Keyboard Megathread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > Keyboard Megathread

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

Salt Fish posted:

What do you think about a wireless remote control?

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Control-Infrared-Receiver-Ultimate/dp/B00224ZDFY/ref=pd_sim_e_1

Doesn't that only work for WMP?

# ? Jan 21, 2012 21:27

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# ? May 16, 2024 02:34

Fangs404: Dec 20, 2004; I time bomb.

PowerMate seems pretty neat, but apparently it doesn't support 64-bit Win 7 yet. A remote probably wouldn't cut it, either.

This really isn't necessary for me, but I was just wondering if something existed like this. I currently have a Logitech G11, and I've gotten really used to the media keys. My new Das Keyboard is gonna arrive on Tuesday, and the only thing it's really missing are media controls.

# ? Jan 21, 2012 21:37

Macintosh HD: Mar 9, 2004; Oh no its today

You might be able to roll your own media controls with something like AutoHotkey/

# ? Jan 21, 2012 22:04

Fangs404: Dec 20, 2004; I time bomb.

Smuckles posted:

You might be able to roll your own media controls with something like AutoHotkey/

Ooh, that's actually not a bad idea.

# ? Jan 21, 2012 22:33

Salt Fish: Sep 11, 2003; Cybernetic Crumb

Shogunner posted:

Doesn't that only work for WMP?

It depends on how the remote works. If it uses some kind of software in between the USB stick and WMP then yes, but if they work like keyboard media keys do they probably emulate a keyboard pressing a shortcut. That is, when you press the media key your computers sees ALT+SHIFT+N or whatever. You can then rebind your shortcuts to be those, or if it comes with software rebind the button itself to a different shortcut.

edit: this one specifically supports winamp for example

http://www.amazon.com/Center-Remote-Control-Infrared-Receiver/dp/B001HBOJRQ/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327189082&sr=1-10

Salt Fish fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Jan 22, 2012

# ? Jan 22, 2012 00:34

Bret Hart: Nov 28, 2010

So when is Apple going to make an illuminated keyboard?

# ? Jan 22, 2012 01:05

abraham linksys: Sep 6, 2010

Bret Hart posted:

So when is Apple going to make an illuminated keyboard?

They make one, it's just attached to a $1000+ laptop :v:

# ? Jan 22, 2012 03:12

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

So anyone do ~serious~ gaming with blues? How is it? I wanted blues for my first board just because I love the noise, but, if they're ever problematic in the future, I might try blacks.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 09:34

Arcsech: Aug 5, 2008

Shogunner posted:

So anyone do ~serious~ gaming with blues? How is it? I wanted blues for my first board just because I love the noise, but, if they're ever problematic in the future, I might try blacks.

They work fine for me, although I'm not exactly super-pro or anything. I mostly play games like Dota 2 (RTS) or FPS games and I have no problems with it.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 10:42

Wild EEPROM: Jul 29, 2011; oh, my, god. Becky, look at her bitrate.

Shogunner posted:

So anyone do ~serious~ gaming with blues? How is it? I wanted blues for my first board just because I love the noise, but, if they're ever problematic in the future, I might try blacks.

What game are you playing?
Games that have a lot of double tapping (like Starcraft or LoL or DOTA) aren't too good for blues, since they have 2 pieces and don't "reset" as fast as other switches.
If it's a game that relies less on the keyboard (like Battlefield or CoD), then it shouldn't be a problem, but is still not as ideal as the other switches.

If that's all you're doing, then your best choices are MX black or red. Both linear, and the black has a higher spring tension than red. I prefer red, as it's lighter and I bottom out hard.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 10:42

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

jwoven posted:

What game are you playing?
Games that have a lot of double tapping (like Starcraft or LoL or DOTA) aren't too good for blues, since they have 2 pieces and don't "reset" as fast as other switches.
If it's a game that relies less on the keyboard (like Battlefield or CoD), then it shouldn't be a problem, but is still not as ideal as the other switches.

If that's all you're doing, then your best choices are MX black or red. Both linear, and the black has a higher spring tension than red. I prefer red, as it's lighter and I bottom out hard.

Welp, besides Dotes 2 I'm more of an FPS guy, but it's not like I'm ~pro~ or anything so I think I'll be fine for the moment. I might just get a black switches board because mechanical keyboards are just so drat good though. :v:

e: Also, do they reset as fast as, say membrane keyboards? Because, if that's the case then I'm sure I'll be fine.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 10:56

Wild EEPROM: Jul 29, 2011; oh, my, god. Becky, look at her bitrate.

