Lighting and Performance

The ZSA Moonlander supports 6-key rollover USB out of the box, which is plenty enough for typing. There is now an easy toggle to enable NKRO in the Oryx configurator, which then works exactly as you'd think. Likewise, I experienced no chatter with any of the switches, and the image above shows which functions get dedicated keys on the base layer.

If you saw the Switch Hitter screenshot and thought there is no way all those keys were actually covered, especially the modifiers, let me introduce you to the Hyper key. It might be a small thing, but I find it quite smartly implemented for when you need a modifier action, as it is one key that manages most of them. As ZSA says, Hyper is "Alt, Ctrl, Shift, and Win/Cmd, all held down together." This allows for OS-agnostic combos, which Windows of course doesn't like too much. There's a reason the Super/Hyper/Meta/Meh keys are novelties in the modern retail keyboard layout, and this adoption with the Moonlander says a lot about the immediate target audience, namely programmers, who would also be more likely to appreciate the various nuances available with the open-source firmware and layer functionality.


We also saw on the previous page how the Oryx configurator works, and there is a detailed guide for those who are just starting off on this path with the Moonlander. This involves practicing and training yourself for typing on the orthogonal layout and making the most of the ergonomic functions discussed earlier in the review, but I'd say also give the default layer configuration a shot. It's well-laid-out once you get used to the key mapping and modifier keys around the alphanumeric section, which are split in two. The problem, and I have to acknowledge it will be a small one for the core audience, are the unfamiliar legends and associated ambiguity causing a few frustrations even before the physical nature of the keyboard itself enters the picture. Still, and I once again can't stress enough how useful it is to go through the training process, you will notice some useful controls on the other layers, including for volume and media playback, mouse motion, and backlighting.

That's a good segue into what comes up when you first connect the Moonlander to a PC, wherein the speakers beep out first, the indicator LEDs light up to also confirm which layer you are on, and the keys light up in a vertical rainbow wave effect—deliberate A/V feedback that confirms the keyboard's active status, which is now ready to be used and customized.


Customization also includes a lot of preset lighting effects and animations, and QMK adds further support on top if that's more to your liking. With Oryx alone I was able to do all my tests for backlit RGB keyboards, including testing for any backlight bleed by having different static colors on the different keys. While there wasn't much backlight bleed even with the floating keycaps, I suspect the white keyboard variant may have more since the white plate would reflect the lighting further, which incidentally should also make it appear brighter. Setting all the keys to white also helped test for color fidelity since RGB LEDs can struggle with white, and I am happy to report a very decent white color with my Moonlander sample. Not the best I've seen necessarily, but I once again anticipate the white version to fare better.

Seen above are a few other videos of the keyboard lit up, and here too my main complaint is the same as with the key mapping in that there are quite a few preset options but no easy way to quickly select the one you want. I suppose once you have found it, it's not as big a deal.



The key-assignment options in the Oryx Configurator allow for users to also go with layouts other than QWERTY, and I used the source code from an older keyboard review (fittingly the Ergodox EZ review) in a layout tester (courtesy of Patrick Gillespie). The results above indicate that QWERTY is not even close to the most efficient layout for me and very likely you as well. If you are willing, try out Colemak or Dvorak as they will result in lower finger travel and fatigue overall. As such, the software drivers offer a significant functional tool if you are willing to devote some time to adopting either Colemak or Dvorak. Here is the link to the full results if interested, including a detailed analysis on key presses and distances moved. The use of the flat keycap profile and orthogonal layout makes switching between typing layouts easier than on most other keyboards, and there are also user-generated layouts in Oryx, so you don't need remap all keys manually, either.


So by now you hopefully have a better grasp of all the ergonomic features as well as the customization options when it comes to the typing experience with the ZSA Moonlander. There is another big contributing factor with the switches themselves. There are plenty of switches to choose from when configuring the Moonlander for purchase, and the hot-swap nature helps further in allowing just about any mechanical switch on the market to work with the keyboard. My sample uses the Kailh Bronze, also known as the Kailh Thick Gold. In fact, this switch is also called the Kailh Speed Bronze because it is not only tactile and clicky, but also a speed switch. Actuation is rated at just 1.1 mm with a total travel of 3.5 mm. This potentially trigger-happy switch is also rated as a medium-force switch, although actuation is noticed at nearly the same time as the tactile and clicky feedback from the click bar to where that takes precedence in feel and responsivity. Note also that the force-travel diagram above, taken from the Input Club, is a few years old and recent batches are far more in line with rated numbers.


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 ZSA Moonlander sample at ~55–70 WPM as it comes out of the box with the Kailh Bronze switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile and clicky switches. I bottomed out more often than not owing to the "speed" of these switches, but also am a self-professed fan of the Kailh click bar feedback mechanism to where I would happily press and bottom out just to hear the crisp clicks here. The tactile bump is also quite pronounced, so you can train yourself not to bottom out courtesy the ~2.4 mm gap between actuation and bottoming out—more than on the average mechanical switch!