# Sweet sketchup keyboard



## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Was getting bored with using the keyboard to do all the functions on sketchup so decided to get my self the nostromo by razer. Makes life much easier and quicker. Also set it up for a few games I play and I'm about 3x as quick now thanks to being able to set any macro length to any button, joypad, scroll wheel. If you guys use sketch up and games it's def a worth while upgrade.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

BC, I read about this set up but then got side-tracked and kind of blew it off. I will definitely look back into getting this now that I know its worthed. Thanks for the feedback :thumbsup:


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## plumbingcali (Jun 8, 2012)

Wow this is an awesome set-up. How much did that put you back?


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

greg24k said:


> BC, I read about this set up but then got side-tracked and kind of blew it off. I will definitely look back into getting this now that I know its worthed. Thanks for the feedback :thumbsup:


Takes a little getting used to having so many buttons and functions at your fingertips but being able to make any button do any function is great. Much less wear and tear on your wrists as well. My wrist and arm go numb after a few hours but was on it for 4 hrs straight yesterday and wrist and arm were fine. 


Plumbing Cali the nostromo can be had for around $60 online from amazon. I bought from bestbuy as it was an impulse buy but well worth it. The keyboard was about $120. I use the razer mamba mouse also which is a very nice cordless mouse for precision work like sketch and head shots on FPS games. Works like a high end wired gaming mouse but cordless.


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## Kent.Keirsey (Aug 10, 2011)

Razer is a great brand with solid performance, and their mouse technology is really where they shine the most. You won't find more advanced functionality in any of the other brands.

One note though, is that while their mouses are a vast improvement over competitors, the Razer brand is one that marks up everything pretty extensively. While you will get all the bang for your buck out of that mouse, the rest of their products aren't really as developed, and remain priced at the high-end of the spectrum. With the same macro capability, one of my personal favorite keyboards is my Microsoft Sidewinder X4 (pictured below), which will only put you back $50 or so. 










If you are really looking to get the absolute most out of your keyboard/mouse set-up, you'll also want to look at some of the premium Mouse-pads that are available. It's one of those peripherals that you think won't make much of a difference, but you'd be pretty surprised how much of an improvement to your overall experience a quality Mouse-pad can make. For CAD-work, you'll probably want one of the "Control" pads, which offer more friction, and are designed for precise movements with the mouse. The alternative is a "Speed" pad, which allows for extremely quick movements around the screen. Steelseries and Razer both make them, and they'll run you anywhere from 15-25 dollars.

If you're going from a stock keyboard/mouse combo (What came with your computer) to higher-end units, the transition is going to take some getting used to. An example: If you're using a stock mouse, you're probably familiar with lifting the mouse and moving it back to the mouse-pad, so you can get to the rest of the screen. A high-end unit won't need any lifting, and most have speed settings on the mouse itself for modifying how fast you want the cursor to move at any given time.

You might call me a geek - And you would probably be right. :jester:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

You can get $50 razer keyboards with macro too. only reason i paid so much for the blackwidow ultimate was because of features like 50g key actuation force which is very nice for gaming (hard to explain unless you use the keyboard. its almost like a resistive click, but shame the nostromo does not have this), programmable macro on the fly recording(very handy for when you get new weapons), Profile switching on the fly also(don't have to load up config to swap profiles), Audio out and mic in jacks on keyboard side(instant headphone plug up), USB pass through(very handy for plugging up mouse charger or using with nostromo as I'm doing) i have gone through a lot of keyboards. they normally only last me a year before certain keys don't work anymore. This one supposedly should last over million key presses :blink: 



I use the megasoma mouse mat. very large and glows in the dark lol but best thing about it is the feel. its a soft pad but dont drag to much. great for head shots and works very well with the razer mamba mouse


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## Kent.Keirsey (Aug 10, 2011)

The Sidewinder has most of those capabilities (On the fly programming/profile switching, for example) - No audio jack or USB ports, though. What you want to keep in mind is that if you have a Dedicated Sound-card, you'd probably want to be connecting audio/mic into the card (i.e. The back of the computer), to get the full support of the card anyways.

Depending on what type of USB Port your keyboard is plugged into, the pass-through feature can sometimes cause latency or power issues for plugged-in peripherals that are attached to it. A USB 2.0 Port or above should be fine, but any of the older ports will probably have some power problems if you have too much plugged into the keyboard (Not a problem that happens too often, but it does happen.)

No doubt that the Razer Keyboard is a solid performer, but you can get a lot of those features at a more affordable price with other brands.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Kent.Keirsey said:


> The Sidewinder has most of those capabilities (On the fly programming/profile switching, for example) - No audio jack or USB ports, though. What you want to keep in mind is that if you have a Dedicated Sound-card, you'd probably want to be connecting audio/mic into the card (i.e. The back of the computer), to get the full support of the card anyways.
> 
> Depending on what type of USB Port your keyboard is plugged into, the pass-through feature can sometimes cause latency or power issues for plugged-in peripherals that are attached to it. A USB 2.0 Port or above should be fine, but any of the older ports will probably have some power problems if you have too much plugged into the keyboard (Not a problem that happens too often, but it does happen.)
> 
> No doubt that the Razer Keyboard is a solid performer, but you can get a lot of those features at a more affordable price with other brands.


