Why do I type faster on a membrane keyboard

[ruhtraeel]

The Azio Levetron Clicker's F buttons feel like they take less force to push down than the letter keys, and the enter seems like it takes more...

爽... I was thinking more of a refreshing crunch or something I dunno
I am also peculiar in the sense that even though I am mostly Canto and my Mando is not very good, I primarily use simplified

And Daniel the issue would be typing the pinyin cause default Windows Chinese uses a pinyin input method where you type out the official sound of the word (which is in Mandarin), and since I use Cantonese where the sounds/spellings are totally different, I sort of have to guess the sounds in Mandarin and then pick out the character I am trying to use from the list that pops up

[laffindude]

爽 is vague. I'd probably go the wordy description instead of trying to translate that. Using that word is analogous to using great in English.
How do you use use pinyin to sound out Cantonese specific characters?

I like the APC switch. The keyboard is cheaply built for sure, but the switch is not half bad. I like them more than the XM in Duckies. Though the XM in Matias Tactile Pro is not half bad either. Could be all in my head though.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The Tactile Pro only used Xiang Min KSB-LE switches for the LED keys. The rest were all Alps simplified/Fuhua (Fukka) (TP1 and 3) or Strong Man (TP2).

[laffindude]

That explains it. I played with the Tactile Pro and my first reaction is WANT NOW. Then sense took over. I don't really want another fullsized board (one with very plasticky shell at that).
Like I've said before, sorting out who makes what Alps makes my head spin.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

That explains it. I played with the Tactile Pro and my first reaction is WANT NOW. Then sense took over. I don't really want another fullsized board (one with very plasticky shell at that).

Fuhua switches are now out of production and Matias Corporation now make their own, as you may well know. Moreover, once they've got their switch production up to speed they will be selling switches directly, so this means that people will be able to make their own clicky and tactile Alps boards, both commercial products and community products.

I don't know if loud (i.e. undamped) tactile switches will be made. I've certainly advised them to sell linear switches for gamers, as this allows for other manufacturers to sell boards with all types of switch available. Otherwise anyone who wants to sell a linear board would have to stick with Cherry.

Like I've said before, sorting out who makes what Alps makes my head spin.

I'm still working on it. I've had another go at getting SIIG to fess up to who supplied the switches for the MiniTouch. I've also asked Taiwan Tai-Hao again if they supplied switches for it, since we now believe that they did not use XMs, and Taiwan Tai-Hao have made switches since the 70s apparently.

We are very slowly making progress here.

[laffindude]

I did poke some friends about Alps switches. All roads lead back to Alps.tw. It was suggested that I sit him down and pick his brain about it. He does know alot of the the switches, but I am not sure he could name the people who made it. It'll still help if he can name the boards where some of the switches came from, so it'll be easier to track down the supplier for them.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Alps Taiwan was the factory that made them, I think — apparently Alps were in partnership with Forward Electronics (Fuhua in Chinese) all along, and this factory eventually went to Forward Electronics, who kept making "Fukka" switches until early this year. At least two clone manufacturers are still going: Taiwan Tai-Hao with the APC series, and Xiang Min with the KSB series -- both ranges are externally identical, and probably very similar internally as well (I've never seen the insides of an XM KSB switch, but they're reported to be copper mantis leaf switches the same as APC and many other copies). Plus now we have Matias Corp with their switches, which are based on the Alps simplified design instead of the mantis leaf simplified design.

I've just had a reply back from Andrew Gong at SIIG, and I've given him some more info about the old MiniTouches including model numbers and FCC IDs, as well as links to various pages here with details on (both the Alps clone and Monterey switches). Maybe he can shed some light on those switches.

[laffindude]

I am referring to Alps.tw the person that wrote that Chinese mega page ;D

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Ohh.

Right, yeah, he has no idea whose switches they are — he's given them all codenames. He does however list what boards they came from.

[laffindude]

It may be jumping to conclusions that he doesn't know who made what. The title of the page is comparison of parts of Alps type switches for newbies. He says right on the top that is just a broad overview of types of Alps construction categorized by the signal plate, and that doesn't go into minor details. On the bottom that it is just a quickly composed brief overview, not a history page. So it isn't a catalog of switches like you may think it is.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

To me it's pretty clear that it's characterised solely on observation. Those with obvious branding (KPT, APC etc) are labelled as such, and the rest just have codenames.

However, he or she is most welcome to prove me wrong :) Our wiki awaits this extra knowledge! Also he or she is most welcome to formally upload all the images; I won't take them without permission.

[ruhtraeel]

爽 is vague. I'd probably go the wordy description instead of trying to translate that. Using that word is analogous to using great in English.
How do you use use pinyin to sound out Cantonese specific characters?

I like the APC switch. The keyboard is cheaply built for sure, but the switch is not half bad. I like them more than the XM in Duckies. Though the XM in Matias Tactile Pro is not half bad either. Could be all in my head though.

I just guess/assume the Mandarin pinyin of the word, and for the ones that don't exist in Mandarin, I do have one of those calligraphy tablets where I can write words using a pen, but even then it's really slow and my keystrokes are not always right (I taught myself how to read and write simplified Chinese)

Yeah, this Clicker keyboard feels really plasticy and not very solid at all, but the keys are nice to type on once you get used to them. If I were to change one thing, it would be lowering the force that each key takes to press down because it still takes more effort to press down than a rubber dome, for example. Again, hopefully after it is well worn in, the keys will feel easier to press.
Ideally, I think if these keys took around the effort of Cherry MX Blues to press down, I would be very happy.

I've been mainly using them for gaming though, because I do all my programming on my laptop or the computer lab Dell OEM mushy keyboards anyways (which I actually type ridiculously fast on, like 115 WPM)

[laffindude]

To me it's pretty clear that it's characterised solely on observation. Those with obvious branding (KPT, APC etc) are labelled as such, and the rest just have codenames.

I don't know. I think may be just different ways of looking at things. For example, do you call the Matias' new switch a Matias switch, or by the factory that made them. Relationship between keyboard manufacturers and switch manufacturers are even more convoluted years back. The patented Taiwanese white and black Cherry compatible switches are never referred to by company. Only the person who designed and manufactured it. I am sure if you dig into purchasing records at a Strongman, you can find the official name of his company. But is it important?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I meant, he's assigned them all his own codenames based on his own categorisation.

[laffindude]

I believe they're not codenames but an index. T = Tanglangjiao (Mantis Foot). O = Other, ABCD = sub-index. He only use the descriptive names when referring to switch types.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Well, let's hope that you're right and that he knows who made them all, and that he's willing to document it all on our wiki, perhaps with the assistance of a bilingual member here if he feels his knowledge of English isn't adequate for the task.

He may even make me redundant ;-) Although I'm still hoping (fingers crossed until the circulation stops) that I can find out who made Montereys.