Infinity: A 60% Keyboard Designed by Haata now Available on Massdrop!

[KHAANNN]

The drop just launched should have the new revision pcb, according to HaaTa, even a portion of the drop1 had the updated PCB, I have the Rev 1.01b pcb with diode issues, the replacement they sent is also 1.01b, but the new drop should be a different rev I guess, there are no definite answers from massdrop, actually there are no answers at all, there is no simple guide that lists each pcb rev and the changes

The new pcb's, should be optimal for 60%, regardless from the pcb revisions, but it would be great to get an official response

The politics of the infinity keyboard also seem very complicated, there is an input club that gets the credits, the open source projects seem to be authored by HaaTa, it's unclear what's the role of Massdrop in all of these, they probably just launch and re-launch the drop, without giving it any thought

So, it's more sane to just buy the nerd60, and either his universal plate, or a plate built from the swillkb builder, or just try to forget about these issues and buy an infinitykb and use it

Edit: I seem to bash the infinity project and massdrop, but, compared to the GH60 project for example, infinity is golden, at least we have a keyboard that works and works well :)

[RoastPotatoes]

The drop just launched should have the new revision pcb, according to HaaTa, even a portion of the drop1 had the updated PCB, I have the Rev 1.01b pcb with diode issues, the replacement they sent is also 1.01b, but the new drop should be a different rev I guess, there are no definite answers from massdrop, actually there are no answers at all, there is no simple guide that lists each pcb rev and the changes

The new pcb's, should be optimal for 60%, regardless from the pcb revisions, but it would be great to get an official response

The politics of the infinity keyboard also seem very complicated, there is an input club that gets the credits, the open source projects seem to be authored by HaaTa, it's unclear what's the role of Massdrop in all of these, they probably just launch and re-launch the drop, without giving it any thought

So, it's more sane to just buy the nerd60, and either his universal plate, or a plate built from the swillkb builder, or just try to forget about these issues and buy an infinitykb and use it

Edit: I seem to bash the infinity project and massdrop, but, compared to the GH60 project for example, infinity is golden, at least we have a keyboard that works and works well

Thanks for the input. Really now it all hinges on if I can get the money. I am interested in the KLL so this may sway me, but I am still uncertain.

[KHAANNN]

KLL is definitely very practical, very very practical

Some things don't work well yet, but basic stuff works well, you can easily achieve a V60/poker2-like layout without issues

Comparatively, tmk_keyboard's customization syntax seemed more complex to me, with KLL you just re-map stuff and build on top of the base layer, customising the default mapping/setup to your specifications might take 30 minutes, compiling + re-installing the firmware takes seconds

tmk_keyboard has extended functionality, like mouse functions, however the development isn't osx friendly, as the mbed project it uses is problematic at osx

[RoastPotatoes]

I find that quite interesting. I have managed to get my head around tmk quite well and use it on both my ergodox and hhkb, but I stared at KLL for a while and still couldn't understand it.

[KHAANNN]

I find that quite interesting. I have managed to get my head around tmk quite well and use it on both my ergodox and hhkb, but I stared at KLL for a while and still couldn't understand it.

If you inspect the source code / .kll files, it's actually pretty simple, it seemed complex to me too at first, however if you run ./Keyboards/infinity.bash, inspect the bash script, check out the output, edit the .kll files it uses, things become pretty clear

[Sigmoid]

Btw, Haata, it would be awesome if you wrote a blog, guide or even for-pay e-book based on your experience in small-batch manufacturing and selling via Massdrop. After three rounds of keyboards sold, and two revisions, I'm sure your experience would be priceless to anyone who wishes to create and sell enthusiast hardware.

[HaaTa]

Btw, Haata, it would be awesome if you wrote a blog, guide or even for-pay e-book based on your experience in small-batch manufacturing and selling via Massdrop. After three rounds of keyboards sold, and two revisions, I'm sure your experience would be priceless to anyone who wishes to create and sell enthusiast hardware.

Lol, very true.
I don't have all the answers (Parak and Over^Kill are in charge of the PCB and Plate/Case manufacturing), but yeah would be pretty easy to write a small book at this point
And it's not just manufacturing itself, you have to design the product to support manufacturing as well or else you're gonna have a bad time...

[ideus]

It should be nice to document your experience in any form.

