Longterm Daily Drivers

[Bjerrk]

What's worse, though, are the limitations of ADB. I usually use mouse keys, but with ADB it's simply not smooth enough to be usable. The data rate is just too low, it seems.

I'd like to carefully reassess my earlier statement. Even if it entails going a bit off-topic. My reappraisal is as follows:
It was total horseshit.

I had simply misconfigured QMK. I thought I had adjusted the MOUSEKEY_INTERVAL and associated variables, but apparently that only happened in my head.

After a bit of fiddling, I found that these values (in the appropriate config.h) allowed for smooth mousing via ADB:

Code: Select all

#define MOUSEKEY_DELAY 30 // Delay between pressing a movement key and cursor movement
#define MOUSEKEY_INTERVAL 20 // Time between cursor movements in milliseconds
#define MOUSEKEY_MOVE_DELTA 4 // Step size
#define MOUSEKEY_MAX_SPEED 10 // Maximum cursor speed at which acceleration stops
#define MOUSEKEY_TIME_TO_MAX 20 // Time until maximum cursor speed is reached
/* Scroll: */
#define MOUSEKEY_WHEEL_DELAY 300 // Delay between pressing a wheel key and wheel movement
#define MOUSEKEY_WHEEL_INTERVAL 100 // Time between wheel movements
#define MOUSEKEY_WHEEL_MAX_SPEED 8 // Maximum number of scroll steps per scroll action
#define MOUSEKEY_WHEEL_TIME_TO_MAX 40 // Time until maximum scroll speed is reached

So, in summary: I'm sorry, Woz. Your protocol is not as bad as I thought.

[purdobol]

My keyboard of choice hasn't changed since I've stumbled upon marqs.
First typewriter conversion was from Olympia ES 100. Used daily from 09 Feb 2018 till 14 Dec 2019. So almost 2 years.
And this one took a beating since I did game on it a lot. To the point the E key crapped out at one point and started registering twice. I use EDFS keys for movement (old habit from UT99 days). Taking it apart and putting it back again fixed the issue. Still works fine, and I still have no case for it .

It's been replaced with another typewriter conversion (same switch) from Olympia ES 110. Used daily from 14 Dec 2019. One year and a half. No issues.

What I love about these boards that they very low maintenance and feel great. It can get very dirty without becoming scratchy. So no mandatory cleaning every 3 months. In total I have 3 smaller boards from ES 100 typewriters (one is a part donor). And two bigger ones (from ES 110 and Disque). Struggling not to buy another one...

[Bitteneite]

I always go back to an M, but I recently got my new favourite. One that was really fit for the job of a "daily".



It's just a dirt-cheap Model M; perfect for the job in every single way.

I got better Model Ms in general, but this one is THE beater M for a nonchalant 0-f***s-given daily.
So I gave it a small cleaning, but does it really matter?



I mean, it's not perfect... far from it actually. The case causes half of today's global pollution, is warped in all the annoying "can't unsee it now" ways, and generally recommends eyebleach + therapy after being seen.

However... somehow, the switches are among the smoothest Ms I've tried
That was certainly good enough for me, so I speedran a usual screw-mod, patched up the cracks in the barrel plate, and she felt as good as new! I also made a few adjustments to the layout, see if you can spot them!

I recently bought a custom controller + solenoid, and this board was perfect for experimenting.
It now has a few holes and mounting points inside for the solenoid I bought, but why would I care when it was already an eyesore to look at?

By the end of it, I had a keyboard that just encouraged me to type, game, and abuse it for funsies.
I can even put a drink on my desk without being paranoid! Can't say the same for my other boards

I'd argue that there are definitely better boards with top-tier switches, but as for a daily driver that I'd thrash without mercy til death do us part, I just found myself coming back to this.

[Zobeid Zuma]

Which boards do you keep coming back to, year in year out, to get things done?

Am I the only one who has no really good answer to this question? If you had asked me this ten years ago, before I learned that "mechanical" keyboards were a thing, I would have had a clear answer: Macally iceKEY Slim USB Keyboard. Turns out I'm not the only person who loved these things. See here → https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyb ... ly_icekey/

It had rubber domes with scissor switches, just like many laptops of that time. As near as I can remember after all these years, I used one of these until it wore out, then bought a replacement, then wore that one out, then bought two replacements. Then I wore out the first of those, and then I got a Unicomp Spacesaver M, which was my introduction to the mechanicals. That means I still have one iceKEY in storage, never used, in its original packaging. Dunno what I should do with it. . . I couldn't see ever going back to using one, not because there was anything wrong with the typing experience (I did love that), but I'm not using a desktop Mac anymore, and (more importantly) I couldn't see the point of returning to a semi-disposable keyboard that I won't be able to repair or replace when it inevitably dies. Also, have to admit my preferences for keyboards have changed somewhat. It happens.

