Hah! This has actually been a bit of a wild ride of rabbit holes to go down. Initially I was thinking it'd be cool to have an aluminum case that I milled out with a darker wood keycaps that I also CNCed out, so I was mostly looking at kits that I could get for cheap to work with dimensions.
I have one I bought on amazon a few years back that at least gives me a test bed for keycaps I think I'm going to start on trying that out.
I do worry the individual keys will be heavier which will impact some of the springback and pressure required since I will need to go thicker in the wood for sturdiness and wood is denser than the plastic.
There are keyswitches with stiffer springs if that's necessary.
Cherry greens are the stiffer blues, clears are the stiffer browns, and blacks are stiffer reds.
I wish I could give you some advice on which PCB to get, but it seems like there are quite a few out there, with minute differences. I can't keep track of all of them. It does seem like many specialty mech keyboard online stores carry PCBs (for example, I see that MechanicalKeyboards.com has some, 1UPKeyboards has some, etc.), so you can probably open up a few tabs and compare features/prices. They often come in various degrees of doneness - sometimes it's a bare PCB, sometimes it's a PCB with the controller and diodes soldered on, sometimes it's that but also with surface-mount LEDs soldered on, sometimes they have Kaihl hot-swap sockets soldered on. I really don't know how people settle on a PCB to use.
I gave /r/mk a quick search, and it looks like people mostly make cases out of wood, and not keys (which is not surprising), but I did come across this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/9nvncs/diy_all_walnut_ut47/
Case AND keys are made of wood. Notably, the poster says that they made resin-cast stems for the keys, which makes them more durable that all-wooden keys. I imagine they'd have a better grip on switches, as well.
That makes perfect sense. I was thinking of making an inside sleeve from 3d print but resin cast is likely better. This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!
I am so, so glad that I found out about it after the deadline passed, because I find that design really beautiful, but that thing costs $225, so that's a frustrating decision I don't have to think about.
So this crazy dude did this all by hand.
That's just crazy.
Thinking this is going to be more achievable than I thought.
Radiation on
PSN: jfrofl
+5
Options
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
edited February 2019
So what would the thread recommend for someone who wants to get into mechanicals under a $100. Should I get a corsair K70? That seems nice. I love the Vortex 3 but it's like twice the price and without a numpad, which would be a bonus to have.
So what would the thread recommend for someone who wants to get into mechanicals under a $100. Should I get a corsair K70? That seems nice. I love the Vortex 3 but it's like twice the price and without a numpad, which would be a bonus to have.
I’ve been quite happy with my K70.
0
Options
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
I have a Corsair k68 and it's really nice. The K70 is a great choice.
I've been wondering how to do the stem of the keycap. Thought making a mold to make quite a few of them and then super gluing them in place would be a good way to go, but I think I'm starting to lean towards making a mold for the back of the keycap and using resin to make the stem. I was worried about gluing the stem in straight, which I could use a jig for.
Or I could 3d print a bunch and glue them in using a jig as well.
Absolute beginner's question: I keep reading about mechanical keyboards and how great they are - but I cannot really imagine to what extent using them differs from using the keyboard I've been using for 10-15 years now. For someone who uses his PC mainly to write, play games and surf the internet, what difference does a mechanical keyboard make? I'm not interested in the fancy coloured lights - for me it's entirely about how it feels to use them and what the practical difference is. I'm sure there are some here who had the same question, and then they started using a mechanical keyboard and were converted.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
0
Options
AkimboEGMr. FancypantsWears very fine pants indeedRegistered Userregular
edited February 2019
Don't think there's much more to add to what you already know. They 'feel different'. If you can, try one out at an electronics store to see what that actually means.
AkimboEG on
Give me a kiss to build a dream on; And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss; Sweetheart, I ask no more than this; A kiss to build a dream on
Thanks. I'll see if I can find a store that has keyboards on display. At worst, I guess I could get one and then return and refund it, but I prefer not to do that.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
0
Options
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Thanks. I'll see if I can find a store that has keyboards on display. At worst, I guess I could get one and then return and refund it, but I prefer not to do that.
