Driver

There is no software driver support for the Datamancer Diviner keyboard, with all functionality being hardware based. As such, I have chosen to combine the Driver and Performance pages into one.

Performance

There is six-key rollover USB here, as Aqua's test confirms. 6KRO is native to USB and is fine for what this keyboard is aimed at considering that does not include modifier actions in the count (CTRL, Shift, etc.). No key chatter was detected using Switch Hitter, so all is good on that end.


The dip switches that help configure the keyboard's layout come in very handy. I used the source code from an earlier keyboard review in a layout tester (courtesy Patrick Gillespie), and you can see the results above. QWERTY is not even close to the most efficient layout for a typical written piece for me, and very likely for you too. If you are willing, try out Colemak or Dvorak as they will result in less finger travel and fatigue overall. So the CODE does hold up to the promises made to professional typists, or simply those who type a lot. Here is the link to the full results if you are interested, including a detailed analysis on key presses and distance moved.


The Cherry MX Blue is very likely the most familiar clicky tactile mechanical switch available today, with a ~2 mm actuation distance, 2.2 mm pre-travel, and a total travel distance of 4 mm. It is rated at 50 g for actuation, and my testing of twenty randomly chosen switches on this keyboard revealed an average actuation force of 50.12 g, which is spot on. The average bottoming out force was 59.8 g, which is a tad lower than the 60 g rating I would have liked to see, but these are easy enough to not bottom out, and this is more on Cherry than Datamancer or WASD.

There is not much else to describe here which you have not already seen - the aesthetics aside, the Datamancer Diviner is a fairly standard keyboard in that it does everything expected of a QWERTY (and more!) keyboard, but it does so better than most office keyboards. The keycaps are cool to look at, but I still do not like the near-flat surface for typing on, which is as it was with the three keyboards with similar keycaps before. Your mileage may vary, but just be aware of it, especially since they are a major price contributor here.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Datamancer Diviner keyboard sample at ~95 WPM. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile and clicky switches. I did bottom out here, but it is easy to not do so with some practice!