As for the Unicomp. . . It was (and is) serviceable, and I used it for a while, but I never fell in love with it. It was homely, clunky and creaky. Still have it, don't quite know what to do with it.

I did use those super-thin-and-flat Mac Pro keyboards for a while, which are surprisingly not awful, but they're even more disposable than the iceKEY. You literally cannot open them up. So, we all know how that's gonna end.

And then I went down the rabbit hole of the custom-built mechanical keyboard hobby. If I had to pick a hero from this era, it would be the KBDFans DZ60 kit, which I have produced a whole series of. Built with BOX switches, PMK G20 keycaps (which everyone but me seem to despise??) and split spacebars (which many seem to despise, but I've always thought should be standard on all keyboards), and my own careful QMK remapping, the DZ60 makes a fantastically efficient little gem of a keyboard. Right now, today, the DZ60 probably comes closest to answering that original question, for me. I've literally got three of them within arm's length of my desk at this moment.

However, it has not entirely put an end to my quest. All I want is the perfect keyboard! Is that so much to ask?

Today I am not using a DZ60. I am typing on an example of the very first keyboard that I ever really admired: IBM Model F-XT. When my school got their very first PCs (yes, literally, the IBM Personal Computer, pre-XT even) I instantly recognized the keyboard as something special. I held a lot of scorn for everything else about those limited and wildly overpriced machines, but the keyboards were lovely. So, I guess if you really want to talk about "the keyboard that you come back to," then this might be the ultimate example.

[Bjerrk]

If you had asked me this ten years ago, before I learned that "mechanical" keyboards were a thing, I would have had a clear answer: Macally iceKEY Slim USB Keyboard [...]

As for the Unicomp [...] It was homely, clunky and creaky. [...]

If I had to pick a hero from this era, it would be the KBDFans DZ60 kit [...]

I am typing on an example of the very first keyboard that I ever really admired: IBM Model F-XT. [...]
I guess if you really want to talk about "the keyboard that you come back to," then this might be the ultimate example.

Thanks ZZ, nice journey with a sort of cyclical twist to it I can see why each board had a place as your daily for a while!

Earlier in the thread (before I inadvertently bumped it ... ) I said "Cherry G80-1800". That's still true, but I think I should perhaps have mentioned the Model M as well. I use one at work and never really grow tired of it. In fact, my desk at the university always has two keyboards on it, and for a while they've been a G80-1800s and a Model M.

[hellothere]

I inventoried and bought some more since my post back in April. I'm still very much liking the keyboard I was using as a daily driver back then, a SteelSeries Apex Pro (Hall Effect switches).

I've tried a couple blue Alps keyboards, now, and I realized that the blue Alps KB I had needed cleaning and lubing, even though the the KB looked like it was in perfect shape. That project is still on track, as well as working on at least two other blue Alps KBs. I've also got both the grey switch plate and white switch plate versions of the switches, so I can compare and contrast. One of these might become my real daily driver.

Two of my semi-recent acquisitions were two IBM 4150 laptops. I cleaned and lightly lubed the brown Alps switches and put them in a Northgate OmniKey chassis (thick plastic top case, metal key mounting plate, metal bottom plate). It's fantastic.

I'm still trying to get an Alps plate spring KB and I have both a Topre Realforce and a Gateron blue optical switch keyboard on the way.

[Bjerrk]

I always go back to an M, but I recently got my new favourite. One that was really fit for the job of a "daily".



somehow, the switches are among the smoothest Ms I've tried

Looks glorious - it is really a testament to the resilience of these things that a board that dirty and neglected can turn out to be such a smooth and daily-driver-worthy one

[micmil]

The only thing that could realistically replace it would be if I managed to snag the full sized version for a good price or lucked into a relatively inexpensive Topre board.

Incidentally, this exact thing happened. I picked up a Type Heaven for about $100 shipped (still not sure how that happened) and it pretty much hasn't left my desk since. If my RSI flares up I might switch back to the ABKO since it's 35g domes rather than the 45g of the Type Heaven but I seriously think I've hit endgame here.

[Go-Kart]

The only thing that could realistically replace it would be if I managed to snag the full sized version for a good price or lucked into a relatively inexpensive Topre board.

