Corsair keyboard came today. It looks and sounds great. Super quiet and feels good, needs more testing and using it to get used to the new switches. The only issue I have so far is the space bar is much much louder than the rest of the keyboard, which is making me type quieter than normal. The switches on the keys themselves feel awesome though.
Does anyone use iCUE? Is it a resource hog or can I just leave it open while my computer is on?
It was a bit of a hog when I had 16gb ram and an I5 6500.
Corsair keyboard came today. It looks and sounds great. Super quiet and feels good, needs more testing and using it to get used to the new switches. The only issue I have so far is the space bar is much much louder than the rest of the keyboard, which is making me type quieter than normal. The switches on the keys themselves feel awesome though.
Does anyone use iCUE? Is it a resource hog or can I just leave it open while my computer is on?
I run ICUE and it is no problem on my system. It uses almost no resources.
Does anyone know if I can make profile changes (keybindings, lighting effects, etc.) using Swarm on my home PC, then use that profile on another computer without Swarm installed?
In case anyone has the same question, here is the response from Roccat support:
Hi Windburn,
thanks for choosing ROCCAT.
Unfortunately, settings for the Vulcan series cannot be stored in the on-board memory. Customised profiles require the keyboard to have access to Swarm.
If you have any more questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Viele Grüße / Best regards,
Anna
Technical Support
0
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
KoopahTroopahThe koopas, the troopas.Philadelphia, PARegistered Userregular
Yeah I've been using it for a few days now. I find myself mistyping more, but I think that's personal error than anything else and will go away in time. My partner jokingly complained that she could usually tell between when I'm doing work or playing games due to the extra clicks and keyboard and now she can't. So yeah, I guess this is a successful adventure.
The amount of jealousy I have that you can use your own keebs at work cannot be measured.
What would prevent you from bringing yours in? I got tired of my work ones pre-COVID and just brought in an ergo I liked. That said - clacky keys in an open office is just rude.
Our office actually has rules against plugging in any USB device that is not sanctioned by the LAN department, might be something similar? They have group policies enabled that prevent it.
Interesting (and unfortunate)--I work in a public university, in the Financial Aid Office and I've been using my own Havit HV-KB395L. Our computers are all relatively locked down (no installing anything, and I mean anything, without IT coming down to do it), but they don't really care about our peripherals (I also replaced the Dell mouse with an reliable old mainstay IntelliMouse optical). That being said, there are official policies on the subject of USB storage drives, but these don't seem to be enforced.
That being said, the Kalil blue switches are super loud and annoying I'm sure (people in Zoom meetings can hear me typing, so I avoid doing so or mute myself), but I also have my own office.
Our office actually has rules against plugging in any USB device that is not sanctioned by the LAN department, might be something similar? They have group policies enabled that prevent it.
I work in an area that requires a security clearance. Also the keyboards have integrated smart card readers.
Fun fact: I once hooked up a monitor someone had sitting on their desk (it's a monitor that was provided to us at some point). Because the monitor had an integrated USB hub, I was locked out of my computer for nearly 2 weeks while they took the computer and scanned it.
The idea is that each of those letters - A S E T N I O P - is bound to a key. Press the key, get the letter. If you want any other letter, number, character, etc, you have to press two keys together.
Here's the image from the site explaining the combos (there are a few more images with other characters up on the site):
Damn, that's really cool! And expensive, but that's to be expected for a product like this.
Although, it's kind of a bummer that the thumb cluster has entirely non-standard key-cap shapes. That's going to make it impossible to replace them with different ones and retail the look; you can probably put some of the larger keys on there (1.25u, 1.5u, 2u) to make it work, but that'll change the aesthetics.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Every so often, a keycap group buy will catch my attention. I'll think, hey that looks cool. I'll just see which kits I want... then I will see the cart subtotal and promptly close the tab and run away. The latest was KAT Iron.
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Yeah I bought a set of KAT Arctic and it was at least $120 if I remember right.
that doesn't look terribly difficult
just need a nice chunk of wood and patience with a router but I'm sure you could get fancy and do like cnc or something
that doesn't look terribly difficult
just need a nice chunk of wood and patience with a router but I'm sure you could get fancy and do like cnc or something
that doesn't look terribly difficult
just need a nice chunk of wood and patience with a router but I'm sure you could get fancy and do like cnc or something
Oh hey, I have a CNC.
