A proposal for a new SSK

[Muirium]

Ah, the magic of media keys. I'll quote myself from another thread:

Media keys are just USB HID codes like regular keys. Check out Soarer's list of them from the documentation of his famed converter. I find them just as easy to implement, with complete compatibility with any OS. So long as it knows USB…

USB simply carries the key codes to the computer. It's up to the host whether it listens, but I think Windows does support the basics nowadays.

[M'er Forever]

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[Muirium]

Volume Down, Volume Up, Sleep. All useful keys, all direct USB HID codes, and all where they are on most of Apple's keyboards.

I use that cluster for firing macros on my SSK, but that's another story…

[wcass]

question for you; how deep is the base (where USB port is) recessed from the edge?
it looks like you might be able to plug a corded mouse in there and not really see the USB plug. i like that.

[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[Muirium]

SDL? Why not mini (or micro) USB? SDL would only be an inconvenience this day and age, plus more costly to source than ubiquitous USB.

As for the LED: quite smart, but I suggest one alteration: instead of a steady "ON" state, make it flash for a few seconds when turned on, but then go dim. The state change is what we care about, and the less distracting status lights lit up on things the better. Blinking on low power makes sense too.

Of course, next you have Bluetooth pairing dynamics to contend with…

[matt3o]

I kinda like the SDL plug actually I agree it is not convenient nowadays though. Anyway I have plenty of usb/sdl cables

do no put flashing or pulsing LED, they are really distracting.

[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[matt3o]

I really appreciate the attention to details here, but... you know... what are the odds for this keyboard to really happen?

[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[matt3o]

I really appreciate the attention to details here, but... you know... what are the odds for this keyboard to really happen?

I'd say less than 10% chance, but one never knows.
I've managed to do the "impossible" a couple of times in my life and I'm hoping this project will add to that short list...
I don't know if you've read one of my earlier posts in this thread, wherein I blathered on about myself for several paragraphs. That post might help answer your question, or it may raise more...

oh I read it (the kickstarter one) and I really appreciated it actually. It's always nice to know a little more about who you are talking with. You have all my respect for what you did and what you are trying to do. Just I'd stay grounded, let's see what unicomp say first. Crossing fingers.

[M'er Forever]

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[Muirium]

The current version looks very nice indeed! I like the pinhole style Bluetooth / power indicator. Green is a smart colour choice for that little guy, in keeping with most Bluetooth peripherals I use.

Not to keep giving you more work, but this round of suggestions!

• One well implemented light leads me to want more. (Light haters bear with me.) Modern Macs have glowing Caps Lock indicators, even Apple's own little battery powered desktop keyboard. I think a lack of Caps Lock light might be quite the stumbling block for many users. If you could make a matching row of small, separately coloured, status indicators, I think that would be ideal. No need to even label them, I think. The colours and order should be enough. Count me in for integrated Num Pad lock!
• The way I'd do a security function (and this is very much an optional, never heard of it elsewhere feature) would be to use the keyboard's keys, of course. How about a user definable chord: like Ctrl+Shift+O+K? Much more memorable and also quicker than pecking Morse like sequences.
• Flip the right hand set of Mac mods. They're symmetrical. Always Ctrl-Opt-Cmd-Space-Cmd-Opt-Ctrl.

The Apple Extended Keyboard II is almost universally considered to be the best keyboard Apple ever made. (Similar story to IBM's fall in quality since then.) It's layout is still entirely usable on a modern Mac:

[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[matt3o]

M'er, sorry for the off-topic but I'd suggest you to use multiple quote blocks, your reply would be much more legible.

Eg:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque por

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum

vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum

and so on and so forth

[Muirium]

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit. Urbi et orbi. E pluribus unum. Salve!

[matt3o]

Salve?!

[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[Muirium]

Phew. Those multi coloured inserts were doing my head in!

Another trick: if you're responding to the post immediately above (as we so often do) just write your comment without a quote at all. It's already right there. Well, unless you trigger a new page: where I'll edit my post to include the quote manually, a pain but a good way to keep things looking right.

[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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[M'er Forever]

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