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[Mechanical Keyboards] Clickity Clack! We build them ourselves now!

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Posts

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    I have an Infinity ErgoDox, and my feeling is that the 1u thumb cluster buttons are a huge waste - I can't reach them at all, and I have giant hands. The 2u keys are great. I think a better design would have been to add another 2u, maybe two, with all the 2u buttons spread out like a fan. The Keyboardio has 4 1u keys spread like that, and it looks pretty good (although I'm not crazy about the general aesthetics of it).

    On the subject of soldering, I'll quote myself from earlier in this thread:
    Delduwath wrote: »
    I managed to solder my ErgoDox Infinity together a couple of years ago, and I had no idea what in the world I was doing. I can see that some of my solder joints ended up being pretty crummy, but they work and I'm not confident enough in my skills to try and fix them.

    I would absolutely try it on something cheap first. There are cheap soldering practice kits, where they just give you all the pieces you need to make some small toy piece of functional electronics (a buzzer with a button, a thing with some LEDs and some buttons to light them up, etc), which is what I used as practice before working on the actual keyboard. It was helpful, mostly in the confidence-building "oh, well, I guess I can actually do this withosetting the house on fire" sense; I definitely wish I'd watched more tutorials and practiced more before working on the keyboard.

    Way after I was done, I found this soldering guide and this guide on bad joints (and their causes/fixes), which looks invaluable to a beginner like me. If I ever solder something again, I'll definitely re-read those guides first.
    I noticed that occasionally I get a double-keystroke on that keyboard. I'm not sure if it's a mediocre solder job somehow creating the conditions for electrical contact to be made twice in rapid succession, or if the keys are just very sensitive and my fingers twitch subtly enough that I don't consciously notice it but the keyboard picks it up. I'm using Zealio 65g tactile switches on it, but I wonder if I should try heavier springs.

  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    Delduwath wrote: »
    I have an Infinity ErgoDox, and my feeling is that the 1u thumb cluster buttons are a huge waste - I can't reach them at all, and I have giant hands. The 2u keys are great. I think a better design would have been to add another 2u, maybe two, with all the 2u buttons spread out like a fan. The Keyboardio has 4 1u keys spread like that, and it looks pretty good (although I'm not crazy about the general aesthetics of it).

    On the subject of soldering, I'll quote myself from earlier in this thread:
    Delduwath wrote: »
    I managed to solder my ErgoDox Infinity together a couple of years ago, and I had no idea what in the world I was doing. I can see that some of my solder joints ended up being pretty crummy, but they work and I'm not confident enough in my skills to try and fix them.

    I would absolutely try it on something cheap first. There are cheap soldering practice kits, where they just give you all the pieces you need to make some small toy piece of functional electronics (a buzzer with a button, a thing with some LEDs and some buttons to light them up, etc), which is what I used as practice before working on the actual keyboard. It was helpful, mostly in the confidence-building "oh, well, I guess I can actually do this withosetting the house on fire" sense; I definitely wish I'd watched more tutorials and practiced more before working on the keyboard.

    Way after I was done, I found this soldering guide and this guide on bad joints (and their causes/fixes), which looks invaluable to a beginner like me. If I ever solder something again, I'll definitely re-read those guides first.
    I noticed that occasionally I get a double-keystroke on that keyboard. I'm not sure if it's a mediocre solder job somehow creating the conditions for electrical contact to be made twice in rapid succession, or if the keys are just very sensitive and my fingers twitch subtly enough that I don't consciously notice it but the keyboard picks it up. I'm using Zealio 65g tactile switches on it, but I wonder if I should try heavier springs.

    Yeah I was really sold on the Ergodox but I've read a lot of people saying they don't use nearly that many keys and that they're hard to reach. I've been using a 60% (Poker 3) as my daily driver forever now so really all I wanted was that but split. I thought about doing a staggered split since I've heard the ortho can be difficult to get accustomed to but the aesthetics of the ortho boards are so on point. What was the learning curve on your Ergodox?

    I was thinking about doing something like a chocopad macro board to practice on, it's not much more expensive than most learn to solder kits but then I would have something functional and useful afterwards.

