NovaTouch TKL Community Tour

[wlhlm]

Maybe it'll work when you solder a LED in...

Not that I'm going to try it with the loaner board

[chzel]

It'll work alright!, Mu did it IIRC!

[Muirium]

I did. But also needs this fiddly wee resistor, as they are missing too:


http://deskthority.net/post192606.html#p192606

That's the tricky part. Urgh.

[Mal-2]

I am looking forward to getting my fingers on one of these if the North American tour ever kicks off. Lights are nice but not essential, especially since I'd have a second, vertically oriented keyboard that does have status lights to provide three rows of macro keys.

[Bramster]

Day 1 - First impressions
A huge package from Coolermaster arrived today
.....

Good to see that it arrived! Enjoy it!

Nice impressions and pictures also, good one!

Prototypes had LED lock lights. Final version… just left 'em out. Daft, eh?

I think CM didn't like the transparent legend caps they were using, but We Don't Care About the Stock Caps!

And indeed yes Mui, that was indeed the case

[Bramster]

Oh and before I forget; Do I spot a CM Storm TactiX mousepad there on your first picture wlhlm ?

[wlhlm]

Haha, exactly. Good catch!

[Bramster]

Haha, exactly. Good catch!

[wlhlm]

Day 2 - Becoming familiar
I've decided to give the Novatouch new cloths. That means pulling the stock keycaps off using the included keypuller.

(Novatouch left, Poker II right)

I'm glad it's a wire keypuller. That makes it a lot harder to accidentally damage a cap. Pulling the caps off is a breeze, They sit secure, but not too tightly as on MX Clears for example. I really like how they've implemented the stabilizers. The stabilizer doesn't connect directly with the cap, but rather just pushes against the stem, which make removing the stabilized keys really easy, better than on a Cherry board.


Time to put the new caps on the board. Nice thing you'll notice is that it comes in a layout supported by virtually all custom keycap sets (6.25u spacebar, 1.25u mods on the bottom row). I've chosen Cherry thick ABS doubleshots (White on Black) from a 1800, which funny enough are not 100% compatible with this keyboard...


What does typing on it feel like, you might ask. - It actually makes a noticeable difference. The upstroke clack is dampened (but not completely ), and the keys feel more solid to type on.

So you, really want to put new keycaps on this board, a thing to consider especially when deciding between the Novatouch and a Realforce since the latter comes with high quality keycaps out of the box.

Another thing I'd like to mention are the media keys that are on the Novatouch (and invoked with Fn).They work flawlessly and another point for the Coolermaster board compared to the Realforce. Now, I'm using a Linux desktop and therefor can define my hotkeys with complete freedom and so it doesn't matter that much that I have the dedicated controls, but it's nice on Windows. I'm not sure about the Mac OS X compatibility.

I briefly played around with the repeat rate change buttons (Fn+{F2-F4}), which are meant for gaming I guess, but I don't really have a use for them. They are a complete no-go for typing at least.

That's it for today.

Next time I'll take a look at the O-rings and PBT keycaps.

[Muirium]

The NovaTouch works nicely on a Mac. The media keys are a step above the complete no show on the Realforce.

[wlhlm]

Yeah, definitely.

Nice that it works on Mac as well!

[Bramster]

nice second day review/impressions wlhlm !!

[wlhlm]

Day 3 - Experimenting
The first thing I did today was to try out the included O-rings and see what they are all about. I've never had them on a Cherry board before, so I was curious.


I installed the rings on the QWERTY row keys and at first I thought I put them on the wrong way since I barely noticed any change. Maybe they are too thin? I'm not sure. They dampen the noise a little bit, but it doesn't make a huge difference.

Maybe I'm not an O-ring type of-guy...

Second and last I changed the keycaps again. This time with blank thick PBT. While swapping I noticed that the case cut-outs around the key clusters are relatively close to the keycaps. I had some trouble pulling the Esc-, F-, and Arrow-keys using the included puller for example. The wire barely fits between the case and the keycap.

(I really liked the shot at first, but didn't notice the damn O-ring bag until it was too late )

Unfortunately, the universal spacebar from Ivan's keyset does not fit the Novatouch. The additional stems are in the way of the stabilizer barrels.


That's it. Enjoying the Topre life

[SL89]

O-rings wouldn't do anything in this case because of the shape of the slider.

It looks very sleep with the PBT caps btw. I enjoy this detailed review.

[wlhlm]

Also, important message:
Hop aboard the Novatouch America Train!

We need you!

sam.jpg (55.21 KiB) Viewed 12777 times

[wlhlm]

O-rings wouldn't do anything in this case because of the shape of the slider.

