Ergodex DX1 review (single key module things)

Skip to 10:00 for a typing demonstration.
Today we look at a very unique keyboard - the Ergodex DX1 repositionable "keyboard". Basically a DIY macropad kit, it consists of loose switch modules that can be individually programmed and positioned on the keyboard in whatever way the user desires.
It's been six years now that I've been doing KZbin keyboard videos. I've made the decision to decrease my upload schedule from weekly to whenever. It's been an incredible experience, and I've still got some stuff I really want to show you guys, so the videos won't stop, at least not for the moment. I may end up covering more modern stuff, or even doing some other stuff, who knows :) . For now, I hope you enjoyed the video, all the videos really, and happy holidays! :)
Intro by Kyle Carter
Outro by Facundo Cabanne
My keyboard reviews: bit.ly/1TbOtft
My switch teardowns: bit.ly/2C1QGHz
My TOP X videos: bit.ly/2FmpZfd
My XL typing demos: bit.ly/2OoAW3w
My tutorials and featurettes: bit.ly/2OrkLUh
My unboxing videos: bit.ly/2TSrr0m
I'm Thomas and I do videos and reviews on mechanical keyboards ranging from the most sickening modern RGB gaming keyboards to vintage hardware relics, or sometimes keycaps or keyswitches ranging from Cherry MX to Alps SKCM to IBM buckling springs and anything in between.
Follow me on Twitter for updates on my keyboard videos! / chyrosran22
The practice sentence was: "Hello my name is Thomas and I'm typing on a Sega TeraDrive keyboard right now. These switches really are quite stiff and stubborn, but my god, is it one hell of a looker or what?"

[@computeraidedworld1148]

That pan over to the "actual keyboard" was pretty great.

[@SockyNoob]

Ikr. I was a bit shocked.

[@bruhmomenthdr7575]

Well... was he wrong?

[@Donbros]

I though same and surprizingly amazed

[@SheeplessNW6]

That's a lot of cheeseburgers

[@uballe200]

quality content

[@CortyCze]

That "Hideos" has woken me up when i was trying to fall asleep.

[@Maxdamageplus]

Holy fuck, yeah. I wasn’t expecting it to be that bad

[@masterbeat04]

Weirdly high pitched as well... my man really sending off 2020 into the abyss

[@XanthinZarda]

For someone I really misread that as "Hideo" and thought Chyros had pulled a Kojima on us.

[@jamiecullen9075]

Same here hahaha

[@bruhmoment2262]

cant wait to cop zealpc's new release, the hideos

[@snoutobozo]

I will miss those weekly reviews

[@Zippy_Zolton]

During the typing demonstration, my headphones gave me a "no sound" warning

[@NoEntertainment]

Good.

[@Hornett901]

*waning

[@NotNiekie]

@@Hornett901 waning?

[@jadie7082]

@@NotNiekie if you watch the maltron single handed keyboard review, you'll get it

[@bland9876]

awch my headphones make a tv without antenna sound if there is no noise for a few min

[@abzhuofficial]

At least Thomas was generous with the imperial units this time LMAO (5:51)

[@henrituhola]

It's from a decade when keyboard keys were expected to feel like pressing down on used condoms.

[@placid_danik8030]

My wife: Wow, he has a soothing voice. Chyrosran: HIDEOUS

[@523duncanjones]

I wish you would convert to more used standards like eagle wingspan

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

But eagles measure freedom, not length.

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Nose to tail is for freedom. Wingspan is for awesome and, if there are no Big Macs around, length.

[@Napalm_Candy]

Although I've found your channel just this year (in fact in the last month or two) I've enjoyed every video I've watched! Thanks so much for all of your hard work, and I can't wait to see where else your videos take us in the future! Edited to say that "Picassonian nightmare" is brilliant!

[@owlstead]

Where's my "WANING!"? At the end it could certainly do with one.

[@lw8882]

I can imagine this being used as an accessability keyboard for the disabled. Being able to arrange your buttons at the exact right angle and position regardless of their function would be huge for people with disabilities.

[@xThreatmasterx]

You might want to consider that trying to type on this thing in turn GIVES you disabilities. Thus, I would still advise to "kill it with fire"

[@Okamooki]

@@xThreatmasterx please cease with the ableism.