Shogunner posted:

Welp, besides Dotes 2 I'm more of an FPS guy, but it's not like I'm ~pro~ or anything so I think I'll be fine for the moment. I might just get a black switches board because mechanical keyboards are just so drat good though.

e: Also, do they reset as fast as, say membrane keyboards? Because, if that's the case then I'm sure I'll be fine.

They reset faster. Cherry switches actuate around halfway down, so you could just barely tap the switch, it'll register, and you're ready to go again. Even if you bottom out, it still springs back faster than a membrane board.
Black switches spring back faster than red ones, which are faster than brown, which are about the same as clear, which is still faster than blue.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 11:11

DinosaurHouseParty: Oct 31, 2003

Micro Center got the Storm QuickFire Rapid in. I was tempted to drive and pick one up even though I have the same board showing up Tuesday. I'm almost positive these are the MX blues but the description isn't too clear. And also according to the description we won't be getting the reds in the States any time soon. I hope I'm wrong.

E: It has a two year warranty!

DinosaurHouseParty fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jan 22, 2012

# ? Jan 22, 2012 19:52

Salt Fish: Sep 11, 2003; Cybernetic Crumb

jwoven posted:

They reset faster. Cherry switches actuate around halfway down, so you could just barely tap the switch, it'll register, and you're ready to go again. Even if you bottom out, it still springs back faster than a membrane board.
Black switches spring back faster than red ones, which are faster than brown, which are about the same as clear, which is still faster than blue.

I've been in diamond every season in sc2 and play around 180 apm and I have never noticed any difference between blues and membrane for playing effectiveness. I think the idea that different switches are better or worse for gaming/typing is mostly hype.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 20:44

canada jezus: Jul 18, 2011

Salt Fish posted:

I've been in diamond every season in sc2 and play around 180 apm and I have never noticed any difference between blues and membrane for playing effectiveness. I think the idea that different switches are better or worse for gaming/typing is mostly hype.

So the switches, in your opinion, its just personal preference sound and feel wise? Because its hard to actually find info i this, beyond "reds make you mistype, blacks make your fingers tired, lol not blues for games.

I'm asking because as soon as wasdkeyboards gets their fullcustom iso 105 thing up i'm ordering one but i'm stuck on switches for an equal split game/typing pc.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 21:10

NihilCredo: Jun 6, 2011; iram omni possibili modo preme:
plus una illa te diffamabit, quam multæ virtutes commendabunt

Does anyone know of a mechanical keyboard with this type of layout?

I actually use the numpad so I don't want a tenkeyless model, but I would be very happy to squeeze up the arrows/pagenav keys like this in exchange for getting my hands a bit closer to each other.

Hell, even if the block was completely absent it would still be fine, as you can easily emulate them via NumLock (and I could even use AutoHotkey to have 5123 as the arrows).

(Yes, I know I could get a compact keyboard and a separate numpad, but that's butt-ugly and probably wastes precious centimetres. Although I guess it does allow me to put the numpad on the left, hmm...)

E: I've found Thermaltake's eSPORTS Meka, but goddamnit, the lack of a Win key is a deal-breaker. Maybe I could experiment with some rebinding...

NihilCredo fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Jan 22, 2012

# ? Jan 22, 2012 21:25

404notfound: Mar 5, 2006; stop staring at me

The Noppoo Choc Mini kinda has what you're going for, sans the physical numpad:

# ? Jan 22, 2012 21:32

Salt Fish: Sep 11, 2003; Cybernetic Crumb

canada jezus posted:

So the switches, in your opinion, its just personal preference sound and feel wise? Because its hard to actually find info i this, beyond "reds make you mistype, blacks make your fingers tired, lol not blues for games.

I'm asking because as soon as wasdkeyboards gets their fullcustom iso 105 thing up i'm ordering one but i'm stuck on switches for an equal split game/typing pc.

Thats my personal opinion yah. Although I would go for browns if I got another mechanical. I really like my Filco with blues, but its a little loud and a little heavy/huge. I'm going to scoop one of those choc minis as my next keyboard so I can carry it in my laptop bag for when I'm offsite coding all day on my crappy laptop keyboard.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 21:59

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

Salt Fish posted:

Thats my personal opinion yah. Although I would go for browns if I got another mechanical. I really like my Filco with blues, but its a little loud and a little heavy/huge. I'm going to scoop one of those choc minis as my next keyboard so I can carry it in my laptop bag for when I'm offsite coding all day on my crappy laptop keyboard.

Dampeners might suit your needs?

# ? Jan 22, 2012 22:10

Salt Fish: Sep 11, 2003; Cybernetic Crumb

Nah, you just can't put a full-size keyboard into a laptop bag. Its like 16" or something.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 22:21

404notfound: Mar 5, 2006; stop staring at me

Salt Fish posted:

Nah, you just can't put a full-size keyboard into a laptop bag. Its like 16" or something.

