"Santa GH60" Gateron HHKB Layout Gateron Yellow White LED KeyboardTHE LISTINGRecently, I stumbled upon an intriguing eBay listing:
HHKB Mechanical Keyboard DIY Kit Customized Set SANTA GH60 PCB+Gateron Switchhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/HHKB-Mechanical-Keyboard-DIY-Kit-Customized-Set-SANTA-GH60-PCB-Gateron-Switch-/182180146267?hash=item2a6ac86c5b:g:tgEAAOSwQaJXQvsaThe current price for the kit is $127 and for a fee of $10, you can get the keyboard fully assembled with choices from 7 options for Gateron switches, 7 options for LEDs, and 2 options (black or white) for case color. The default layout is HHKB Pro 2 with white lasered PBT keycaps to match. However, the keyboard is completely programmable. Moreover, shipping from Hong Kong is free.
REASONS FOR BUYINGThis listing caught my attention for several reasons. My favorite form factor is 60%, my favorite layout is HHKB, and although my least favorite switches have been Cherry mx and clones, I had been hearing good things about Gateron Yellow switches. Deciding that the price was right for taking a risk, I placed my order -- black case, yellow Gateron switches, white LEDS, and HHKB Pro 2 layout. I also went for the fully assembled version -- for $10, this seemed well worth it.
The advertised name of the completely programmable PCB is "Santa" GH60. This turns out to be incorrect. "Santa" is of course a perfect anagram with "Satan". I do not know, but it could be that the typo was an intentional ploy to overcome the negative associations with the unfortunate actual name of the "Satan GH60" PCB.
ARRIVALThe keyboard arrived much sooner than I had expected. Although the packaging left something to be desired, several keycaps had detached from their switches, and the screw-in aluminum feet were loose, no damage was done, and I soon had the board up and running.
FIRST IMPRESSIONSConsMy first impressions were somewhat negative for several small reasons:
-- Initially, I thought that the top layer of the plastic sandwich case had been marred with tool marks, but I discovered that the apparent blemishes were readily removed by a light scrub with 70% (v/v) isopropyl alcohol.
-- The aluminum feet look great, but they do not elevate the keyboard enough for me. I left them in place, but I installed self-adhesive conical feet (0.75 inches high) next to the aluminum ones. The keyboard lacked front feet, and so I installed self-adhesive small round silicone bumpers on the front corners on the underside of the board.
-- Although the keycaps felt okay, and it was a nice touch to have the exact HHKB legends (plus additional ones for the LED controls), I did not like the appearance of the lasered legends. I initially replaced the caps with two sets from Originative: Classic Black dye-sub thick PBT for the modifiers and spacebar; and the Hangul 60% dye-sub thick PBT for alphanumerics. However, although the Hangul set is attractive, the Hangul sub-legends look at bit too busy for a 60% board, so I replaced these with a plain Gateron dye-sub PBT set.
-- Usually I would not use the LEDs, but they could be useful when working in a darkened room. They look okay, except for the LED in the spacebar. The spacebar switch has been reversed, so that the LED is facing the front instead of the rear. This results in too much light from under the spacebar, which I found distracting. I will probably cover the spacebar LED with black electrical tape.
-- The most serious problem for me was the rattly stabilizers -- just about the worst stabilizer noise I had ever encountered in a keyboard. Fortunately, I was able to eliminate the rattle through a combination of keycap replacement, lubing the stabilizers with Superlube grease, putting self-adhesive rubber foam strips inside the spacebar, and installing a red O-ring on the central stem of the spacebar.
Pros-- On the positive side, the pre-programmed HHKB layout worked exactly as advertised. In addition, the LED controls worked just fine. I am not a fan of backlighting, but it can actually be useful when using a keyboard in dim lighting conditions.
-- An unexpected plus was my positive reaction to the Gateron Yellow switches. This came as quite a surprise, as I have never liked Cherry mx switches or their clones.
The click of the clicky Cherry mx switches seemed like an irritating artificial add-on. The "tactile bump" of the tactile switches was simply a cam grafted onto the switch stem that had nothing to do with the actuation mechanism; moreover, browns felt gritty and clears had a fatiguing bottoming-out force. The best Cherries for me were the linears, but blacks were too heavy and reds were too light; in addition, the reds felt a bit scratchy.
In marked contrast to any Cherry mx switch I had tried, Gateron Yellows felt just about right -- they have an actuation force of 50g - 55g (about the same as Gateron Blacks but lighter than Cherry Blacks at 60g - 65g), but their bottoming-out force of ~65g is less than that of Gateron Blacks (~70g) or Cherry Blacks ~80g. There is confusion about this, because apparently there was an earlier version of Gateron Yellow that had a very high bottoming-out force -- these were dubbed "Super Blacks", which were very different from the current generation of Gateron Yellows.
In addition to their ideal weight (for me), Gateron Yellow switches are extremely smooth -- attributed at least in part to factory lubing.
There is a good discussion of Gateron Yellow switches at the following site:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/3reu6z/gateron_switch_science/?OVERALL CONCLUSIONSDespite the shortcomings listed above, I highly recommend this keyboard. It is especially good for those who like the HHKB layout, but even for those who prefer other configurations, this board is completely programmable. In addition, for backlighting enthusiasts or those who work in the dark, the board has controllable LEDs. Finally, Gateron switches provide compatibility with the universe of Cherry-mount keycaps, and the Gateron Yellows that I chose have made me a convert to this switch.
Because I bottom-out my keystrokes, the click that this makes provides sufficient auditory feedback for me. I thoroughly enjoy like the sound and feel of this keyboard, which I attribute to a combination of the plastic sandwich construction, thick PBT keycaps, and the Gateron Yellow switches. Moreover, my typing speed and accuracy on this keyboard are at the level of my personal best for any keyboard.
By the way, I would add that the Classic Black dye-sub PBT keycap set from Originative is a perfect profile match with their dye-sub PBT Hangul set or the dye-sub PBT Gateron set that I ultimately used. The Classic Black is one of the few sets that includes extras such as a 7.0x Spacebar, 1.75x Right Shift, and 1.0x Fn key to occupy the space next to the short Right Shift.
Although I was able to eliminate most of the stabilizer rattle from the three stabilized keys (Enter/Return, Left Shift, and Spacebar), I would like to see keyboard designs that obviate the need for stabilizers altogether while preserving as much as possible the standard layout and staggering. As least for me, I would be fine with a Backspace key of 1.25x - 1.50x, shift keys between 1.25x and 1.75x, Enter/Return key of 1.25x - 1.75x, and a short Spacebar. The Spacebar might have to be doubled -- perhaps two 1.75x keys near the center of the keyboard.
Shown below are two pics of the keyboard:
Close-up of the Gateron dye-sub PBT keycaps, Gateron Yellow Clear-Top switches with White LEDs.
Note that the white Gateron PBT caps are sufficiently thick and/or dense that they do not allow the LED light to shine through. Similarly, light does not penetrate the Originative black PBT keycaps. Incidentally, I tried some white Ducky PBT caps, and these did allow some light transmission.
View of keyboard showing the HHKB layout.
Apart from the Backtick/Tilde, Tab, Enter/Return, Left Shift, Right Shift, and Fn keys, the legends on the Originative caps do not match the HHKB layout. However, this is not noticeable in dim light. For those who prefer the correct legends, these are provided on the white lasered PBT caps that come with the keyboard.
