The CODE Keyboard

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Muirium
µ

29 Aug 2013, 13:26

Ducky Nordic wrote:Also @ Muirimum:
The word as ive been let known by ~50y friend living in London...at some point in the past meant a fellow who prefers things mano a mano :D
Oh right, yes it's a touch queer to say "ducky" to a grown man! A bit like calling him "handsome boy", so it'd be right at place in that context.
Daniel Beardsmore wrote:When are we getting a keyboard with the numeric keypad moved to the left, anyway? :)
Yes, let's give the lefties some real estate problems of their own! They've been getting it all their way so far.

As for backlighting: it's well entrenched in laptops now thanks to Apple, and seems to carry a basic mystique if you don't know about the cut corners required to achieve it. The first mechanical keyboards to catch my eye when I got into this were the TKL Ducky Shines. But I use things so dark at night I was unsure if they'd go dim enough for my liking, and then discovered PBT, dyesub and doubleshot caps. Mercy!

If lighting was something that happened on the surface of the cap, instead of deep underneath, we could be on to something. How long until individual organic LED legends become feasible, I wonder? I'd love to see !@£$%^&*() light up, and 1-0 fade, when I hold shift!
Last edited by Muirium on 29 Aug 2013, 13:42, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
ماء

29 Aug 2013, 13:41

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: When are we getting a keyboard with the numeric keypad moved to the left, anyway? :)
Good idea!
Like chinese custom keyboard
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z ... 7027924016
Numpad in left,arrow keys in right or vice versa :lol:

User avatar
Ekaros

29 Aug 2013, 15:35

Muirium wrote:
Ducky Nordic wrote:Also @ Muirimum:
The word as ive been let known by ~50y friend living in London...at some point in the past meant a fellow who prefers things mano a mano :D
Oh right, yes it's a touch queer to say "ducky" to a grown man! A bit like calling him "handsome boy", so it'd be right at place in that context.
Daniel Beardsmore wrote:When are we getting a keyboard with the numeric keypad moved to the left, anyway? :)
Yes, let's give the lefties some real estate problems of their own! They've been getting it all their way so far.

As for backlighting: it's well entrenched in laptops now thanks to Apple, and seems to carry a basic mystique if you don't know about the cut corners required to achieve it. The first mechanical keyboards to catch my eye when I got into this were the TKL Ducky Shines. But I use things so dark at night I was unsure if they'd go dim enough for my liking, and then discovered PBT, dyesub and doubleshot caps. Mercy!

If lighting was something that happened on the surface of the cap, instead of deep underneath, we could be on to something. How long until individual organic LED legends become feasible, I wonder? I'd love to see !@£$%^&*() light up, and 1-0 fade, when I hold shift!
Could you do fluorescent doubleshots? I don't personaly get the leds either... I can pretty well type wrongly even without looking at keyboard...

User avatar
Muirium
µ

29 Aug 2013, 15:43

Hmm. Doubleshot injection moulding is a demanding process. I mentioned a transparent plastic doubleshot the other day and Halvar shot my idea down by reminding me of all the complexities in letters with islands in them, like A D and O. Phosphorescent legends would be much easier if printed right on the top, but then of course just asking to wear over time.

I like the idea of lighting more for its dynamic possibilities (telling me which layer I'm in, or even highlighting separate legends across the keyboard when holding a modifier key). You need lights and logic to pull tricks like that.

User avatar
Hypersphere

29 Aug 2013, 18:08

Muirium wrote:Hmm. Doubleshot injection moulding is a demanding process. I mentioned a transparent plastic doubleshot the other day and Halvar shot my idea down by reminding me of all the complexities in letters with islands in them, like A D and O. Phosphorescent legends would be much easier if printed right on the top, but then of course just asking to wear over time.

I like the idea of lighting more for its dynamic possibilities (telling me which layer I'm in, or even highlighting separate legends across the keyboard when holding a modifier key). You need lights and logic to pull tricks like that.
"Lights and Logic" -- sounds like a Vulcan movie company. ;)

User avatar
Muirium
µ

29 Aug 2013, 18:40

Logic… Magic… two things those last three Star Wars movies didn't have. Needs Vulcans.

User avatar
ماء

29 Aug 2013, 18:48

Deck keyboard it seems wear keycap double shot/dye sub transparent for blacklight

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Daniel Beardsmore

29 Aug 2013, 23:15

webwit wrote:Ducky... best brand name EVER!
Duckyboos!

User avatar
Ekaros

30 Aug 2013, 19:27

Muirium wrote:Hmm. Doubleshot injection moulding is a demanding process. I mentioned a transparent plastic doubleshot the other day and Halvar shot my idea down by reminding me of all the complexities in letters with islands in them, like A D and O. Phosphorescent legends would be much easier if printed right on the top, but then of course just asking to wear over time.

I like the idea of lighting more for its dynamic possibilities (telling me which layer I'm in, or even highlighting separate legends across the keyboard when holding a modifier key). You need lights and logic to pull tricks like that.
Hmm could you dye-sub such material? It wouldn't be pretty but dark on light might work...

User avatar
Muirium
µ

30 Aug 2013, 19:57

My intuition says dyesub only works on porous materials (at high temperature). And that clear plastics aren't porous. But I am not qualified so who knows.

