cheap cherry POS boards on eBay

[phoenix1234]

Wish they were jumpers :/

unlikely because they have 1.25 modifiers, 6.25 off-stem space bar, Re-Legendable Keycap and a partially-programmable keymap. Likely, they will have diodes instead which are better IMO.

[Photekq]

like those blank wires?

Yeah. Blank wires=jumpers

[phoenix1234]

this one looks similar like this :

http://mykeyboard.co.uk/cherry/mx_8100/


Diodes

[yuiop]

You can use all the 2x stabs.  But the 6.2x spacebar wire is bent thus can't be used on a keyboard with plate.  You'd need to bend your own straight wire for the spacebar.

[SpAmRaY]

Wish they were jumpers :/

unlikely because they have 1.25 modifiers, 6.25 off-stem space bar, Re-Legendable Keycap and a partially-programmable keymap. Likely, they will have diodes instead which are better IMO.

I just have an older cherry board I'm trying to fix up.

[phoenix1234]

Wish they were jumpers :/

unlikely because they have 1.25 modifiers, 6.25 off-stem space bar, Re-Legendable Keycap and a partially-programmable keymap. Likely, they will have diodes instead which are better IMO.

I just have an older cherry board I'm trying to fix up.

Oh, I see, but I think these jumpers can be found easily because a lot of people will not use jumpers after they desolder keyswitches from donor boards.

[dorkvader]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

[SpAmRaY]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

i just have to keep reminding myself not to touch the cleanout rod after using it with the 808

[Pacifist]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

not with radioshack desold iron

[whiskytango]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

I have desoldered and de-dioded a cherry board like this. Even with an 808, it's still a giant pain. Probably why I have another one sitting in the corner right now that I have not got around to...

[dorkvader]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

I have desoldered and de-dioded a cherry board like this. Even with an 808, it's still a giant pain. Probably why I have another one sitting in the corner right now that I have not got around to...

I've done like 8 or 10, with the 808 and soldapullt. Good to do when watching tv.

I recommend jumpers or diodes to stabilize the switch better for PCB mount. Cherry uses them for a reason.

[Pacifist]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

I have desoldered and de-dioded a cherry board like this. Even with an 808, it's still a giant pain. Probably why I have another one sitting in the corner right now that I have not got around to...

I've done like 8 or 10, with the 808 and soldapullt. Good to do when watching tv.

I recommend jumpers or diodes to stabilize the switch better for PCB mount. Cherry uses them for a reason.

but den no LEDs

[whiskytango]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

I have desoldered and de-dioded a cherry board like this. Even with an 808, it's still a giant pain. Probably why I have another one sitting in the corner right now that I have not got around to...

I've done like 8 or 10, with the 808 and soldapullt. Good to do when watching tv.

I recommend jumpers or diodes to stabilize the switch better for PCB mount. Cherry uses them for a reason.

agreed, but if the board you want to use them on doesn't support in switch diodes, then you have to remove them. It's the combination of opening the switch to remove the diodes as well as desoldering all those little legs that I found tedious. But as an added bonus, you can reuse the diodes for something like a phantom.

It probably doesn't help that I did this while wearing this stupid brace on my left hand which prevents me from using my left thumb. Made opening the switches difficult. That's what I get for severing my tendon... oops

[dorkvader]

I recommend jumpers or diodes to stabilize the switch better for PCB mount. Cherry uses them for a reason.

but den no LEDs

LEDs are a type of diode. I didn't exclude them...

.
It probably doesn't help that I did this while wearing this stupid brace on my left hand which prevents me from using my left thumb. Made opening the switches difficult. That's what I get for severing my tendon... oops

Show Image

Lookin' good! heal up soon.

[Pacifist]

I recommend jumpers or diodes to stabilize the switch better for PCB mount. Cherry uses them for a reason.

but den no LEDs

LEDs are a type of diode. I didn't exclude them...

oh yea light emitting diode

[Thechemist]

Received my 2 keyboards, both are very dirty and lots of dust bunnies inside and around switches. I have desoldered one board and after taking the switch apart and blowing compressed air inside and out the switch looks good. There wasn't any grainy dirt in the switch to make them useless but they are very dusty.