[@xThreatmasterx]

@@Okamooki please cease with the sjw-ism

[@Jossandoval]

I'm not so sure. The low quality feedback is not a good thing if you have difficulties using strengh in your fingers, the completely flat surface is pretty bad if you have carpal problems, and the software dependence to even work means that you will run with problems if you try to use it in other computers, tied you to "the one machine that works with this". While I really don't like the Maltron cheap plastic mold that you can probably pierce on accident with a pencil, I think that their solutions are a far better option if you have arm or hand mobility problems.

[@Toblehrone]

@@xThreatmasterx wow it's the WWE Hall of Famer Edge

[@S7tronic]

I lusted after one of these back in the early 2000's, it was marketed as a customisable gaming pad similar to a Razer Nostromo or the like-hence the gun, medkit & nitrous oxide stickers. It would also suit a left-handed users, like me. IIRC it was about £120 at the time, pity it was such an unmitigated crock of shit.

[@penfold7800]

I thought it was something like that. I'm of the age that remembers keyboard overlays for computers with tactile-less rubber keyboards. One thing not mentioned in this review, is the massive advantage of having a keyboard you could spill your beer on without it changing the key press response.

[@wisteela]

I kind of like the weird aspect of it.

[@ugyuu]

I didn't expect to see a pun about the CD, but I'm glad that there was one.

[@supasalt3911]

3:10 i think its a nitrous button like in need for speed or something similar

[@felixschumann9880]

not only was nfs popular but also F&F, so it makes quite a lot of sense actually

[@bf0189]

Should have been N2O not NO2 then! NO2 is used primarily for producing nitric acid. N2O is actual nitrous used in cars etc

[@Pehmokettu]

The users of this device probably make that button as a macro to buy more nitrous for inhaling it.

[@TheAuzman466]

The legend stickers for this keyboard are amazing. You should definitely scan them and upload them somewhere for archival purposes.

[@cringemaster1307]

4:20 i think this key board was made for battlefield 5 since it got a p38, flare gun, mp40, and a stg44. Time travel confirmed alex jones was right

[@TheRailroad99]

There were many new WW2 ganes in the early 2000s (for example BF1942). The NO2 most likely was for racing games.

[@HaoXuan]

I remember seeing this in forums at the time. It was marketed to gamers, so you could create your custom controller. Example a WASD cluster and the weapons shortcuts around. BF1942 and CoD were popular back then. Also the N2O seems thought for racing games.

[@Uncasted]

I really can't thank you enough for your videos! Seriously, if It wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have even discovered this hobby in the first place. I and others will continue to support you until the end. Have a great holiday Thomas!

[@gavin758]

"Chicken milkshake" is my new favourite simile.

[@emdxemdx]

You laugh, but some years ago, a US Marines Corps hospital won a (military) competition for the most outstanding milkshake flavour with a sauerkraut milkshake. This was developped for soldiers who need to have their jaws wired shut for recovery after some injury. Since the only thing they can eat are milkshakes, the ordinary choice of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry comes old pretty fast, they have developped several alternative flavours, such as sauerkraut.

[@wkgmathguy218]

Hail and fair well, it's the last of the weekly keyboard reviews. Thank you Tom for all your efforts. I'll look forward to seeing what you get up to in the coming year. Till then, Happy Holidays and stay safe :-)

[@bentstraw827]

I hope he comes back

[@wkgmathguy218]

@@bentstraw827 Tom has said he'd be back, just not on the regular weekly basis. I'm looking forward to seeing what he gets up to :D

[@antagorithm]

I'm not sure what's more impressive: that big-boi ferrite core or the typing demonstration.

[@oh-ox9sj]

i cant get over that cds are now considered history. im actually one of the younger viewers i bet, and when i was like 6 i used to think of floppy disks like that... its wild that progress is actually a thing, can we please get it over with usb flash sticks

[@daytona9125]

i appreciate how you leave a timestamp to the typing demonstration

[@random_birch_forest]

The script is absolutely beautifully written, Thomas, very witty! Well done

[@barneymattox]

I wanted this so badly when it came out for gaming, but could never find it. For gaming this was a brilliant device because you could group and layout the keys relative to function. I personally hate the inability to restructure keyboard layouts for gaming because I physically want visible spacing between functional areas. So I really disagree with the observations in the video. I've since taken advantage of customizeable decks like Sensel, iPad custom macros (ala Game Glass), or built my own macro boards using DIY tech. But when this unit came out there wasn't really anything on the market like it for gamers. Looking at it from current perspective needs to take full account of how much technology has progressed in the last 10 years in this area.

[@bf0189]

I suspect the NO2 is meant to be N2O for nitrous in games! I don't think Ergodex had nitric acid in mind haha. I look forward to see where you take your non weekly videos!

