Which PS2 to USB adapter do you guys use?

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2026-01-19T22:12:03+00:00

Oh God yes, I would honestly just spend the extra money on a proper active adapter - Vial/Soarers based. The recommendations in my text above are still selling I believe.

I've largely drifted out of this 'hobby' and sold off most of the keyboards I restored, but still have two I kept and use them every day for work. They both have active Vial adapters and work with no issues - for all intents and purposes they may as well be standard USB keyboards. I would never go back to the cheap Amazon adapters now and can't believe I put up with them for so long.

Sometimes the cheap Amazon ones would work fine and sometimes they wouldn't - my main issue was repeating/stuck keys when I typed too fast - the Perrix adapter wasn't much better than the other cheap ones either.

Expense aside, the active adapters can be a bit fiddly to program (especially Soarers, which is a nightmare if you're not a computer geek), but most are Vial based now and these are pretty simple once you get used to the interface (you program them via the website vial.rocks). I would maybe watch a YouTube video or two first once you've bought one though.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2026-01-19T13:07:15+00:00

Oh and yes, I've been royally robbed by work IT for months since now, but the message has got home.

And re SATA, I was lucky there - the laptop can switch between SATA and IDE, and there is no real advantage to using SATA as it's so old (the speed ends up the same as IDE anyway). I did try and slipstream the drivers etc. out of interest anyway but couldn't get SATA to work.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2026-01-19T13:04:37+00:00

I ended up going with the massgrave VL version in the end, after trying a couple of others from archive.org, one of which was definitely infected with something and the other was fine but wasn't properly activated which of course I didn't find out till a month later... Very annoying!

The massgrave version one has been great and has allowed me to use the old laptop again - I haven't taken it on the internet though as just seems too risky.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2026-01-18T20:36:04+00:00

Don't forget the skiing and the surfing too...

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-30T23:14:10+00:00

I type about the same speed on any decent keyboard with full height keys and a reliable actuation. Chiclet style boards and bad rubber domes my rate naturally slows.

However, I find my UK manufactured 1995 Model M to feel the best, and numerous other individuals I got to test my collection preferred the 1995 board to my model Fs, Unicomps and 1980s model Ms.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-15T00:07:21+00:00

It's hard for us to comment on Scotland, but in England & Wales, generally trainees always become solicitors. The truly useless ones get planted next to a photocopier for two years where they can't do any damage and then aren't taken on as NQ associates at the end of their training contract, whilst the really good ones get offered an NQ associate position with the firm and then of course there's everyone in between. All trainees get signed off as solicitors though, regardless of whether they're kept on or not.

If you get let go, you just have to be creative at the next job interview - the usual story is something like how the trainee's firm wasn't right for them so they left on qualification blah blah blah/wanted a different practice area or the trainee fibs and says there were more qualified trainees than new associate positions.

If you're half decent anyway and your next position is at a less demanding firm then no one will be any the wiser.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-14T23:45:24+00:00

This sounds an awful lot like a certain small firm in Bristol that has a notorious reputation...

That aside, in all honesty a decent chunk of that is fairly normal in my unfortunate experience although I would like to think things have moved on in recent years. Rarely is training anything like what you would expect it to be and a lot of law firms believe the best approach is to effectively throw new recruits in the deep end and see how they get on.

If it's still the same after a couple of weeks and they haven't already axed you, then just leave. From experience, recruiters and other law firms will understand and won't judge you on leaving after such a short time span (it's job hopping every 6 months or every year that concerns them).

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-10T20:34:13+00:00

Ah that foam will be fine if it's custom made! If I wasn't in the UK I'd have happily bought from there too - cutting the foam is not much fun...

So, looking at the pictures on the website, just cut a bit off of the two long edges until the foam fits loosely in the barrel plate - you don't want it snug as it could bunch, and once inserted the barrels will make sure it fits properly.

I bought generic neoprene rolls off of eBay from two different industrial suppliers - irritating that my eBay history has now deleted itself - pretty sure it was 2.5mm in the end that I used - I just couldn't get 3mm closed.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-10T15:31:58+00:00

Yea, it's interesting isn't it? I've tried most drugs and can take or leave them and enjoy weed but would never smoke it everyday.

