All this stuff is too new for me.
Although I do recommend the new Model M you can buy from Unicomp.
6 Likes
Oohh … a Northgate! Nice! I always wanted an OmniKey. I really liked the ones with double function key rows, top and side.
The two best I’ve personally owned (I’m cheap!) were my old Focus FK-2001 (?) with Alps switches and my current DasKeyboard Pro with Cherry Brown. My daughter now has my True Blue IBM AT (84 key, not Executive) keyboard.
At work years ago I had an Epson keyboard with a great feel. And for all the junk they made, back in the day some of the Tandy keyboards were nice (can’t say the same for the rest of the RS stuff).
1 Like
Tandy! Now, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time… A long time…
I’m drooling all over my desk, @lhutton — I’d sell my soul for an original Model M!
1 Like
That grey keyboard is really nice looking. For some reason I just love the looks of all those tall / deep key caps. The flat scissor-switch keys so common now are (aside from being a pain to type on) just so bland a purpose-less looking. 
Hardly a classic but I like it:
I didn’t spring the few extra pesos for the built-in volume knob and ruler-stand, though.
I’ve got one of those from a few years ago, replaced the keycaps with some SA profile Maxkey double shots though.
MX blue though as they’re the only MX switch worth anything IMO.
I’ve got a Focus FK-2001 and FK-5001 too, no photos and an Omikey Ultra.
@martbetz I’ve got a few of vintage IBM Ms in my collection, mostly from digging them out of the trash over the last decade. The newer Unicomps are not bad if you’re just looking for a daily driver.
2 Likes
While testing out my new keyboard, I noticed that the caps lock key was quirky — if I repeatedly pressed it in quick succession, it would fail to register a lot of the strokes. To cut a long story short, it turns out this isn’t a fault with the board; it’s a ‘feature’ of macOS. Well, you learn something new every day.
I wish they had skips around here like that. 
Around here access to old dump parts they’re throwing out is a “benefit” of working in public education. 
Although up until about 5-7 years ago you couldn’t give the old IBM and Apple boards away hardly. Not sure if it’s Gen X/older Millennial nostalgia kicking in or the mechanical keyboard scene really taking off or both but they don’t last long if one shows up in the bin/thrift store these days.
Oh man, sweet cans. Are those SR325?
I need to send my SR125 in for service - I must have had them for around 20 years or more now…
1 Like
Yes, SR325e I got these used a while ago and they’re still fine. I picked up a pair of SR80X to try out and man they are so much more comfortable that I don’t use the 325e’s much anymore. I have a lot of headphones though, most been using my JDM Sony CD-9000STs lately.
Now, here’s where I did get lucky: I used to build my own high-end audio equipment (amps, pre-amps, etc.), and I was at a yard sale buying some parts when the seller says to me “I have these ‘old heaphones’ if you want them,” and handed me a pair of SR325s free of charge. I couldn’t believe my good fortune!
1 Like
GMMK Pro with Boba U4T. Gave me some troubles at first but after taking off the bad switches and updating the firmware, it’s been alright.
1 Like
Nice caps! I thought about a Boba layout myself, but I haven’t been able to find anything to fit my K2V2 ISO layout. 
Having said this, I can’t help noticing that the stock arrangement looks somewhat Vaderish — don’t you think? 
I can vouch for a ZSA Moonlander as well and second @patdavid’s opinions on it.
It took a few days before starting to feel comfortable typing on my Moonlander, but took a week after that (and remapping keys a few times) before being comfortable programming on it.
It’s so different, being split, ortholinear, and a good bit of a different layout than most conventional keyboards, but it’s extremely nice once you get used to it. It has also alleviated my hand and wrist pain so much.
If you’re curious what a programmable layout for a Moonlander looks like, mine is published @ https://configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/XELEM/ — apparently I’ve been happy with my layout for a year now. 
(The big custom stuff is on the nav layer. But the default one varies from the default Moonlander a good bit. The other two are mostly self explanatory, I hope: various symbols and the mouse+numpad layer.)
You can customize the board fully in the web-based UI (or if you want, you can also compile QMK for it directly… but I haven’t felt the need).
1 Like
A bit yes 
holy crap! That is an amazing find.
Hehe I gave @patdavid my layout as starting point.
my key lessons I always tell people
- Finally all keys are where you want them. Which reduces hand movements a lot. i mostly work in the middle 5x3 blocks.
- RGB under the switches is not is not just for show but actually helps with navigation on the keyboard
- Tap Dance can be fun or Really fun ( See Vim keys (hjkl) on the L4 layer )
- use macro keys for shortcuts. it is much better than having to press
layer switch key+modifier1+modifier2+somekey( see all the keybinds on my gnome layer ) - If you are not doing home office. you might want to have 2 keyboards in the end.
- For the price. What is the price of a good keyboard + desk + chair compared to having to go for treatment or living with pain? Especially in the US the price is rather cheap compared to medical bills
- Their training tool helps a lot to get familiar with your keyboard.
So for the macro layers … see this as example for Resolve. For many other apps they already have template layers. They have this project halfmoon as half a moonlander focused on artists. Maybe we should provide templates for all the keybinds in gimp/krita/darktable/RT/ART?
Even if you stick to straight keyboards. Get a programmable one. I mean System76 and others provide those.
Update: I’ve had the KeyChron K2v2 for a while, now, and I have to say that I’m very happy with it — it’s extremely versatile, and serves my needs perfectly.
The only problem is, I think I might have been bitten by the mechanical-keyboard bug; right now, I 'm looking into building a custom dream board for a new just-for-fun project that I’m planning: a high-security cyberdeck!
1 Like
Whatever you do absolutely do not go to https://reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards it is very dangerous there.
1 Like
I should have heeded your caution — now I’m well and truly hooked! 
(What the…?!) 
I’ll be reading through these posts for weeks to come! 
Yes when i first saw that subreddit I had no idea and though “man there must be some cool keyboards to buy!”
But this is people designing their own PCB and hand wiring their custom keyboards. The rabbit hole is way deeper than I’d have ever thought.
1 Like