@Thirith Best Buy and even Walmart usually have some out for display you can clack on. There's a ton of switches out there available, but the most common seem to be Cherry Reds, Browns, and Blues. Reds are kind of "intermediate" keys, with smooth action and a decent clock. Blues have actuation bumps and are clacky as all hell, but great for typing (loud, tho!). Browns are like reds but softer.
Heh. Thanks, but neither Best Buy nor Walmart exist in Switzerland, and we don't have that many big stores that have keyboards on display. The major hardware/peripheral stores tend to display stuff like TVs, laptops, cameras and phones while other things, e.g. keyboards, can be ordered but aren't necessarily readily available.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
I do quite like the feel of both of the keyboards we have now. The one my daughter got was cheap enough, and her only issue is the noise, so we picked up a $10 pack of dampeners. It will still click, but most of the noise seems to be coming from the key bottoming out on the keyboard. @Thirith can you take a picture of the keyboard you've been using?
PSN: jfrofl
0
Options
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Heh. Thanks, but neither Best Buy nor Walmart exist in Switzerland, and we don't have that many big stores that have keyboards on display. The major hardware/peripheral stores tend to display stuff like TVs, laptops, cameras and phones while other things, e.g. keyboards, can be ordered but aren't necessarily readily available.
@Thirith can you take a picture of the keyboard you've been using?
I forgot to take a picture. However, I've gone and ordered the Roccat Vulcan 120 based on the recent Rock Paper Shotgun review. If I don't like it, I can give it back and get a refund. I think the only way I'll see whether a mechanical keyboard is for me is if I can try it out for a couple of days.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
Don't tell the mechanical keyboard community I said this, but: I think the feel of typing on a $20 rubber dome keyboard is completely, perfectly, 100% fine. I kept reading all the mech keyboard enthusiasts going on about how mech keyboards are so much more durable and reliable, and how mushy rubber domes feel/how amazing mech keyboards feel, but I just... don't feel it? I've used rubber domes for decades, they've never shown any wear-and-tear, and I've always enjoyed the experience of typing on them. Maybe I need exposure to more switches, I've personally only tried Cherry Reds and Zealios 65g Tactile (similar to a Cherry Brown).
What I DO like about mechanical keyboards is the extensive customizability. There is tremendous variety in case size, shape, and layout; switches (I discovered that I kinda hate Cherry Reds, I need the tactile bump); and - of course - endless, endless keycap designs. I assume this is what car enthusiasts feel like; you can be tinkering with your keyboard forever, if you want to.
Delduwath on
+1
Options
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
I picked up the Redragon basic keyboard on Amazon, with the switches that are comparable to the MX blues and holy hell it is loud. It feels SO GOOD to type on though. I'm going to have to get some dampeners to try to quiet it down a bit. I wish the Red Dragon came with a brown option. Oh well!
Yeah, we picked up a similar one that had blues and even with the dampeners its still fairly loud. I think as I go down the rabbit hole of building my own keycaps I'll likely end up building one from a kit maybe, but I think a more quiet version would be nice.
Don't tell the mechanical keyboard community I said this, but: I think the feel of typing on a $20 rubber dome keyboard is completely, perfectly, 100% fine. I kept reading all the mech keyboard enthusiasts going on about how mech keyboards are so much more durable and reliable, and how mushy rubber domes feel/how amazing mech keyboards feel, but I just... don't feel it? I've used rubber domes for decades, they've never shown any wear-and-tear, and I've always enjoyed the experience of typing on them. Maybe I need exposure to more switches, I've personally only tried Cherry Reds and Zealios 65g Tactile (similar to a Cherry Brown).
What I DO like about mechanical keyboards is the extensive customizability. There is tremendous variety in case size, shape, and layout; switches (I discovered that I kinda hate Cherry Reds, I need the tactile bump); and - of course - endless, endless keycap designs. I assume this is what car enthusiasts feel like; you can be tinkering with your keyboard forever, if you want to.
I think it depends a bit on how you type/how much you type. The biggest functional difference between rubber domes and mechanical keyboards, is that a mechanical switch registers the keypress well before the switch is pressed all the way down (the actual actuation point is usually only 1/3rd of the way down the), whereas a with rubber domes, the keys have to be pushed all the way down.