[FuriousGeorge]

I'm a total noob when it comes to programmable boards. Can the Infinity be programmed to support spacefn? My ideal layout would be a main layer using colemak using spacefn with an option to latch the space/function down when doing something like media playback with no typing. A second gaming layer using qwerty without spacefn. Can the Infinity be programmed to handle that?

[HaaTa]

I'm a total noob when it comes to programmable boards. Can the Infinity be programmed to support spacefn? My ideal layout would be a main layer using colemak using spacefn with an option to latch the space/function down when doing something like media playback with no typing. A second gaming layer using qwerty without spacefn. Can the Infinity be programmed to handle that?

Not yet. However, I am working on a software update to make "tap-keys" (or as I call it, "Unique Release") work using kll. No eta yet, but I'm nearly done the kll spec draft for how the configuration files will look like.

[FuriousGeorge]

Awesome. Thanks for the update HaaTa.

[KHAANNN]

I'm a total noob when it comes to programmable boards. Can the Infinity be programmed to support spacefn? My ideal layout would be a main layer using colemak using spacefn with an option to latch the space/function down when doing something like media playback with no typing. A second gaming layer using qwerty without spacefn. Can the Infinity be programmed to handle that?

Not yet. However, I am working on a software update to make "tap-keys" (or as I call it, "Unique Release") work using kll. No eta yet, but I'm nearly done the kll spec draft for how the configuration files will look like.

As far as I assess the firmware behaviour, the combinations triggers/modifier behaviour should really be improved
U"LAlt"+U"LShift"+U"A":U"B"; should just write the character "b", so the modifiers should be temporarily lifted, if desired, the user should add them to the result manually

It would extend the capability of the firmware a lot, I want to do different things with "LAlt","RAlt","LGui","RGui" etc. but they are impossible as the modifiers are always present

[KHAANNN]

The non-standard top row is really challenging me, the 1u Del at top worked well, but I decided to try the intended 1.5u backspace too, after realizing Home key would be great for `~ and Insert key would be great for \| (Ended up using `~ as `~, more appealing)

Looks good, but so far, it's hard to get used to, I hope my brain survives the trial, the 1u Del was actually pretty easy to get used to, as the left hand presses Esc with one finger, the right hand did the same for the 1u Del

[Latin00032]

The non-standard top row is really challenging me, the 1u Del at top worked well, but I decided to try the intended 1.5u backspace too, after realizing Home key would be great for `~ and Insert key would be great for \| (Ended up using `~ as `~, more appealing)

Looks good, but so far, it's hard to get used to, I hope my brain survives the trial, the 1u Del was actually pretty easy to get used to, as the left hand presses Esc with one finger, the right hand did the same for the 1u Del

(Attachment Link)

For the record.

Thanks for being informative. I like hearing about the ups and downs related to this board.

[NorrisB]

Can the "hacker" version be customized to work with 6.25 space bar?  Did I make a big mistake getting the hacker layout? What are people doing with the hacker layout?

[KHAANNN]

Can the "hacker" version be customized to work with 6.25 space bar?  Did I make a big mistake getting the hacker layout? What are people doing with the hacker layout?

If you are willing to drill the PCB, get a new plate produced, it can be converted to a standard layout (hard)

As for the mistake part, you might be able to sell it, and buy a new one from someone else

I personally like the standard layout myself, although it's not as "standard" as it can be, it suits my usage pretty well

-----

As for my usage, I decided to drill the PCB myself, 3d print custom plate parts with better cutouts and stab placements, and convert the 2x top 1u's to an 2u regular backspace

Currently waiting my final infinity to arrive, it was shipped only ~friday - going to export them soon

[OverKill]

Can the "hacker" version be customized to work with 6.25 space bar?  Did I make a big mistake getting the hacker layout? What are people doing with the hacker layout?

The PCB is the same for both. All you need are the right sized  keycaps. Standard layout bottom row  is 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 6.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25

[KHAANNN]

Can the "hacker" version be customized to work with 6.25 space bar?  Did I make a big mistake getting the hacker layout? What are people doing with the hacker layout?

The PCB is the same for both. All you need are the right sized  keycaps. Standard layout bottom row  is 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 6.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25

https://www.massdrop.com/keyboard/infinity/assembly - I was referencing this PCB*, I see now that it's an old PCB*, the new one seems to have cutouts for both layouts

In that case, you only need to get a plate manufactured, in the end it will become a better keyboard - if you choose your plate/parameters right

[vindaon]

Anyone else having trouble with the function lock keys in the configurator? I'm working with 3 layers: Main, 1, and 2. Main is QWERTY, 1 is function keys, 2 is Colemak.

