The worst thing on any keyboard for me is the dang caps lock key. Most keyboards have a large caps lock key (what the heck for???) and I accidentally hit it SO many times throughout the day, it just PISSES me off. Some manufacturers make a recessed area on the right side of the key so it's not so easy to hit. Déck didn't do this.

I just received my new Déck keyboard and tried it out on my test machine. I haven't had time to put it through any paces, but I like the way it feels. However, I already accidentally hit the dang caps lock key. Even though the blue LED tells me it's on, it just bugs the heck outa me. So, mad modder that I am, I grabbed my trusty X-acto knife and round file.

It's not the caps lock key I modded though. There isn't much I can do, short of a major hack job on the key. But Déck included some kiddie skull keycap (hey, I'm 55, what the heck am I gonna do with a skull keycap?). This key depicts exactly how I feel when I hit that dang key, so I decided I could use it instead of the caps lock key.

The skull key cap is smaller than the caps lock key, which means the extra blue LED bumps into the edge of it when you depress the skull key. Carve out a small channel, file it down and now I can see when the blue LED comes on and have the advantage of a smaller target. Simple mod for less aggravation.

Thanks, Déck, for a nice keyboard. Could you please think about modifying the caps lock key though? Surely I ain't the only doofus with large, ungainly fingers.

I have been using the keyboard now for a few days and haven't once hit the caps lock key by mistake. I really like the feel and the positive sound the keys make as I strike them. It reminds me a lot of the typewriter I used in Nam as a crypto specialist. The adjustable brightness of the LEDs is a great feature, as I don't think I could stand any one of the levels (7 and off) as the only setting. I use my computer day and night and appreciate being able to change the brightness to a level that best suits the ambient lighting conditions in my office in front of a big window.

This really is a nice little keyboard. I will be ordering another very soon for one of my other machines. This red one will go nicely with a new mod I am working on, but I think the golden one would be best with my Grump Case.



Of course, I do have a nit or two. I think the main thing is the shape of the keyboard. It's a thick rectangle. I would like to see a little style, some flair, a little bit of sexiness in the shape. The keypad component is compact and can fit well within a variety of shapes. I hope to see Déck continue to develop this board into an assortment of optional shapes and configurations that would appeal to many users, rather than a small segment of enthusiasts.

I will take a few pictures this weekend of the caps lock mod. It may not in itself be that picture worthy, but my friend, Willow, may help you see it in a new light.

R'gards,

Grump

Well, it's disappointing to see this thread is not generating any responses, but I did promise to add a few pictures of my mad mod. So, without further ado...

Willow drpped by to see the new keyboard.
click any picture for a better view


The simple mod works really great.


I'm glad Willow approves. Aren't you?

click any picture for a better view

I found a little registry tweak. Does this sound familiar:
* You've never used the CAPS LOCK key on purpose, you've never needed it.
* You've accidently pushed the key at least a thousand times.
* YOU CONTINUE TYPING FOR ABOUT 10-30 SECONDS BEFORE YOU REALISE IT'S ON.
* You have to retype the whole sentence
(You don't have a convert-to-lowercase macro).
* You have to hit the CAPSLOCK and SHIFT key about 5 times to figure out
how to turn it off on this particular keyboard.

For you, I've created waNOCAPS, the CAPSLOCK Terminator.
It's not a program, it's a registry adjustment ('hack').
Inspiration came from: http://www.nthelp.com/50/remapctl.htm
It has been tested on Win2000 and WinXP.
to DISABLE the caps key.

Here's another idea for the Deck guys, as far as layout.

Would it be possible to get a keyboard with the positions of Caps Lock and Control switched? That is Control goes next to the A key, and Caps Lock goes down in the corner. A lot of old-school hackers like that layout.

Maybe for people who are brave, and have good skills with the old soldering iron, would it be possible to mod a keyboard to do this? Including moving the Caps Lock LED?