And a nice chunk of wood....
Well, it appears that I've successfully (or, depending on perspective, unsuccessfully) gone one level deeper into the mechanical keyboarding hobby with the construction of a hotswap KBD67v2. It didn't have the good sense to sell out for many hours after going on sale at the end of July, so I ended up convincing myself to dive in. I matched the case with Aliaz 70g switches and OSA Sleeves keycaps.
(Obligatory picture)
Aliaz switches don't get a lot of notice compared to other switches from Gateron, NovelKeys, or Zeal, and for good reasons. They're a bit of an odd duck, since despite reviews generally commending them on their quietness, they've also indicated low tactility on level similar to Cherry MX Browns. But as someone who has liked the subtle tactility of MX Browns, I felt like it would be a fair gamble to take to have a quieter experience. So far, it seems like the reviews have been fairly accurate: they're very quiet with low tactility. However, the tactility feels a little bit lower than MX Browns. Perhaps this feel is due to how quiet they are, much like how perception of food depends on the combination of texture, smell, and presentation. Still, I can't say that I made a bad investment. Perhaps they're a suboptimal choice due to my extremely limited experience, but I'm still satisfied with the feel of the keyboard.
There's not much to say about the keycaps - they were the most readily available PBT keycap set, and I expected them to match the case.
One downside from my construction is that I failed to acquire supplies to lubricate the stabilizers. In my rush to check that the keyboard would work properly, I just put things together as-is, and so the keyboard currently has very noisy space and backspace keys. I'll have some deconstruction to look forward to in my future, and I have to hope I don't compromise the keyboard's integrity in that process of taking it apart and putting it back together.
Through all this, I think that my purchasing desires have been pretty well sated. Perhaps it's a side effect of needing to buy more stuff to improve the stabilizers. Maybe I'll go in on the KAT Irons for fancier keycaps, but I don't feel any rush for other parts or to keep looking at more keyboard hobbyist topics. Learning to type with the new keyboard has put a small strain on my body, similar to when I moved from a membrane to my Ducky One 2. But I'm sure that will pass soon. There's been another weird side effect from this journey: I've been feeling like learning a different keyboard layout, despite not really having a great reason to do so. I ended up putting a customized variant of the Colemak DH-like layout on one of my keyboard layers, rotating a few of the bottom-row keys due to my expected personal preferences. We'll see how well that works out.
I continue to downsize, this time going from TKL to 60% and I bit on the Razer Huntsman Mini - anxious how I'll feel about giving up the side buttons, but hearing that using the function keys is pretty good. It's back ordered at least a month so we'll see if I stick with it.
I might as well post a short little update on my KBD67v2 experience, 'cause I don't really have a good reason not to. (Sharing is caring, or something like that.)
I got my dielectric grease in last weekend and spent a couple hours disassembling the keyboard, applying grease to the stabilizers, and then putting the thing back together again. All of the stabilized keys sound much better now, though the space bar still carries quite a bit more sound than everything else on the keyboard. Perhaps it's something inherent about the size of the space bar, or maybe I should have done something different with my lubrication technique. I would like to put in some additional effort into dampening the sound even further, but I'm not quite sure what to try next and I'm not really looking forward to taking things apart again. Regardless, it's still much better than before, and unless I'm being especially vigorous in typing, it doesn't really distract too much from the rest of the typing experience. In any case, lubricating stabilizers is something I can now know or call as essential when assembling a keyboard.
Overall, I've gotten familiar with the feel of the new board. The feel of the Aliaz switches is definitely softer and less crisp than my original Cherry MX Brown keyboard, but the softness also provides a quiet, relaxing sound. I think my impressions that they're not an optimal switch still stand, but I'm also not in any rush to try out other silent switches as possible replacements. They have just enough pushback for me to feel good working with them. Then again, I have absolutely no experience with linear switches or higher tactility switches, so there is no relative comparison that I can make.
I also just remembered one more property of the KBD67v2 that I forgot to mention in my previous post, and that it's quite a bit heavier than the plastic-cased Ducky One 2 TKL I was using before. That aluminum and brass definitely carries some serious heft to it. Also, the kit I purchased came with two pieces of case foam, placed between the plate and PCB, and between the PCB and case. I have no way of quantifying just how big of an effect it's been having on my experiences, though.
