Commentary on the model 80

General
1

I’m starting this to share my perspective and so other people have a place to share theirs.

For comparison, I’ve been using the original U.H.K.

My first thought was that permanently attaching palm rests was a terrible idea. I don’t know if I would like using them, but I haven’t used a palm rest in decades and definitely wouldn’t want that commitment. In another forum discussion, I read that they are actually removable and were included in the sale because they contain the batteries. This decision makes a lot of sense. I would want to confirm it before buying one though.

I’m not sure why such big batteries are necessary. Based on the blog article, it seems the L.E.D. lights are just very power hungry. This is a lot more power than I would have expected from such lights, but the article seems to predict about 24 hours of battery life with the lights all on continuously at max brightness. I wonder how much closer to the one month duration it would last on a lower brightness setting. I might like to see (much) smaller battery modules available for users who don’t want a palm rest. Ergonomically, I would want them on the far side of my keyboards rather than on the close side. This allows the keyboards to be positioned closer to the edge of my desk, which reduces shoulder strain.

The blog article predicts about five minutes to replace the batteries, with no tools required. I can’t guess how this process works. Five minutes seems like an unusually long time to remove a battery without tools. My impression is that it wouldn’t be a problem for me, but perhaps a nuisance if I want to swap them quickly and get back to work or if I forget to charge my keyboards and am in a rush to go somewhere without a power source. Those are fringe cases but faster battery swapping would give me peace of mind. It would also encourage me to buy spare batteries.

I don’t know what version of Bluetooth is supported. It would be nice of the wireless controller were modular, so it could be easily upgraded. Perhaps it is. I also don’t know the pairing procedure, so I assume they keyboard has no authentication factor in pairing mode. I don’t know how pairing mode is toggled but I trust it can be.

I’m glad the U.S.B. ports are more accessible now.

I think I like the new, bezel-less key frame.

The new thumb buttons seem like a solid upgrade. I’m not sure what they would actually feel like to use, since their shape is different and my impression is that they use Choc switches.

The O.LED also seems like a solid upgrade. I imagine it’s not as bright as the previous eight-segment L.E.D., but I had to reduce my brightness substantially anyway. Monochromatic is unfortunate but presumably a stepping stone. I don’t know if the display is designed to be easily upgradable but I would consider this an upgrade either way.

I personally hate the asymmetry caused by the many added buttons on the right side. Yes, I know it’s superficial. I don’t want those buttons anyway and this is the only reason I’m not buying the keyboard. I love the layout of my original U.H.K. The only thing I would change is the size of the buttons in the closer right side-- I wish those keys were symmetrical to the keys on the closer left side. As noted in that blog article, the model 80 has also compressed the right shift key substantially. This might be a reasonable decision but, again, the asymmetry bothers me. My personal opinion is that these added keys should be offered as a separate, accessory keyboard that connects to the main two halves. That’s how I feel about the F-keys as well.

The new contour on the far side of they keyboard, in contrast to the previously angular design, seems like a good idea. I have mixed feelings about the empty space between the protrusions on each side, but it makes sense for the interconnect cable and doesn’t look bad at all. I do wish the O.LED filled more of the space in its protrusion though, and that it were centered or better aligned with the edges of keys below it.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound too critical. I think there are a lot of good things about the model 80, and perhaps there is more that I don’t yet know.

1 Like
2

Sorry for the confusion; the palm rests are hollow, but not detachable. The rubber pads and plastic inserts can be pulled out to get to the batteries. Notice that the plate goes all the way around the palm rests in the image here:

EDIT: To be clear, the UHK80 will still have palm rests with the “no battery” option. There’s only one case design AFAIK.

2 Likes
3

Changing batteries is pain. Fine for one time installation, but definitely not for frequent swapping.

Pairing: dongle-right-left connections are oob paired at security level 4, and this level is required in order for them to connect.

Bt hid is paired via a 6 digit passphrase, which you enter on the keyboard, onteracting with the oled display.

Reasons for big batteries:

  • bluetooth is power hungry

  • modules are power hungry, and difficult to optimize

  • the firmware as a whole is a complex beast, and while we already have done some huge refactors and plan yet more, it will take time and we are at still at the beginning of this road, so we don’t know yet how well or bad it turns out, so we want to be sure that led-less operation will give a decent battery life

The assymetry bithers me too. I dont understand why ot is a general fashion to put additional clusters (arrows, numpad) on the right side (where it strongly obstructs access to mouse) instead of left.

5 Likes
4

Thank you both for the clarity. :slightly_smiling_face:

I’m glad the Bluetooth pairing is authenticated. So many devices overlook this. Using OOB to pair the halves is a cool idea.

Does anyone know how pairing mode (for HID) is initiated?

I’m curious what battery duration other people think is optimal for their use. Longer battery life is definitely useful for various use cases, but I know I would be happy to have even just a few hours with the key lights off. I say that because my main use case would be when I go out somewhere for the day and need to type a lot on my phone. One of the big advantages to that, aside from just having a great keyboard to type on, is that I wouldn’t have to bring my laptop. This is another reason I prefer the smaller size of my older U.H.K. I wouldn’t want the keys to be any smaller, but a bigger keyboard feels more awkward to carry around in a bag and set up on a table at a cafe.

If the battery lasts a few more hours, then maybe I wouldn’t need cables on my desk and I could just charge it every night while I sleep. If the battery lasts 24 hours or so, maybe I could pull all-nighters without plugging it in. Maybe I wouldn’t need to bring a cable when I go on short trips or plug it in for short periods to top up the battery while traveling. If the battery lasts long enough, maybe I could leave it on my desk without cables and only plug it in to charge once every week or month. Those are all nice use cases, I just don’t know which ones are optimal to support. The key lights are also undoubtedly important for many users-- especially when typing in the dark or using the lights to keep track of profiles/functions. I wonder if wireless charging would be a reasonable solution to facilitate the lack of cables on our desks. :thinking:

5

Does anyone know how pairing mode (for HID) is initiated?

At the moment Uhk80 advertises all the time.

1 Like
6

The battery should already last about a month with the lights off and possibly multiple months later when the firmware is more optimized.

4 Likes
7

Got it. I imagine the battery life will improve even more once that’s addressed. :slightly_smiling_face:

8

Yes, the current battery life is more than enough for my needs. I imagine I would end up using the key lights at least some of the time, but probably only on a low brightness setting. It would be very nice to have a wireless keyboard again, and not having to plug it in to charge often is a definite benefit. I do think I would prefer a smaller design though, similar to the original U.H.K., with smaller batteries that only last a few hours with the lights off. Maybe battery modules could be added as needed or wireless charging could allow for long-term use on a desk without the need to plug it in for charging. I’ll go add this to my comment on the wishlist thread. :wink:

3 Likes