This helps me a lot ergonomically. My hands get tired quickly at work when I'm typing on a rubber dome, but I can type all day on a mech and my hands feel fine at the end of the day.
That's fair enough; I'm a programmer, and my main task at work is staring at my screen and trying to figure out how I can type as little as possible. I've never been very good at actually using a keyboard, even in my younger always-on-AIM days, so it's absolutely true that I don't have good habits, bottom-out all the time, and so on. I don't do nearly enough typing on a regular basis to develop fatigue in my hands.
Yeah, we picked up a similar one that had blues and even with the dampeners its still fairly loud. I think as I go down the rabbit hole of building my own keycaps I'll likely end up building one from a kit maybe, but I think a more quiet version would be nice.
Yeah, we picked up a similar one that had blues and even with the dampeners its still fairly loud. I think as I go down the rabbit hole of building my own keycaps I'll likely end up building one from a kit maybe, but I think a more quiet version would be nice.
It's hard to beat for $35 dollars though.
Oh yeah, price point was pretty great all things considered. Even with the dampeners it's still a great price. And my daughter is happy, so that's good. I should hopefully be testing out the CNC key caps maybe Monday? I have to run a commission job that takes like 8 hours. Should be starting that later tonight. Then onto the building of keycaps.
I recently had a tea mishap that seems to have led to the death of my trusty ol quickfire xt, and having to pull an old rubber dome board out brought some stuff into relief
it really feels like I have to bang on the keys compared to (tactile) brown switches; keypresses sometimes don't register when I think they will, and it feels like keys take forever to return from being pressed (relevant to games obviously, or even repetitive stuff like 10 keying.) I find myself constantly having to go back and repeat keypresses, because my fingers have moved on before they register.
there are some nicer non-mechanical boards out there but with the low end mechanicals not even being that expensive anymore I feel like anybody who spends a significant amount of time typing owes it to themselves to try one. If you're gonna be using any tool a lot it's pleasant to have a nice one, and it's the same for keyboards
it was the smallest on the list but
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
The more I think about it, the less I think I belong in this thread, heh.
That being said, I'm giving serious thought to Cooler Master's new SK low profile keyboards, which are what I've been looking for and have the function media keys whose absence I've missed on the HAVIT (programming them in yourself is less convenient, I've found).
But, they're expensive for what they are. And they're probably more aimed at people who need compact keyboards for travel purposes, rather than actual gaming, though they'd work for either case.
But I really their design. The HAVIT keyboards are a more subtle end of "Company you've never heard of that makes economic enthusiast keyboards", these are perhaps a step up.
If it's something like a keyboard that you'll use nearly every day, the lost time not using it is typically worth the price premium of not waiting for a sale.
Or you could go secondary market and see if you get lucky.
If it's something like a keyboard that you'll use nearly every day, the lost time not using it is typically worth the price premium of not waiting for a sale.
Or you could go secondary market and see if you get lucky.
Maybe, maybe not. I'm not getting one second hand but it's worth checking out other sellers probably, however few there are.
I'd picking this up at the same time as reimainging my desktop computer/gaming arrangement, which might involve finally removing that godawful "keyboard shelf" that the second-hand particle wood desk I've been using has, and simply putting everything in front of my monitor. The reduced length of a tenkeyless keyboard is less of a requirement then (and I could keep my HAVIT rather than bringing it to work)...but I am thinking of getting a Logitech Powerplay charging mat/mousepad for my G703, my favorite mouse in quite a while). That would take up a decent chunk of space too, which might require the keyboard.
0
Options
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited February 2019
This thread and recent chat posts convinced me to pick up a Roccat Vulcan 120. I fell in love with the aesthetic the second I saw it, and I've been waffling on a mechanical keyboard for a few months.
The more I play with my new keyboard, the more I want to customize its effects:
I want a soft purple/blue base lighting effect. A wave would be awesome, but I'll take static.
I want a ripple effect when I hit a key. Something more fiery or energetic, contrasting with the underlying color.
I want the ripple to originate from the key I press, rather than just turning on/off the pre-programmed lighting scheme.
I want the ripple to fade naturally back to the color, so it looks like a pond being disturbed.