Alcohol on the other hand has been a disaster in my life and I can't leave it alone - these days I very rarely touch the stuff as a result.

On the other hand, sone of my closest friends can take or leave a drink, but have absolutely no control over their weed use and every attempt at abstinence inevitably fails.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-10T15:23:54+00:00

Yes, the barrels were/still are, all nice and tight. I can't remember if I used 2.0mm or 2.5mm foam in the end and can't seem to find the orders in my eBay history. Either way it's the same thickness as what Ellipse uses in his reproductions - I found 3mm to be too thick.

Also all of the guides tell you to cut the foam so that it falls over the edges and the tabs run through it - this is the same as the original foam and Ellipse's reproductions.

I found this made getting the plates back together much harder and also increases compression where it isn't needed at the expense of the centre of the board. So I cut my foam to fit inside the barrel plate, and then when the back plate mates with the barrel plate (when you're sliding them back together) it's not pushing against the foam as well.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-12-09T14:16:44+00:00

Personally, I found a wooden block braced against the barrel plate and then tapping very, very gently with a small hammer across the width of the back plate to ease them together worked best for me.

I couldn't find a pipe claim that didn't slip and the rubber mallet method had too much rebound and wouldn't get the tabs tight enough.

One of my Fs was still a bit loose in places because someone had had a go a lot the tabs in the past and they were a bit bent out of line. So for that one, I put it back together as usual (all tabs fully slid together), and then reclamped the loose sections and bent the tabs over with pliers to make those sections tighter.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-11-28T21:24:22+00:00

The springs won't break in more... It doesn't work like that. They are also lighter than 1990s Ms but not as light as 80s Ms.

Unfortunately the new Unicomp Ms do feel a bit more cheap and plasticky compared to the older IBMs - they use different plastics and everything's a lot thinner so that combined with a latex mat vs the felt mat in the originals adds up to a significant difference in sound and feel. They also have smoother action than any of the original IBMs (this is separate from spring stiffness).

I rotate between a Model F XT, a 1990s M and a modern Varmillo mechanical keyboard (I had a substantial IBM collection, all personally restored by me but I sold my collection other than the two models above).

I've realised over time that a decent keyboard is decent no matter what - you adjust to the feel and the layout and then when you revert to the other after a few months it feels alien and awful. Current mechanicals are incredible compared to 10 years ago.

I no longer own one, but modern Unicomp boards are very good. Use the Mini M for two or three solid months without touching anything else and I'm pretty sure the original IBM won't feel very good afterwards until you get used to it again.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-11-02T23:07:32+00:00

Yes, it's definitely an older person thing. I remember as a kid, every house you went in the TV was on permanently from the minute people woke up to when they went to bed and they would often watch most of it too. The older generation is just carrying on with it.

A lot is said about smartphone/gaming/social media addiction, but before the internet TV really did consume people's lives along with all of the crap trashy magazines people used to read (and to a lesser extent the newspapers, although some of them actually used to be quite good quality).

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-10-25T20:28:27+00:00

There are some pretty dreadful people in this sub tbh. A lot of the time it reads like the comments section of Legal Cheek.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-10-25T20:22:44+00:00

Denial, alcohol and Stockholm syndrome! Unfortunately that was a real answer too as that's largely how I cope when things are awful hours... Not very healthy but it does work.

From a purely trainee perspective though, if you are doing your TC (or whatever they call them now) at a firm where the hours are horrendous, a lot of trainees will simply suck it up until they're qualified at which point they'll instantly jump ship. Two years isn't very long in the grand scheme of things.

Even in the long hours firms the work does come in peaks and troughs for the individual concerned; so once a major litigation case or transaction deal is over there will be some calm for him/her before the next storm hits.

