AstonJ

AstonJ

Planck vs Preonic vs Subatomic (Keyboards)

I ended up cancelling my Moonlander order as I think it’s just going to be a bit too bulky for me.

I think the Planck and the Preonic (or Subatomic - whenever it surfaces!) are going to be much better for me, here’s my pros and cons of each - have I missed anything? What are your thoughts?

Planck

  • 40% Keyboard (4 x 12)
  • Aesthetically pleasing
  • Very ‘cool’/futuristic looking

OLKB Planck vs Planck EZ

OLKB Planck is available from Drop and the Planck EZ is available from ZSA, they have some differences:

OLKB Planck (from Drop)

  • More case choice (other cases also available, or order with none)
  • More switch options (sold without so order your own)
  • More keycap options (order without then buy your own)
  • QMK Firmware
  • Self build (tho only takes 15 mins and no soldering required)
  • Bit taller, think with keys it’s 33mm
  • No RGB lighting (keys)
  • 1 year warranty
  • Slightly cheaper (unless you buy ‘nice’ keycaps/switches etc, which makes it more costly)

Planck EZ (from ZSA)

  • Plastic casing
  • RGB lighting
  • QMK Firmware
  • Can use Oryx to configure your keyboard
  • Shorter, at only 28mm tall with keys
  • Less ‘bezels’ around side = smaller footprint and arguably cleaner look
  • Some might say better built
  • Pre-built
  • 2 year warranty
  • Less customisable at purchase (no keycap options, limited switch options)
  • More expensive compared to stock Drop Planck with same switches

OLKB Preonic (from Drop)

  • 50% keyboard - has an additional number row (5 x 12)
  • Created by same person as the Planck
  • Same casing and switch options as Drop’s Planck

Subatomic

  • First mentioned a few years ago but still not available
  • Created by same person who created Planck and Preonic
  • Same as Preonic but will offer 2 additional columns (5 x 14)
  • Currently not available and no updates on when it will be

Reviews

Planck EZ

Planck Drop

Can’t find one atm, but here’s the build guide…

Preonic

Why 40% (/50%)

Plastic vs Metal case sound

Most Liked

svilen

svilen

Author of Concurrent Data Processing in Elixir

Ordered a Planck EZ today, fingers crossed we can get our hands on them soon @AstonJ :nerd_face:

SmithyTT

SmithyTT

What can you actually use them for?

Well, a rotary encoder twists clockwise and counter clockwise. It lends itself to actions that you’d otherwise need to repeatedly press a button for, and to actions that have both a forward and a reverse direction. For example:

  • Audio control, to turn the volume up or down;
  • Scrolling, to scroll up or down a page or document with Page Up and Page Down;
  • Tabbing, to go to the previous or next browser tab with for example Control Tab and Control Shift Tab;
  • Window movement, to go to the previous or next window with Alt Tab and Alt Shift Tab;
  • History scrubbing, to perform undo and redo;
  • Scrolling horizontally by word, with Control Arrow Left and Control Arrow Right (if you hold down shift while turning the encoder, you can select words too!);
  • Scrolling through search results, with Find Next and Find Previous when you map the encoder actions to your text editor’s shortcuts.

Of course, you can program them to do anything. I’ve seen people program common text snippets so you can enter text with the simple turn of the encoder.

Korbin73

Korbin73

I have both the Preonic and the Planck. Between the 2, I prefer the Preonic mostly because I didn’t want to access my numbers with a layer (that was just personal preference). I bought the Preonic with a polycarbonate case which was not available with the Planck. I would recommend a super quiet switch like Bobas U4s due to how load the plank case is: https://www.rgbkb.net/products/rgb-silent-tactile-switch

I’m more partial to split boards since I find them far more comfortable, so neither one of my one piece boards will be my daily drivers.

Where Next?

Popular General Dev topics Top

hauleth
This post is a followup of @AstonJ request here. We should start with some basis before we talk further - keyboard is in most cases the ...
New
siddhant3030
Hi, I’m about to buy a MacBook 2019 model. I use mostly Elixir in my development. Should I go for this MacBook? or should I consider a L...
New
AstonJ
Apart from your monitor, keyboard and mouse - what additional computer hardware do you have?
New
brentjanderson
Bought the Moonlander mechanical keyboard. Cherry Brown MX switches. Arms and wrists have been hurting enough that it’s time I did someth...
New
AstonJ
poll poll Be sure to check out @Dusty’s article posted here: An Introduction to Alternative Keyboard Layouts It’s one of the best write-...
New
New
AstonJ
Last thread about mechanical keyboards for now I promise!! I learnt a new word in this video, Thock! A sound many enthusiasts strive for...
New
ohm
My employer is letting me get a new laptop for developing on. Should I get the new MacBook Pro M1 or the MacBook Air M1 and why? :man_te...
New
AstonJ
Perhaps we can add some vids on sound differences, those I’ve seen so far are giving the plastic cases a nice stock sound (you could do s...
New
First poster: bot
CutiePi is a Raspberry Pi 4 tablet that turns your project into an untethered adventure. Build and create wherever an idea strikes you. N...
New

Other popular topics Top

PragmaticBookshelf
Learn from the award-winning programming series that inspired the Elixir language, and go on a step-by-step journey through the most impo...
New
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Tailwind CSS is an exciting new CSS framework that allows you to design your site by composing simple utility classes to create complex e...
New
Exadra37
Oh just spent so much time on this to discover now that RancherOS is in end of life but Rancher is refusing to mark the Github repo as su...
New
AstonJ
If you get Can't find emacs in your PATH when trying to install Doom Emacs on your Mac you… just… need to install Emacs first! :lol: bre...
New
AstonJ
If you want a quick and easy way to block any website on your Mac using Little Snitch simply… File > New Rule: And select Deny, O...
New
New
AnfaengerAlex
Hello, I’m a beginner in Android development and I’m facing an issue with my project setup. In my build.gradle.kts file, I have the foll...
New
AstonJ
This is a very quick guide, you just need to: Download LM Studio: https://lmstudio.ai/ Click on search Type DeepSeek, then select the o...
New
PragmaticBookshelf
A concise guide to MySQL 9 database administration, covering fundamental concepts, techniques, and best practices. Neil Smyth MySQL...
New