[@chuuni6924]

If you're still curious how it works, you'll see in the teardown photo that the key PCB has a tiny chip-under-blob and an antenna trace circling the edge a few times, so it's going to be communicating with the base with some inductively coupled method, probably not too dissimilar to RFID. Curious if this is a chip they developed themselves or if it's some sort of off-the-shelf component. I'm also curious if the off-center contact pad is what is responsible for the binding.

[@jabelsjabels]

Good lord that is the biggest ferrite core I've ever seen, on anything!

[@d2cuadrados510]

This keyboard is just perfect for quick time events, ain't it? Game- Press E E- Just chilling on the floor

[@Griffin12536]

I have one I use for macros all 50 keys. I write routines for coordinate measuring machines. I've also seen one used for controlling a gameshow presentation at a convention. Other than that, I'm pretty sure they were used in business and military applications for the most part. They are versatile at least but very dated in 2020. I would love an updated version.

[@ericfallabel9201]

"Ergo, it's almost almost a keyboard". Classic.

[@jumpjetcaptain495]

My favourite reviewer... he could review anything and I'd watch it

[@jamiesutherland3874]

I genuinely expected, during the typing demonstration, that you would just sweep the whole assembly off to the side in anger complete with expletives

[@staglomagnifico5711]

"It's a cool little gadget, it's just a shame it's not actually good for anything" That's an excellent description of so many products

[@johnsavard7583]

The Ergodex DX1 was announced in November 2005, so it can be dated, and now you know how old a computer you need to make the drivers work.

[@justice83]

At the end of the typing demo, was so expecting a furious swipe of the keys flinging them off the table!

[@redgrittybrick]

Also disappointed. Still, Thomas's usual approach to keyboard abuse is very emphatically verbal rather than physical.

[@wkgmathguy218]

Well in the latest ask me anything video Tom did say that he wouldn't care to destroy keyboards since, among other reasons, to know a board is great one needs a horrible one as a reference point. Hmmmm maybe next week I'll use one of those cringe inducing foam and foil boards from Keytronic :-) Quite a contrast from the old nos white alps board I've been using the last couple of weeks.

[@Brunnen_Gee]

@@redgrittybrick He is a collector above all else. Collectors, no matter their niche, are interested in obtaining all the weird things in their area of interest.

[@lukaloridon3032]

jesus "coke sniffing" christ has to be one of the best quotes of 2020

[@gyozakeynsianism]

What's important is that Jesus got help and today is drug-free and having a positive impact on his community and family.

[@extantpedant1481]

Happy New Year! Have you checked out Gateron Cap switches yet? They seem to be a less boring mx design experiment. Like maybe they're using air pressure a little to cushion the bottom out.

[@gunjja13]

The NO2 button is probably for racing games :) I love your "actual keyboard" a lot mate! Edit: I know some people shit on your style of typing but I really like the way you type! I tried to type like this for a while now and I have to say it is way more comfortable.I can type way longer like this without feeling fatigued.

[@JVHShack]

Thomas went out of 2020 with one hell of a video! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Thomas for bringing my spirits back up. Cheers!

[@Coccon96]

Had to look up the manufacturer's website. The reviews gave me a laugh and also identified the updated/community drivers only work on 32 bit windows, maybe that's why it did not work?

[@julesc8054]

I need that conversion chart, no really . The chart is far better than the key switches. Great video as always.

[@cryptokid4679]

I remember seeing an article about this thing in a computer magazine when I was kid. Seemed quite interesting concept back then.

[@checker1015]

The NO2 button boosts the "keyboard" directly into the bin

[@saccaed]

I still have my ergodex. I used it pretty much exclusively for gaming and macros. I still like using it. Unfortunate that your having key sticking issues. I've never had issues with key sticking. Keys definitely have little feedback when pressed. At this point using the drivers is a PITA. Still like it though. For gaming with some macro use it has been great.

[@elmonte5lim]

It's similar to a device that CH Products used to make, that fitted into their ecosystem of flight controllers, rudder pedals, throttle and a trackball, if I remember rightly. Rather than a keyboard, imagine it as a multi-button input device for simulation. The CH stuff was tied together with a unifying software, kind of turned it all into one big controller.

[@mkusanagi]

Youve got the best and most interesting mech reviews. Thanks for keeping things fresh.