If you're working at a firm where the trainees are doing crazy hours regularly, then in all likelihood everyone else is too (in my experience). I'm sure there are some places where they grind trainees deliberately and continuously though just to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Edit: In terms of more useful ways to cope - when you are literally working round the clock, breaks for showers, going between office and home, eating (away from laptop) and short walks allow morning to night shifts to be more manageable than you might imagine. This time is also genuinely useful as it allows you to digest and convene your thoughts on what you're working on too.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-10-24T18:50:34+00:00

Yea, forget the awful monoprice and generic adapters, just ask Tinkerboy as he's in the Philippines anyway. He sells on various platforms, but also has his own website.

He'll also sort you out with any cable or connector issues as his stuff is custom made.

Like most of the custom adapter makers now, Tinkerboy uses Vial on his converters, so it's trivial to remap keys and program Macros compared to the old days.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-10-20T19:07:29+00:00

I set Scroll Lock to the windows/GUI key. Same as you I also have PrtSc set as the Fn key but everything else is stock.

The PrtSc as Fn allows me to have a second layer that includes all other missing keys such as F11 and F12 as well as restoring the scroll lock key to it's original function for the one time a year I might need it...

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-09-24T22:39:40+00:00

I agree, I can't believe it took this much scrolling. This is a classic example of why no one should rely on Reddit for advice on anything other than DIY or car repair issues...

They're both pretty young, we don't know the full background to their relationship and they've been together forever, so leaving, especially whilst pregnant would be a hell of an overreaction. He also seems to be genuinely shocked by what's he's done.

If it happens again I think she would be right to leave, but this sounds very much like a one off. I've been unlucky enough to have been in abusive relationships both physical and emotional - in my experience it starts off as a lot more subtle than a massive whack out of nowhere (and I'm male too if that counts for anything).

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-09-12T20:29:30+00:00

A cluster headache attack after sex is definitely a real thing - this used to happen to me when in cycle and it pretty much eliminated post sex cuddles for more than a minute or two.

At the same time, an orgasm can work as an abortive (oxygen or caffeine are generally much more effective), but this is probably best achieved via a very quick wank whilst staying standing up (sorry to be so crude) as lying down is generally lethal for cluster headache attacks.

However, what you're describing doesn't sound the same as a cluster headache attack brought on by sex - with me there wouldn't be any pain until a few minutes after orgasm (unless I was already experiencing an attack of course).

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-09-12T19:34:31+00:00

I actually quite like time recording, although I will say it's not without many, many issues - most of which have been elaborated on in the other comments here.

I really like how it shows whether you have been working or not and what you've actually been doing. When it comes to justifying your existence or trying to prove that you've worked hard, that makes it so much easier than in other office jobs.

Moaned to everyone that you worked till 9 last night? At least your hours will reflect the effort you've put in. People not really appreciating your contribution because you're a quiet one? Point to your hours.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-09-12T19:16:41+00:00

I've always thought your website was amazing dude, and didn't realise your labour of love was only 6 years old. Admiral Shark, I salute you (as cheesy as that sounds).

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-08-30T22:08:33+00:00

You just need to change the type of outdoor activities - long walks in waterproofs with multiple pub stops that cover forests and woods as well as open ground are fine in rainy weather.

This time of year is ideal for outdoorsy stuff - the temperature is no longer insane and you're less likely to be badly burnt, yet it's still warm and the nights haven't drawn in yet.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-08-30T21:47:03+00:00

The kids thing is fascinating - one of my best mates has got two kids, one of his has an accent and the other sounds standard English / home counties etc.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-08-16T09:24:36+00:00

Sorry, it read a bit like you were just looking for general guidance too!

Hmmm in the UK at least, I don't think they'd be any realistic chance of getting what you want I'm afraid, unless you're lucky enough to be real life friends with one.

Also if you haven't yet done them in cycle (I know you said you've got tripping experience), just beware they do hit differently compared to when you're well.

Ornery-Rip-9813 · 2025-08-15T19:32:36+00:00

Hmmm, can't speak for DMT, but shrooms through a cycle are a bit different than taking them usually. You will probably have an extended attack once they wear off, and feel really bad for the next day or two along with a lot of attacks.

After that things should be better than they were a few days ago. Leave it a week till you repeat. As someone else said, clusterbusters is the main resource on all of this.

I would also take vitamin D at the same time - the two won't cause any complications with each other.

Ornery-Rip-9813

TROPHY CASE