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    My learning curve is, I'm ashamed to admit, "still struggling along". I'm not a very good typist, and I never learned proper typing skills - on a regular QWERTY, I can't type without occasionally looking down to re-calibrate, and I definitely cover way more of the board with my right hand (and use all the fingers on it) than with the left (on which I don't use the ring or pinky at all, except when hitting some modifier keys). I'm a programmer, so although my job involves using a computer all the time, the typing is actually pretty slow and relatively light; there's a lot of sitting and thinking, and then typing a little bit. I really should take the time at home to practice (either with specialized typing practice tools or even just responding to my backlog of emails), but I don't get much free time and keep putting it off.

    I thought that since I was going to move to a split ortho keyboard and have to learn new hand placement anyway, I might as well try a layout different from QWERTY. I was pretty sold on the logic for the Workman layout, which was designed primarily around an ortho key arrangement, so decided to pop it on there. It worked pretty well for me, and feels pretty natural. I'd never used a non-QWERTY layout before, and I was surprised at how quickly the new key positions (mostly) stuck in my head. Unfortunately, it's not on the level of muscle memory yet; I still need to kinda stop and think about which finger I need to move in which direction for each letter (but I don't need to look down!). It's really just a matter of putting in the hours of practice.

    In a lot of ways, a fancy expensive ergo keyboard is wasted on me. I don't do enough typing to really warrant it - but it sure is neat to play with pretty tech toys.

  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    I think a fancy expensive ergo keyboard is wasted on 99% of people so I wouldn't feel bad. I feel like the split is most of the advantage, I can see how that would just be comfortable. I also like the idea of just unplugging or pushing the right half out of the way while gaming.

    A new layout is something I've always flirted with but now is maybe the worst time to do that. Most of my computer usage at home is on a laptop now anyways so that won't help. Also phone keyboards usually can't be customized like that.

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    The downside of using the Workman layout is that no one makes sculpted SA keycaps for it. Most of the keycap sets I see include a Dvorak and Colemak modification kit, but Workman is niche enough that no one in their right mind would design for it. The options - if you like the SA profile, which I do - are to either use blank caps, use caps for a different layout (so the keycaps might be arranged in the QWERTY layout but the actual keys are Workman), or - if the keycap set has the option - use alpha caps that are all in the R3 profile.

    I'm using the SA Carbon set on my ErgoDox, and decided to take the third option with the Adaptive Alphas kit. I kinda regret it! It's true that I prefer legends over blank keys, but I'm also annoyed by the profile of the alphas not matching the profile of the surrounding modifier keys. And, what's the point of doing a sculpted SA profile if I'm not taking advantage of the SA sculpting? If I had to do it again, I'd probably just use QWERTY cap positioning with the Workman layout.

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    I think a fancy expensive ergo keyboard is wasted on 99% of people so I wouldn't feel bad. I feel like the split is most of the advantage, I can see how that would just be comfortable. I also like the idea of just unplugging or pushing the right half out of the way while gaming.
    This is absolutely a huge upside. It's a lot easier to make space on my computer table if needed by just pushing the two halves apart, way easier than it ever was to try and find a place to stick the full keyboard. Having the two halves angled in also means I don't have to bend my wrists like crazy, which is really good. I'm kinda envious of the tenting options that the ErgoDox EZ has; I think that tenting would make the keyboard even better to use. If I ever decide to buy another ErgoDox (for office use, probably), I think I'd go for the the EZ.

    Oh, and it also means that I'm forced to use my left hand as much as my right when typing.

  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    edited June 2019
    Delduwath wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    I think a fancy expensive ergo keyboard is wasted on 99% of people so I wouldn't feel bad. I feel like the split is most of the advantage, I can see how that would just be comfortable. I also like the idea of just unplugging or pushing the right half out of the way while gaming.
    This is absolutely a huge upside. It's a lot easier to make space on my computer table if needed by just pushing the two halves apart, way easier than it ever was to try and find a place to stick the full keyboard. Having the two halves angled in also means I don't have to bend my wrists like crazy, which is really good. I'm kinda envious of the tenting options that the ErgoDox EZ has; I think that tenting would make the keyboard even better to use. If I ever decide to buy another ErgoDox (for office use, probably), I think I'd go for the the EZ.

    Oh, and it also means that I'm forced to use my left hand as much as my right when typing.

    Tenting seems like it'd be easy enough to jury rig together if you really wanted to. Even with just some cnc'd aluminum feet it would at least be a little better, and you could affix that with whatever adhesive you prefer.

