Where is the other half of my keyboard? - Delux T11 Designer Keypad review

Nov 15, 2018

This is the first keyboard digitalEPIGRAPHY is going to review that is oriented specifically towards digital artists, illustrators and graphic designers, therefore we are very excited to share our thoughts after spending 2 months with the device. We’ve already included the Delux designer in our recommended Tools section, but today we’d like to dig a little deeper and point out its strengths and shortcomings when using in the studio. Although the device itself is relatively small and light it is not suited for being used in the field. In stark contrast with Wacom’s Express Key remote, it connects with your computer with a USB/Type-C cable, there is no wireless option offered at the moment. 

Hardware

The Delux Designer keyboard is unique for its size. It is compact, requires only a small space on your desk and practical enough to fit into your backpack for when you are on the go. Furthermore, the keyboard has a curved front lip, allowing you to rest your hand on it which is very important if you are going to use it for long hours.

The keypad has mechanical key switches, meaning that every click has a satisfying tactile feel to it. The downside of using a mechanical keyboard is that they are loud, but we don’t mind the clicking sound because that's easily compensated by the good feeling of the click. The device is about as thick as any typical plastic keyboard, but the design and build quality of this backlit keyboard is excellent. The body is made of brushed aluminum that feels good to the touch. The edges are beveled and polished. One shortcoming for some is that the only convenient placement for the device is on your left. This comes from the positioning of the keypad’s specialty, which is the knob, that is supposedly operated by your thumb and index finger. This might come as bad news for left-hand artists, although, according to Delux, there is a left-handed version in the works.

Now we’d like to talk about the most important aspect of the keypad, namely its day-to-day use in the studio. First, let us elaborate a little bit on the key arrangement. Besides having a dedicated Numerical key, there are three Memory keys, each allowing you to assign a dedicated set of shortcuts to one of your preferred software. For example, you can have M1 dedicated to Photoshop, M2 dedicated to Illustrator and the third one set up for Affinity designer or any other program. Naturally, you can switch between them by pressing the relevant M key and the active key lights up. For each set, you can configure specific keyboard shortcuts for the 10 shortcut buttons provided (0-9). In addition to those 10 buttons, there are also the , Z, X, C, V and the modifier keys: Shift, Control, FN and Alt. So basically, with the default settings, in addition to the 10 shortcut buttons, you can undo, cut, copy and paste. Unfortunately for Mac users, the FN key can’t be mapped to Command just yet, but it is promised to come in a future update. 

Photo by Delux

The multi-functional dial

Before we are getting into our specific customization regarding inking in the studio, we’d like to say a few words about the multi-functional dial. This knob comes with various additional commands you can choose from by clicking or clicking and holding while turning it left or right. For example, if you want to change brush size or zoom in and out in Photoshop, you can do so with the dial. However, digitalEPIGRAPHY’s experience with this particular feature wasn’t as buttery smooth as advertised, with the knob-button sometimes being unresponsive. We are certain that these software kinks can be easily worked out in future updates and once the knob was set to a specific task, execution was not a problem for us. 

Setting up Shortcuts

As you can see on the above screenshot, my Delux Keypad is using M1 set for Photoshop-specific shortcuts. These have a close resemblance of my other devices’ settings (including Astropad Studio and the Wacom Express Key Remote) for the ease of use. The top row is used for step back (Cmd+Z) and step forward (Shift+Cmd+Z), smoothing on/off (Alt+1and Alt+7), lasso tool (L) and right click and the middle row is used for switching between brush (B), eraser (E) and pattern stamp tools (S), save (Cmd+S) and rotate canvas (R). I reserved the bottom row for Cmd(luckily you can customize any of these keys to execute the Cmd key on the Mac) and for some more complex tasks I execute often when inking, such as stroke path (Ctrl+Cmd+S) and delete path (Ctrl+Cmd+G). Finally, I set my last key in the bottom left corner to deselect (Cmd+D). With the addition of the modifier keys Esc, Tab, Space, Delete and Enter, this little device provides a plethora of options for our daily studio work. In fact, there are a lot more options here than on my Wacom Express Key Remote, while arranged in a more orderly fashion. I don’t want to suggest that I like the Designer Keypad better, but I have accustomed to the luxury and comfort of having all the tools I might need right underneath my left hand, whenever I need them. However, I’m not going to play with all the different knob settings for the time being, I just set it up to zoom in and out of my canvas and it works like a charm. 

There is an option in the designer keyboard to dig even deeper into customization, called macros. This key feature adds the ability to program multi-step command sequences, just like you would in Photoshop’s Actions tab. Having the ability to program your own macros can save a lot of time for those who go through certain processes or steps frequently. At the end of the day, the Delux T11 Designer Keypad is not an overly complicated product to get accustomed with. Once you go through their manual and download the client software to your computer, getting started with it depends only on the time it takes for you to setup your favorite shortcuts. Saving time when working on complex drawings in the studio cannot be overrated, therefore we should be thankful for any help we can get during this process. The Delux Designer is a relatively new product and some of its initial kinks need to be worked out, but it can already speed up one’s workflow tremendously. 

