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Keychron keyboard discussion
- Thread starter maflynn
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IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
She said that she used the provided key caps (and tool) to make the change to the Windows layout. It didn't sound like it was a big deal to her to have to make the change.
transmaster
Contributor
The Keychorn keycap tools is a good one. for the switches, get the V2 version Gateron switch removal tool.
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transmaster
Contributor
I have the Beego keyboard cover. I LOVE IT!!!!! It fits completely over the keyboard, resting on the desktop. And there is also room for your mouse if you have a 96% or smaller keyboard. There is only one easy-to-fix issue. If you have one of the Keychron's with the control knob. The height at the back of the keyboard to the top of the regular keys is 38mm, and to the top of the control knob is 46mm. The cover just rests on top of the control knob, holding the cover a couple of mm above the desktop on the right side of my keyboard. I made up a spacer to elevate the back about 6mm.
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Vivaldi has at least one significant shortcoming worth noting. I prefer to put the Mac to sleep rather than powering off completely, and I usually leave the browser open. After several sleep-wake cycles--say, between five and ten--Vivaldi becomes unstable, necessitating a browser restart. (You'll know it when you have trouble closing a tab.) An overnight sleep-wake cycle will also affect Vivaldi's ability to display the day's browsing history; it can't seem to do so without a restart.
Also, for effective ad blocking, you'll likely have better results with an extension or app than with Vivaldi's built-in functionality.
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transmaster
Contributor
transmaster
Contributor
For the first time, I dropped some clean but well-used keycaps into an ultrasonic cleaner. I was amazed at how dirty they actually were. I have decided to add ultrasonic keycap cleaning to my regular maintenance. Ultrasonic cleaners are not expensive; check them out on Amazon. Amazon, because of the reviews. The Amazon Choice is a Vevor 6L Commercial. This one is so much better than the one I have, which is several years old. I am looking at the cleaning solutions, and they have several with an anti-bacterial enzyme.
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transmaster
Contributor
Checked it out, and you can clean switches with an ultrasonic cleaner. There are several electronic Ultrasonic cleaning solutions available. The threads discussing this say that ultrasonic cleaning removes all the lubricant, and this needs to be replaced to protect the switching contacts. Not sure how this would work with an HE switch.
transmaster
Contributor
I have a new wired RGB trackball/mouse on the way, the PORLEI, which is a copy of the Logi MAX Ergo S. It costs $22. I needed a wired mouse for my mini PC, which I rarely use. I tried logging in, but it had a big update and was no longer paired with my Ergo. I couldn’t find my wired mouse for this PC. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the Ergo. The trackball is available in several colors
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transmaster
Contributor
This is a really good cheap trackball. No Bluetooth hard wired. It reminds me of early Logitech hard wired M570. There are only 3 con’s. The trackball on the Mini PC is real twitchy, that can be adjusted in the settings. The palm rest part is slippery. And it does not have the angle adjustment of the Logi Ergo trackball. I specifically got it because it was hardwired, as I said above I needed a hardwired mouse to access the PC after a big upgrade and the Ergo is no longer paired. The Ergo is setup to pair with 2 computers with a push button on top.
The new Keychron is working great, the little PC sits right right next to the Mac Studio and I just plug it in. This is so much easier than wireless pairing.
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xraydoc
Contributor
I have a Ploopy Adept trackball, and while I don't use it that much, it's pretty slick.
Whole thing is open source and 3D printed. Also fully supported by VIA so configuring buttons with macros and other features is a breeze (and requires no special drivers to be installed on your Mac).
And made in Canada, if that matters to anyone.
transmaster
Contributor
FatLouie
macrumors 6502a
Well...I got my head out of the proverbial dark spot, reordered the Keychron C2 Pro Wired Mechanical Keyboard with the 8Hz polling rate and silent banana switch keys, and have been using it for several days. I have to say that I like it a lot.
Once I used the key commands to turn off the RGB, which I find useless, I was a lot happier.
This is the full-size keyboard, which really is not a true 100 percent-sized board; it is just slightly smaller than a real 100 percent-sized board. Still, I acclimated to it easily enough.
Once I used the key commands to turn off the RGB, which I find useless, I was a lot happier.