If you need something super small and portable, the KBC Poker I recently got is pretty good, without breaking the bank like the Happy Hacking board might. The arrow lock mode turns the bottom right cluster of modifier keys into a sort of inverted-T. The USB cable is detachable, too, which helps a little for portability.

# ? Jan 22, 2012 22:34

abraham linksys: Sep 6, 2010

DinosaurHouseParty posted:

Micro Center got the Storm QuickFire Rapid in. I was tempted to drive and pick one up even though I have the same board showing up Tuesday. I'm almost positive these are the MX blues but the description isn't too clear. And also according to the description we won't be getting the reds in the States any time soon. I hope I'm wrong.

E: It has a two year warranty!

quote:

CHERRY MX Black, Brown, or Blue switches will be available based on region.

I hope the box at least says what kind it is, I'm thinking of driving down to Micro Center to pick one up.

Problem that I'm just now thinking about, though: how well do these things play with Macs? Is there anything I can use to rebind media (fn) keys, get Ctrl/Alt/Opt in the right order, etc?

# ? Jan 23, 2012 00:06

chappey: Jan 21, 2001

Anal Tributary posted:

I hope the box at least says what kind it is, I'm thinking of driving down to Micro Center to pick one up.

Problem that I'm just now thinking about, though: how well do these things play with Macs? Is there anything I can use to rebind media (fn) keys, get Ctrl/Alt/Opt in the right order, etc?

I don't know about the media keys but changing the modifier keys is built into the os.

# ? Jan 23, 2012 00:18

DinosaurHouseParty: Oct 31, 2003

Anal Tributary posted:

I hope the box at least says what kind it is, I'm thinking of driving down to Micro Center to pick one up.

Problem that I'm just now thinking about, though: how well do these things play with Macs? Is there anything I can use to rebind media (fn) keys, get Ctrl/Alt/Opt in the right order, etc?

These guys say its fine. Namely because Filcos work well with macs, windows keys are the fn keys, and most people say the QuickFire Rapids were made by Costar, the same people who makes Filcos.

Also:

code:

Specifications of CoolerMaster CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid Keyboard
Brand:  	CoolerMaster
Model:  	CM Storm
Name:  	        CoolerMaster CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid Keyboard
OS Supported:  	Windows Xp, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS
Variant:  	Quick Fire Rapid Keyboard
Weight:  	940g g
Length:  	355 mm
Width:  	135 mm
Height:  	35 mm
Platform:  	PC

DinosaurHouseParty fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Jan 23, 2012

# ? Jan 23, 2012 00:31

therunningman: Jun 28, 2005; ...'e 'ad to spleet.

I was ordering some electronics parts and noticed Digikey is selling Cherry keyboards.
Anyone tried the Cherry keyboards? I might pick one up out of convenience with my next order.

http://search.digikey.com/ca/en/products/G86-52400EUADAA/CH961-ND/2051866
http://search.digikey.com/ca/en/products/G803000LSCEU2/CH979-ND/2601953
http://search.digikey.com/ca/en/products/G8662401EUADAA/CH918-ND/1144737

# ? Jan 23, 2012 01:47

Wild EEPROM: Jul 29, 2011; oh, my, god. Becky, look at her bitrate.

Cherry boards are ok, but they're mostly a POS type of thing, and don't have the most features, and aren't the best choice. I wouldn't buy one at those prices.
There's a guy on geekhack selling a bunch of full sized board with the trackpad for 25 bucks.
The only thing Cherry boards have going for them is that they had doubleshot keycaps, but those have since been discontinued
Don't forget that the G86 is a rubber dome switch.

NihilCredo: Ricercar spos

Wild EEPROM fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Jan 23, 2012

# ? Jan 23, 2012 02:42

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

Does anyone know of a script for AutoHotkey that makes a Windows key a function button, then lets you add secondary functions for whichever key you choose?

Maybe it's because I'm tired, but, gently caress if I can find anything of the sort for it.

# ? Jan 24, 2012 10:58

Foiltha: Jun 12, 2008

DinosaurHouseParty posted:

Micro Center got the Storm QuickFire Rapid in. I was tempted to drive and pick one up even though I have the same board showing up Tuesday. I'm almost positive these are the MX blues but the description isn't too clear. And also according to the description we won't be getting the reds in the States any time soon. I hope I'm wrong.

E: It has a two year warranty!

