EK-128 free programmable 128 key USB keypad/keyboard

It reminds me of the keyboards from the eighties, build like a tank, heavy and with a very noticable click when pressing any key... and that's a good thing because those keyboards went on for many years without failing.The software also seems from that time, a little old looking but it does what it need to do, for me. Programming shortcuts is easy. Click on a key in the editor, press al the shortcut combinations on the onscreen keyboard one after another, not at the same time, and upload each single key to the memory of the keyboard. You can also program them all at once and then upload the whole set at once, but this will take a little longer.The manual could be a lot better, but I found all the things I need and for me it is a very nice device. It makes my workflow so much easier because I dont have to remember dozens and dozens of shortcuts anymore. I am making my own miniature logo's in a graphical program to put the prints under the keycaps. With this I can work so fast that I hardly have the need to search some function in the menu. A bonus is that you can assing any key that you want to toggle between the first and second layer if 128 keys should be not enough. This way you can almost double the number of funtions and shortcuts meaning 127*2=254 functions (128 minus 1 key at each layer as toggle functon). A LED lights up when the second layer is active, nice.The only thing that was missing where the double and quad keycaps, but maybe these are optional, I am not shure about that.

Took a little while to arrive, despite me requesting for next day but I suspect this was due to it coming from Germany.. When it did arrive, it did so nicely packaged and to my relief sporting Cherry MX Blue switches! (I also own some Pi Engineering XKey products and some of their products only feature a clicky PCB mount switch rather than a full depth mechanical). The keys all popped off easily and I was able to replace them with another matching set (I plan to use this as a custom keyboard to drive software for a Stage Lighting application).You only receive one 2x1 wide key but after a swift email conversation with Expert Keys themselves I had 2 more in the post. It's true that currently it only works with Windows and not with Apple systems - However I am assured that this is in the works and as the quality of build is there in the hardware I am prepared to hang on and find / mod / hack my way around this problem for now.Very pleased and the quality really is there for the price!

Trying to get this to work on a Windows 10 machine to speed up productivity however it is taking an eternity to work through some very poor product documentation.Really disappointed in the documentation that is not clear or concise or complete for a Windows 10 systemThe software is not very intuitive to use.Tip 1: If you have a Windows 10 machine and you want to run a program from a chosen shortcut, then that shortcut has to be placed on the desktop.Tip 2: Don't buy this product look for something that has better documentation (seriously it will save you time and frustration and will probably be better at setting up/administering)

Whats to dislike.2 easy changeable layers of fully programmable keys. Changing layers works like a cap lock key.Easy to program. Easy to store the programmed keys to make future alteration easy.Positive feel click when pressed.Saving me hours of typing the same names and phone numbers at work.

I bought this keyboard because at €179 it was much cheaper than the X-keys XKE-128 (at $499.95 not including shipping and customs duties).It seems well made for the money and the keys have a positive feel. The supplied software for programming the keyboard is quite confusing and not very "user friendly" but it gets the job done. Originally these keyboards were aimed at "Point of Sale" applications and not really intended for end users.I'm a freelance software developer and switch between development environment, operating system and programming languages every few months. My plan was to program this keyboard for the common operations I need to perform e.g. "run tests" and have different configurations for the various environments in which I work.I can confirm that it works well on Windows but sadly the keyboard is not recognised at all in recent Apple OS releases due to issues with the keyboard's USB implementation (in fairness, there is no claim from the supplier that it works with Apple kit). I hope to have a workaround whereby the keyboard is plugged into a computer running Windows or Linux and the keystrokes are forwarded to my MacBook via Synergy (keyboard and mouse sharing software).In summary, if you need a 128 key programmable keyboard for Windows and want a low price option then the Expertkeys EK-128 is a good choice.

The EK-128 is an awesome piece of gear.The build quality is very good and the design looks nice - not as trashy like a lot af gaming keyboards.I'm using it side to side with my regular keyboard and it`s a blessing not to remember all those key commands any more. Now they are all triggered by the push of a single button.I speeded up my workflow big time.For example my right hand can stay on the mouse at all times.Be aware that you need to invest some time for programming and labelling the keyboard.It comes with 5 different coloured pieces of paper for labelling.I use red for "zoom" commands, use green for "transporter" commands....you get the idea.The USB cable is very long...no need for an extension.Only works on a Windows based PC.If you work with a certain program on a daily basis - and want to speed up your workflow - you can`t go wrong with this one. Recommended.