Comment by AceJohnny2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by AceJohnny2 | Hacker News Reader

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Extra rant: I can't find my favorite keyboard, the MS Sculpt, in wired version, and have already had to replace it once due to, I suspect, wireless issues.

I like its ergo layout, key feel, and key travel distance [1]. I just bought a new one after the last one would become unreliable on keypresses, and I can't shake the feeling that it was just wireless performance issue, not actual key detection issue.

There appear to be no other keyboard with similar features, but wired (and I'm not up to modding it, as some have done).

I feel frustrated that Apple's keyboards have great wired/wireless connectivity and horrendous ergonomics, and ergonomic keyboards have terrible connectivity options.

(lol: just as I was typing this comment I've started having key issues on this new keyboard too, adding evidence that the previous one just had wireless issues.)

[1] don't get me started on mechanical devices! I actually tried a couple, and even got a Cherry Key sampler, and decided that they really weren't for me.

Believe it or not, it's a known issue that USB-3/USB-C devices can interfere with the 2.4ghz frequency, which is what the Microsoft dongle uses: https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/327216.pdf. As another answer stated, plugging the dongle into a hub positioned away from the USB-3/USB-C connection usually sorts the problem.

Another thing you might want to check is that your mobile phone is not near the keyboard or dongle, I find this can also cause key dropping/sluggishness.

It's a shame they insist on using this proprietary dongle, as like you say, it's a great keyboard otherwise – another bad thing about it is that if you lose the dongle, you have to replace the entire set as they are paired in the factory. I'm on my third Sculpt because keys eventually fall off, but it gets pretty heavy usage so I don't feel too hard done to and the last one was replaced under the 3 year warranty.

I had similar issues with the MS Sculpt. I solved them by putting the USB dongle on an extension cord and locating it closer to the keyboard. I think it just has a weak radio.

Same thing here--I love this keyboard, and have exactly the same issues. I resort to plugging the receiver into the monitor's built-in USB hub which is 8" away. Would love a wired version too, though.

I had that issue as well. Wish I had a good solution for you but I ended up replacing it with a logitech K860. If they offered this in a tenkeyless variety it would be perfect, but I do really like that it can do bluetooth with my tablet so I don't have to use the on-screen keyboard if I'm at my desk.

and I haven't had ANY of the latency or key repeating that I had with the Sculpt.

Same here. I had both Microsoft Sculpt (black, proprietary dongle) and Surface Sculpt (grey, Bluetooth) and ended up replacing them because of wireless issues. Currently using a ERGO K860.

The Surface Sculpt uses Bluetooth and in my office I'd regularly have the keyboard lagging, like I'd type a word and a few seconds later it would appear. At home it worked fine, but it was unusable in the office.

The Sculpt uses a proprietary dongle, which I still use at home, but macOS on my M1 MacBook Pro has a weird issue where it often does not connect. I need to remove and reinsert the keyboard's dongle from the USB-C dongle - removing and reinserting the USB-C dongle from the laptop does not fix it. I have no issues using it on my Linux laptop with USB-C, so it seems to be an Apple bug.

I had to reject the K860 because of its builtin number-pad. Part of the value of the Sculpt is that it's narrow without the number pad, meaning I can fit it on my keyboard tray with room for a mouse or trackpad.

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