Yoreei is just looking for a keyboard

[yoreei]

Hello,
I've been lurking the forums for a while and I learned a lot from you!
I've decided I want a keyboard with thumb modifiers because I am a CS student and a bad touch typist and trying to hit anything more than one key away ( %^&*()_+ =-0) has random results. At the same time I am very good at hitting the left and the right alt keys with the thumbs, so I want more of those!

It seems as if 40% keyboards are the way to go for me but there is a problem - I don't want to solder. I have lost weeks of my life soldering custom headphones - no more!

I don't want anything fancy. No lighting, no wireless, no custom key caps. And I would prefer not to pay more than 150$.

I see that KPrepublic can assembly a jj40 for me but I am confused by the procedure:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32817265768.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000023.15.7d875d44SkRe8S

I wrote them, I hope they will answer! This is the build I have right now:
pcb https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32828781103.html
case https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32828897246.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000023.2.22b86cdbHmPxgW
cable https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32816182842.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.11.76c54126Y6aFRY
blue outemu switches: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32818064812.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.17.2dab77caOb1gDz
blank keycaps: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32824353605.html?spm=2114.12010615.8148356.29.463c32fa9QxamK

have I missed anything important?

As a plan B, I am looking at the Vortex Core keyboard:
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3550

Do you recommend the Vortex or the jj40?

[yui]

Welcome,
i am not versed in 40% but if you have any keys that are more that 1u i would expect that you will need stabilizers else your larger keys will bind badly other than that you seem to have the bare bones essentials or i might have missed something myself.

[jamster]

If you're a comp sci student, one of the best investments you could make is just to learn how to touch type properly. Your entire earning career is going to involve pushing keys on whatever boards you end up with.

I'm in tech, and cannot remember the last time I encountered someone in a work environment who couldn't touch type.

It seems as if 40% keyboards are the way to go for me but there is a problem - I don't want to solder. I have lost weeks of my life soldering custom headphones - no more!

Soldering on a keyboard is nothing like trying to solder personal audio gear (I've done both). Keyboards switches into a PCB are incredibly easy to do. There are no tiny bendy wires, it's just nice fat contacts poking out of a PCB hole, it really is the ideal soldering situation to be in, the total opposite of trying to solder incredibly fine audio cables into tiny little socket connectors.

If you do decide to go with parts from Aliexpress though, keep in mind that their shipping times are long. Probably around 2 months (I've got stuff still to be delivered from 3 months ago).

[yoreei]

...if you have any keys that are more that 1u i would expect that you will need stabilizers...

Thanks! I will look into those.

[yoreei]

If you're a comp sci student, one of the best investments you could make is just to learn how to touch type properly. Your entire earning career is going to involve pushing keys on whatever boards you end up with.

Whatever boards I end up with? Won't I end up with my own keyboard? Anyway, you are right about touch typing being a great investment, I won't skip it!

If you do decide to go with parts from Aliexpress though, keep in mind that their shipping times are long. Probably around 2 months (I've got stuff still to be delivered from 3 months ago).

Thanks for the tip. I am prepared to wait, I own a normal mechanical keyboard from Redragon, so I won't be stuck with a laptop keyboard while waiting

[jamster]

Ah, yes. I should have been clearer. Spend too much time on geekhack and you'll end up with multiple  keyboards