Incidentally, this exact thing happened. I picked up a Type Heaven for about $100 shipped (still not sure how that happened) and it pretty much hasn't left my desk since. If my RSI flares up I might switch back to the ABKO since it's 35g domes rather than the 45g of the Type Heaven but I seriously think I've hit endgame here.

I'm right there with you. Finally got my HHKB Type-S Hasu'd and, although I had planned for it to be purely my office keyboard, it has become every-use board! Well, apart from an Apex Pro for gaming.

[micmil]

I'm right there with you. Finally got my HHKB Type-S Hasu'd and, although I had planned for it to be purely my office keyboard, it has become every-use board! Well, apart from an Apex Pro for gaming.

It's at the point where I think I might have to do some house cleaning. I don't keep anything I don't use, so a few things may be rehomed soon.

[ifohancroft]

This thread made me sad, because I realized I don't have a single board I'd get back to on purpose. Yes, I like them all (well, most of them) and I am perfectly fine and happy typing on most of them, but there isn't a single one that I particularly love or like enough to be my favorite. All I have are MX boards and one with Matias Quiet Clicks (ugh..).

It doesn't count as a keyboard, but, my favorite is actually my IBM Selectric II. Best typing experience I've ever had. Unfortunately, it's currently sitting under my desk disassembled, waiting for me to try and repair it.

[Bjerrk]

This thread made me sad, because I realized I don't have a single board I'd get back to on purpose. Yes, I like them all (well, most of them) and I am perfectly fine and happy typing on most of them, but there isn't a single one that I particularly love or like enough to be my favorite. All I have are MX boards and one with Matias Quiet Clicks (ugh..).

It doesn't count as a keyboard, but, my favorite is actually my IBM Selectric II. Best typing experience I've ever had. Unfortunately, it's currently sitting under my desk disassembled, waiting for me to try and repair it.

You need new (old) boards, dude!

[ifohancroft]

You need new (old) boards, dude!

Definitely! There are tons of old boards I'd love to own!

[Dyto69]

My Daily Drivers are:

At home: Freyr TKL CB Edition with Lubed and Filmed Cherry MX Blacks, POM Plate and GMK WoB
At work: Modded Realforce 87U (Case painted Grey, Lubed and with USB-C daughterboard, Deskeys 42g Pink Domes)

I totally love both of them, I love the clacky smooth MX Blacks on a POM plate so much and the Realforce is just the perfect Keyboard for work (especially in an Office environment) with its smooth but snappy tactility.
I love the contrast between them both, and that's why I use them every day. I have other Boards I can use, but those are definitely my Daily Drivers

[davkol]

In the last 10 years mainly these:

built-in thinkpad keyboard
My go-to laptops are thinkpads, because it seems they receive the best community support. I don't feel too strongly about the specific keyboard version, except I've switched to Japanese-layout module in the T440p that I use the most. This had become a priority since I dropped Colemak in favor of Maltron, hence require more thumb keys.

Spoiler:

Noppoo Choc Mini
My first favorite fancier keyboard almost 10 years ago. I immediately fell in love with the 75% layout, Cherry MX Red and thick Cherry-profile POM keycaps. I still keep it around, even though I've switched to more ergonomic layouts, but it's the reason why the plan to do something about the mediocre internal construction fell by the wayside.

Spoiler:

TypeMatrix 2030 USB
I learned to type on the stagger-free layout on this one back in 2013, and have kept it around for a long time as the travel keyboard to use with lab computers (in part because of firmware support for Colemak) and then in the office. I liked the solid, compact assembly with a protective skin to make it nearly silent and spill-proof. Some of the most pleasant "scissor switches" that I've used, close to contemporary Logitech Perfect Stroke.

ErgoDox
My first DIY keyboard. I assembled it almost stock—with the exception of Cherry MX Clear switches that turned out to be overwhelming—from the original MD sale 9 years ago, but soon rebuilt it with FalbaTech cases, the 80key layout, vintage "ghost" blacks and a varied mix of keycaps. The modified thumb clusters have mitigated the layout's main shortcoming and so it became my most comfortable keyboard by far for more than 5 years (with an extended break while the cheap TRRS cable broke and it took me more than a year to order a replacement).

Spoiler:

Access-IS 15×8 POS keypad
Decent keyboard, with keycaps swapped for Cherry's and a keymap similar to TypeMatrix but with more thumb keys, it served me while I rebuilt the aforementioned ErgoDox. The Cherry MX Black switches in this one are surprisingly smooth. I don't ever use it anymore though, because of the bulky case and PS/2-related inconvenience.

