About MT3 profile and /dev/tty set | Hacker News Reader

tty set

matt3o.com

28 pointsmolteanu10 comments

(2017) btw.

They wrote a retrospective piece on MT3 earlier this year [1].

[1] https://matt3o.com/mt3-keycap-profile-a-brief-history/

Matt3o’s attention to detail is fantastic. Quality of his MT3 sets is always top notch.

I have probably bought four or five or his sets, and I kind of regret it - I can’t see myself using anything else now! The feeling is like getting your fingertips “hugged”, very different from more traditional profiles. Even the original SA profile seems a bit wrong in comparison.

MT3 really is a nice key profile. The only caveat is that because the keys are so tall, it may not work nicely on taller boards… I have at least one board like that.

“Hugging” your fingertips is a good way to describe what using them feels like. It’s particularly prominent on the PBT dyesub sets (like /dev/tty), which have a slightly deeper scoop and more matte texture than the ABS doubleshot MT3 sets (such as Susuwatari).

Probably my favorite MT3 set out of those I own is biip’s Extended 2048[0], which is a fun lightly modernized take on Apple’s keyboards from the late 80s through early 2000s, which used the Univers Condensed Oblique[1] typeface.

[0]: https://drop.com/buy/drop-biip-mt3-extended-custom-keycap-se...

[1]: https://www.fontshop.com/families/univers/57-condensed-obliq...

I absolutely love Matt3o's aesthetics. Every couple of months, my bleached /dev/tty mt3 kit spends a few days on my board as I try to convince myself that I'm finally getting used to it, that it's all about to 'click'.

It's been a couple of years now though, and it's just not happened. Just like XDA or ASA, and most likely the LDSA set due in August, the 'sweet spot' is just too small for me. Maybe it's because a lifetime of Cherry/OEM profile caps have ruined me, but the 'lip' along the top and bottom of the key - a feature of all the aforementioned spherical cap profiles - does nothing but disorient me when I hit a key even slightly off vertical centre.

I'm not giving up though, they look and feel too amazing. Maybe next month I guess.

> the 'lip' along the top and bottom of the key - a feature of all the aforementioned spherical cap profiles - does nothing but disorient me when I hit a key even slightly off vertical centre.

Interesting! That lip is exactly why I like MT3. With flatter keycaps it's easier to accidentally type at the edge of a key and hit the key beside it. The lip lets me know I'm on-target.

I’m a big fan of the MT3 profile, it really nails that kind of retro vibe. I find them really comfortable, but like everything about keyboards that’s personal preference.

They’re worth a shot if you think you’ll like them.

After finishing Severance, I went looking for a keycap set mimicing the Data General Dasher keyboard that the series based their terminals on. Thankfully there's an MT3 version of it[0] which looks and feels amazing. Really love the profile.

[0] https://drop.com/buy/drop-mt3-dasher-keycap-set?defaultSelec...

I like that the MT3's "scoopy" shape helps me keep a good sense of where my fingertips are on the key surface. It feels like it helps reduce typos.

I have built two mechanical keyboards bases on MT3 profile and I would absolutely do it again.

I used Susuwatari and Biip Extended 2048.

A nice side effect of tall keys is the deeper sound they produce and the fact that you can even partially fill them with Noico sound deadener if (like me) you enjoy an heavily muted typing experience.

Mt3 for me has a really good angle, expecially having small hands..but the top profile ( the side of the O on the keycap ) of the cap is too sharp and tiring after some time.

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