Datalux Spacesaver Restored

[Pumaeggs]

I found this 2006 datalux board in a trash pile at work back in June, but i could never get it working quite right. I kept it because i loved the shape and layout, and it is technically mechanical(cherry ML short throw). It just ended up in my box of dead boards. For some reason yesterday both my custom "vintage blacks Pok3r" and soarers converted terminal model M killed themselves. I had to go digging through the keeb graveyard to find something to fix while i wait on the new parts for both. While i was pawing through the box, i came across this little freak. after a bit of tinkering, i found a broken connection between a diode and the board and was able to just solder it back in place. Voila! no more "Your USB device is not recognized" error.

After a day or so of use, i have to say i'm really not loving the switches. Tactile switches are for atheists and centrists. Although they actually have a substantial amount of tactility unlike MX browns, these fuckers feel and sound very scratchy and dry, and the ridiculously short travel makes them feel like a dirty laptop keyboard. beyond this, they have a tendency to bind on off center keypresses, even on standard 1u keys. 3.5/10 would not recommend.

The keycaps are pretty meh, thin plastic (Might be PLA, i dont see any signs of yellowing) and they're a tiny bit smaller than standard caps. they're flat profile caps but the backplate is sculpted. The alphanumeric cluster is either dye sublimed or laser printed, they're fairly sharp and don't seem to show signs of weathering. The rest of the keys are a mixed bag, some dye sublimed, some pad printed, and in the case of the numpad, some are both.

The layout is where this keyboard gets really interesting. The first thing that you notice is the sculpt. The fairly dramatic swoosh gives this thing a pretty sexy and unique look. i'm not sure i love the function cluster/nav cluster/ numpad all being shoved above the alphanumeric, mostly because it makes using the arrow keys a bit of a chore and the numpad is less useful. It does allow for a really ridiculously tiny horizontal footprint though, and it's not exactly hard on the eyes. This keyboard has a tall ass enter key in an unconventional sense, protruding about double the height of the other caps. I legitimately have no idea why they did this, as it doesn't make typing any easier. My main issue with the layout is the unnecessary shuffling of a lot of the keys. The caps lock and ctrl key are switched, the 1 key is two units wide, and the escape key is shoved into the function cluster. That's not even close to everything this board has mixed up, it's just the stuff that has become problematic for me in my day of use.

Overall, it's a really neat looking board with decent build quality, but it's fatiguing to type on and complicated to use. i'll probably keep it just because it looks so damn cool. i wish there was more documentation about it, i searched chyros' archives and didnt find anything on it, so chyros, if you see this and want to check it out in a vid i can send it your way. 4/10 board, 9/10 looks.

[mcmaxmcmc]

LMAO, IT'S SO TALL

[kokokoy]

Man, one of the best accent keys I've seen. Love that Enter key.