Delux T11 Designer Keypad costs $69,99 right now. To purchase the device and learn more about it, we recommend visiting the digitalEPIGRAPHY Tools menu. Some of the most popular buying options either in silver on grey can be found directly at Delux or through Amazon US,  Amazon UK and Aliexpress. Now, that Delux's original Kickstarter campaign has ended, the company has stared accepting preorders of the Designer Keyboard on Indiegogo.

13 comment(s)

Johnathan ivy

Jan 3, 2020

How did you download the driver from the manufacturer website for windows? I have a surface pro, but the driver download wont work. And being a chinese company, The manufacturing company is no help at all

Jan 8, 2020

Dear Jonathan, thank you very much for reading us and for being interested in what we do. Unfortunately Delux has been very scarce about their product updates and - indeed - their driver for the T11 Designer Keypad can't be found on their website anymore. However, we have the driver for both Windows and Mac, so let me share it with you: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3m01zo1e9grda7t/AAAjHCg9Uj0meCQKciO_Ic4Ua?dl=0 You just open the Dropbox link in your browser and download the file. Good luck and please, keep checking back for more to read at digitalEPIGRAPHY!

Kevin D O'Brien

Jul 2, 2020

Hello Are you still using the Delux T11 and is it performing as you wish? I'm considering purchasing one and I'm looking for input. Thanks Kevin O'Brien

Jul 2, 2020

Hi, thank you very much for reaching out and for being interested in what we do! I personally still use my Delux T11, but it's not without its flaws. I'm not able to make any changes to my initial setting through the Delux software any longer but the hardware still works as before! What really works for me right now is the TourBox controller. You'll find our review here: https://bit.ly/3gjjWJJ Regarding the Delux, it's not produced any longer. Nonetheless, there is the J-Tech Digital Mechanical Designer Keyboard (K610) that seems to be identical and you can buy it through Amazon US (https://amzn.to/2NQL072). I hope it helps, best regards, Krisztian Vertes

Daniel Gonet

Aug 6, 2020

Hi guysi have problem with my console, i try to instal update than jump an error and kaybord stops work...

Aug 13, 2020

Hi, thank you for being interested in digitalEPIGRAPHY and reading our Delux T11 Designer Keypad review. Unfortunately, the keyboard is not produced by Delux anymore, however, you still find many knock-off versions at Amazon etc. (https://amzn.to/3lq8ejV). The latest driver we could find on Delux' website is from 2018 (DesignerMAC20181116). It can be downloaded through the link provided in our article. Our T11 runs with the same driver and still works, we haven't experienced any problems since started using. Please, shoot us an email to info@digital-epigraphy.com if you have more questions! Best regards, Krisztian Vertes

Mariusz Tuta

Aug 28, 2020

HelloI have the same problem. After installing Upgrade, the keyboard stopped working. It does not light and does not work. I wrote to the producer but he doesn't answer.Anyone, something to help ???

Aug 28, 2020

Hi, thank you for being interested in digitalEPIGRAPHY and reading our Delux T11 Designer Keypad review. Unfortunately, the keyboard is not produced by Delux anymore, however, you still find many knock-off versions at Amazon etc. (https://amzn.to/3lq8ejV). The latest driver we could find on Delux' website is from 2018 (DesignerMAC20181116). It can be downloaded through the link provided in our article. Our T11 runs with the same driver and still works, we haven't experienced any problems since started using. Please, shoot us an email to info@digital-epigraphy.com if you have more questions! Best regards, Krisztian Vertes

Ed Marinas

Sep 28, 2020

Hello. Mine was also working fine until I decided to run that update folder in their driver file. The lights turned off and now the keyboard is not working :((

Feb 10, 2021

Dear Ed, I am sorry to hear that! Please, read the entire thread as we provided a possible solution to your trouble!

Andrei Sylka

Nov 25, 2020

I’m having same problem. Anyone fix it?