[nomaded]

Maybe there's a better place to discuss this, so feel free to point me appropriately.

I also bought one of these keyboards, hoping to desolder the switches and reuse the keycaps. I can't remember the last time I desoldered anything of this magnitude. So, what's the suggested tools to make this easier?

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, if I wanted to reuse these switches with an Ergodox, I would need to also open up each switch to remove the diode, correct?

[Pacifist]

That fast

[whiskytango]

Maybe there's a better place to discuss this, so feel free to point me appropriately.

I also bought one of these keyboards, hoping to desolder the switches and reuse the keycaps. I can't remember the last time I desoldered anything of this magnitude. So, what's the suggested tools to make this easier?

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, if I wanted to reuse these switches with an Ergodox, I would need to also open up each switch to remove the diode, correct?

Many people use the bulb type desoldering iron from radio Shack. It's like $13. It works but it's a lot of effort. I have graduated to hakko 808 and it is amazing, but expensive @$175 new I think. I justified it because I had like 50 boards to desolder. I guess you could also use a soldapult, but that seems like a lot of work to me too. Can't answer about ergodox, sorry.

[fohat.digs]

I bought a couple of the cheap spring-loaded solder suckers on ebay. It was like $6-8 for 2 and they work pretty well, although don't expect one to last more than about 5 boards at most.

The rubber bulbs work better but are harder to use, especially if your left hand is not fairly strong.

[CPTBadAss]

Just got mine in the mail today. It indeed has clears . I'm pretty excited to get cheap clears and stabilizers. And apparently I can take this sticker off and transfer it?

I also got this 30 day money back guarantee thing from J&R Music....thought that was extra weird since J&R doesn't really have anything good keyboard-wise in their showroom.

[billnye]

If anyone would be up for selling the stabs off their board hit me up!

[legodt]

Anybody else have a slight pinging sound when they bottom out on the board?
Also, why do the keys feel kind of mushy compared to my cherry browns?

[tinlong117]

If anyone doesn't want the Cherry sticker, drop me a pm!

[dorkvader]

My four arrived (two for me and two for another GH'er)

One is a different cherry partnumber and is a little different inside, though the switch PCB is the same. it's also a little newer. You can tell by the coloured plugs.

Pictures are uploading now.

[bazh]

How could I miss this


Well the caps are interesting since they're lasered but use Cherry font, damn, 50 pcs and I just missed this, how in the hell

[berserkfan]

How could I miss this


Well the caps are interesting since they're lasered but use Cherry font, damn, 50 pcs and I just missed this, how in the hell

There's nothing special about the caps. They're not that high quality. What I like about them is that they're PBT, light colored, and therefore dye-able. You don't have to live with that color if you don't want to!

[strict]

Maybe there's a better place to discuss this, so feel free to point me appropriately.

I also bought one of these keyboards, hoping to desolder the switches and reuse the keycaps. I can't remember the last time I desoldered anything of this magnitude. So, what's the suggested tools to make this easier?

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, if I wanted to reuse these switches with an Ergodox, I would need to also open up each switch to remove the diode, correct?

I bought an old WYSE terminal board with plate mounted vintage blacks in it the other day. I used my Weller WES50 along with this Soldapullt solder sucker and was able to completely remove all 101 switches in just under an hour. Put a dab of solder on the tip of your iron, touch it to the solder joint until it becomes liquid, put the solder sucker over it and hit the button. That solder sucker gets nearly every drop of solder out of the joint 98% of the time. Its pretty easy stuff, just tedious.

I didn't realize when I bought one that these were PCB mounted components. Im not sure what Im going to do with mine yet, though my initial inclination is to rip out all the good parts (switches, stabs, caps, and sticker) and sell them to try to recover my costs. I don't currently own any boards that are PCB mount and I don't know if I ever will.

[whiskytango]

Maybe there's a better place to discuss this, so feel free to point me appropriately.

I also bought one of these keyboards, hoping to desolder the switches and reuse the keycaps. I can't remember the last time I desoldered anything of this magnitude. So, what's the suggested tools to make this easier?

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, if I wanted to reuse these switches with an Ergodox, I would need to also open up each switch to remove the diode, correct?