It looks very sleep with the PBT caps btw. I enjoy this detailed review.

Glad you like it.

I was thinking the same at first, but the O-rings do shorten the key travel (but only be a small amount). The cap stem plus the ring seem to be wider than the slider.

[Touch_It]

USA USA. Ill sign up.

Grand Island Nebraska

[Mal-2]

USA USA. Ill sign up.

Might I recommend that for North America, we provide the nearest major city to make it easier for Bram to put the list in some sort of logical order?

Mine would be Los Angeles, but I'm also not terribly far from northern Orange County (so, Anaheim).

[Redmaus]

Dallas?

[Bramster]

Ive added the US locations to the list guys!


@wlhlm, good to see the in depth look at it! I enjoy reading it !

[wlhlm]

Day 6 - Conclusion
The Novatouch is on its way to jou - Time for a conclusion I guess...

My final setup:

Very plain, but I like it

On its own, the Novatouch is a nice keyboard, but it has strong adversaries from the Realforce camp. I'm glad I could compare the two keyboards. I also hope we'll see a second revision of the Novatouch, which works out some of the little kinks. Let's get more precise:

What I like:

• Availability: It is the most easily available Topre keyboard for me.The Realforce boards I have to import from the US, Great Britain, or Japan, which is quite a hassle and costs me a lot of taxes and/or shipping.
• Pricing: Very affordable compared to other Topre boards. Available for 140EUR shipped at the point of writing. Keep in mind that this vanishes slightly when talking about additional costs that can occur, but more on that later.
• Packaging: The Novatouch is nicely packaged in thick foam and some goodies are included. You get a bag of O-rings (which seem to be too thin in my experience, but at least it's something), and a wire keycap puller (comfortable to use).
• Plain case design: The case really has no fuss about it, clean and simple, with a CM Storm logo on the back and a relatively slim bezel around the key clusters. I'm glad about this one, looking at the other gaming-oriented keyboards Coolermaster has released. No, the Novatouch is meant for a more serious user, who appreciates the good feeling cup rubber. Don't get me wrong, Topre switches are well suited for gaming, but those who are willing to pay the premium are in for a more classy look (or want to go all crazy on the keycaps ), the Novatouch fits this very well.
• Standard layout: Normal TKL layout with a normal bottom row, compatible with most of the custom keysets. Definitely a plus over the Realforce keyboards.
• Media keys: Usable via Fn-combinations. Nice addition and a feature lacking from the Realforce keyboards, that come with a numpad instead, which however is weird to type on since it had to be integrated into the staggered layout. Still neat to have access to numpad codes for games for example. Also, I'm not that dependent on the dedicated media keys, since my Linux desktop allows me to assign any key combinations for these controls easily. Still, a good addition Coolermaster.
• Cherry MX compatible cap mounts: The major selling point of the Novatouch. Gives access to many beautiful keycap sets and lets you customize the board to your heart's content. No need to hunt one of those over-prized Topre sets on Ebay, which are no longer produced BTW. The newly designed purple sliders work well. Putting on new caps requires slightly less force than on MX switches, but the sliders still hold everything securely. The stabilisers also work very well. I had some trouble with universal spacebars though.

What I have mixed feelings about:

• Cable: The cable is detachable, which is good for transportation and for customization. The plug is Micro-USB. I personally prefer Mini-USB even though the Micro-USB plug should be more durable according to spec. It also requires me to get new cables if I want to fit them to my keycaps, but that's very minor . The included cable has nice soft sleeving, but comes with an angled connector, leaving a weird loop on the desk when I want to route the cable to the back or to the right. Not sure what Coolermaster thought with that.
• Case surface: Fortunately, the Novatouch doesn't have the rubber coating like the Quickfire Rapid, but the plastic feels like it has some coating. This also is susceptive to fingerprints which can make the keyboard look gross over time. I prefer the Realforce' surface finish.
  
• Typing experience: I really like typing on Topre and the Novatouch definitely feels like it. Even a tiny bit snappier than the Realforce. The sound is a bummer though. The sliders make an audible clack when snapping back into the resting position, which makes the keyboard louder and also takes away some of the deep sounding thock I've come to love on my Realforce keyboard. Some say a silencing mod helps to improve the situation, but I wasn't able to test that since I only had a loaner board. Not sure how much this is a problem with the construction itself rather than the sliders. In terms of the weighting, I only tried 45g Topre up to this point. I can't say if I prefer 55g, but in that case it would be a small set back for the Novatouch since it's only available with 45g weightings.
• Rubberized feet: The Novatouch has rubber on the keyboard feet, but in practice, the rubber doesn't seem to make a difference as the keyboard is still a bit slippy on my desk.

