I have been looking for a panel mount mini usb for awhile now, where did you get yours?
The panel mounts I have been using are micro-USB rather than mini-USB:
http://www.datapro.net/products/usb-micro-b-panel-mount-extension-cable-m-f.htmlThey have various lengths of cables. I have used either 1-ft or 2-ft, depending on the configuration of the keyboard.
These work beautifully on the Northgate Omnikey 101 with an Orihalcon/Soarer internal converter, which has a micro-USB connector. The cable on the panel-mount micro-USB connector provides plenty of strain relief to prevent damage to the converter. It turns out that the mounting holes for the panel-mount micro-USB line up perfectly with the holes that are already drilled in the case for the mini-DIN6 connector.
@menuhin: Matias switches are okay. I find the Matias Quiet switch to be more tactile than damped Alps cream. However, in general, I prefer undamped switches. To me, damping the downstroke makes the switch feel mushy. So, regarding Alps cream, I prefer undamped cream, as found in the ANSI version of the non-ADB NeXT keyboard. Likewise, among Matias switches (Click, Quiet, and Quiet Linear), I prefer the Matias Click, but they are very noisy and they wobble, which seems to add to the overall rattle of a Matias-Click board. I am considering a "top mod" of my V60MTS-C board -- I am still experimenting with which of the exchangeable Matias parts to swap with Alps parts (slider, return spring, and tactile/click leaf) in an attempt to make the Matias switches more refined.