What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
TL;DR for those who don't want to read my ramblings: The case and PCB are amazing, the stabilizers are garbage on my GMK sets (fine on the included PBT set). The caps are probably good if you like PBT but I don't have a lot of reference points, but are not without their own flaws. Firmware is great. Overall a fantastic experience.
Since this is now a pretty much useless post, I'll use it to post my thoughts on the board.
Hardware - The Good: The case is sturdy, the plate is beefy and feels great to type on, and the PCB is exquisite to work with. The keycaps are good for PBT and provide a nice soft *thud* noise when bottoming out. If you're into that, I'm sure you'll like these a great deal. The feet that are included all grip my desk wonderfully and I assume they'd do so on most other surfaces.
The Bad: There are a few pads that are easy to short if you're not careful, namely on the bottom right of the board (the Ctrl key is the one that comes to mind). The included feet prop the keyboard up at an angle that I personally find rather uncomfortable to type on. The lip on the case that goes around the perimeter will be rather polarizing, I think. I personally don't care for it, but I'm sure some will love it. The included stabilizers don't grip my GMK caps at all so my left "Shift" and "Enter" keys are constantly sliding off the Costar stems (or whatever they're called). The "Backspace" stabilizer is also sticky, so my switches aren't returning to its neutral location (stops just short of any other keys). (Edit: fixed the stickiness by turning the wire upside down so it goes around the top of the switch.) I have yet to test them with the included caps, but I'll update after I do. Edit: The PBT caps hold the stabilizers really well. Maybe it's a tolerance thing? I really don't know. Maybe I've been spoiled by all the Cherry stabs I've harvested from Pok3rs, but these Costars are a huge let-down.
The keycaps are a rather odd topic here. The keys look more narrow on the top (compared to GMK/JTK) because of the small centered legends (even though they're not) and there a couple of caps that look like they have a thicker font than the rest. The keys that come to mind are "Delete," "Backspace," "6," "B," and the 1.25u "Control" keys. Upon closer inspection, I think the fonts are the same size, but they definitely look different at a glance. The off-center "U" is going to get fixed, so I won't complain about that. There's also a bit of light bleed, but that's to be expected with any white caps, so it's not really a problem. If you're like me and you're really into GMK and JTK (thick, Cherry, ABS), these probably weren't worth the extra money and/or the wait. I'll probably sell my set if anyone's interested.
The Firmware - The Good: Pretty much everything. Once you get used to the Input Club configurator and follow the flashing instructions, the entire process is painless and fast. You can even bind a flash button to one of your function layers so you never have to poke the button through the hole in the case again!
The Bad: I feel like the LED control is a little too inaccurate for my tastes due to the way it works, but at this point I'm pretty much just nitpicking.
Edit 2: Link to images here: http://imgur.com/a/K6MCt Sorry for the cruddy quality, I probably could have done better if I'd taken my time, but I was a bit too excited.