248 lines
11 KiB
HTML
248 lines
11 KiB
HTML
<!doctype html>
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<html lang="en">
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<head>
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<meta charset="UTF-8" />
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
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<meta
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name="description"
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content="Ted Pier's review of the Voyager, a $365 ergonomic keyboard made by ZSA."
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/>
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<title>MiningTcup</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="/style.css" />
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<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
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<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://configure.zsa.io/" />
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<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://zsa.io/" />
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</head>
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<body>
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<div class="centerer">
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<div id="content">
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<div id="title-1">
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<div class="h1-container">
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<h1>ZSA Voyager</h1>
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</div>
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<a href="/"><img src="/images/voyager-thumbnail.webp" /></a>
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</div>
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<ul id="index">
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<li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
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<li><a href="/lulu">Lulu</a></li>
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<li><a href="/archive">Archive</a></li>
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<li><a href="/blog">Blog</a></li>
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</ul>
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<hr />
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<p>
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I recently decided that I should have an actual place to use my
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computer, other than in bed. I set up my desk with a big monitor and
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an old $4 Acer membrane whos keys were way too heavy. It wasn't
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working out. I decided I needed a new keyboard... why not one that
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would last the rest of my life?
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</p>
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<p>
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The keyboard I landed on was the
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<a href="https://www.zsa.io/voyager">Voyager from ZSA</a>. It's split,
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columnar, mechanical, customizable, and very high quality. Which I
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would expect, considering it cost me $400, over $500 including tariffs
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>:(.
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</p>
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The first step of getting the keyboard was picking the switches. I chose
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Pro Reds because they were the lightest option (definitely not because
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they had "pro" in the name). I also decided to add some shocks as I
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didn't know how loud the keyboard would be. After ordering it, I had to
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wait 11 days for it to arrive. It arrived via UPS, which handled the
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tariff (for an additional fee of about $20). First impressions were
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great: it came in a clean, undamaged, professional-looking box. Included
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were the following:
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<ul>
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<li>36 extra regular keycaps with a variety of symbols</li>
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<li>2 extra tall keycaps</li>
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<li>4 extra Pro Red switches</li>
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<li>A multi-puller for keycaps and switches</li>
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<li>3 USB C-to-C cables, with differing lengths</li>
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<li>A headphone-looking "TRRS" cable to connect the two halves</li>
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<li>A USB C-to-A converter dongle</li>
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<li>A small bag of "Shhhocks"</li>
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<li>A carrying case</li>
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<li>4 little feet stored on a magnetic bar in the case</li>
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<li>The Keyboard</li>
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</ul>
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On my first attempt, I didn't plug the TRRS in all the way, which didn't
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make the keyboard happy. After securing that connection, it lit up.
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<h3>The Sound</h3>
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<p>
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This is actually the first mechanical keyboard I've used, so I'm not
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really sure what they're supposed to sound like... but it sounds
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pretty damn good. The shocks slightly dampen some part of the noise,
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but they also make the keys slightly less enjoyable to type on.
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Because it's not all that loud in the first place, for now, I've
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decided not to put them in.
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</p>
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<p>
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The sound varies by key, being higher toward the edges, but that
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doesn't bother me while I'm typing. The sound also depends on the
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surface the board is on and if the keyboard is raised. While you
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should keep in mind that my microphone is pretty bad, this is a fairly
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accurate representation of how it sounds when placed on wood.
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</p>
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<audio controls>
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<source src="/media/voyager-soundtest.ogg" type="audio/ogg" />
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<source src="/media/voyager-soundtest.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" />
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</audio>
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<h3>The Feel</h3>
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<p>
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Although the keycaps are slightly grainier than the caps on the laptop
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keyboards I'm used to, I've actually started to appreciate that. As
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for the chassis, I really don't think they could have done much
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better. It's very smooth and pleasant to look at. The feet snap in
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nice and easily, and the keyboard never slides, with or without them.
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</p>
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<p>
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The switches I chose, Kailh Choc Pro Reds, are linear, light, and
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somewhat loud. I had doubts that I would like them, both because of
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the lightness, and the absense of a tactile bump. After I started
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using them, however, I don't want to go back to heavy switches.
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</p>
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<h3>The Lights</h3>
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<p>
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The lights range from a barely visible tint to almost too bright, and
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you can change that whenever you want while using it! You can choose
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any color for each key, but lighter and less saturated colors don't
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show up very well and are tinted by the red (or other color) of the
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switches.