[@cdigames]

I had one of these fever dreams as my *main keyboard* for almost a year with 50 keys. I got it for a steal at a garage sale, and ended up selling it on for a hefty sum later on. It was... a thing. And honestly it worked pretty well! One of the best ways I found to use it was to set up many layers of keys, something that would later become standard as ortholinear keyboards became smaller and smaller

[@SuperSohaizai]

I was just checking this out the other day and someone says you are not going to review this since you prefer full sized keyboard, what a surprise. Any chance you are gonna take a look at Dumang DK6 Ergo though? Similar but with two sides and hotswap mechanical switches

[@barkspawn]

My guess is that the NO2 icon is a mistake, and was meant for racing games which have a nitrous (which is actually N2O) boost

[@phineas7423]

As someone who uses an ergodox every single day of my life, I find this hilarious.

[@PootNewt]

How'd you get it to work?

[@phineas7423]

@@PootNewt I said ergodOx not ergodEx lol. As a dyslexic myself I don't blame you though. I just think it's funny when he bashes anything with the name ergo in it, despite constantly using a product with the name ergo in it myself.

[@gavinnielsen1674]

-6:55-- audacity go brr- 7:21 this was said even better than the k76m and the k100 combined, _and I love it_

[@lilithz]

the people trying to fall asleep to chyro's videos who just click on play all on his uploads universally experience the great gamble of having to hear him say hideous like that, instantly completely waking us up. you should start selling it as a ringtone

[@redgrittybrick]

I'm looking forward to the opening of the Utrecht keyboard museum. The audio guide should be pretty good. It'll need a large WANING sign over the entrance I guess.

[@Wlol-hj5ck]

Jeff loves these reviews

[@yugen0o]

Just search "everquest ergodex dx1" and that should tell you everything you need to know about this device's 'glory days'.

[@emdxemdx]

At 6:55, on the teardown picture, you can clearly see that the keys use a contactless RF transmission technology like, say, Oyster cards. The PC contains a loop antenna, a contact (the star-shaped golden circle) and a blobbed chip.

[@stampycatfan01lol]

Well, at least it’s not the end of all videos just yet. That said your decision isn’t a bad one; whatever feels best for you is what’s important.

[@dacopellino]

Please leave this no sense device be your last 2020 video as worth heir of this absurd year. It's perfect. No puns intended, of course.

[@PhillipAmthor]

Ah yes the oujakeyboard. When you need to type your essay at 8am and you want to ask the dark lord funny questions at 8pm

[@ZILtoid1991]

From the teardown, it seems to me it uses inductivity to communicate and provide power supply to the modules. This is quite similar to how many modern graphics tablets work, or at least since Wacom's patent on battery free pens have expired.

[@greyareaRK1]

I can see a usage case for it, allowing you to create custom key clusters based on whatever criteria you want, for whatever game or application. I suppose it might have been possible to use macros for them, which might make it handy for handicapped users. Utterly fails in execution, of course.

[@LUCI_14]

Yooo last video of the year!

[@tkkeyboards934]

It could be a stenographer board, where you type in "chords," or combinations of keypresses to input different characters

[@Chyrosran22]

This is the exact opposite of a steno keyboard xD .

[@Crokto]

those keycaps dont look pleasant for chord typing

[@tkkeyboards934]

@@Chyrosran22 I could definitely see it as a missed attempt at something that uses the same input method, especially as normal steno boards only have 22 keys

[@WolfPackAlpha-sn2sw]

This video is the single greatest roast on imperial measurement.

[@richardtaylor5904]

You position the buttons according to your finger length and span, reducing cramp/rsi risk when gaming. However the keys don't switch quickly, and it doesn't work with anything above Windows Vista.

[@colchronic]

You: the macropad The guy she tells you not to worry about: the actual keyboard

[@planky1277]

Stayed up late as shit for this. Worth the wait.

[@joniwaly2293]

I literally woke up and saw this uploaded

[@deelofiasco]

I got pregnant listening to this mans voice and I’m a damn guy

[@carrops]

The imperial roasts came out of nowhere and were HEAVY in this one 😭

[@easteregg8699]

best typing demo of all time :D

[@SkankbumJerry]

"It weighs 800 grams" Me: "I don't understand that" "Or in imperial units, 7.3 Cheese burgers" Me: "Aaaaah, Now i get it..." 😂🤣🤣

[@merykjenkins3274]

Hi, I got a job lot of ORTEK mck 22's (2 dozen) from an ozzie election office after an upgrade. White Alps ps/2 plug, almost new condition. Do you need one for your collection?

[@GameTimeWithVargaArmy]

What switches do you recommend if I want them to be clicky but not have a metallic cling to the sound?

