Vortex Tab 75, SkIIdata, Elecom Trackballs
Posted Sep 23, 2019, 2:41 PM UTC
5511
I really want to build a hot swap 65% keyboard, but man it's just too expensive because of the mods, keyboard lookin real good
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It can be an expensive hobby for sure. One reason I went with the Vortex Tab series is they had the essential features I wanted while also having a similar price compared with other popular brands. Hot swap and 65% layout are both unfortunately not among those features, so sadly I think that combination + bluetooth would be even more expensive. Seems like such a popular combo that I imagine one will be availabe sometime within the next 12 to 24 months.
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Dz65 with the plastic tada68 case is only like $100 depending on the plate you want.
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but i want a tofu case lmao :(
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#dualwielding
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Why not just hook it up to a usb switchport or even a kvm?
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I've tried those but they don't seem to offer the smooth experience that I'd prefer. Here's a comment where I go in-depth on why: https://www.reddit.com/r/olkb/comments/be8vp7/multicomputer_keyboard_using_qmk/f00h128
Btw, mad respect on your Georgi use. I ordered one too, but it never arrived in the mail. In the mean time, I've got my ortho/ergo layout down to just 34 keys. The Georgi might not have been for me anyway since it's layout is Qwerty-centric. Still a great concept tho. What's the experience been like?
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Fair. The one I use to switch between my couple server computers certainly isn't perfect.
The Georgi is great! I'm actually using it with Colemak and DennyTom's chording engine. Makes for ultra low movement.
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Less is more!
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Georgi: 30 keys, or a few billion chords. All depends how you look at it.
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Gonna see how this plays out. I work on two laptops simultaneously. Options are slim for keyboards supporting host switching. Vortex Tab series seems to meet that requirement tho. Just like the Majestouch Convertible I got for my girlfriend, it can also switch between 4 bluetooth hosts, in addition to wired. This one's got Cherry MX Silent Black switches. Gonna set up the relegendable F-row for Vim/Tmux/GNU Screen hotkeys.
The stock PBT DSA keycaps that come with the Tab are actually really nice. I would have kept them on if they didn't look so plain. They are smoother than Signature Plastics.
The GX-6 series Elecom Trackballs are OK. Personally I prefer to control trackballs with my index/middle finger like on the CST series, Elecom Huge, & Kensington Orbit. These are however a good fit for my dual system use-case. Just wish the bearings were smoother and that they weren't so sensitive.
Eventually I'll recieve my TEX Shinobi in the mail & can start using a Trackpoint instead. The custom ADA keycaps will be a bummer tho, as well as it not being an ortho/ergo board.
I have a Dichotomy kit (mouse integrated Mitosis) but it doesn't support multiple hosts. I also have an ErgoBlue kit, but it doesn't support mouse integration. Hopefully in a year I can get one of these to do what I want. Not a big fan of row-staggered keyboards, but this Tab 75 will be enough to get me through work days in the near-term.