I bought an old WYSE terminal board with plate mounted vintage blacks in it the other day. I used my Weller WES50 along with this Soldapullt solder sucker and was able to completely remove all 101 switches in just under an hour. Put a dab of solder on the tip of your iron, touch it to the solder joint until it becomes liquid, put the solder sucker over it and hit the button. That solder sucker gets nearly every drop of solder out of the joint 98% of the time. Its pretty easy stuff, just tedious.

I didn't realize when I bought one that these were PCB mounted components. Im not sure what Im going to do with mine yet, though my initial inclination is to rip out all the good parts (switches, stabs, caps, and sticker) and sell them to try to recover my costs. I don't currently own any boards that are PCB mount and I don't know if I ever will.

You know you can just clip the plastic legs off the bottom of pcb mount switches and they are identical to plate mount. I use  nail clippers, takes two seconds.

[strict]

Maybe there's a better place to discuss this, so feel free to point me appropriately.

I also bought one of these keyboards, hoping to desolder the switches and reuse the keycaps. I can't remember the last time I desoldered anything of this magnitude. So, what's the suggested tools to make this easier?

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, if I wanted to reuse these switches with an Ergodox, I would need to also open up each switch to remove the diode, correct?

I bought an old WYSE terminal board with plate mounted vintage blacks in it the other day. I used my Weller WES50 along with this Soldapullt solder sucker and was able to completely remove all 101 switches in just under an hour. Put a dab of solder on the tip of your iron, touch it to the solder joint until it becomes liquid, put the solder sucker over it and hit the button. That solder sucker gets nearly every drop of solder out of the joint 98% of the time. Its pretty easy stuff, just tedious.

I didn't realize when I bought one that these were PCB mounted components. Im not sure what Im going to do with mine yet, though my initial inclination is to rip out all the good parts (switches, stabs, caps, and sticker) and sell them to try to recover my costs. I don't currently own any boards that are PCB mount and I don't know if I ever will.

You know you can just clip the plastic legs off the bottom of pcb mount switches and they are identical to plate mount. I use  nail clippers, takes two seconds.

I know, I had to do that for the cherry clears I used on my phantom. Since I already have way more switches than I have keyboards I would almost rather sell them to someone who might need/want PCB the mount housings. I havent decided yet, though they might be nice to keep around in case I ever build an ergodox or a JD40 

[nomaded]

I bought an old WYSE terminal board with plate mounted vintage blacks in it the other day. I used my Weller WES50 along with this Soldapullt solder sucker and was able to completely remove all 101 switches in just under an hour. Put a dab of solder on the tip of your iron, touch it to the solder joint until it becomes liquid, put the solder sucker over it and hit the button. That solder sucker gets nearly every drop of solder out of the joint 98% of the time. Its pretty easy stuff, just tedious.

Thanks. Very useful tips.

[dorkvader]

WYSE likes to bend over the lead before solderin,g which makes them a pain to desolder compared with other techniques. I think I ended up doing my last one with braid.

Here's another G80-8113, this time with a barcode reader. Starting bid $20
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221420325054

[Grr8]

damn you geekhack!

I bought 2.

I paid $53.90 for 110 clears a few months ago. But those I don't have to desolder to use elsewhere...

desoldering is half the fun!

not with radioshack desold iron

Ok, not sure if you are saying the RadioShack desoldering iron is good or bad?

Read a discussion here, and it sounds mixed:

http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13236

My experience of desoldering lead-free solder has been that it's a good idea to add some extra leaded solder first, then flow it again to get it off (I used wick).

[strict]

WYSE likes to bend over the lead before solderin,g which makes them a pain to desolder compared with other techniques. I think I ended up doing my last one with braid.

Here's another G80-8113, this time with a barcode reader. Starting bid $20
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221420325054

On the WYSE board I had, they bent over the thicker pin on maybe 12-13 switches and those were spread out across the whole board. When I removed those switches, I just used the tip of my soldering iron to slightly un-bend it before using the solder sucker. It was a definite PITA but those vintage blacks made it all worthwhile ... so ridiculously smooth.