I've been waiting for these to hit Scandinavia. I need a relatively cheap tenkeyless since Filcos go for like 140 euros here

# ? Jan 24, 2012 14:11

Tedronai66: Aug 24, 2006; Better to Reign in Hell...

Shogunner posted:

Does anyone know of a script for AutoHotkey that makes a Windows key a function button, then lets you add secondary functions for whichever key you choose?

Maybe it's because I'm tired, but, gently caress if I can find anything of the sort for it.

Here's how to make your own scripts: http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Hotkeys.htm

Use the '#' symbol to denote the windows key.

# ? Jan 24, 2012 17:45

Clanpot Shake: Aug 10, 2006; shake shake!

Tedronai66 posted:

Here's how to make your own scripts: http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Hotkeys.htm

Use the '#' symbol to denote the windows key.

I thought it was LWin and RWin?

# ? Jan 24, 2012 19:09

abraham linksys: Sep 6, 2010

The media & volume keys on my new CM Storm worked right out of the box on Mac! Awesome.

This thing is loud as a MOTHERFUCKER though with Cherry MX Blues. I'm kind of wondering if they have any plans to bring a version with Browns to the US.

# ? Jan 24, 2012 19:44

DinosaurHouseParty: Oct 31, 2003

Anal Tributary posted:

The media & volume keys on my new CM Storm worked right out of the box on Mac! Awesome.

This thing is loud as a MOTHERFUCKER though with Cherry MX Blues. I'm kind of wondering if they have any plans to bring a version with Browns to the US.

Is it shared dorm room prohibitive loud?

# ? Jan 24, 2012 19:50

abraham linksys: Sep 6, 2010

DinosaurHouseParty posted:

Is it shared dorm room prohibitive loud?

It's "audible in neighbor's dorm" loud, which is troubling. I don't know if I'll return it, but I know I'll have to keep another keyboard around for night use :\

# ? Jan 24, 2012 19:54

DinosaurHouseParty: Oct 31, 2003

Anal Tributary posted:

It's "audible in neighbor's dorm" loud, which is troubling. I don't know if I'll return it, but I know I'll have to keep another keyboard around for night use :\

Hmm well even browns you can hear from one room over. It's all about pitch and tone I think.

# ? Jan 24, 2012 20:19

Zhentar: Sep 28, 2003; Brilliant Master Genius

I would describe blues as sounding pretty similar to Browns, except with twice as many clicks (unless of course you don't bottom out, in which case it's a much bigger difference).

# ? Jan 24, 2012 20:41

Tedronai66: Aug 24, 2006; Better to Reign in Hell...

DinosaurHouseParty posted:

Hmm well even browns you can hear from one room over. It's all about pitch and tone I think.

Main noise with browns will be keycap-on-pcb action. I use 70A o-rings on my blues (and likely will on my das with browns when it comes in), and it's helped a ton with that noise. still get the blue click, but it's definitely a LOT quieter.

Clanpot Shake posted:

I thought it was LWin and RWin?

It is, I think # makes it generic.

http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Lesson_1 Might help more.

# ? Jan 24, 2012 20:43

Strong Female: Jul 27, 2010; I don't think you've been paying attention

Since my computer is in the same room my partner and I sleep in, I think getting a secondary, quiet keyboard for night time typing would be really useful. Any suggestions for something super quiet and not terribly crappy (I feel like all the Logitech keyboards have manufacturing issues these days)?

# ? Jan 24, 2012 21:21

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

Tedronai66 posted:

Main noise with browns will be keycap-on-pcb action. I use 70A o-rings on my blues (and likely will on my das with browns when it comes in), and it's helped a ton with that noise. still get the blue click, but it's definitely a LOT quieter.

It is, I think # makes it generic.

http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Lesson_1 Might help more.

I'm confused, why is this not working

LWin & ~Numpad9::Ctrl & Alt & Insert

Wouldn't that make my L windows + Numpad 9 perform Ctrl+Alt+Insert

My mind is blown

:negative:

# ? Jan 24, 2012 22:37

NihilCredo: Jun 6, 2011; iram omni possibili modo preme:
plus una illa te diffamabit, quam multæ virtutes commendabunt

Try

#Numpad9::^!Ins

# ? Jan 24, 2012 23:11

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# ? May 16, 2024 02:34

Shogunner: Apr 29, 2010; Ready to crash and burn.
I never learn.
I'm on the rapetrain.

NihilCredo posted:

Try

#Numpad9::^!Ins

Doesn't seem to be working.

e: It does actually seem to be working since the windows key doesn't do what it's suppose to, but, Winamp doesn't seem to pick it up.

Shogunner fucked around with this message at 23:23 on Jan 24, 2012

# ? Jan 24, 2012 23:18

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