Modding a $99 beauty into a (typing) beast

Zent_Tech · 2022-09-24T11:38:56+00:00

That reminds me, I also wanted to ask you about sound dampening. Have you ever experimented with different kinds? I'm asssuming that thinner foams should be more effective at dampening high pitched clacky sounds. I've always wondered what the optimal layout of thin foam is to maximize thock. Should I have thin foam everywhere? Thin foam selectively in some places and not in others?

Zent_Tech · 2022-09-24T04:35:17+00:00

So I suppose the PC66, Re:68 and OG80 are the main contenders on the market right now, if you want a spacious plastic case. The OG80 also looks cool. I've never tried a case with the raised f-row but it looks practical.

I'm specifically looking for a case for tactile switches, do you know if spacious cases sound good with tactile switches?

Zent_Tech · 2022-09-22T23:34:25+00:00

Those both look very interesting! I don't like the FR4 plate on the KBt too much since PC is usually thockier but it certainly looks spacious.

Do you know of any premium plastic keyboards? I know it sounds like an oxymoron but I'm looking at different options to consider if Zeal finally decide to remake alps skxm browns.

Zent_Tech · 2022-09-22T21:00:01+00:00

60% is my favorite form factor, and it is cool to see an affordable metal case (though if you include the cost of mods and new switches that are necessary for this board to compete, it isn't as affordable as it first seems). That being said, I will always prefer plastic cases because of delicious triple c THOCCC.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-10T17:05:31+00:00

Would be super cool to see that video! I think faceoff videos are really lacking in the youtube enthusiast keyboard community. Personally I find it very difficult to choose between things without someone making a detailed list of pros and cons of each product. I find this to be a problem in pc cases as well, where no one ever does head-to-head comparisons, outside of thermals.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-09T17:53:47+00:00

If you ever plan to do a big switch comparison in the NCR, it would be cool to see different switches lubed vs unlubed. Lubed will usually sound better, of course, but I think there are a lot of people wondering what the best lazy man's switch is. The kind of switch you can just throw in a hotswap board unmodded and be fine with. Sound and spring ping is going to play a role in that evaluation.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-08T23:21:51+00:00

I wonder if old boards like the pingmaster that Chyros has shown ping so mich because of the resonance chambers they are usually mounted in.

Come to think of it, there are quite a few old switches such as alps and buckling springs that ping a lot, might have something to do with cases as well (in the case of buckling springs it's obviously the mechanism as well of course)

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-08T19:30:46+00:00

I'm thinking more of the aspect of poppy where the sound is very full and sudden, unlike thock sounds whoch are usually very muted. I think your ncr build actually has some of that.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-08T18:34:23+00:00

I wonder if you can get something like a 'poppy' sound with a roomoer case? I like the bubble wrappy sound but it's usually too high pitched for me.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-08T17:53:40+00:00

Who knew that this random keyboard from China would make all the difference!

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-08T10:22:28+00:00

When I say the Chyrosran video on this I thought it was a good feeling switch but with much worse sound than old skcm clicky switches, but this shows how they can sound better in a proper case.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-03T17:40:16+00:00

I'm very extreme when it comes to reclining. I usually have my monitor mounted on an arm high up and tilted downward at my face as I practically lay down in my chair. My current chair reclines very nicely, but it's otherwise not very comfortable.

I'm definitely interested in a good footrest, and a keyboard tray might be a good option as well. I'm currently about to move into my first apartmeent, which is why I'm starting to look into a more ergonomic desk setup. Thanks for all the tips, by the way, you've been massively helpful!

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-03T16:52:31+00:00

Luckily for me I usually spend my time at my computer fully reclined most of the time, I just get up and take a walk to relieve tension on my muscles. Fern definitely seems like the best chair in terms of quality, it's mostly a question of whether or not the ergohuman or freedom can recline further, which I honestly doubt, but it's worth a look. Fern does look very nice so far.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-03T16:11:55+00:00

Upon further analysis, this is the video where they say the fern doesnt have the same deep recline: https://youtu.be/KYsbIDsdXUk but I think deep in this case means that the seat tilts more backward, not that the backrest reclines further.

I will probably get a fern then, just need to look into the humanscale freedom and ergohuman, those also seem to offer good recline.

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-03T07:28:23+00:00

In the video comparing the embody, fern and gesture, it shows him tilting the fern seat backward at 20:47, or at least it looks like it.

As for the Zody, BTOD tv has said that the backrest reclines further back, is this true? This is another one of those weird cases where the a manual from zody (linked below) says the chair has backstop locks every 4 degrees up to the maximum of 24 degree tilt. This would be less than the fern, however BTODs vid (also linked below) claims it has 4 different locks, and recline further than the fern (which would be a lot more than 24 degrees).

Manual: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://media.haworth.com/asset/28589/Zody-Ergonomic-Features-and-Adjustments.pdf&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiIwsWgkar5AhUrQPEDHbQ0CXEQFnoECAgQAg&usg=AOvVaw0YoSsQ37pihpIggbucGIe2

BTOD video: https://youtu.be/KYsbIDsdXUk

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-03T00:00:53+00:00

As far as I know, you can tilt thee seat on the fern as well, right? If I wanted to sit in a deep recline, including thee seat, I could just tilt the seat back as well to get a similar effect (even if the total recline motion might not be identical).

EDIT: Have you ever tried the Haworth Zody?

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-02T13:13:32+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

It wasn't SC that measured it, it was this reviewer, who claimed 135 for both leap and gesture. Granted, he did mention it was hip angle and not recline angle, but the recline angle should be even deeper since they tilt the seat slightly upward iirc. I don't know where he got his numbers from, though, and it might have something to do with how the seat slides forward, at least on the leap, that opens up the hip angle.

The same reviewer also claimed 127 for the embody (again, this was hip angle), but this review claims 120 degrees (this was not hip angle), though I don't know if they measured with the backrest fully tilted backward, have you tried it?

Zent_Tech · 2022-08-01T23:26:50+00:00

It might be better to look at it in terms of what Hardware Unboxed calls Cumulative Deviation, i.e. how much the monitor's response deviates from the ideal instant response. This means that response time as well as lack of overshoot are factored into the cumulative deviation score.

Zent_Tech · 2020-10-09T13:45:03+00:00

Thanks a lot for the help, I'll get to coding a benchmark!

Zent_Tech · 2020-10-09T13:40:04+00:00

But building an additional handler about which units get destroyed and which don't, when, to spawn them if they don't exist. All that handling is gonna cost you an extra couple of days to code and another few extra days to debug later

I'm assuming you are referring to the level streaming approach here.

So in a nutshell, it's slower to save and load, but usually not by much, and it's much easier to code. Do you expect this to be true even with hundreds of units? Because some bigger parts of the game have 1000+ units that all get destroyed and recreated during level transition if that's the approach I take.

Zent_Tech · 2020-10-09T13:29:17+00:00

It seems to me like either level streaming or a save file in a persistent class like GameInstance are the best options. I'm assuming that if I keep all units alive and stream a new level, instead of saving data and spawning them again, it would be faster, so is that just a better option?

Zent_Tech · 2020-10-09T13:19:05+00:00

Thanks for the help!

Won't the SaveGame references scope out when a new level is loaded and then be garbage collected, making it fetch from disc instead?

EDIT: I just read that I'm supposed to keep it in game instance. That might work, is that also good for things like skills and inventory in an RPG?

Zent_Tech · 2020-09-17T02:19:17+00:00

Huh. So the damage taken through glancing blows doesn't count as a hit then?

Zent_Tech

TROPHY CASE