Filco Minila
 | |
| FCC ID | XS8-MINILAAIR (Minila Air) |
|---|---|
| Branding | Filco |
| Manufacturer | Filco, possibly Costar and Datacomp |
| Product family | 60% Majestouch |
| Features | Detachable USB cable or Bluetooth, DIP switch |
| Layouts | 67/68-key 60% layout variety |
| Keyswitches | Cherry MX switches |
| Switch mount | Plate mount |
| Keycaps | Pad-printed ABS |
| Interface | USB or Bluetooth 3.0 (Air) |
| Dimensions |
297 x 124 x 40 mm / 11.6 x 4.9 x 1.6 inches |
| Weight | 680 g / 1.5 lbs |
| Price |
- Air: €120 / Air USA: $150-170 - Wired: $115-150 |
Contents
Introduction
The Filco Majestouch MINILA, Filco Minila, or Filco MiniLa (short for "Minimal Layout") is a 60%-size keyboard in the Filco Majestouch range from Diatec. The original wired Minila was followed by the Bluetooth wireless Minila Air keyboard.
Note
Looking at this chronologically (wired Minila being the first and Minila Air second), it's interesting that Diatec secured an FCC ID for the Minila Air (FCC: XS8-MINILAAIR) and also holds the registered design right for Minila Air, while the original (wired) Minila, appears not to have a separate FCC ID granted and the design right is still pending.
Description
Filco Majestouch MINILA and Filco Majestouch MINILA Air are manufactured with the blue, red, black, or brown Cherry MX switches that are plate mounted. All MINILA keyboards have a set of DIP switches on the bottom, allowing the user to customize aspects the layout. The keyboard has been marketed either in its original wired (USB) form or in the 2 AA battery-operated Bluetooth 3.0 wireless form, and in a variety of layouts and configurations (as you can see below).
The Minimal Layout
The MINILA name is a portmanteau of minimal and layout.
Noting the modern trend towards ever more minimal keyboards, Filco designed a layout that aimed to be as minimal as possible, but without any major sacrifice of functionality. The result is essentially a 60% layout with dedicated arrow keys (sometimes known as a 65% layout).
The Shift Keys
To make space for the arrow keys, the Right Shift key on all MINILA models is only 1u (the same width as a standard key). The Left Shift key is 2u (twice the standard key width) on the ANSI MINILA, but only 1u on ISO and JIS models (due to their layouts including one more key in total). People have reported that the ANSI MINILA is easy to adjust to, but having a 1u Shift key on both sides makes typing substantially more difficult on JIS and ISO models.
Staggering
Most keyboard layouts stagger each row of keys (a legacy of typewriter design), resulting in a grid that is misaligned vertically. The MINILA staggers each row of letter keys by 0.25u, while by convention, only the top row is offset by 0.25u. The middle row is normally offset by 0.5u.
While few MINILA owners report any issues switching to and from the MINILA, the unusual offset of the middle row is a feature of the design that is often criticized when the layout is discussed more generally.
Majestouch Minila keyboard model reference
Note: a great job of collecting and organizing the data below was accomplished by Desktority member 002
| Model Number | Model Name | Switch | Interface | Number of Keys | Layout | Windows Keys | Key Labelling | Alt. Labelling | Enclosure Colour | Keycap Colour | LED Colour | DIP Switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FFKB67M/EB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Brown | USB | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB67MC/EB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Blue | USB | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB67ML/EB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Black | USB | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB67MRL/EB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Red | USB | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68M/GRB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Brown | USB | 68 | DE ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68M/NB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Brown | USB | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68M/SWB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Brown | USB | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68M/UKB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Brown | USB | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68MC/GRB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Blue | USB | 68 | DE ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68MC/NB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Blue | USB | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68MC/SWB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Blue | USB | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68MC/UKB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Blue | USB | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue | Yes |
| FFKB68ML/NB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Black | USB | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68ML/SWB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Black | USB | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68ML/UKB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Black | USB | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68MRL/GRB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Red | USB | 68 | DE ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68MRL/NB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Red | USB | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68MRL/SWB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Red | USB | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFKB68MRL/UKB | Majestouch MINILA | Cherry MX Red | USB | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Red | Yes |
| FFBT67M/EB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Brown | Bluetooth 3.0 | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT67MC/EB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Blue | Bluetooth 3.0 | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT67ML/EB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Black | Bluetooth 3.0 | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT67MRL/EB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Red | Bluetooth 3.0 | 67 | US ASCII | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68M/GRB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Brown | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | DE ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68M/NB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Brown | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68M/SWB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Brown | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68M/UKB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Brown | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MC/GRB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Blue | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | DE ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MC/NB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Blue | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MC/SWB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Blue | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MC/UKB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Blue | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68ML/NB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Black | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MRL/GRB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Red | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | DE ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MRL/NB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Red | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | JIS | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MRL/SWB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Red | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | SE/FI ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
| FFBT68MRL/UKB | Majestouch MINILA Air | Cherry MX Red | Bluetooth 3.0 | 68 | UK ISO | Yes | Pad printing (top and some front) | No | Black | Black | Blue and Red | Yes |
Included with the keyboard
- Minila (wired):
- Extra/replacement keycaps if the DIP switch changes are deployed
- Keypuller
- Detachable USB cable
- User manual/guide/specs
- Keyboard plastic cover
- Minila Air:
- Extra/replacement keycaps if the DIP switch changes are deployed
- Keypuller
- 2 AA alkaline batteries
- User manual/guide/specs
- Keyboard plastic cover
Gallery
Front/top view (US & JIS)
Back (US & JIS)
Back label 1 (DIP switch operation)
Back label 2 (US)
Back label 3 (JIS)
Box (US & JIS)
Box back (US & JIS)
Box side with description (US & JIS)
Box side (US & JIS)
DIP switch
Keycaps top closeup (JIS)
Keycaps/switches (Cherry MX browns)
KB plastic cover (US & JIS)
FILCO logo
User guide and box content
Close up showing App key
External links
- The Keyboard Company — Filco MiniLa First Impressions
- The Keyboard Company — Filco MiniLa Air Bluetooth Keyboard Review
- Deskthority — Filco Minila Air — review with pictures
- Diatec — Minila (wired) product page
- Diatec — Minila Air product page