 


Only just noticed who you are. I got my contracts from you guys if i remember correctly. 

well anyway 

Looked for hours on line and across numerous modding and gaming forums and always come back to the razer keyboards. Hard to explain without using one how the keys feel. the cheap razers dont have these keys though remember. if you goto best buy or somewhere that stock them the box is set up so you can feel the keys without opening box. give them a test and you will see what i mean. they aint spongy like all other keyboards. I even owned a optimus maximus at one point. worst keyboard for gaming ever. Flash bit of kit though. 

Here they explain it a little better. 

Mechanical keyboards
In contrast with the membrane keyboard, the keys on a mechanical keyboard have individual keyswitch mechanisms that register keystrokes instead of sharing a membrane sheath with all other keys. Keystrokes are actuated approximately halfway down the full travel distance, resulting in a different feel when gaming or typing. Razer keyboards feature clicky and tactile mechanical keyswitches that deliver a very distinct tap to the user's fingers when a key is actuated accompanied by an audible click, quite similar to the experience of performing a mouse click. As a result, the tactile feedback experienced by the user on a mechanical keyboard is significantly different from a membrane keyboard, with some users demonstrating a strong personal preference for this type of keyboard feel.


Latency aint an issue. They have a 1000Hz Ultrapolling, 1ms response time. Thats around 1000 key presses a second which is way beyond what im able to type at lol. bandwith is def reduced through the keyboard USB as it takes about 2x longer to transfer pics through that port but its always got nostromo through it now anyway.

As you can see keyboard is pretty far from pc so thats the issue for the bandwidth.


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## Kent.Keirsey (Aug 10, 2011)

That's a slick set-up, man! Added points for the Mini-Cat's on the left - All you need is one of those Desktop Zen Gardens to push some dirt around with them.

I'll have to test out the button response - The way you're describing them does make them seem like they've got a bit more of "snap-back" than most keyboards.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Kent.Keirsey said:


> That's a slick set-up, man! Added points for the Mini-Cat's on the left - All you need is one of those Desktop Zen Gardens to push some dirt around with them.
> 
> I'll have to test out the button response - The way you're describing them does make them seem like they've got a bit more of "snap-back" than most keyboards.


My wife calls it my command center :whistling them lego kits are cool though lol. 

def give them a feel. I was told as soon as i feel the way the buttons feel i will buy it. thats exactly what happend lol. the second my fingers pushed the wsad buttons it was mine lol. its got a lot of other little cool features i didnt list also. the game mode shuts of the windows button. i dont know how many times i use to play a game and hit windows button by accident and leave the game only to get killed. When you press the game button it kills certain buttons so this wont happen. 

if you like gaming its def worth a look. Def aint cheap though for a keyboard but i have seen them for as little as $100 online at times.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

BCConstruction said:


> Only just noticed who you are. I got my contracts from you guys if i remember correctly.
> 
> well anyway
> 
> ...


Nice set-up :thumbsup: I think the only thing you missing is a big screen :laughing:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

greg24k said:


> Nice set-up :thumbsup: I think the only thing you missing is a big screen :laughing:


That's behind me :laughing: have a 42" screen behind the seat. Wanted to add a 3rd screen but wife won't allow it now kid is coming.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Are you sure you're in construction. That setup looks way too clean and organized. When I go to play games, I have to shove the work crap in one corner and my mouse pad fits between all the crap.

I use an old black MS keyboard that has gamed for years and years. The numbers haven't even rubbed off, and lets just say that it isn't a stranger to chicken grease, hot sauce or caulking. :laughing:

As for a mouse pad, I love my rocketfish hard pad and Logitech MX-518 combo. I am thinking of trying that keyboard you have though. Sounds like a winner.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

VinylHanger said:


> Are you sure you're in construction. That setup looks way too clean and organized. When I go to play games, I have to shove the work crap in one corner and my mouse pad fits between all the crap.
> 
> I use an old black MS keyboard that has gamed for years and years. The numbers haven't even rubbed off, and lets just say that it isn't a stranger to chicken grease, hot sauce or caulking. :laughing:
> 
> As for a mouse pad, I love my rocketfish hard pad and Logitech MX-518 combo. I am thinking of trying that keyboard you have though. Sounds like a winner.



I'm anal with mess so that why it looks like that. I tell you once you goto a high end mouse and keyboard you won't ever go back to the standard stuff. Let's put it this way. If I plug back in my old mouse and keyboard I would be lucky if I ranked 15th best on that server of 32 people but with my current setup it's increased my skill level 3 fold. You have to remember there's other geeks using this gear and they have a big advantage with it. You got to level the playing field some how.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

BCConstruction said:


> That's behind me :laughing: have a 42" screen behind the seat. Wanted to add a 3rd screen but wife won't allow it now kid is coming.


With a set up like this, I had a feeling that big screen was hiding someplace :thumbsup::laughing:


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