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Spitfire417
4
May 31, 2017
HI All, pardon my ignorance; is there any difference between a Poker II from Vortex or IKBC? I find the use of the same name but with offerings from 2 different companies a little confusing. Looking at the vortex website, it does not appear that they sell the Poker II anymore. Thus I suppose any "new" Poker II keyboards will only be from IKBC. With regards to Mac usage with this board, to make use of the "Win" key, would it be accurate to set the DIP switch to use the Win key as ALT? Again pardon the noob questions for I truly am one, both with mech keys and Mac.
tristinDLC
23
May 31, 2017
Spitfire417The New Poker II is an update by iKBC to Vortex's Poker II. They are essentially the same keyboard, but the updated version does obviously have some additional features that the original does not. They are actually made in the same place as well, so if you liked any of the Vortex boards and you think you will like the updates shown on this one, I can see this being a good buy.
And yes, if you want to switch to a more Mac friendly layout, you can use DIP6 to switch Win and Alt. I have a Pok3r and did so programmatically on their second layer. I will say that having an actual DIP dedicated to that is cool. Then all you have to do is find some Mac specific R4 keys. Really, most boards you can use on a Mac, but you will either have to add some additional programming steps or lose the functionality of some of the keys.
Spitfire417
4
May 31, 2017
tristinDLCCheers @tristinDLC! Very helpful response, I didn't know that the boards are made at the same place. The availability of USB-C connections is big plus for me, I think I will just go ahead and get this one.
tristinDLC
23
May 31, 2017
Spitfire417You're welcome. I have not seen a press release linking the two, but have seen a MK vendor mention that they are made in the same factory in some sort of partnership. This board is a pretty good deal at $90 if you can live without some of the features some similar boards have and especially if USB-C is a priority. I'm currently typing this message on a Pok3r, so I do like this line of boards. The N2 is definitely an entry level 60% if you will, but it's a pretty good bargain for this MD price. If it was MSRP, I'd rather get a used Pok3r, but for $90 this isn't bad for a basic board.
Edit: I do want to point out that with the addition of the new cable routing on this, a standard 60% case will not fit board... so if you wanted to swap out cases for any reason, you wont be able unless you get someone to custom make you one or that location becomes a standard (highly doubtful). More than likely what "could" happen, would be another MD for some new case options that only iKBC would have made.
fiouch
30
May 31, 2017
tristinDLCRemember that DIP6 works only on default layer. On layers 1, 2 and 3 it's possible to swap Cmd and Alt, but you have to program it, DIP doesn't work.
Schooolman
5
Jun 1, 2017
Spitfire417You can also just change the layout of the win and alt key within the Mac computer settings. That way it'll work on all of the programming layers without worry.
Spitfire417
4
Jun 1, 2017
Schooolman@Schooolman mate I am embarrassed to say that I don't understand what these layers mean :( help a brother out? I know what dip switches are and I am hoping the poker ii would have something similar to that of the code keyboard in terms of setting the dip. Ultimately I hope to use the boards without having to do any programming with a macbook.
Thank you for the advice :)
tristinDLC
23
Jun 4, 2017
Spitfire417Layers are exactly as they seem. There are layers of "hidden" keys or functions available to the user via how the board is programmed. A simple example is even on nearly all traditional keyboards. If you press only the "1" key, you get '1'. If you press "SHIFT + 1" then you get '!' That exclamation mark is actually on a separate programming layer so that you can get multiple characters to fit on the same physical key. Some boards are not programmable, some are partially programmable (where you can a couple layers beyond what was already done at the factory), and then there are fully reprogrammable keyboards where the options for what each key can do are nearly endless. One some smaller keyboards, in order to physical remove a key from the layout, they just program the character of that key into one that would remain. An example of the 60% sized Poker line, is that is that there are no arrow keys. If you wanted to move your typing indicator left, right, up, or down, then you have to hold down FN while pressing J,L,I,K respectively (note: some boards and people have it set up to the more common WASD orientation).
For extremely programmable boards and really fancy options that a single key can do, check out QMK's software with these cool features:
Adding Macros - https://goo.gl/lL8INT Space Cadet - https://goo.gl/4KkRyl Tap Dance - https://goo.gl/ISw6wT
As far as having to program your board for use on a Mac, with DIP6 you should be fine until you get more comfortable with keyboard programming and customizing your layout. Once you get some knowledge under your belt, you should have no issues swapping keys around quickly. I have a Mac and a Pok3r (without the DIP6 option), so I had to take 5min to swap those keys myself inside the keyboards programming. Quick and easy.
tristinDLC
23
Jun 4, 2017
SchooolmanVery true. If someone would rather deal with it that way, that is totally a possibility. Although I do have a reprogrammed mechanical keyboard (...or two or three haha) that I use with my Mac's, I also have an app called Karabiner/Karabiner-Elements (https://goo.gl/JhnP10) that can be used to remap your keyboard keys as well as some additional functions. I currently use it on my MacBook Air to swap around some of the stock keys for personal preference as well as use it to disable to built-in keyboard when an external keyboard is connected. That last feature allows me to set my mechanical keyboard right on top of my Air to type without fear of any of the stock keys being accidentally registered. Great software.
Schooolman
5
Jun 5, 2017
tristinDLCI was recently made aware of Karabiner to use for additional re-mapping from another developer in my office. I haven't had much time to dig into it yet, but am pretty excited to do so. I would like to do most as much of the key programing on the board itself if possible, and then move to software re-mapping. Great tip though!
tristinDLC
23
Jun 5, 2017
SchooolmanThat's my exact process. I have most of the programming done at the keyboard level and then anything outside of that, I have Karabiner set up for. If anything it's good for just disabling the stock keyboard on a laptop if anyone plans on running an external keyboard on their MacBook. I have it set so that if any external (you can set it to even just a specific device if you want) keyboard is plugged in, it disables the stock one so that the only keys registered are the ones I'm typing and not any erroneous ones from accidental bumps on the laptop's built-in board. You can do some really amazing things with the software if whatever keyboard picked up can't handle the level of programmability you'd like. Some boards can run TMK or QMK software (google them), but some boards are a little more basic and Karabiner can pick up some of that slack. Good luck in whatever direction you head buddy.
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