If the Deck really is using quality caps: paint me surprised. Or laser me, more like…

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Muirium
µ

30 Aug 2013, 21:48

Jeff Atwood's orbit is broad enough to get into my podcast listening now. In the last 16 minutes of this show:

http://atp.fm/episodes/28-the-pit-of-irrelevance

I couldn't contain my cries of "Topre, Topre! Try a freaking Topre! Or an HHKB! You had the original Mac, after all!" to Siracusa's complaints of RSI with Apple keyboards. So I got onto Twitter to nag him instead. The fellow is legendary in the Mac world for his epic reviews of OS X.
Image
(Not a joke.)

Frustrating to hear these guys talk about keyboards. Although Siracusa did know what MX Clear was, so he has hope…

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pkamb

30 Aug 2013, 22:24

Haven't listened to the ep yet, but I know Marco did just buy one of those crazy new MS ergonomic keyboards. Looking forward to the review.

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Muirium
µ

30 Aug 2013, 23:04

He held off reviewing it on air, but has since written it up :

http://www.marco.org/2013/08/30/sculpt- ... ard-review

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Hypersphere

31 Aug 2013, 07:52

Having come full circle from TKL back to TKL after various frustrations with sub-TKL boards in the 60%, 60%+, and 75% categories, I rather like the so-called CODE TKL board. Yes, it is just a TKL board with backlighting, although it has a number of useful features accessed via DIP switches and/or a Fn layer. It is also my understanding that the CODE is made by Costar in Taiwan, the same factory that produces other respectable TKL boards with solid build quality, including those by Filco and CM. Moreover, it has Cherry mx Clear switches. My recent journey through a dozen or so boards with a variety of switches has led me to surmise that Clears might be my optimum switch for typing. All things considered, I am interested in trying this board when it is back in stock.

JBert

31 Aug 2013, 14:24

Interestingly, the first batch of keyboards has run out and they are already polling for alternative switches for one of the next batches. I wonder how long those MX clears versions are going to be sold.

If a second batch comes around with MX clear, I might get a TKL one and stuff another Soarer converter inside. Still waiting for some disassembly shots though, to see how much space is inside and how mod-friendly the PCB is...

User avatar
Hypersphere

01 Sep 2013, 16:57

JBert wrote:Interestingly, the first batch of keyboards has run out and they are already polling for alternative switches for one of the next batches. I wonder how long those MX clears versions are going to be sold.

If a second batch comes around with MX clear, I might get a TKL one and stuff another Soarer converter inside. Still waiting for some disassembly shots though, to see how much space is inside and how mod-friendly the PCB is...
I hope they will still offer Cherry mx clear switches on future batches of the CODE keyboard. Otherwise, the keyboard loses one of its main attractions, as far as I am concerned.

rsnblmn

01 Sep 2013, 19:22

rjrich wrote:
JBert wrote:I hope they will still offer Cherry mx clear switches on future batches of the CODE keyboard. Otherwise, the keyboard loses one of its main attractions, as far as I am concerned.
Sadly, I missed the first batch as well and sent them that exact question via email...they replied and told me that they are unable to source MX Clear switches in any significant quantity, so will not be offering a second run with MX Clears. (Hence the reason they're omitted from the switch poll on their site.)

Major bummer as it seems there are very few (if any) other options out there with Costar stabilizers and MX Clear.

User avatar
Hypersphere

02 Sep 2013, 05:44

rsnblmn wrote:
rjrich wrote:
JBert wrote:I hope they will still offer Cherry mx clear switches on future batches of the CODE keyboard. Otherwise, the keyboard loses one of its main attractions, as far as I am concerned.
Sadly, I missed the first batch as well and sent them that exact question via email...they replied and told me that they are unable to source MX Clear switches in any significant quantity, so will not be offering a second run with MX Clears. (Hence the reason they're omitted from the switch poll on their site.)

Major bummer as it seems there are very few (if any) other options out there with Costar stabilizers and MX Clear.
Wow, that is a major bummer! IMO, offering Cherry mx Clear switches was the major draw for this keyboard.

However, this evening I was finally able to test my new Leopold FC660C with Topre 45 gram switches. Given my long-term liking for IBM buckling springs, I did not expect to like Topre switches, but it has been love at first keystroke. Now, I couldn't imagine going back to Cherry switches, although I have not tested Cherry clears. I have, however, tested Cherry mx blue, brown, white, black, and green, as well as Matias v. 4 tactile/clicky switches, and the Topre switches are better than any of these. In fact, given the great form factor and layout of the FC660C along with the excellent Topre switches, this board could displace my IBM SSK as my daily driver, providing that Leopold or someone comes up with high-quality dye-sub PBT keycaps for the FC660C.

Nevertheless, for those who still prefer Cherry switches, I hope that WASDkeyboards and other keyboard companies will be able to offer Cherry mx clear switches as an option on their keyboards.

gh_pp

18 Sep 2013, 01:22

The code keyboard is pretty underwhelming to me.

To really market to the professional programmers, they should at least have a truly programmable mode to map every single key on the keyboards.

No more custom mapping in emacs or vim. If you program in C, you should be able to map [ to {, ] to } etc. and if you program in LISP, map [ to (, ] to ).

It’s also missing built-in USB hub to reduce clutter on the desk.

How about an embedded numpad (toggle via numlock) for the TKL model?

High quality keycaps?

I mean programmers should definitely afford a GOOD keyboard, why not make it much better than the $100-$150 keyboards out there?

User avatar
Belfong

24 Sep 2013, 12:48

The CODE had stock just 5 hours ago. I managed to place an order. Now it seemed that it is Out of Stock again. Anyone got it as well?

dlightningd

05 Dec 2016, 16:21

Super old reply, but has anyone gotten their hands on Code 104? Friend really wants one for Christmas. Reviews seem good, but it seems so lackluster.

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