Desoldering, Mill-Maxing, And Why You Might Want To Learn Both
Thanks to StoryboardTech’s fantastic article, you finally learned how to solder! Or at least, you’re committed to learning. So, what’s next? Well, if you’re brave enough, why not learn how to desolder as well? And when you feel confident with that, how about Mill-Max? You don’t necessarily have to know or learn how to solder before learning how to desolder or Mill-max, but in my opinion, getting comfortable with soldering is a great step towards learning how to do the other two, and if you know how to solder, you can practice desoldering and mill-maxing to your heart’s content since you’ll already have the tools from learning how to solder! Well, at least most of the tools. Let’s start off with the good ol’ disclaimer section first, however. Disclaimer These are my own opinions and my own thoughts, and if I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that we all do things in slightly different ways. Whether it be deadlifting, desoldering, Mill-Maxing or even baking...
Jan 13, 2025
Both are programmed with the same layout, so the small differences in how both are labelled don't really matter. Up until last week, I was using one as my daily driver on my Windows box - the other is still connected to my Mac mini, which I use daily but not as my primary computer. I have started using an ErgoDox as my daily driver.
Personally, I love the columnular layout of the TECK. I find I am significantly more accurate at touchtyping than on a staggered keyboard, including the number row. I love the compact size, but it has a decent heft due to the steel plate in it. I've used it regularly, both on a desk and on my lap, and both positions work really well for me. I do wish there was some tenting, so I wouldn't need to rotate my wrists to be completely horizontal, but for the most part, it's a minor gripe compared to rest of the benefits.
Note, this was not my first ergonomic keyboard, so I was already used to the angled layout, and was used to hitting backspace with my left thumb, and hitting enter with my right thumb.
Here's my current custom layout (Dvorak on the main, and Qwerty on the alt): https://www.trulyergonomic.com/store/layout-designer--configurator--reprogrammable--truly-ergonomic-mechanical-keyboard/#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