Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

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Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby ttommy » Sat Oct 04, 2014 5:45 am

File all this under the "I didn't know I needed it" category. My last gig was the most challenging of my 25 year IT career. As the last line of defense in a "big data" financial services organization I supported several clusters of massively parallel processing databases. The problem was that the organization operated 24x7 with rolling offshore shifts and impossibly aggressive delivery timetables that I put in 12-hour days routinely, 7 days a week. Christmas eve, New Year's eve, Pubby's 3rd birthday party, I was working. Even as Typhoon Yolanda was battering the Philippines, I consoled myself that, at least, I was busy enough to get distracted that I couldn't worry about family. In short, it was hell :cry:

Among the variety of physical ailments one suffers at having to be woken for numerous wee hour emergencies, the inordinate amount of typing caused RSI (repetitive strain injuries) that I had to re-evaluate how I worked. My computer keyboard was the first interface that got upgraded. We've all seen various ergonomic keyboards but I ended up with the "split hand" Ergodox sporting Cherry MX blues. Now, I'm guessing several of us had used mechanical and electric typewriters or the early IBM PCs, which we had at our school lab decades ago, and I remember the tactile feedback provided by their "buckling spring" as the most satisfying for writing and coding. Since the late '80s though, I'd used mostly "rubber dome" keyboards and/or chiclets, as is the case in most notebooks nowadays. For casual typing, these keyboards are usable... but given the amount of typing, mechanical keyboards gave me both relief and pleasure that, as mentioned above, "I didn't know I needed it" :roll:

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The Ergodox is unusual not only because it has completely separate left- and right-hand pieces but also because the keys are arranged in "ortholinear" or "matrix"- rather than the usual "staggered" design. Here's a study that shows the benefit of matrix styled layouts. Suffice to say that my fingers are definitely more relaxed using the Ergodox as they traverse rows up/down more "naturally." Another argument for the Ergodox is that our thumbs are our strongest fingers yet in typical keyboards they're relegated to the "dumbest" function, i.e. the spacebar. Hence, the thumb-controlled key clusters of this keyboard where each and every key is programmable via Teensy (mini Arduino) mounted on the PCB. Most of us probably use the QWERTY layout for computing but with the Ergodox, it's also easy to reprogram alternative layouts, e.g. Dvorak or Colemak. In my case, I have a modified QWERTY where among other changes, the symmetrical symbols { }, [ ], ( ) are configured on opposing sides of the thumb clusters.

"Tented" and paired with the Kensington Expert Trackball mouse, above, this was a very relaxed keyboard platform. The downside is that one has to unlearn the muscle memory of a staggered layout and, especially if you're a touch typist, your fingers would end up picking the wrong keys as our typing is used to the hitting keys in mostly diagonal, sometimes contorted positions. In other words, while my fingers felt very little stress, I was also typing more slowly which, in turn, didn't translate well during work emergencies :oops: So I ended up reverting to the regular keyboard of my Lenovo E431 which wasn't too bad (and is my favorite among notebooks I've tried). Speaking of this Lenovo, it's a quad-core i7 with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD loaded with Centos 6.5 running either KVM hypervisor, VMware or Virtualbox, not to mention a 7 segment Greenplum array on 8 virtual cores. I'm not a gamer so I don't need fancy graphics but for my professional needs, this is a relatively balanced setup.

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Click the image above to learn more about Cherry MX mechanical switches. The three places to learn about mechanical keyboards are: geekhack, deskthority and reddit.

Eventually, I ended up with another mechanical keyboard, a KBC Poker II with Cherry MX Reds. This is a called a 60% "compact" keyboard as opposed to a "ten-keyless" (TKL) and common ANSI-or-ISO 10x keyboard layouts. Among keyboard afficionados, the old IBM Model M buckling spring is considered the best but size-wise, they're too large for my needs and their SSK (space saving keyboards) versions are ridiculously priced! The other king of the hill is the "Happy Hacking Keyboard" Pro 2 and uses a different switch (Topre instead of Cherry) and is also prohibitively priced.

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Then again, I didn't expect becoming a huge fan of the Poker II that I ended up upgrading the case to an aluminum Vortex via Massdrop and blank PBT keycaps. I've also signed up for the Miniguru and Planck builds, which my wife will only discover after she reads this :roll: (Yeah, this hobby could be a "sickness" too, especially for the younger generation gamers who drop a lot of coin to collect click clacks, brobots, and various types of keycaps :lol:)

After getting all fixed up for better typing, the next thing I had to rehabilitate was my back. Working extended hours while sitting caused back pains, not to mention compression of internal organs. A quick google yields numerous articles on the subject but somewhere along the line, we opted for a standing desk. This sounds like one of those lifestyle health fads but, at least for me, I've gotten used to standing numerous hours working on the computer. I find my posture has improved and back pain's all gone! Living in our small apartment, space is at a premium so we opted for a Jarvis motorized base fitted with an Ikea tabletop.

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If you try working standing up, the first thing you'll complain about is the pressure exerted on your heels. Professionals in the hospitality and food industries know the way to deal with this is using a "standing mat" which provides enough cushion and makes prolonged standing comfortable! On my side of the table below, I use a CumulusPro standing mat, whereas Y opted for a "hacked" Confidence treadmill which is another one of those things that can transform sedentary patterns into active ones. Overall dimensions of the table is 78" wide by 24" deep. Pardon the messy cables below the table, that's gonna get managed via hidden raceway and powerstrip.