    ChaosHat on
  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    So I have started my adventure. My trial Chocopad was going okay (I think) until the pro micro pins kind of slid out when I wasn't paying attention, so it's soldered at a slight angle. I've been trying my damndest with the solder sucker but I don't think it's the tool for the job so I ordered a wick on Amazon. I think it still lines up enough to where I could try to put the pro micro on anyways since the excess length on the pins gets clipped but I figure this is an easier mistake to fix than also unsoldering the pro micro.

    Like it's this shit that makes me glad I tried on the chocopad first. I wish there was a way to really test my individual soldering attempts without having done the whole thing. I get that you can get a multimeter but I'm trying not to spend even more money on it. Also, everything is REALLY tiny! It's really hard to see everything. I can see how the helping hands with a magnifying glass would be useful.

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    FWIW, a multimeter is useful in various other applications, and you can get one for under $10.

    The in-house board at Drop.com looks really damn sexy and it has hot-swappable switches. I just can't quite rationalize paying $200 for it.

    Also, the wife (and kids) got me a K65 LUX RGB (TKL) for Father's Day(!). I've only used it for a short period of time so far but I'm really liking it. It's got red switches and my wife says it's still loud so I may try adding o-rings at some point. This version has the textured spacebar and other keys, which is taking some getting used to.

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    My k70 came with non textured alternates, did that one not?

    NREqxl5.jpg
    it was the smallest on the list but
    Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    I think it actually came with textured alternates, but I'll double check tonight. At this point, it's mostly the space bar that's textured which I'm still getting used to.

  • QuantumTurkQuantumTurk Registered User regular
    Mugsley wrote: »
    FWIW, a multimeter is useful in various other applications, and you can get one for under $10.

    The in-house board at Drop.com looks really damn sexy and it has hot-swappable switches. I just can't quite rationalize paying $200 for it.

    Also, the wife (and kids) got me a K65 LUX RGB (TKL) for Father's Day(!). I've only used it for a short period of time so far but I'm really liking it. It's got red switches and my wife says it's still loud so I may try adding o-rings at some point. This version has the textured spacebar and other keys, which is taking some getting used to.

    The blue o rings took most of the noise out of my not rgb one, everything but the spacebar really.

  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    So I got this.

    QYSfRhS.jpg

    Okay, this can't be that bad to transition to.

    SA4kszx.png

    *sad trombone*

    Just for reference, back on my Poker 3...

    CLS5H0Q.png

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    That type of keeb always looks very cool but I feel like my bad typing habits would get the better of it

    NREqxl5.jpg
    it was the smallest on the list but
    Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    Yeah it's really shown me how often I use the wrong finger for things.

  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    What brand is that? I've been looking for better ergonomics for a while.

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    It's an Iris Rev 3 from keeb.io. It is a kit so you'll have to do some soldering but it really wasn't difficult at all

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    Does it involve soldering any surface-mount components? That seems like several tiers of difficulty higher than through-hole soldering.

  • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    Delduwath wrote: »
    Does it involve soldering any surface-mount components? That seems like several tiers of difficulty higher than through-hole soldering.

    It's literally just the switches which are through hole. I think it took me 30 minutes with my only experience beforehand being fucking up the chocopad I described earlier in the thread.

    That chocopad is fucked though. I think I could do it now pretty easily but I'm not sure there's any salvaging that one.

    It's pretty easy and I think I would have been okay with it had I soldered nothing previously.

  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2019
    Picked up a Logi G413 for work, BestBuy silver.

    This is a nice work keyboard yall. The aluminum plate/white led/black keys look super slick and the Romer G's are really close to the Browns, but quieter.

    I'm looking at possibly the Das X50Q for home use in the upcoming months.

    jungleroomx on
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    I'd been meaning to share this: my search for a clicky mechanical tenkeyless with better media function keys than my HAVIT, and my admiration for the design of the Coolermaster SK630, led me to pick up the Coolermaster MK730 a few months ago.

    If you're looking for a RGB Cherry Blue keyboard (I was, and I'm using my Kalih Blue HAVIT at work to type this), it's pretty darn good. I ended up replacing the decrepit corner desk left by the person who lived in my apartment before me with something less peeling and without a useless keyboard shelf, so the normal profile (versus low profile) keys matter less. The palm/wrist wresting attachment is appreciated, even though I usually spurn those sort of things. And the brushed mechanical look about it is very nice (funny, as I've never been a fan of Cooler Master's products previously). I should've taken a photo of it paired with my Logitech G703 and Powerplay mousepad on my new "minimalist" desk.

