I ended up cancelling my Moonlander order as I think it’s just going to be a bit too bulky for me.
I think the Planck and the Preonic (or Subatomic - whenever it surfaces!) are going to be much better for me, here’s my pros and cons of each - have I missed anything? What are your thoughts?
Planck
40% Keyboard (4 x 12)
Aesthetically pleasing
Very ‘cool’/futuristic looking
OLKB Planck vs Planck EZ
OLKB Planck is available from Drop and the Planck EZ is available from ZSA, they have some differences:
OLKB Planck (from Drop)
More case choice (other cases also available, or order with none)
More switch options (sold without so order your own)
More keycap options (order without then buy your own)
@AstonJ these are all great options! I really appreciate a smaller board as well. I love my Keyboardio Atreus which is tiny.
By the way if you want another option to consider, the Keyboardio Atreus is on sale right now. It says through Nov 30th, but as of posting it’s still marked down.
I’m partial to the Planck EZ myself because of my experience with ZSA’s Moonlander. I’ve even been considering purchasing one (I may have a keyboard problem ). Using Oryx has been great! However, if you prefer some of the physical features of the other boards there are other tools out there so that you don’t always have to edit the QMK firmware directly ( online configurator, QMK Toolbox).
And of course if you prefer to dig into the firmware you can still do so with Planck EZ.
Ah nice one Law - that’s a great price on the Atreus! Thanks also for the additional info about the other configurator tools.
I am leaning towards to the Planck, as I think I would prefer the Subatomic over the Preonic and am guessing the Subatomic will be my second MK - I think I may be getting into a bit of a MKB problem too!
I am also leaning towards the Planck EZ as it’s slightly lower and has RBG lights which I think may help with the transition.
I have also seen the keycaps I want - they are due for a group-buy this week but won’t be delivered until October next year!!! They’re also going to be over $200!!! ($110 core kit $50 forties kit and $45 geometries kit- then there’s postage and tax), That’s really insane!! But I think they will look stunning. I will post a separate thread about them
Are you going to order the Planck EZ soon? Have you thought about getting the version from Drop? Any thoughts on how they compare? (Is the Drop version really that much taller?)
White, RGB (Glow) with MX Browns (think I’ll prefer tactile switches on this keyboard).
I went for the EZ as I think the RGB lighting will help me get used to the layers (as I’ll set it to illuminate whichever keys are active on each layer). Once I’m used it, I would love to get either the Serika (v1) keycaps:
These are hot off the press if you’re interested - currently available to pre-order via a group buy…
I wish the Serika 2 offered a Colevrak kit as well (even better if they brought back the MT3 Serika which is my absolute fave - it’s the one I posted here).
I like the keycaps that come with the Planck EZ, but I might be tempted to change them one day. I went for the Glow version, and I like how the letters light up with the RGB LEDs underneath
Yeah they are pretty cool, and I think (hope) they should be really helpful while getting used to all the different layers.
Just don’t look at keyboard videos or photos or customised keyboards… it’s surprising how it sucks you in!
Although I must admit it’s not just about looks, different keycaps have different feel (to touch) and sound too. This is why I am tempted to get that GMK set as well so I can compare for myself then just sell the one I don’t want - that seems to be one good thing about such keycaps, you can usually sell them as they are often sold in restricted numbers.
Let me know when you get an email saying yours is in transit! Wonder who will get it first…
I already started playing with the Oryx configurator. The mouse control actions could be useful, and I just discovered the Auto Shift feature, which I can’t wait to try. There’s a lot you can do with that little keyboard!
Nah, I’ll stick to qwerty. I’m quite comfortable with it, and I see no reason to change.
I’d definitely make one change in the layout though: swap the Enter key with the quotes key. I’m used to the Enter key being right underneath Backspace
Looks neat, I’d use the top row for medal controls (audio controls, display brightness etc). Not sure what I’d use the two middle rows for - I need to look into what can be done with those dials!
Well, a rotary encoder twists clockwise and counter clockwise. It lends itself to actions that you’d otherwise need to repeatedly press a button for, and to actions that have both a forward and a reverse direction. For example:
Audio control, to turn the volume up or down;
Scrolling, to scroll up or down a page or document with Page Up and Page Down;
Tabbing, to go to the previous or next browser tab with for example Control Tab and Control Shift Tab;
Window movement, to go to the previous or next window with Alt Tab and Alt Shift Tab;
History scrubbing, to perform undo and redo;
Scrolling horizontally by word, with Control Arrow Left and Control Arrow Right (if you hold down shift while turning the encoder, you can select words too!);
Scrolling through search results, with Find Next and Find Previous when you map the encoder actions to your text editor’s shortcuts.
Of course, you can program them to do anything. I’ve seen people program common text snippets so you can enter text with the simple turn of the encoder.
Seriously tho, Dusty’s article (posted here) is worth a read, here’s an excerpt:
So here we are, on a layout that—no matter how you look at it—was not designed for the modern computer typist. Should we try to fix it? What would be some possible advantages? Here is a partial list:
typing speed
avoiding repetitive strain (RSI)
ergonomics
typing comfort and enjoyment
efficient processes feel better than inefficient ones, even when the end result is the same—they improve our emotional well-being and quality of life
Haha… I’m sure your customisations won’t stop there
Thanks Smithy!
I quite like the look of where one is place in the keyboard in this post. I wonder if PlanckEZ’s can make use of them actually…
I have both the Preonic and the Planck. Between the 2, I prefer the Preonic mostly because I didn’t want to access my numbers with a layer (that was just personal preference). I bought the Preonic with a polycarbonate case which was not available with the Planck. I would recommend a super quiet switch like Bobas U4s due to how load the plank case is: https://www.rgbkb.net/products/rgb-silent-tactile-switch
I’m more partial to split boards since I find them far more comfortable, so neither one of my one piece boards will be my daily drivers.
I almost went for the Preonic, but to use the top row for media controls (think I would prefer the numbers on a layer in traditional num-pad form) however I went for the Planck in the end as I got the feeling that having that additional row might get in the way of touch typing because by not having it you are forced to use just those 3 / 4 rows.
I also get the feeling that the Preonic may soon be replaced by the Subatomic, as Drop only has a few different case options now (not sure if that’s a good indication or not tho!).
Which keycaps have you got on these keyboards Lee? I will take a look at those switches too
I ended up putting on some caps that I use while I wait for group buys of custom caps to be delivered. I have VileBloom on my Preonic and just some random G20 keycaps on my Planck that I got off http://pimpmykeyboard.com.
Neither are one of my favorite profile, I just have them because they were accessible while I wait for group buys.
). Using Oryx has been great! However, if you prefer some of the physical features of the other boards there are other tools out there so that you don’t always have to edit the QMK firmware directly ( 
They’re also going to be over $200!!! ($110 core kit $50 forties kit and $45 geometries kit- then there’s postage and tax), That’s really insane!! But I think they will look stunning. I will post 
.
).