[@nakulverma7148]

Best. Typing. Demo. Ever!!

[@shade7659]

ending this era with a fucking bang

[@TheLordinio]

can you put a print under that plastic cover? could be useful for industrial applications, where you could put additional information around the keys. something like a physical GUI. thinking things like electronic test equipment that runs on a PC or custom computerized measurement tools and things like that. everything that is powered by a PC, but requires physical interaction instead of looking at a screen

[@dalriada842]

It looks similar to my old Wacom graphics tablet. Mine came with a pen and a mouse you could use on the tablet. Didn't they at least include the pen? That would explain the fact it was outsized.

[@kellandrasue]

Have you tried (or already done a video on) the Dumang DK6? It looks a tad bonkers.

[@wisteela]

I weirdly kind of like the idea of it. I'm wondering if it actually is faulty, and that's why it seems to be unused?

[@thehunterishunted]

The NO2 key you said you weren't sure what people were using it for does have a purpose, a gaming macropad is likely the idea, given the guns. The NO2 is likely used for the boost in driving games

[@Zetraxes]

Would buy that thing 10 out of 10 times. Thanks for the great review.

[@sandrochove3964]

that outro could be the best intro i've ever seen

[@DeviantDeveloper]

Your imperial measures are almost right, but they never use decimals. The width is actually 55 and 18/27th fathoms by 8 and 27/18th hands by 6 cups of seamen.

[@redjack2629]

I remember this thing. I used to want one for a gaming macro pad, because I've been kind of an MMO junkie since Ultima Online.

[@slefendermobile6604]

I was like wtf is that and why did he post this at 12 in the morning

[@MarksBigOlHam]

He posts videos at 7 AM his time.

[@InimicusSolitus]

I would have a use case for this kind of keyboard, if it had good keys, and of course actually worked at all. How hard is it to build a keyboard with a custom layout of the keys?

[@renauddupras1586]

I think it's meant to be used as a controller. You get your wasd and all the buttons around it in an actually confortable and usefull position to game.

[@Jossandoval]

Perhaps… But the fact that they are rubber dome and software-dependant mean that the feedback sucks and the latency must be, at least, greater than a mechanical keyboard.

[@renauddupras1586]

@@Jossandoval likely. But something like that well done I think would be amazing

[@x12Mike]

I wonder if running the drivers installation under Windows XP compatibility mode would have worked? I've been randomly successful with getting old junk installed this way... Just a thought :)

[@BaeBox]

wait, is it an actual sticker on the underside of the keys, meaning you cannot reposition the keys all the time because after 3-4 rounds of experimential ergonomicing, all the keys don't actually stick on the thing anymore?

[@SeraphimKnight]

I'm pretty sure this was intended as a left-hand device rather than anything else, so having letters and those other symbol stickers, plus having only 25 keys make perfect sense in that way.

[@nickeshchauhan5661]

The repositionable keys does make sense if you need to be able to use macros without looking at them. I.e through muscle memory alone. That way your brain understands the "shape" of the layout and can more easily memorise the function of each key. Removing the need to look at it would therefore make it faster to use without looking away from the screen

[@stevenliu1070]

For a more modern version of this you can get a Dumang DK6 off taobao. Repositionable keys using some magnetic magic, and you can use any cherry housed switch. I have one, pretty great for trying new layouts. You should get hold of one for a review.

[@hannibalkim]

I hope you do a redux review in the future. I guess some one has to donate working hideous macropad

[@Crokto]

lol, not even enough switches for a pain27. i suspect the intended use case is for people to buy the additional tray & switches, with the ability to purchase just the base kit being for one handed typers?

[@groundsalt2199]

I have been waiting... I mean sure it’s twelve for me but it’s worth it

[@outtheredude]

The Ergodex DX1. Santa's stocking filler for those whom even coal isn't enough to emphasise just how bad you've been all year. Sooo, Happy Christmas Thomas! ;-)

[@ryanics2291]

0-0 thanks man, I really appreciated the jab at the imperial system. sorry I dont know metric like you :P :D

[@karellen00]

Probably NO2 is a mistake and they intended N2O, this gas is generally used as oxidizing in tuned car engines. Those were the years of tuning, fast and furious and need for speed underground, a button for NOS was probably expected at that time!

[@SiriusXification]

Picassonian nighmares are pretty dope tbh. Also, DK6 is now a thing, it's just weird enough where you want to check it out.

[@DanielClear2]

You should be able to install the driver to a XP virtual machine and passthrough the keyboard.