I can get parts of this with the effects that this keyboard comes with. I am actually a big fan of the keypress fade effect, but I wish it would fade keys adjacent to the one I hit. But it kind of bums me to know that I have such crazy fanciness under my fingertips (literally), and I can't make it do exactly what I want.
Also, I really need to teach myself not to bottom out the keys. So long using membrane keyboards, that it is just second nature. It's not hurting or anything, as I'm using less pressure to type, it just feels weird.
Edit: Hmm.. the Aimo mode seems to do kind of what I'm looking for, in terms of tracking and spreading out my key presses and stuff like that. Now if only it wasn't so darned bright (the main complaint about the mode) and if it would keep my color preferences.
Edit: Hmm... the Reddit pages on this keyboard are not encouraging. But... it is reddit.
So i picked up a refurb corsair k70 with cherry mx reds and it's great! all except the enter key on the num pad is stiff as hell for some reason, and taking the key cap off has revealed its the actual switch itself that is hella stiff, needing a lot of force and kind of "popping" down once you give it enough of a push. is there any fix for this? I really want to make this board work as my first mechanical and the price was super good, but I do need that numpad to work for...well, work. None of the other large keys feel this stiff, and the rest of the numpad is just fine too.
Pretty happy with it as a first try. I may refine the process a bit. Also need to do a better job getting the stems and keycaps attached.
Key sits a bit higher than I'd like. I think either the stem is too long or I need to drop it in further into the model. Also not smooth because it's still in prototype mode.
So i picked up a refurb corsair k70 with cherry mx reds and it's great! all except the enter key on the num pad is stiff as hell for some reason, and taking the key cap off has revealed its the actual switch itself that is hella stiff, needing a lot of force and kind of "popping" down once you give it enough of a push. is there any fix for this? I really want to make this board work as my first mechanical and the price was super good, but I do need that numpad to work for...well, work. None of the other large keys feel this stiff, and the rest of the numpad is just fine too.
You could maybe take the thing apart and swap out the switches with something less stiff? Not sure your comfort with that idea though.
I can't remember if the k70 has soldered or removable switches. If you can get into the switch, see if the spring is off or if you can replace it with a lighter one.
Alternately, like Rad said, you can try swapping out the switch itself. The cheapest way to get a single switch is probably a switch tester from Amazon.
Posts
There are keyswitches with stiffer springs if that's necessary.
Cherry greens are the stiffer blues, clears are the stiffer browns, and blacks are stiffer reds.
I gave /r/mk a quick search, and it looks like people mostly make cases out of wood, and not keys (which is not surprising), but I did come across this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/9nvncs/diy_all_walnut_ut47/
Case AND keys are made of wood. Notably, the poster says that they made resin-cast stems for the keys, which makes them more durable that all-wooden keys. I imagine they'd have a better grip on switches, as well.
Just, let me know when you get your production line up and running, so I can be first in line to buy a Radiation(tm)-brand keyboard!
https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/aawwac/gb_space65_by_gray_studio/
I am so, so glad that I found out about it after the deadline passed, because I find that design really beautiful, but that thing costs $225, so that's a frustrating decision I don't have to think about.
Although if this ever comes around for round 2...
So this crazy dude did this all by hand.
That's just crazy.
Thinking this is going to be more achievable than I thought.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Part way down there is a cost section that has an under 100 section.
@Quid has the corsair K70
My daughter just picked out this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015MQH59A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’ve been quite happy with my K70.
Or I could 3d print a bunch and glue them in using a jig as well.
Yes, Redragon is a "Amazon brand" (i.e. they don't have their own site as a brand) but they tend to be well received.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
@Thirith Best Buy and even Walmart usually have some out for display you can clack on. There's a ton of switches out there available, but the most common seem to be Cherry Reds, Browns, and Blues. Reds are kind of "intermediate" keys, with smooth action and a decent clock. Blues have actuation bumps and are clacky as all hell, but great for typing (loud, tho!). Browns are like reds but softer.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
@Thirith can you take a picture of the keyboard you've been using?
Ouch, okay gotcha.