What I dislike:

• Included keycaps: Very flimsy with inconsistently aligned legends in a weird font. It looks like the keys were designed in the last hour before the final Novatouch design had to ship. Who cares about the stock keycaps, it's Cherry compatible!, you might say. Sure, but why not give me the option get the keyboard without caps like WASD? I'm happy to save a buck. It also contributes to the final price. The 140EUR I told you earlier? Now I have to add the price for a good keycap set on top as well. Let's say a Black on Black set like on a Realforce board. 70 bucks you say, doesn't that put us near the 200EUR mark? You see, the gap to a Realforce TKL, which comes with really nice keycaps out of the box shrinks and shrinks. It's barely there now.
• No cable canals: The USB plug sits directly on the back. I prefer to have my cable routed out of the keyboard the way I want it. This also reliefs the cable from additional stress. A point for the Realforce.
• Missing Lock indicator: A real bummer since it seems like everything is already in place, You just have to solder an LED in the right position. I don't use CapsLock myself, but I use the indicator nonetheless since it's controllable from the operating system.

All in all, here is what it comes down to:
The Novatouch is a solid keyboard. Definitely worthy for Topre, but I'd like to see some improvements in future revisions. I really want to see a Lock indicator, revised keycaps, a better surface finish on the casing and a noise reduction for typing. While the Novatouch is nice, I have to give an edge to the Realforce here. I prefer its flatter case with a nice surface, rounded corners, and the beautiful logo on the front. Typing also is nice due to the deeper Topre thock. I'm also a fan of the included Realforce keycaps and don't mind the limited customization options.

That's it.

Pictures I took during the week

Thanks to Coolermaster (especially Bram) and Deskthority for this opportunity.

[Bramster]

You are more then welcome wlhlm, hope you enjoyed it ?! Good to see the NovaTouch TKL is on its way to the next person on the list!

[jou]

The NovaTouch arrived and I'm typing on it right now. Looks very nice on my desk:

IMG_0004.jpg (227.24 KiB) Viewed 12627 times

(I will take my camera to work tomorrow to make better pictures)

It's my first time typing on a Topre switch and I have to say that I liked it from the first keypress. Tactility is very crisp, I think comparable to a Model F, but without the noise. But it's still louder that I expected though. The downstroke has a very nice and subtle thock but the upstroke, especially when I pick up speed, makes a very noticeable clack. Combined with the rattle of the caps, it diminishes the otherwise very good typing experience a bit.

[Bramster]

Very nice Jou

[Boopie]

Hello there from Southern California, I will definitely sign up and seeing as there is another individual interested in the Los Angeles area, I hope this garners more of a chance

I have my hopes in more widespread discussion of this board and topre key switches in general. All in the eternal search for the keyboard(s) we all crave.

[jou]

The stock keycaps, as many noted are not particularly great. So I took it home to strip it naked

20150611-DSC01209.jpg (783.09 KiB) Viewed 12566 times

and put on a set of Cherry doubleshots on it

20150611-DSC01215.jpg (681.23 KiB) Viewed 12566 times

Don't have a matching set of modifiers and space bar yet, so caps lock is DCS and the bottom row is from the G80-3422LAMIT I got from acolombo with stock space bar. The white keys looks great on the black case, but I think the gray modifiers doesn't go well with the black case.

In case anybody's wondering: The Windows and Alt keys are not swapped by accident. I use a Mac and hit Command with my thumb. I got a 5€ G80-1800 recently and its bottom row drove me crazy!

20150612-DSC01219.jpg (812.01 KiB) Viewed 12566 times

Typing is now much nicer, the additional weight of the Cherry doubleshots dampens the upstroke clack a bit. And now that I spent more time typing on it, I'm still liking it.

[wlhlm]

Thanks for the impressions jou! They seem quite similar to mine.

I like the theme we have going here with the Cherry keycaps Hope we can continue that.

[Muirium]

The NovaTouch behaves quite nicely on a Mac. Naturally, you did this too:



How I handle oldschool boards with fewer mods is to pretend they're an HHKB:



Turn Caps Lock into Control, then swap Control for Option and Alt for Command. That's my default setup in Soarer's Converter. Works great on an SSK in particular.

[Spikebolt]

Would Command into Caps lock make more sense?

[Muirium]

Nah. I hit Command hundreds of times a day. Its location either side of the spacebar is vital, and I reach for it there automatically. Alt and especially Control just aren't as important on the Mac.

Besides: thumb power! Chording with your pinkies is awkward to say the least.