I wonder what their reason was for bending those pins like that?

[dorkvader]

On the WYSE board I had, they bent over the thicker pin on maybe 12-13 switches and those were spread out across the whole board. When I removed those switches, I just used the tip of my soldering iron to slightly un-bend it before using the solder sucker. It was a definite PITA but those vintage blacks made it all worthwhile ... so ridiculously smooth.

I wonder what their reason was for bending those pins like that?

it holds the board together. At first I asked the same question: why would they do that? Then, when I accidentally soldered a PCB on crooked, I realized.

[Boost3r]

It's been re-listed if anyone is still interested.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181388671694

[Pacifist]

Somebody with a good desoldering iron wanna run a pseduo GB for these and desolder 50 boards?

[ebacho]

Somebody with a good desoldering iron wanna run a pseduo GB for these and desolder 50 boards?

Nobody in their right mind would do this for free.

[fohat.digs]

Nobody in their right mind would do this for free.

So, the switches would need to sell in the $0.50-0.85 each, shipped, range to make it worthwhile?

[ebacho]

Nobody in their right mind would do this for free.

So, the switches would need to sell in the $0.50-0.85 each, shipped, range to make it worthwhile?

Pretty much.  Unless you're some sort of desoldering god 50 boards will take a fair amount of time.  Add in the fact you can get new clears for .50c per at MKB and it's less of a good deal.  These boards are good for people who want to practice desoldering and get some parts out of it, the way I see it.

[Lain1911]

More put up right?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181388671694
I was thinking about getting one to try clears, but could always resell if it's not for me.

[yuiop]

Warning before you guys impulse buy.

Mine came and it's got brown switches.  It seems like the seller has mixture of brown and clear boards and didn't bother checking all the boards before posting.  It's still a good deal if you like browns.

[marcusant]

Here's some pictures of mine that I got. Turns out that I don't really like clears as much as I thought that I would, so I'm not going to harvest them. I already spent several hours cleaning the board so I'm just going to keep it as a collectible.

http://imgur.com/a/qcvpr

[Pacifist]

Here's some pictures of mine that I got. Turns out that I don't really like clears as much as I thought that I would, so I'm not going to harvest them. I already spent several hours cleaning the board so I'm just going to keep it as a collectible.

http://imgur.com/a/qcvpr

By what method did you clean up the PCB?

[marcusant]

Here's some pictures of mine that I got. Turns out that I don't really like clears as much as I thought that I would, so I'm not going to harvest them. I already spent several hours cleaning the board so I'm just going to keep it as a collectible.

http://imgur.com/a/qcvpr

By what method did you clean up the PCB?

It really wasn't as dirty as it seemed, it was pretty much dust covering a perfectly clean pcb. I cleaned off the dust with a q-tip and then blew off excess dirt with compressed air; after the dust was gone I rubbed it down with isopropyl alcohol.

[sonic_the_hedgehog]

Yo!

Thx for pointing these out OP.

Wondering if anyone can help me out:

Firstly, I'm in Australia and apparently he won't ship int'l.
Secondly, I have a number of keyboards with MX Browns, I really only want one to try out MX Clears.

Did anyone grab a couple and get clears when they wanted browns or buy one for a mate who backed out or something? And could you sell it to me and post international?

Gets a bit annoying when all the good gear on eBay US won't post to Australia  )

[sockit2me]

Great find! Too bad this didnt come sooner before i bought 110 of them for 60 =(

[dorkvader]

Nobody in their right mind would do this for free.

So, the switches would need to sell in the $0.50-0.85 each, shipped, range to make it worthwhile?

Pretty much.  Unless you're some sort of desoldering god 50 boards will take a fair amount of time.  Add in the fact you can get new clears for .50c per at MKB and it's less of a good deal.  These boards are good for people who want to practice desoldering and get some parts out of it, the way I see it.

could be done cheaply with a large temperature controlled oven, I think the switches would survive.

heres pictures of some of the ones I got in https://www.flickr.com/photos/dork_vader/sets/72157644207227575/

[jwaz]

If I get browns I'm going to be so irritated. >:|

[SpAmRaY]

If I get browns I'm going to be so irritated. >:|

+1