What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
The aluminum case is worth it for those who are interested. It is heavy and well made for the price. Once you place it on your desk, its not going anywhere. I got the silver color and there are no defects or anodization issues that I could find. My only qualm with it is that, while less hollow sounding compared to the plastic case, the aluminum case does introduce a slight pingy metallic sound when typing. It is especially noticeable while using keys around the outside of the board. I'm going to install a foam pad in the case to see if this helps, but really it isn't that big of a deal. If you are on the fence about the aluminum case, and have always been interested in what an aluminum cased board is like, this is your chance to do so inexpensively. If you have never really had interested in aluminum, don't worry because the plastic case is pretty decent and doesn't effect the experience of using the board negatively.
The keycaps are what you would expect from a PBT dye-sub set. The Cherry profile is nice and they are nice to type on. Thick with a slight texture. The legends are decently sharp with no obvious blobbing or blurryness that is sometimes present with dye-sub legends. Overall nothing to complain about and nothing to really write home about either.
Programming the board was a bit of a runaround for me. I couldn't get things to work properly on a Mac. The online layout tool worked fine once I got Flash installed, but when I flashed the board with the new .bin file, the keyboard wouldn't work. When I tried the process on Windows, everything went well. A bit annoying but not a huge deal since I have an old Windows machine lying around. If you were able to get this to work on Mac, please let me know how!
Hopefully this review helps someone who is on the fence regarding this keyboard. It would be a great first mech for those that are new to the hobby!
Source: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=84463.0