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</p>
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<img
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src="/images/voyager-brightness.webp"
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alt="Brightness comparison of the Voyager's lighting at high and low brightness"
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/>
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<h3>The Cables</h3>
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<p>The Voyager comes with 4 cables:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Long USB C-to-C (86in)</li>
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<li>Short USB C-to-C (15in)</li>
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<li>Even shorter USB C-to-C (8in)</li>
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<li>Medium TRRS-to-TRRS (35in)</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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The USB cables, which connect to the left half of the keyboard to
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provide power and a connection, are super standard, unbranded, and
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replaceable. Their shell is a plasticy, rubbery substance, but they
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aren't sticky like some other cables I've used. I do wish they
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included a medium-length cable or made the short cables a bit longer
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because the only one that works for me in any situation is the long
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one, which is way overkill (I only ever use a third of it). Others
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might find the short cables work better if their computer's USB-C port
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is on the left, but mine isn't. The USB C-to-A adapter is also
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standard and unbranded.
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</p>
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<p>
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The TRRS cable, which looks like a
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio)"
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>headphone jack</a
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>, but with an extra contact, is also unbranded and normal-looking.
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Although not as common or cheap as USB-C, TRRS cables are replaceable.
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In fact, I'm considering getting a
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<a
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href="https://www.customcableco.net/custom-cableco/p/35mm-trrs-split-keyboard-cable"
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>coiled TRRS cable</a
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>
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so that I don't have to roll up the length I'm not using. The TRRS
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connectors are at 90 degrees, a design choice I certainly agree with.
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</p>
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<h3>The Software</h3>
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<p>
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ZSA's configuration and testing software,
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<a href="https://configure.zsa.io/home">Oryx</a>, is incredible-
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certainly one of the top reasons to get the keyboard. It's completely
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web-based, meaning it works on any system that can run Chromium, even
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Linux! The configurator is super easy to use and lets you flash the
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firmware right there in your browser.
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</p>
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<p>
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The training part of Oryx is also very easy to use. I love that it
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uses actual coherent excerpts from books, as opposed to the jumbled
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garbage of, for example, Monkeytype. It's not perfect, though. I've
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noticed 2 issues in my time using it:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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A little bit of text, "Start typing," is always white, and therefore
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is only visible in dark mode.
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</li>
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<li>
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The text doesn't move down for the first time until the bottom line
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is fully completed.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<img
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src="/images/oryx-full.webp"
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alt="Full screenshot of Oryx training"
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/>
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<div class="flex m-t">
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<img
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class="flexy-img"
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src="/images/oryx-line.webp"
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alt="Demonstration of Oryx training bug"
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/>
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<img
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class="flexy-img m-l"
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src="/images/oryx-lightbug.webp"
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alt="Demonstration of Oryx training lightmode bug"
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/>
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</div>
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<h3>The Support</h3>
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<p>
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There's a key on my laptop's keyboard that goes to "Launch2." I
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couldn't find a way to add this key to my Voyager, so I asked ZSA
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support. After a little less than 24 hours, they responded with this:
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</p>
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<blockquote cite="">
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<p>
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Hello Ted — thanks for asking! We don't have any keys that
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correspond to the Launch2 keycode in Oryx. In the underlying
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firmware, QMK, they do have keycode 157 as the "Prev" key, but we
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don't surface that one. I do think that the higher F keys are
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probably your best bet to re-bind that action to.
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</p>
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<p>
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I hope that helps to clarify, and please, let me know if any other
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questions come up. I'll be here and glad to help. :)
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</p>
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<p>
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—<br />
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Nick Wilson,<br />
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Customer Service,<br />
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ZSA Technology Labs Inc.
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</p>
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</blockquote>
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<p>
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In my opinion, they did a really good job. They're friendly, honest,
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and actually answered my question, as opposed to the watered-down
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corpo speak you'd get from a bigger company.
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</p>
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<p>
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Additionally, I've contacted them about the two Oryx issues, and I was
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told it's been passed off to the dev team. I'll update this page if I
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get an update or it's fixed.
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</p>
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<h3>The Conclusion</h3>
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<p>
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Would I recommend you get the keyboard? Maybe. If you have experience
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making keyboards or other electronics, and you have time to figure it
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out, you should consider a cheaper, more DIY keyboard, such as the
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<a href="https://keebd.com/en-us/products/lily58-pro-keyboard-kit"
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>Lily58</a
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>. However, if you don't mind paying more, the Voyager is probably the
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best keyboard, customer service for a keyboard, and software for a
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keyboard there is.
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</p>
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<hr />
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<ul id="index">
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<li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
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<li><a href="/lulu">Lulu</a></li>
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<li><a href="/archive">Archive</a></li>
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<li><a href="/blog">Blog</a></li>
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<li class="f-l"><a href="#top">Return to Top</a></li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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</div>
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</body>
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</html>
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