Using "Lock-2" on the configurator switches to the Colemak layer as expected, but when I hit Lock-2 again the keyboard bugs out. I assumed it would "unlock" layer 2 and go back to the main layer, but instead it switches my infinity to a completely different layout that doesn't correspond to any of my 3 layers. It stays this way even after a reset and the only way it can be fixed is to flash the infinity again.


Anyone else experience this?

[njbair]

Anyone else having trouble with the function lock keys in the configurator? I'm working with 3 layers: Main, 1, and 2. Main is QWERTY, 1 is function keys, 2 is Colemak.

Using "Lock-2" on the configurator switches to the Colemak layer as expected, but when I hit Lock-2 again the keyboard bugs out. I assumed it would "unlock" layer 2 and go back to the main layer, but instead it switches my infinity to a completely different layout that doesn't correspond to any of my 3 layers. It stays this way even after a reset and the only way it can be fixed is to flash the infinity again.


Anyone else experience this?

I'm having a similar issue, although instead of bugging out it just fails to unlock and I'm stuck in my Dvorak layer.

BTW, are you using the Input Club configurator or the Massdrop one?

[OverKill]

Can the "hacker" version be customized to work with 6.25 space bar?  Did I make a big mistake getting the hacker layout? What are people doing with the hacker layout?

The PCB is the same for both. All you need are the right sized  keycaps. Standard layout bottom row  is 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 6.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25, 1.25

https://www.massdrop.com/keyboard/infinity/assembly - I was referencing this plate, I see now that it's an old plate, the new one seems to have cutouts for both layouts

In that case, you only need to get a plate manufactured, in the end it will become a better keyboard - if you choose your plate/parameters right

There is no "old plate" there have always been 2 plates and one PCB. One plate is Standard layout and the other plate is the Hacker layout. The files are in the github repo.

[NorrisB]

Can the "hacker" version be customized to work with 6.25 space bar?  Did I make a big mistake getting the hacker layout? What are people doing with the hacker layout?

If you are willing to drill the PCB, get a new plate produced, it can be converted to a standard layout (hard)

As for the mistake part, you might be able to sell it, and buy a new one from someone else

I personally like the standard layout myself, although it's not as "standard" as it can be, it suits my usage pretty well

-----

As for my usage, I decided to drill the PCB myself, 3d print custom plate parts with better cutouts and stab placements, and convert the 2x top 1u's to an 2u regular backspace

Currently waiting my final infinity to arrive, it was shipped only ~friday - going to export them soon

Thanks a lot for the information KHAANN!

[KHAANNN]

There is no "old plate" there have always been 2 plates and one PCB. One plate is Standard layout and the other plate is the Hacker layout. The files are in the github repo.

There was probably no 2 production PCBs, but if you look at the picture in the assembly thread, you can see the PCB that only supports the standard(?) layout and not the other one, that was the source of my confusion, as I was using that photo as a reference, it's probably a very old PCB that didn't make it into production - I mixed "plate" and "PCB" phrases in my reply, which probably created further confusion, what I meant was "I was referencing this PCB*, I see now that it's an old PCB*, the new one seems to have cutouts for both layouts" fixed it now

np, NorrisB

njbair, Vindaon, have you tried adding separate layer buttons to your layers too?
I haven't use the configurator, I also don't lock layers with my usage, but I'm just wondering whether this is the problem

[vindaon]

I haven't been able to get working layers with the configurator. I think I'm gonna take the time over the weekend to learn KLL. There seems to be some good stuff in there that you can't do with the configurator anyway.

I'm having a similar issue, although instead of bugging out it just fails to unlock and I'm stuck in my Dvorak layer.

BTW, are you using the Input Club configurator or the Massdrop one?

I'm using the new input club configurator. The old one doesn't even work at all for me.

njbair, Vindaon, have you tried adding separate layer buttons to your layers too?
I haven't use the configurator, I also don't lock layers with my usage, but I'm just wondering whether this is the problem

Yep, that's what causing the layers to bug out. Before that I had the same problem as njbair, layer wouldn't unlock.

[tybenz]

What are the pins located on the back of the PCB? Can any of them be used for TX / RX?

[HaaTa]

It depends on which revision of the Infinity Keyboard.