Spoiler:

CM Storm QFR
Plain old CM Storm QFR with stock Cherry MX Black, but I swapped the controller for Frostly Flake and keycaps for early PBT doubleshots from Vortex. It was comfortable enough (running Easy AVR firmware with wide-mod keymap) for most of the time while my ErgoDox' cable was broken. I spent lots of time on campus though, so it didn't see much use. I've passed it on already.

Spoiler:

Phantom
My second DIY keyboard, although I didn't build it entirely myself, only put the PCB in a ghetto case. The main feature is the 7bit layout without any stabilizers. Set up with Cherry's sculpted keycaps and the Easy AVR firmware (wide-mod keymap), it was my other daily driver along with the ErgoDox. Sadly, I eventually started noticing key chatter, but still keep it around.

Spoiler:

Topre Realforce 91U
It was relatively cheap, perhaps because of less than ideal keycaps. I didn't get Topre because of the key feel. In fact, my finger joints sometimes hurt from even 45g Topre domes. It's on my to-do list to swap them for something else, I even experimented with using BTC's and other old OEM domes (without much success). I like the Japanese layout though, if isn't clear yet, and this capsense seems reliable thus far, hence it's a backup in case I run into key chatter in whatever my main keyboard is.

Spoiler:

Kinesis Advantage 2
When I first tried Kinesis Advantage, the shape was interesting, but while I had ErgoDox next to it, the scratchiest Cherry MX Brown switches and buggy stock firmware turned me off… Until I found a good deal on Advantage 2 that has fixed both issues thanks to retooled switches and SmartSet firmware. It's so convenient that I haven't moved on to newer ergonomic keyboards in about 2.5 years already.

Spoiler:

what's next
I have a few fancier ergonomic keyboards lying around (Dactyl-Manuform 6x6, Keyboardio M01), I just haven't fully committed to either yet. For portable usage, I've assembled Katana60 and found a couple of TECKs, but each has switch problems that I haven't fixed yet either. I'm comfortable enough that it seems difficult to motivate myself to build an entirely custom keyboard with my ideal layout.

[Muirium]

Nice write up. I think you’re nuts, but I can’t argue with your process. What works, works. That’s the truth of the long term daily driver.

45g Topre is really too much for you? Realforces feel harder than HHKBs because of the hard metal plate. Even domes on steel are harsher than domes on plastic. Doubt you’d ever stand for the HHKB layout that l love, but I can vouch for insane epic typing on mine aplenty. It just keeps me coming back.

[davkol]

It's something about the tactility. I have a similar problem with some other rubber domes and "more tactile" mechanical-contact switches, like my fingers get stuck below the bump or something. I actually mentioned that I found MX Clear overwhelming in the previous post; "ergo clears" are outright unusable for me, and I don't like the development that new tactile MX clones tend to have even sharper bump.

I'm not a fan of bottoming out either, but that shouldn't be a big deal as I haven't had issues with decent "scissor switches".

My go-to switches are Cherry MX Black/Red, spring-swapped to get a steep force curve (sprit's MX Clear clones or newer "progressive" springs (they're still linear in practice though))… and yes, I've using retooled MX Brown for the last couple of years.

BTW one of my first vintage keyboards had Alps SKCM White back when I started collecting them, and I hated it: loud, too sharp tactility, bottoming out was unavoidable.

[Palatino]

There are times when 45g is too much for me, too: basically late in the evening when I’m really tired. Then I go to 35g Niz for before-bed typing, taking its “pillowy” epithet one step further. And only at the height of my caffeine surge at 10am do I break out the Model F!

[Muirium]

Okay, so I'm cranking away on my 3276 just now, and kinda get what you're saying. (For just this once!) My beamer's not the heaviest keyfeel of the bunch, but these 40-something year old switches are a cantankerous crew, and some of them—I'm looking at you, left Shift, ya old fogey!—need mashed every once in a while to wake up. I picture typing—and actively correcting—this keyboard here is akin to typing on delightful puffy Topre clouds can be to you two. I'm tense and twitchy and yeah I'm not envisioning a full day like this ending well. perhaps—sorry, let me press harder—Perhaps you have a point. Maybe. Even if I don't much like it.

But don't you dare say that about a sweet 'lil HHKB!

[vvp]

It's something about the tactility. I have a similar problem with some other rubber domes and "more tactile" mechanical-contact switches, like my fingers get stuck below the bump or something.

That is interesting. Everybody is different. I like a bit of tactility. I like the tactile feedback about where the switch actuates. But I do not have much experience with different switches. I used only MX White Brown and Blue in the last 20 years. And I did not like the linear version. Both Blue and Brown are OK for me.
I used some rubber domes more than 20 years ago but I do not even remember how they feel any more. I had Model M or Model F around 1997. It had a "crisp" feeling. I liked the keyboard. But it is such a far past that I cannot compare it to MX Blue or Brown I use now.