    It's a pleasure to use, I wish it had been available when I looked at the SK630 in the first place. Though I think I prefer the actual sound of the Kalih Blue, the typing action on the MK630 is possibly better, as is the texturing on the keycaps themselves. They also threw in a nice keycap remover and a few purple optional keys.

    Highly recommended.

  • LuvTheMonkeyLuvTheMonkey High Sierra Serenade Registered User regular
    Hello fam

    I am going to buy a keyboard. I would like to get it sooner rather than later, however my preferred choice (the Ducky Shine 7 Blackout in MX Browns) is not in stock stateside at the moment. The Ducky One 2 RGB in MX Browns is in stock, however it is my second choice. Does anyone have hands-on with either/both?

    Molten variables hiss and roar. On my mind-forge, I hammer them into the greatsword Epistemology. Many are my foes this night.
    STEAM | GW2: Thalys
  • LuvTheMonkeyLuvTheMonkey High Sierra Serenade Registered User regular
    Ooops it was in stock finally and i got it

    Z6iDb3e7ojoHZ_sGJExc3IzpJfpiVGPd5BdCBNTkJAkeIYI6Rfh0D6S4kzZp5eigN2DQyfErsvaGlYMPmQZMoPbQVGS8cyRYEFCgtmJ68u7xzlHecymrzQSQqp3QtOlxCXFAxF2oikpz1DoVsDuau_YieCfhPASsTDNHXdh0l0Zqmcvnz_CQGIVsf3d0-64zoAamf54k8XEkKHo3CQqHzLDTg1uiZo8XNXjSqrOETxinAJnnOd6QvTS3e7pSqgwof7FiBY6uZEuI5T-13znA4C1eaxh-qLdQK3xrkvkc1goZPMsB1QqjshzwhDxTsYh1p6OLcd0uAPDA3bbMNIMCs-ytnpa5y2m5DuymKvvas-_FLmEr1bySnAJnxO4B2U-BEMm9PbeEEfd0HS__Tkogl1-tj3rQMdcD7CoVb8cVnai25lc65At2CwOT3qL6JH-9_mta8QJtiOKl9bpjwU6iz5k8eCQQIoiuysTh-7LBT9Z9LaUzbZxK4zy6mj-1O5qxHna89m3xX_07B6bFl-7-HyaQ6fYLLRV-ablgeHrPXML7tF8ChPKsyO4uSXdwl8PRrG8sEHS_tyX2ON4ApgKkMwFVYvVb9ovFucb2TjjcwNc63tnu1B6pG87EjfeZ-xUFnYrCDw9ngYsBpOjjs2rYwYWoR4l6iAAlmqtjzCQoHyuyJSfL6zn60Q=w1288-h966-no

    Molten variables hiss and roar. On my mind-forge, I hammer them into the greatsword Epistemology. Many are my foes this night.
    STEAM | GW2: Thalys
  • BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    I have been using a k70 lux with browns for a year and a half. I grabbed a 68-key MagicForce on bang good with gateron browns but decided I missed the function row but not the numpad. So then I ordered a Drevo blademaster te with gateron reds.

    I am really enjoying the Drevo. The reds sure do take some time to get used to though. I routinely find myself holding down a button and not realizing it.

    Now I can't keep looking at other mech keyboards. Oh boy.

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    Honestly going TKL is a move I should have made decades ago (love the shit out of my K68 reds )

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    Yeah, the holding-a-key-down-without-realizing thing is why I abandoned reds after some time. They feel very fun and unique to type on, but just from a pragmatic point of view I found them a bit too annoying.

  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    Delduwath wrote: »
    Yeah, the holding-a-key-down-without-realizing thing is why I abandoned reds after some time. They feel very fun and unique to type on, but just from a pragmatic point of view I found them a bit too annoying.

    I use reds at home for gaming, browns/romer-g's/anything with a tactile bump everywhere else.

    I have the Romer G's at work and they're fairly delightful to use on long days of typing.

  • mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    If anyone was looking for a great deal on a mechanical
    Today;'s gold box deals on amazon is logitech stuff and they have the K840 for under $50


    https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Mechanical-Keyboard-mechanical-Switches/dp/B071VHYZ62?ref_=Oct_DLandingS_PC_c3615ed1_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

    What do the Romer G switches compare to? That price is super tempting even though i don't really need a keyboard

    mts on
    camo_sig.png
  • RadiationRadiation Registered User regular
    Looking around looks like Romer G switches are designed to actuate and feel similar to damped Cherry MX Browns.

    PSN: jfrofl
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    They're fairly close to browns and I really enjoy them for work where I'm typing a lot.

  • mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    ooh that sounds lovely

    i mean dammit

    camo_sig.png
  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    I splurged on a Steelseries Apex Pro, because I love their products. I'm able to increase and decrease the resistance of most of the keys, which is great because of my weak right thumb. I'm not sure how I'm going to play with the LEDs.

    3DS Friendcode 5413-1311-3767
  • BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    Now I have found the world of keycaps and groupbuys. Oh boy. The GMK Dracula set looks cool but wow is it expensive.

    To prevent me from spending $200 on keycaps I instead found a doubleshot pbt set on AliExpress for $30.

    BlazeFire on
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    I'm looking to possibly making a custom keyboard, but I noticed an absolute dearth in exposed stem boards (Kind of like the Corsair line of stuff, the Logitech G413, Das X50Q). I am in absolute love with both the looks of these and the functionality (super easy to clean, pop keys and replace) is second to none, but it looks like the enthusiast space hasn't caught up here.

    Unless I'm just looking in the wrong place?

  • RadiationRadiation Registered User regular
    I imagine its more the housing that needs to be changed? Keycaps from the ones you listed look the same, it just looks like the PCB is not as recessed into the housing as some of the other kits.
    I have a cheapo redragon thing from amazon that sort of has that look, but has a lip around the keyboard that I don't super love. I was going to look into making a better case for it with the CNC eventually so it wouldn't have the lip.

    So essentially if you look at the second picture in here: https://kbdfans.com/collections/diy-kit/products/kbd75-keyboard-set
    I think you'd just want to knock that outer bar down to get that look.

    PSN: jfrofl
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    Yeah it looks like everything is still using recessed keys. I think the exposed stems are just a better modern design.

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Yeah it looks like everything is still using recessed keys. I think the exposed stems are just a better modern design.

    Unless I'm mistaken, both my mechanical keyboards--my HAVIT and my Cooler Master MK730--have been exposed stems. Makes "lighter" keyboard, or at least a thinner body.

  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah it looks like everything is still using recessed keys. I think the exposed stems are just a better modern design.

    Unless I'm mistaken, both my mechanical keyboards--my HAVIT and my Cooler Master MK730--have been exposed stems. Makes "lighter" keyboard, or at least a thinner body.

    Yeah my Logi 413 at work and my Corsair K68 both have that kind of "low profile" deck or whatever it's called.

    I legit think my 413 is one of the cleanest, best looking keyboards I've ever seen and it's amazing for work. It uses a non-gamery font that I'd say is pretty close to Century Gothic and looks great with white backlight.

    This is the only thing really stopping me from jumping into a custom build board is the fact that everything is in a recessed deck.

  • RadiationRadiation Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    Oh dang, yeah that Logitech 413 looks amazing. May add it to the Christmas list.

    I may be able to design a housing. It'd be easier for me to machine it in acrylic or wood or something. Did you have a board you were eyeing @jungleroomx ?

    Edit: I have a buddy I can give an aluminium block to for milling out, but that ups the material cost a bit. Could do one that has a thinner sheet of aluminium on top and acrylic bottom.

    Radiation on
    PSN: jfrofl
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah it looks like everything is still using recessed keys. I think the exposed stems are just a better modern design.

    Unless I'm mistaken, both my mechanical keyboards--my HAVIT and my Cooler Master MK730--have been exposed stems. Makes "lighter" keyboard, or at least a thinner body.

    Yeah my Logi 413 at work and my Corsair K68 both have that kind of "low profile" deck or whatever it's called.

    I legit think my 413 is one of the cleanest, best looking keyboards I've ever seen and it's amazing for work. It uses a non-gamery font that I'd say is pretty close to Century Gothic and looks great with white backlight.

    This is the only thing really stopping me from jumping into a custom build board is the fact that everything is in a recessed deck.

    How do you like the 413? I was considering getting one since my current keyboard is a like 15 year old newegg cheapie membrane KB.

    steam_sig.png
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