Mar 11, 2021

Dear Andrei, we might have a solution for you, please keep on reading the entire thread and look for download links. Best, Krisztian

Andrei Sylka

Nov 25, 2020

anyone tryed to update firmware on macos

Aug 5, 2021

Hi, thank you very much for your message and sorry to hear that your Delux T11 is not working properly. We, the Epigraphic Survey of the Oriental Institute, don’t make these devices. We are a documentation project working on ancient Egyptian monuments in Luxor. Nonetheless, I have a Delux T11 that is still fully functional despite seemingly being abandoned by the makers. I have had the Delux for quite some time now, and it was malfunctioning a bit when it was used with my MacBook Pro. One couldn’t change the preset shortcuts, and the knob had only one function, but I couldn’t change it. When I bought the Mac Mini (running Big Sur), I did a fresh install using the driver I am linking to this thread, and everything works properly since. I hope this helps. Good luck, sincerely, Krisztian Vertes Download driver from here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8qg4mwummh0b55c/AAAPiVKyUDGDrKsOUoeJOR-Ia?dl=0

Pervychine Nicholas

Dec 3, 2020

Hello,I have made the update on my T11 Delux Designer and it stops working.I used the update on this site:http://www.deluxworld.com/en/plus/search.php?kwtype=0&typeid=28&q=t11What I have to do ? Thank you,Nicholas

Mar 13, 2021

Hi Nicholas, sorry to hear that you're having trouble with the Delux as well! Please, read the entire thread and you might find a solution! Best, Krisztian

Hue kim

Dec 28, 2020

I have same problem. After updating fw error, keyboard lights gone and it doesn’t work. I ask seller to solve this problem and finally I got answer https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFU1D7tIe_f4Dxg26llUugwiR-Pj15AU/view?usp=sharing They said, homepage fw is older virsion that make problems.

Jan 3, 2021

Hi Hue Kim, thank you so much for providing a link for all of us! I can see that a lot of our readers are seeking a solution to their malfunctioning drivers and devices. I hope this one works. Best, Krisztian

Peter Menner

Feb 1, 2021

Thanks for the Dropbox link!!! The driver link on their website only downloads the keyboard's firmware update, which I ran before I saw everyone's comments here about it bricking their units. Luckily, it didn't cause me any issues, so perhaps they at least fixed that (FwUpdate 20200424). I bought mine off AliExpress here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32914229863.html Took 3 weeks to arrive, but it appears to be the genuine DELUX unit, and $30 less expensive than the knock-off version that's on Amazon

Feb 19, 2021

Dear Peter, thanks for sharing your thoughts and sharing the AliExpress link with the community! I myself haven't experienced any problem with my old Kickstarter unit just yet. After a certain point, my Delux software wouldn't register any shortcut changes anymore though. However, I changed my computer since and it works flawlessly again with my new M1 Mac Mini! I'll keep you all posted if I have additional information to share! Best, Krisztian Vertes

Richard Jonathan

Feb 19, 2021

The question is how do we get the update to install if the keyboard is not recognised by the update installation. How do we remove whatever the other outdated update did?

Mar 3, 2021

Hi Richard, I recently purchased a new Mac Mini M1 and did a clean install of the original dmg file. Everything seems to be working now, even the radial menu is accessible that I had a problem with earlier. If you're still having trouble working with your Delux, send an email to info@digital-epigraphy.com and I'll try to help. Best and good luck, Krisztian!

Nataly Gourdin

Jul 5, 2021

Hi! I need help, I can't configure custom shortcuts on my mac, the software seems to no longer work with mac big sur. any solution? Thanks

Aug 1, 2021

Hi, thank you very much for your message and sorry to hear that your Delux T11 is not working properly. We, the Epigraphic Survey of the Oriental Institute, don’t make these devices. We are a documentation project working on ancient Egyptian monuments in Luxor. Nonetheless, I have a Delux T11 that is still fully functional despite seemingly being abandoned by the makers. I have had the Delux for quite some time now, and it was malfunctioning a bit when it was used with my MacBook Pro. One couldn’t change the preset shortcuts, and the knob had only one function, but I couldn’t change it. When I bought the Mac Mini, I did a fresh install using the driver I am linking to this thread, and everything works properly since. I hope this helps. Good luck, sincerely, Krisztian Vertes Download driver from here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8qg4mwummh0b55c/AAAPiVKyUDGDrKsOUoeJOR-Ia?dl=0

Lorena Nataly Gourdin

Jul 6, 2021

i need help, software delux now doesn't work in mac big sur

Aug 3, 2021

Hi, thank you very much for your message and sorry to hear that your Delux T11 is not working properly. We, the Epigraphic Survey of the Oriental Institute, don’t make these devices. We are a documentation project working on ancient Egyptian monuments in Luxor. Nonetheless, I have a Delux T11 that is still fully functional despite seemingly being abandoned by the makers. I have had the Delux for quite some time now, and it was malfunctioning a bit when it was used with my MacBook Pro. One couldn’t change the preset shortcuts, and the knob had only one function, but I couldn’t change it. When I bought the Mac Mini, I did a fresh install using the driver I am linking to this thread, and everything works properly since. I hope this helps. Good luck, sincerely, Krisztian Vertes Download driver from here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8qg4mwummh0b55c/AAAPiVKyUDGDrKsOUoeJOR-Ia?dl=0

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