[hellothere]

My new daily drivers are an 45g Abko (nopre) K935P and a 45g Topre Realforce. As I do more keyboard repairs, it'll become the Abko + whatever I've been working on. I am getting an Omron keyboard, soon, and I'm wondering if it'll compete against either of those two and/or the brown Alps that I haven't touched in awhile.

I still like the SteelSeries a lot, which I mention above, even though I haven't touched it for awhile. I don't mind keeping it as a backup.

[gurglingemu]

My daily driver is a Leopold 980c with 35g Deskeys 'Tiffany' domes, or alternatively 30g uniform stock domes when my aged and overused fingers need extra cushioning. Both are great, though the 30g is as semi-linear and slightly mushy as others report - it's really amazing as an RSI recovery board though, like typing on marshmallows. I have a 45g HHKB that I also like in smaller bursts and find less punishing to my fingers than the equivalent domes on the metal-plated Realforce.

In the MX platform I tend to go for light lubed linear switches (TTC Gold Pinks 37g) or the lightest decent clicky switches that I could find (Box Whites), but I've had to drop those as daily drivers because of the harsh feeling bottom-out after so much Topre/Nopre.

[Go-Kart]

I'm putting together what I'm hoping to be two new long term daily drivers. However, from what I'm like, they may only last a week before I find something else to keep me entertained!

Over the past few months, I've had my linearised Bigfoot on my desk, accompanying a few other, pretty solidly. And then my AnyKey has been in my office for months now. Only just brought it home again yesterday! What to treat my colleagues to for my final week in this role...?

[Muirium]

Nothing wrong with a rotation. Tonight's is the old NovaTouch, a board I'd never call a classic, but as I've been doing late shift on the beamspring lately, I fancied trying Matteo's beamspring inspired dev/tty caps out again. Being a Sindarin set, putting them back on again took a while! Obviously you must touchtype with these, which is fine by me, but even I need to look at legends when installing caps on a board. Unused to needing a chart, in a script I don't quite understand. Anyway, despite my initial qualms, the meditative pace of peering deep into their otherworldly legends, I've got to say, enhances the treat! These caps are just majestic. Matteo is truly the master! Must take a decent pic of them when there's natural light again.

Now, I'm used to always using the same caps on a board, even when that needn't be the case. For ages, a couple of years at least, this here NovaTouch has worn my cherished SAU Cherry dyesub set. I do really like those caps. But these tty's, being so much taller, lend the keyboard a different character entirely. It's a real transformer this NovaTouch. Not just like any MX board can, but in how the caps affect its (definitely not stock!) damped Topre sound and feel as well. There's more going on here than I remember. It's really pretty smooth and classy with these on. I'm used to SA caps on MX, which are a hell of a lot louder, even on MX pinks. This? Woah. I'm rediscovering the variables you thought you knew but left the same too long.

Mind, the 3276 is still hooked up as well. Just turning back to it now, goodness me is it louder! The sharp key-feel's nice, and the swing is very similar between the two. Besides the noise and the reassuring legends' presence, I'm surprised just how much my fingers notice the difference between Matteo's PBT and IBM's ABS. The beamer's caps are gloriously white, and among the best profiles ever made, but what my fingers say is get back to that PBT, Topre boy! And maybe do something about that 1 key and left Shift.

[Go-Kart]

I almost bought a set of SA caps this afternoon. Big black bastards. I thought for a good few minutes they were Topre compatible, rather than just for a "HHKB layout", damn Ali Express.

[Muirium]

If they have a 6u spacebar (not 6.25u) you could even use them on your HHKB, with appropriate replacement MX compatible sliders. That's a thing, too.



If the HHKB spacebar really were 6.25u, I'd have caved and done this myself with Round 5 caps, at least for a while.* Got all the others, including that 1.75u right Shift. Only the spacebar won't SA.

*I'd return to PBT soon enough, however. The way I use my HHKB, I'd wear holes in ABS, not just shine!

[Go-Kart]

That would be the thing to do but I'm not looking to mess around with perfection. For me, the a white HHKB Type-S is up there in every regard. £21.69 for a set of Beamer-inspired SA caps for it though? Worth a punt even just to to have a tickle and them put them in a cupboard never to be seen again! But slider mod too? Maybe on a second HHKB, or if I had a black model with the stock charcoal caps. However, as discussed here, I should be gathering my pennies for exploration into different territory