Lastly, I actually have ended up committing to learning a new keyboard layout, and have been taking one or two half-hour sessions per day to drill on key-br.com to slowly learn my custom Colemak-DH variant. The site definitely feels very strict about its proficiency requirements before introducing a new key (something like 30-35 wpm with very high accuracy), but as I have been going through the process, I've been finding that strictness useful for building in knowledge of the layout. Really, it's been interesting to understand how a more proper touch-typing technique feels compared to my flailing technique that just naturally developed on QWERTY. My hands have actually felt a little bit cramped working on Colemak-DH since they don't move that much. Part of that cramped feeling is probably due to unintentional tensing my arms in order to focus on positioning and accuracy, so hopefully I get to loosen up once I learn the layout a bit better. Going through this has also helped me see one weakness of the OSA Sleeves keycap set. The homing keys' bumps are very small, they feel like they could rub off really quickly. It's probably made me a little slower in pace, but that might end up being a benefit to my muscle memory in the end. I'm hoping that in a week's time I'll have all the keys learned in key-br.com and then just move on to regular typing tests until I get fast enough to just switch over completely. As a side benefit, I've also discovered the merits of changing the Caps Lock key into an extra backspace. It's definitely been a help while learning my Colemak-DH variant, but it's also entered my lexicon for working under QWERTY in the meantime.
Finally assembled my lily58pro. Only practised a little while but I am digging it. One minor mistake I made is when I was throwing blank keycaps on the switches, I wasn't paying attention to key profile. There are definitely keycaps in the wrong row.
Posts
It was a bit of a hog when I had 16gb ram and an I5 6500.
With 32gb ram and an R6 3600, not so much.
Okay maybe even less than "bit of a hog"
I run ICUE and it is no problem on my system. It uses almost no resources.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
bit of a pygmy goat?
In case anyone has the same question, here is the response from Roccat support:
Guinea pig
I brought in my GMMK with Tai Hao keycaps and man it's like a world of difference.
I need to get some better stabs for my spacebar, as it's rattleriffic and compared to the nice thock of all the other keys it's not a great sound.
What would prevent you from bringing yours in? I got tired of my work ones pre-COVID and just brought in an ergo I liked. That said - clacky keys in an open office is just rude.
That being said, the Kalil blue switches are super loud and annoying I'm sure (people in Zoom meetings can hear me typing, so I avoid doing so or mute myself), but I also have my own office.
I work in an area that requires a security clearance. Also the keyboards have integrated smart card readers.
Fun fact: I once hooked up a monitor someone had sitting on their desk (it's a monitor that was provided to us at some point). Because the monitor had an integrated USB hub, I was locked out of my computer for nearly 2 weeks while they took the computer and scanned it.
https://www.gboards.ca/product/ginni
the ASETNIOP keyboard website seems to be dead so I have no idea
http://asetniop.com/
The idea is that each of those letters - A S E T N I O P - is bound to a key. Press the key, get the letter. If you want any other letter, number, character, etc, you have to press two keys together.
Here's the image from the site explaining the combos (there are a few more images with other characters up on the site):
2 months after i got my ergodox ez
Although, it's kind of a bummer that the thumb cluster has entirely non-standard key-cap shapes. That's going to make it impossible to replace them with different ones and retail the look; you can probably put some of the larger keys on there (1.25u, 1.5u, 2u) to make it work, but that'll change the aesthetics.
I'll buy your Ergo
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
just need a nice chunk of wood and patience with a router but I'm sure you could get fancy and do like cnc or something
MTS! I miss you guys come back to chat!
Oh hey, I have a CNC.
And a nice chunk of wood....
Also owe wooden keycaps to @bowen
i hear these are nice https://zealpc.net/products/zilents
Silent reds are pretty silent, I like mine.
Are they mushy like a membrane keyboard? How do they compare to regular reds?
unrelated, i did get some reds for modifier keys on my ergodox but havent tried swapping them out
There's a little bit of mush? But much more solid than traditional membrane.
(Obligatory picture)
Aliaz switches don't get a lot of notice compared to other switches from Gateron, NovelKeys, or Zeal, and for good reasons. They're a bit of an odd duck, since despite reviews generally commending them on their quietness, they've also indicated low tactility on level similar to Cherry MX Browns. But as someone who has liked the subtle tactility of MX Browns, I felt like it would be a fair gamble to take to have a quieter experience. So far, it seems like the reviews have been fairly accurate: they're very quiet with low tactility. However, the tactility feels a little bit lower than MX Browns. Perhaps this feel is due to how quiet they are, much like how perception of food depends on the combination of texture, smell, and presentation. Still, I can't say that I made a bad investment. Perhaps they're a suboptimal choice due to my extremely limited experience, but I'm still satisfied with the feel of the keyboard.