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Standing desk in action below. Who me, living healthy? I'm innit for the gear mon! :lol; Seriously, in my work I often get the privilege to work from home but job demands can turn that into a disadvantage as clients know I'm available all the time. Nowadays, I feel better equipped in a healthier workstation but for the past weeks and a few more until my next gig, I've been taking the family out to just enjoy smelling the roses.



Thanks for reading!
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Re: Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby rtsyrtsy » Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:01 am

I was at Datablitz and toyed with the mechanical keyboards they had on offer (for gamers). The feel reminded me of those old IBM keyboards where I learned Basic and Pascal. I was already thinking of researching which of the available keyboards I should get when I read your post.

Looks like another sleepless week obsessing after a "decent" keyboard that I didn't need, being pretty happy and proficient with the keyboards from Apple.

But, what is life without new discoveries? :lol:
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Re: Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby ttommy » Tue Oct 07, 2014 12:55 pm

It may feel overwhelming doing research for the right mechanical keyboard and, imo, videos like these don't help--



as there's just too many choices! Instead, I suggest either of these links:

An Introduction to Cherry MX switches
Mechanical Keyboard Wiki

Or to summarize, the most popular type of switch is Cherry MX and the color of the switch determines the following parameters:

Clicky: key makes a "click" sound when actuated.
Tactile: a tactile bump is felt when key is actuated.
Actuation force: the force needed to register a "press."

If you're a gamer, you probably would prefer a non-clicky, non-tactile switch like the Red or Black. I'm not a gamer but I'm trying to reduce my typing force (as I used to be a key "banger") so am happy with Reds. If you like to relive the feel of old IBM PC keyboards, then Blue is a good choice as it's both clicky and tactile. Honestly, I think that initially one may not be able to determine the differences between these switches as it's possible to be a forceful typist on a linear switch like the Red and mistake the "bottoming out" for the clicky sound. So perhaps, the starting point would be to determine whether your needs include the use of the numeric keypad or whether a tenkeyless like the Code keyboard below meets your needs:

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Regardless, anyone that types frequently and/or is a touch typist really owe it to themselves to try a mechanical keyboard. In sensory terms, it's the difference between listening to a low bitrate MP3 and DSD :devil: Okay, maybe that's overselling it a bit, hehe, but you get the point.
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Re: Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby rtsyrtsy » Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:33 pm

I went scouting for locally available mechanical keyboards after work today.

Data blitz had the most selection and the only one with DasKeyboard. Circa pho7k for cherry mx blue. A number of stores had Razers. No one had ergonomic keyboards, not even non mechanical ones.

Also looked for a mouse. Darn, mice are made darn tiny these days.

The search goes on...
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Re: Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby ttommy » Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:01 am

I'm sure you know Das Keyboard makes a model for the Mac, Russ, and here's a good review showing the difference between the clicky sounds of Cherry Blues vs Browns (starting at around 2:25 below):



In terms of tactile feel there are differences but any mechanical is better than non-mech for me. If you're looking for a mechanical ergonomic, however, there are fewer choices. The TEK (Truly Ergonomic Keyboard), for example, uses a columnar, non-staggered layout and, like the Ergodox, shall have a learning curve.

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Like the TEK, the Kinesis Advantage is another popular choice, this one offers a curved layout that reduces finger travel--

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Kinesis also offers a split keyboard called the Freestyle2 but unfortunately this one uses rubber dome keys. Although I haven't tried either the TEK or Kinesis Advantage, they would be good options if you're willing to go "all the way" and learn the columnar/matrix layout... otherwise, if you'd like to be productive and retain your typing speed, then a regular staggered DasKeyboard would do the trick.

Regards!
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Re: Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby rtsyrtsy » Wed Oct 15, 2014 5:28 pm

Update...

I ended up with a Daskeyboard Professional with Cherry MX-Blue keys. I seem to remember the old IBM mechanicals to require more force to press but I'm liking what I am feeling / hearing. This is for my office set-up.

I also got a Razer Mamba. I like how they let my hand palm a C-cup instead of the A-cup most mice are made in these days.

The gamers in my office are drooling over my input peripherals. So imagine their disappointment when I tell them I do not play games on my PC.

As for my Mac, the jury is till out whether I want to go mechanical. Give me a couple of months using mechanical for my office PC.

Daskeyboard reseller does not carry the models for Mac.

What do you think of the Matias Ergo Pro? Double the price of the Kinesis.
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Re: Mechanical Keyboards and "Healthy" Workstations

Postby ttommy » Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:03 pm

Wow, congratulations! Excellent combo, I'm not familiar with the Razer Mamba, but can imagine your officemates cupping this baby after you leave :lol:



The Matias Ergo Pro looks great, I haven't tried any Alps-type switch but don't think the feel shall be significantly different vs a Cherry.

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I especially like it's compactness and the staggered layout makes for an easy learning curve. The first keyboard in the video below uses a Matias Quiet Click Pro followed by a keyboard with Cherry MX Red. The sounds in the video are mic'd close so it's a little exaggerated but it looks like the Matias is significantly quieter than the Cherry.



At around 3:20, there are quick comparisons between Matias, Cherry, Black, Brown and finally Red. To better distinguish their sound signature listen for the higher frequencies from each keyboard, although the three Cherries Black, Brown and Red are non-clicky. Your Das with Blues would have more emphasis on the higher frequencies.
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