Unicomp Mini Model M SSK prototype first look, overview/review and experience

[sharktastica]

About a month ago, I was contacted by Unicomp to help critically review a prototype of the now-March coming Mini M. This is my article on my experience with the Mini M over the last three weeks, some details of the Mini M's new features, and how/what I reported to Unicomp as things to fix/improve!

The article: https://sharktastica.co.uk/articles/minim_prototype
Typing demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af8s5PKJCKk

Note: this is a prototype keyboard, thus not fully representative of the final product coming next month.

Some photos for your curiosity:

protomini_v_ssk.jpg (1.46 MiB) Viewed 3725 times

SNKB-M2021SS87.jpg (883.96 KiB) Viewed 3725 times

protomini_utils.jpg (1.29 MiB) Viewed 3725 times

protomini_birth-cert.jpg (282.18 KiB) Viewed 3725 times

[Muirium]

The asymmetric mods either side of spacebar would annoy the Shift out of me. I don’t mean their identities, but their sizes. I remap the bottom row for Command either side of Spacebar, and they’ve got to be the same size or I’m not amused. Why the unforced errors here?

Other than that fair serious complaint, it does look pretty good, mind. Refreshing to see something anywhere near worth comparing to a genuine SSK!

[ddrfraser1]

It’s because the original had a 7u sb

[John Doe]

Care the price

[Muirium]

It’s because the original had a 7u sb

I know they needed to make a change to accommodate that goofy spacebar. But they made an unforced error, sacrificing symmetry so badly. Here's how I would have done it:

Code: Select all

---1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9---0---1---2---3---4---5 Units

CCCCCC    AAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAA    CCCCCC Classic IBM
<ctrl>    <alt ><         spacebar         ><alt >    <ctrl>
 1.5       1.5               7               1.5       1.5

CCCCCCWWWWAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAWWWWWWPPPPCCCCCC Unicomp
<ctrl><wn><alt ><       spacebar      ><alt><win ><ap><ctrl>
 1.5   1   1.5            5.75           1   1.5   1   1.5

CCCCCCWWWWAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAWWWWPPPPPCCCCCC Mu 1
<ctrl><wn><alt ><       spacebar      ><alt ><wn><app><ctrl>
 1.5   1   1.5            5.75          1.5   1   1.25 1.5

CCCCCCWWWWAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAWWWWPPPPPPCCCCC Mu 2
<ctrl><wn><alt ><       spacebar      ><alt ><wn><app ><ctrl>
 1.5   1   1.5            5.75          1.5   1   1.5   1.25

---1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9---0---1---2---3---4---5 Units

Didn't have a drawing to hand, so text will do! Each character is a quarter unit wide: the "resolution" of keyboard layouts.

I *strongly* prefer two nice wide symmetric mods, on either side of the spacebar. That shrunken alt of theirs really bugs me. And then there's following it up with a fat key when it should be a narrow little bugger like the other side. Don't even! Argh.

My proposal is firm about those first two keys on the right of the spacebar. The final two are down to taste. Now I look at them, I prefer Mu 1, as you get that Control symmetry.

No unusual sizes in my suggestion. But it's too late to ask, I know…

[depletedvespene]

Well, we DO have to remember keyboards are asymmetrical to begin with. I would have preferred a 5.5U space bar, plus a 1.5U key to fill the "gap", and keep the usual 1.5/1/1.5 modifiers untouched. Note that a 5.5U spacebar placed like this would be symmetrical to the actual center of the alphas.

5.5U centered space bar.

55U.png (14.64 KiB) Viewed 3602 times

Even keeping the (rightly hated) Microsoft keys can be done elegantly this way — both between Ctrl and Alt, and with the Menu key to a side, it can be easily taken out in favor of a 7U space bar OR be repurposed into an Fn key. For bonus points, this way, the MacOS would have no trouble adapting the Win keys to be the Command keys and have them kept in the natural order on both sides.

[sharktastica]

Minor update: I've added a photo of the backplate at the end. (warning: it's very anticlimactic! )