This is the full-size keyboard, which really is not a true 100 percent-sized board; it is just slightly smaller than a real 100 percent-sized board. Still, I acclimated to it easily enough.
transmaster
Contributor
I have the Q5 HE 8K, I love this keyboard except for one thing that I can fix in the keyboard mapping controls the curser placement is twitchy. This is manifested by the curser suddenly being somewhere else as I am typing. I think I am accidently hitting a key in the lower right hand side. What I need to do reduce the sensitivity of the keystrokes.
xraydoc
Contributor
The C2 Pro is most definitely a 100% layout.
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FatLouie
macrumors 6502a
Maybe. My Pirixx full-size 106 has slightly larger keys and layout, the same as we used years ago, and have used for a number of years. I think it was Dell or MS that decided to make keys smaller, reduce the footprint, and call it 100 percent. I suppose they are correct from that viewpoint.
Years from now, today's 90 percent keyboard will be the new 100 percent keyboard.
xraydoc
Contributor
Mechanical keyboards are all standardized at exactly 19.5mm between switch center-to-center point. They can’t make keys closer together and still have standard MX mechanical switches and keycaps fit. The space between the alpha group, nav cluster, and numpad may potentially be further away or closer together, but the spacing between individual key switches/keycaps is absolutely fixed.
FatLouie
macrumors 6502a
Never measured, so I do not know. But I know that the right side of the space bar on my Pirixx full-size keyboard ends at a different key position than on a 100% board. Tis true the other clusters are farther apart, as groups, on the Pirixx than on the Keychron. Typing on the Keycron feels a little more compressed to my hands initially. I still make a few typing errors, I will improve.
For all intents and purposes, percentages % when discussing keyboards is referring to the number of included keys. In which case the Full-size, where the above Keychron is, by definition is a 100%.
Your Perixx, which I am checking its image on their website, literally contains the same number of keys, so they are both 100%, both are canonical "Full-sizes".
What you are describing is a different layout, where usually it means more drastic repositioning of keys, especially the nav cluster and arrow keys. But in this case the basic layout are the same, the Periixx only uses wider bottom modifiers (the Ctrl, Alt etc). The "standard" of the mods are usually 1.25U, with the spacebar at 6.25U, but the Perixx decided to use a non-standard 1.5U Ctrl and 5.75U spacebar.
xraydoc
Contributor
Different profile keycaps can make things feel different - think of keycaps as equal-base pyramids with the top point cut off. A taller pyramid will have a smaller top surface and more apparent space between its neighbors, while a shorter one will have a bigger top surface but less apparent space between its neighbors. This can change how the keyboard feels to your fingertips, but the key bases themselves are in exactly the same positions.
This is what you may be feeling between the Keychron (which comes with their own unique OSA-profile keycaps) and your other keyboard, which likely is using Cherry or OEM-profile keycaps. They'll feel different despite the fact that the keys themselves are spaced exactly the same at their bases.
As for 100% -- both keyboards use a 100% layout. Not sure what to tell you there. I'd include a picture of a 100% layout, but it would be the same as the picture I posted above.
The Keychron C2 and the vast majority of other 100% layouts use a 6.25u spacebar, giving you three 1.25u modifiers to the left of the spacebar and four 1.25u modifiers to the right of the spacebar. A few will use a longer 7u spacebar, giving you 3 modifiers on each side (1.5u - 1u - 1.5u each). Perhaps that's what you're seeing different between the two?? But that doesn't make one a 100% layout and the other a not-a-100% layout. A few keyboards will use spacebars shorter than 6.25u to cram in additional bottom row modifiers (looking at you, Apple!) on their 100% layouts.
The so-called 96% layout (aka, 1800 layout) does away with the center navigational cluster, moving the numpad immediately next to the alphas, usually replaces the 2u numpad Zero key with a 1u Zero key, and uses a shorter right Shift key to make room for the arrow cluster. See the Keychron V5 for an example of a traditional 1800/96% layout.
A 98% layout is a somewhat newer variant that adds a single column of navigation keys between the alphas and the numpad (as compared to the 3-column navigation cluster on a 100% keyboard or an 80% TKL), which also often makes room to return to a wide 2u numpad Zero key.
The bottom (spacebar) row configuration can be variable on these as well, and also doesn't change the layout type designation. 1800's and 98% often use three 1.25u modifiers to the left of the spacebar and three 1u modifiers to the right of the spacebar (i.e., Keychron Q5), but some will use two 1.25u or two 1.5u modifiers instead, as does the Neo98 and the (somewhat inappropriately named) Athena 1800 (since it's really a 98% layout and not acutally an 1800 layout).
But the 96% and 98% layouts are easily differentiated on sight from a "100% layout."