You can get key samples that have a ton of different keys for $20.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
What I DO like about mechanical keyboards is the extensive customizability. There is tremendous variety in case size, shape, and layout; switches (I discovered that I kinda hate Cherry Reds, I need the tactile bump); and - of course - endless, endless keycap designs. I assume this is what car enthusiasts feel like; you can be tinkering with your keyboard forever, if you want to.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I think it depends a bit on how you type/how much you type. The biggest functional difference between rubber domes and mechanical keyboards, is that a mechanical switch registers the keypress well before the switch is pressed all the way down (the actual actuation point is usually only 1/3rd of the way down the), whereas a with rubber domes, the keys have to be pushed all the way down.
This helps me a lot ergonomically. My hands get tired quickly at work when I'm typing on a rubber dome, but I can type all day on a mech and my hands feel fine at the end of the day.
Also thanks to WoW party/trade/raid chat, I'm now quite adept at speed typing. Thanks, gaming habit!
It's hard to beat for $35 dollars though.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Oh yeah, price point was pretty great all things considered. Even with the dampeners it's still a great price. And my daughter is happy, so that's good. I should hopefully be testing out the CNC key caps maybe Monday? I have to run a commission job that takes like 8 hours. Should be starting that later tonight. Then onto the building of keycaps.
it really feels like I have to bang on the keys compared to (tactile) brown switches; keypresses sometimes don't register when I think they will, and it feels like keys take forever to return from being pressed (relevant to games obviously, or even repetitive stuff like 10 keying.) I find myself constantly having to go back and repeat keypresses, because my fingers have moved on before they register.
there are some nicer non-mechanical boards out there but with the low end mechanicals not even being that expensive anymore I feel like anybody who spends a significant amount of time typing owes it to themselves to try one. If you're gonna be using any tool a lot it's pleasant to have a nice one, and it's the same for keyboards
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
That being said, I'm giving serious thought to Cooler Master's new SK low profile keyboards, which are what I've been looking for and have the function media keys whose absence I've missed on the HAVIT (programming them in yourself is less convenient, I've found).
But, they're expensive for what they are. And they're probably more aimed at people who need compact keyboards for travel purposes, rather than actual gaming, though they'd work for either case.
But I really their design. The HAVIT keyboards are a more subtle end of "Company you've never heard of that makes economic enthusiast keyboards", these are perhaps a step up.
Might have to wait until they go on sale.
Or you could go secondary market and see if you get lucky.
Maybe, maybe not. I'm not getting one second hand but it's worth checking out other sellers probably, however few there are.
I'd picking this up at the same time as reimainging my desktop computer/gaming arrangement, which might involve finally removing that godawful "keyboard shelf" that the second-hand particle wood desk I've been using has, and simply putting everything in front of my monitor. The reduced length of a tenkeyless keyboard is less of a requirement then (and I could keep my HAVIT rather than bringing it to work)...but I am thinking of getting a Logitech Powerplay charging mat/mousepad for my G703, my favorite mouse in quite a while). That would take up a decent chunk of space too, which might require the keyboard.
The more I play with my new keyboard, the more I want to customize its effects:
I can get parts of this with the effects that this keyboard comes with. I am actually a big fan of the keypress fade effect, but I wish it would fade keys adjacent to the one I hit. But it kind of bums me to know that I have such crazy fanciness under my fingertips (literally), and I can't make it do exactly what I want.
Also, I really need to teach myself not to bottom out the keys. So long using membrane keyboards, that it is just second nature. It's not hurting or anything, as I'm using less pressure to type, it just feels weird.
Edit: Hmm.. the Aimo mode seems to do kind of what I'm looking for, in terms of tracking and spreading out my key presses and stuff like that. Now if only it wasn't so darned bright (the main complaint about the mode) and if it would keep my color preferences.
Edit: Hmm... the Reddit pages on this keyboard are not encouraging. But... it is reddit.
Pretty happy with it as a first try. I may refine the process a bit. Also need to do a better job getting the stems and keycaps attached.
Key sits a bit higher than I'd like. I think either the stem is too long or I need to drop it in further into the model. Also not smooth because it's still in prototype mode.
You could maybe take the thing apart and swap out the switches with something less stiff? Not sure your comfort with that idea though.
Alternately, like Rad said, you can try swapping out the switch itself. The cheapest way to get a single switch is probably a switch tester from Amazon.