CHERRY G80-3000LQCEU-O with MX clear switches

[filimonovici]

Hello to everyone,
My name is Flavio, and I'm a newb on this forum. I'm from Romania, actually living in Italy, so please excuse my English.

I' almost proud to say that I got my first mechanical keyboard a week ago, and after using it for a while, I thought I should present it to you. Why ALMOST?
Because without the possibility of trying out some mechanical switches, and only by reading some threads, I went and bought this keyboard - the Cherry G80-3000LQCEU-0.

The Cherry corporation states that this model has a soft tactile feel, and I went for it, but I'm a little bit disappointed because the keys are not so soft, and honestly, it feels close to a rubber dome keyboard. Don't get me wrong, you still have that pleasant sensation that you get from a mechanical keyboard when typing, but the force required to depress the keys, cumulated with the force required to "beat" the bump that gives you that tactile feedback, makes you bottom out eight times out of ten.  Your fingers won't get to hoover over the keyboard, or dance like many like to say. You almost always will end up bottoming out.

EDIT (after a month of use)
But fortunately this happens only to those who are used to the rubber dome keyboards, because you are forced to bottom out every key and the muscle memory is stronger than your brain. Anyway, I can assure you that after one month you will be flying on the keys.
And yes, the Cherry MX clears are made for man hands. But this is a plus in my oppinion. Not being able to bottom out on every key press, your keyboard will be more silent.Most of the noise, coms from bottoming the keys. Actually, after trying the Cherry MX reds, which don't have any tactile feedback and are the softest of them all, I find the clears really nice. And the strong tactile feedback is just heaven for heavy text proccesing. So it is true what they say. Once you buy a mechanical keyboard, you'll fall inlove.

So for those in search of a switch that is not loud like the MX Blues, but still want to have that tactile feedback, I say take the Clears. If you think they are too stiff, then just ... GO WITH THE BROWNS.



Anyway, this is it the Cherry G80-3000LQCEU.
But before inserting the photos, let me tell you something about this board.It has a standard ANSI layout, with the € sign. It uses PBT keycaps and PCB mounted Cherry MX Clear switches, which are tactile NON clicky switches. Seems that the clear switches are an enhanced version of the browns, and require more force to be depressed. Browns need 45g and clears need 55g. Actually someone says that the clear switches feel like the blacks but with a bump (the tactile feedback that tells you the switch has actuated).
The keyboard comes in a simple cardboard box, it has a USB connection but they provide a USB to PS2 adapter, for those who want to use a PS2 connection.

The photos I made are not frontal, because for that kind of pictures you can go and visit the producers site.
I tried to take some pictures with the inside of the board, just to have an idea of the switches, controller and the PCB board. And of course the construction of the keyboard.

EDIT
After taking a closer look to the controller board, I see that it is very easy to replace with another one custom made. And because the switches are PCB mounted, wich means that you can open them very easy without desoldering, makes this keyboard very MODDING friendly. Horray for Chery.

Finally, here are the pictures

This is the opened case with the PCB visible.
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The top part ope the case.
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The PCB itself. Actually the PCB is kept in place by those three "spikes". That is what the three holes in the PCB are for.
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And finally the Cherry Mx Clear switch, which actually has a white stem.
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I wonder what does this tag mean? The letters and the colours.
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[keyboardlover]

Salut and welcome to geekhack!

To upload pics hit the advanced button and go to "manage attachments".

[filimonovici]

Salut.
Are you a romanian too?

[keyboardlover]

Actually I'm Italian but I have many friends in RO and I've been there...beautiful mountains.

[filimonovici]

Not as beautiful as the ALPS ... not the switches )

[filimonovici]

I'm sorry but I didn't manage to attach the photos. When I go Advanced, among font editing and other stuff, I have 2 menu bars with "INSERT IMAGE" icons, but non of them allows me to insert pictures from my PC but only from a URL.
Strange.

[keyboardlover]

After you hit "Advanced", scroll down =)

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[filimonovici]

Jesus!!!!
I'm sorry man, but I cannot attach anything.
And BTW, in my page at the end of the page where are the posting permissions, there's a "YOU MAY NOT POST ATTACHMENTS". Why?
Is there an OP that can help me wit that? PLZ!

[keyboardlover]

Oh sorry...I forgot there's a new rule that you can't post attachments until you hit a certain number of posts

More info here.

[filimonovici]

Stupid rule!!!
You cannot edit your signature too.
Hey I found it. Let's do something like this.
POST 1

[filimonovici]

Post 2

[filimonovici]

Post 3

[filimonovici]

Post 4

[filimonovici]

And here we are, more spam.:blah:

[filimonovici]

Still no attachments enabled. No operator can help me?
I'm just trying to do something constructive here.

[filimonovici]

Thank you RIPSTER :d.

[civet]

@filimonivici

First of all, maybe we have a different definition of "bottoming out". The last 3/4 milimeter or so of the press is very cushiony and hard to get past, that I'd doubt I bottom out more than 1/10 times, even though I have heavy hands and tend to hammer away at the keys. It's actually fixed a bit of the aches I got because I always bottomed against the hard and inflexibile steel plate on the BlackWidow - part of the reason for getting rid of those aches is PCB mounting, but the rest is undoubtedly the nature of the clear switch.

After about three weeks i actually "hover" more than I ever could on the blues (which doesn't mean a LSCEU is not on the way ^ ^)
The feel of the alpha cluster changes as well (either that or I've gotten used to it), it's quite "creamy" and pleasant now, even though I miss the noise of the blues.

PS: that frictiony noise you might have noticed will go away after 3-4 weeks, don't be surprised if it does.

[filimonovici]

@civet

Yes, you are right. I forgot about the frictiony noise, it's getting on my nerves. I really hope that it will go away.

About the bottoming out, I can tell you that my "bottoming out", it means going down all the way. Sort of touching the PCB. I don't think that there's another type of bottoming out.
Anyway, this is probably because the switches are new (and they need a little wear?), and also the bumps on the switches are new and you need more power to beat them, if you understand what I mean? Probably that bump on the switch, being new, has this horizontal "V" shape (something like this >), not a softer les pointy "D" shape.

One more thing. Is it so bad, a plate mounted keyboard? I'm asking you because I just ordered a PLU ML-87 tenkeyless board, and it has plate mounted switches, Cherry MX RED switches. The softest of them all.

[civet]

The bumps definitely don't wear out. I'm guessing the contact leaf bends a very tiny bit and the springs break in a bit. Don't worry, as far as I can understand it takes ~ 5 years of heavy usage and dirt for the feeling to change more that that.

The metal plate is a personal preference, I guess. I "predict", having tried plate mounted blues and pcb mounted clears, that I'll like pcb mounted blues the best. I think (again, just a supposition) that you won't like plate mounted reds at all if you can indeed bottom out clears. Thankfully, if my "prediction" is true, reds seem to keep their value.

I still think you're not bottoming out completely. I mean... the sheer force required to do that is too much, and I always bottom out on lighter switches, so it's not like I'm typing like a princess.
Try pressing one key hard and fast, see if the sound is different from what you get during normal typing. For me, it's completely different, so it's obvious that I don't bottom out.

I want to try an Unicomp buckling spring next. Do you have one of those? I read that you're from Romania, maybe we can exchange keyboards and impressions ^ ^