There's not much to say about the keycaps - they were the most readily available PBT keycap set, and I expected them to match the case.
One downside from my construction is that I failed to acquire supplies to lubricate the stabilizers. In my rush to check that the keyboard would work properly, I just put things together as-is, and so the keyboard currently has very noisy space and backspace keys. I'll have some deconstruction to look forward to in my future, and I have to hope I don't compromise the keyboard's integrity in that process of taking it apart and putting it back together.
Through all this, I think that my purchasing desires have been pretty well sated. Perhaps it's a side effect of needing to buy more stuff to improve the stabilizers. Maybe I'll go in on the KAT Irons for fancier keycaps, but I don't feel any rush for other parts or to keep looking at more keyboard hobbyist topics. Learning to type with the new keyboard has put a small strain on my body, similar to when I moved from a membrane to my Ducky One 2. But I'm sure that will pass soon. There's been another weird side effect from this journey: I've been feeling like learning a different keyboard layout, despite not really having a great reason to do so. I ended up putting a customized variant of the Colemak DH-like layout on one of my keyboard layers, rotating a few of the bottom-row keys due to my expected personal preferences. We'll see how well that works out.
I got my dielectric grease in last weekend and spent a couple hours disassembling the keyboard, applying grease to the stabilizers, and then putting the thing back together again. All of the stabilized keys sound much better now, though the space bar still carries quite a bit more sound than everything else on the keyboard. Perhaps it's something inherent about the size of the space bar, or maybe I should have done something different with my lubrication technique. I would like to put in some additional effort into dampening the sound even further, but I'm not quite sure what to try next and I'm not really looking forward to taking things apart again. Regardless, it's still much better than before, and unless I'm being especially vigorous in typing, it doesn't really distract too much from the rest of the typing experience. In any case, lubricating stabilizers is something I can now know or call as essential when assembling a keyboard.
Overall, I've gotten familiar with the feel of the new board. The feel of the Aliaz switches is definitely softer and less crisp than my original Cherry MX Brown keyboard, but the softness also provides a quiet, relaxing sound. I think my impressions that they're not an optimal switch still stand, but I'm also not in any rush to try out other silent switches as possible replacements. They have just enough pushback for me to feel good working with them. Then again, I have absolutely no experience with linear switches or higher tactility switches, so there is no relative comparison that I can make.
I also just remembered one more property of the KBD67v2 that I forgot to mention in my previous post, and that it's quite a bit heavier than the plastic-cased Ducky One 2 TKL I was using before. That aluminum and brass definitely carries some serious heft to it. Also, the kit I purchased came with two pieces of case foam, placed between the plate and PCB, and between the PCB and case. I have no way of quantifying just how big of an effect it's been having on my experiences, though.
Lastly, I actually have ended up committing to learning a new keyboard layout, and have been taking one or two half-hour sessions per day to drill on key-br.com to slowly learn my custom Colemak-DH variant. The site definitely feels very strict about its proficiency requirements before introducing a new key (something like 30-35 wpm with very high accuracy), but as I have been going through the process, I've been finding that strictness useful for building in knowledge of the layout. Really, it's been interesting to understand how a more proper touch-typing technique feels compared to my flailing technique that just naturally developed on QWERTY. My hands have actually felt a little bit cramped working on Colemak-DH since they don't move that much. Part of that cramped feeling is probably due to unintentional tensing my arms in order to focus on positioning and accuracy, so hopefully I get to loosen up once I learn the layout a bit better. Going through this has also helped me see one weakness of the OSA Sleeves keycap set. The homing keys' bumps are very small, they feel like they could rub off really quickly. It's probably made me a little slower in pace, but that might end up being a benefit to my muscle memory in the end. I'm hoping that in a week's time I'll have all the keys learned in key-br.com and then just move on to regular typing tests until I get fast enough to just switch over completely. As a side benefit, I've also discovered the merits of changing the Caps Lock key into an extra backspace. It's definitely been a help while learning my Colemak-DH variant, but it's also entered my lexicon for working under QWERTY in the meantime.