After using the custom Ducky for a while now here is what I would do. Nai_Calus was on the right track but I'm keeping the home row the same switch type. Brown is too soft for space that's for sure but Grey seems a little too heavy so I went with clears. I put a blue on the caps lock just so I can hear a difference as I wan't to know if it's depressed. I don't use my pinky on the top row is it's too short so I switched it back to clears and over all simplified it just a bit.
Why don't we also come up with a few creative ideas as far as the key caps and even the case as well (nothing too insane)? Why stop at just customizing the switches?
I'd would much rather have tactile feedback on the Numpad. I can agree with red/blacks on the modifiers and especially the arrow keys. MAYBE the numbers. But I like my numpad to be just as tactile as my letters. I use them WAY too much when I have a board with a 10key.
I think that the Clear Brown Grey is the best choice so far. I really want to get a Cherry MX Clear keyboard, coming from Browns, and my particular taste is in the Duckys. They have unparalleled build quality even for their low end lines and they get so creative with lighting and switches like the 78 and the 69 editions. The reason why, is that Ducky needs to have more MX Clear keyboards, or at least a hybrid one like the Clear Brown Grey for typists who occasionally like to game. Gamers would agree that tactile non-clicky keyboards are just as good as the clicky ones. The 69 edition already fulfilled the need for MX Greens, why not an MX Clear dominant board? I'd rename the Clear Brown Grey, the "Tactile Ninja" since all of the keys on it are non-clicky and have tactile feedback.
Nai_Calus, I also think your's might be a lot better than the Clear Brown Grey, and a lot more well thought out. Therefore, your layout gets a vote from me :). But I think you forgot to add the media keys?
I totally did. XD I'd probably put more greens up there, right now there's only two and you don't type on those keys anyway so a higher actuation force won't make much difference.
I would probably get rid of all the linear switches and replace them with tactile switches of equal weighting at the very least. I haven't been using mechanical keyboards that long, but honestly, nothing beats that tactile feedback. Anything to emulate the feeling of a Model M ^_^. Without the insanely beefy switch depressions that is haha.
So many of these have heavy switches on modifiers and light switches on the alphanumerics. *cringe*
This is what I'd do:
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/layouts/c90f936b8541f5c693c82ba3c239b3df
- Continuity of switch types: Each section of the board sticks with one kind of switch. Main is tactile for a compromise between typing feels and gaming; mid section is linears for those in need of smoothness for arrow keys and since those keys rarely need any kind of tactile feedback; numberpad is click switches since it's generally used mostly for data entry that needs to be accurate and the click feedback helps make sure you actually hit that key and didn't just glance off of it.
- Sane weighting: There's a reason for all those browns. All those keys are hit by your weak, overloaded pinky fingers. Stronger clears on the midsection and function keys likely to be hit by your much stronger inner fingers. Windows keys are clears to make them slightly harder to accidentally press. Super-heavy switches are saved for thumb and keys where you have to move your whole hand to reach them. Same thing with the numpad; green is on rarely used numlock and enter; whites on operators, light blues on the ones you'll be hitting the most.
I think this is a nice compromise for a multi-switch type board; giving some consideration to ergonomics and grouping similar keys together for non-jarring feel. Ctrl+alt+delete and alt codes are going to be the most common times you're using different switch types, and those don't come up that much and aren't done with the same hand.
Yeah, variety is good. :)
Mmm, yeah, there's always a learning curve with something new. It took me about a week before I got used to using the buttons on my Naga 2014 instead of the corresponding keys. Hmm, I have big hands, so it might end up being workable.
Matteo made a kind of Frankenstein's monster based on the suggestions of people in the forum. You can check out the links to get some back story on it's conception.
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