing what I come up with.

There's lots of things affect the sound of a keyboard, not just keycaps.  Plate thickness.  Desk material.  Desk thickness.  Having a mat under the keyboard.  Room acoustics.  How much space there is under the desk (for sound to reverberate).

[ThoughtArtist]

Yeah, speaking of that, I was wondering how many folks have tried to mod their boards like the Leopold here:

[rowdy]

Is that felt or rubber inside?

Putting some, say, drawer liner inside to dampen the sound, especially pining from keyboards with MX clears, has been done a few times.

Not an overly common mod though.

[ThoughtArtist]

I'm not sure what it is. It would be interesting for someone with a Leopold FC750 to do a video/sound demo of the keyboard with and without the sound mat installed to see what difference it makes, since that's one of the selling points of the board that people mention.

Although in videos I have seen, even with the FC750, placing the keyboard on a towel or something similar produced very noticeable results in lessening the resonance.

My Ducky One pings just a little bit... nothing bad, but I wonder if it would help a little. I'm not really worried about it though. Actually, the stock cord noise bothered me more than any pinging issue. I got a braided cord and it's much less noisy moving the keyboard around.

[rowdy]

I use a folded sheet of drawer liner, about $2 at a local shop.

It works wonders!

Or you could contact fohat.digs, he makes custom mats out of EPDM dense rubber.

[ThoughtArtist]

Here you go. Wal-mart special "Dolch" theme hand towel

[rowdy]

Here you go. Wal-mart special "Dolch" theme hand towel

Any better?

Or just different?

I like the sound of my HHKB when it is on the drawer liner, as it is mostly thock.

Resting the keyboard directly on the desk makes the desk kinda echo, and sounds a lot rougher.  And noisier.

[ThoughtArtist]

Yes, it's a bit better. Dare I say, more "intimate"

[rowdy]

Yes, it's a bit better. Dare I say, more "intimate"

You certainly may!

Just the sound of you and the keyboard, nothing else to distract you ...