deskthority

I really like keyboards with a 70% layout. I think that all advantages apply as they appear in the product description of the GMK UNIQUEY C70, which can be found here

https://www.massdrop.com/talk/2889/desi ... ity-custom

Recently Durgod and zFrontier have teamed up and released the so-called ZF71, which also features a 70% layout. Check it out here:

https://en.zfrontier.com/products/durgo ... ntier-zf71

I do not need this backlight thing and kindly ask, if anyone knows if other keyboards exist, which also feature the layout like the C70 and the ZF71 do (without any backlight)?

Many thanks in advance.

It’s not the worst of layouts.



Clearly 60% based, with a few compromises as always. But they’re different ones to the usual monkeying around with Right shift. Can’t say I like those mismatched 1.5u mods on one side of the spacebar and 1.25u on the other, or Page Up not being above Page Down, but I’m 60% loyal so clearly not the market!

But those caps… you’re definitely right to want this without backlighting. Even if you go the aftermarket caps route (which everyone always does, just give it time!) this layout’s oddball row choices will bite you on the navigation block sure enough. You’d really have to go with good old DSA, the leveller.

@ghostdawg187: Between the two boards you've linked, I would prefer the GMK UNIQUEY C70. This is because I favor a HHKB layout, and most boards that try to squeeze arrow keys into/onto a 60% form factor mess up the possibilities for a Fn key in the vicinity of its location on a HHKB Pro 2. With the C70, you might get a real choice between using the cursor diamond with the Fn key or using the dedicated arrow keys (provided that the keyboard enables remapping of their built-in Fn, which might not be the case).

My own bias is that I would prefer a 60% with either a standard US ANSI layout or HHKB layout. The next quantum jump for me would be to a standard US ANSI TKL. I haven't yet found something in between that I like.

GMK UNIQUEY C70 - German engineering I presume.
But is it a top-mount or a tray-mount design?

German engineering? Ha! You’ll need a good old Made in West Germany honest to Cherry for that. If it’s made in China, it’s made in China.

@ghostdawg187:

There's the TaDa68:

https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-keybo ... B0793N7CHJ

https://kbdfans.cn/products/tada68-mech ... ry-profils

and a similar layout in the Leopold FC660M:

https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/in ... ail&p=3546

https://www.amazon.com/Leopold-High-End ... B0787S9XYB

Muirium wrote: German engineering? Ha! You’ll need a good old Made in West Germany honest to Cherry for that. If it’s made in China, it’s made in China.

Will be quite disappointing of that's tray-mount and not much German engineering involved - though I can see some of the collaborators in that drop are German. Totally made in Germany is not something easy to find these days as being assembled in Germany qualifies to be called "Made in Germany".

Post an old GMK creation when they still have such daring Made-in-Germany projects:

Menuhin wrote: Will be quite disappointing of that's tray-mount and not much German engineering involved ...

There are different ways to make a keyboard with "tray-mount". You could have the PCB-on-standoffs (like Poker), the plate on standoffs (and PCB hanging from the switches) or even the plate hanging on a narrow inner ledge (with a narrower PCB).

zFrontier shows a rendering of how their upcoming Aurora96 is put together, and that looks like an inner-ledge construction. I suspect that their 70% could be built in a similar way.

BTW, when I hear the words "German engineering", my first thoughts go to the well- (often over-) engineered German weapons and vehicles used by the Wehrmacht during the start of WWII. I guess I have seen too many documentaries lately ...

Muirium wrote: It’s not the worst of layouts.

I wish that there was a little more consistency in how the nav clusters were laid out.
The olde Cherry G80-5000 has yet another 2×3 cluster layout (Home and End on home row), and I have one rebuilt a keyboard with yet another 2×3 cluster myself (Del and Ins on top row).

BTW. I added 70% to the Wiki, the two nav cluster layouts (G80-5000 was already there) and I also shuffled a bunch of things around in the process: Form factors got its own category and I recategorised the MagicForce68 as a 70%, among other things.

Muirium wrote: ICan’t say I like those mismatched 1.5u mods on one side of the spacebar and 1.25u on the other, or Page Up not being above Page Down

As I have understood the description on the zFrontier page, you can remap keys with a so-called "Hera compiler", whatever this might be.

Hypersphere wrote: @ghostdawg187: Between the two boards you've linked, I would prefer the GMK UNIQUEY C70.

I share your thoughts, but as I have read through the comments about the C70 on massdrop, there seem to exist a lot of disappointed keyboard enthusiasts for different kind of reasons. A software for remapping keys does not exist or might not really work.

Hypersphere wrote: @ghostdawg187:

There's the TaDa68:

and a similar layout in the Leopold FC660M:

There are quite close to the 70% style but they lack a full nav cluster, which I really prefer and what I am used from a TKL layout.

ghostdawg187 wrote: I do not need this backlight thing and kindly ask, if anyone knows if other keyboards exist, which also feature the layout like the C70 and the ZF71 do (without any backlight)?

Many thanks in advance.

While not the exact same layout, there is the Varmilo VA68 A and Va68M and the Magicforce 68. While the Varmilos come in various light combos and either plastic, aluminum or magnesium case, the Magicforce has a baclkight and no backlight option (the no backlight version is a bit better). There is also PCBs available for both that let you use alps, add programability and add or remove leds or RGB.

And again, while not a 70% precisely, they do use normal key caps.

My experience with Magicforce 68 (with Gateron switches) was abysmal. Several switches gradually lost their clickiness and one became sticky. I don’t know if it’s an issue with Gateron switches in general or if Magicforce is buying factory rejects for their keyboards. Later the keyboard simply stopped working at all — I suspect the controller gave up the ghost. Right now I’m in the process of building a custom keyboard using the Magicforce case and plate and MF68 PCB.

Menuhin wrote: GMK UNIQUEY C70 - German engineering I presume.
But is it a top-mount or a tray-mount design?

It was at Mechanicon last weekend.
Did anyone get a closer look?