If they are labeled TX0 and RX0 then you have a UART available. Otherwise, would require non-trivial soldering skills.

[Latin00032]

Can the next version of the infinity drop have the hhkb version become compatible with the gateron 6x spacebar?

I don't think they are currently compatible. (Unless someone here knows differently)

[childofthehorn]

Finished building and programming my Infinity Keyboard with Lubed Gateron Blues, Calm Depths SA keycaps, Custom layout, and silenced keycaps with a combo of Durometer and Silicone.

Just some Beauty shots as I basically had to make my own Stabilizer setup.




Still looking for a Grey SA 1.75 Shift or Blank if someone happens to have one.

[KHAANNN]

Finished building and programming my Infinity Keyboard with Lubed Gateron Blues, Calm Depths SA keycaps, Custom layout, and silenced keycaps with a combo of Durometer and Silicone.

Just some Beauty shots as I basically had to make my own Stabilizer setup.

Show Image

Show Image

Still looking for a Grey SA 1.75 Shift or Blank if someone happens to have one.

Show Image

It's EXTREMELY hard to find color matched blanks in the wild, let alone a printed key (unless it was part of the original run)

Nice keyboard by the way, how does the R4 bottom row feel while typing?

Also it might be interesting to learn how and why you made your own stabiliser steup

[childofthehorn]

It's EXTREMELY hard to find color matched blanks in the wild, let alone a printed key (unless it was part of the original run)

Nice keyboard by the way, how does the R4 bottom row feel while typing?

Also it might be interesting to learn how and why you made your own stabiliser steup

Basically, I had to do different things to different stabilizers (costar type) to make everything fit nicely. I used translucent stabilizers and ended up having to shave them all down and cut the backs on the keycap stabilizer inserts. The spacebar, I had to do in the inner stabilizer spot with cut stabilizers. My metal plate was pretty off as far as those go and its not something I could have easily checked. Taking metal files to the plate was required.

The unique profile of the Calm depths set works well here as its not severely sculpted in profile, but you still get the SA dish!

I silenced the keys with 4 silicone and 1 duromter oring per key. No bottom out noise, but still getting the same length on the stroke.

The return on the lubed Blues from Gateron is smooooth. Might change out the springs on the modifiers though. Originally bought MX greens for this guy, but mine were super gritty and still not as tactile as Gateron blues I had gotten in the week before. New MX Greens are just GRITTY IMO.

I just can't believe they didn't test build these more as just stabilizers took 4 times as look to fudge with than it did to build it.

[KHAANNN]

It's EXTREMELY hard to find color matched blanks in the wild, let alone a printed key (unless it was part of the original run)

Nice keyboard by the way, how does the R4 bottom row feel while typing?

Also it might be interesting to learn how and why you made your own stabiliser steup

Basically, I had to do different things to different stabilizers (costar type) to make everything fit nicely. I used translucent stabilizers and ended up having to shave them all down and cut the backs on the keycap stabilizer inserts. The spacebar, I had to do in the inner stabilizer spot with cut stabilizers. My metal plate was pretty off as far as those go and its not something I could have easily checked. Taking metal files to the plate was required.

The unique profile of the Calm depths set works well here as its not severely sculpted in profile, but you still get the SA dish!

I silenced the keys with 4 silicone and 1 duromter oring per key. No bottom out noise, but still getting the same length on the stroke.

The return on the lubed Blues from Gateron is smooooth. Might change out the springs on the modifiers though. Originally bought MX greens for this guy, but mine were super gritty and still not as tactile as Gateron blues I had gotten in the week before. New MX Greens are just GRITTY IMO.

I just can't believe they didn't test build these more as just stabilizers took 4 times as look to fudge with than it did to build it.

Interesting, I also had initial issues with the stabs on my V1, but after pushing them a bit to the farthest point they go, now they even seem loose on the Y axis, if I pushed them just a bit less, it might have prevented the Y wobbling :) - I'm using regular plain white WASD stab inserts by the way, after receiving the black inserts of massdrop, the complaints made more sense, they probably make the issue worse (all stab parts I use are from WASD Keyboards)

Out of 3 blank packs I received, 2 had 6u spacebars, one had an alps spacebar, I was supposed to get 3 6.25u ones, I also think they somehow sent all reject blues, I've experienced problematic switches before, but I never thought I would experience anything like these, 50% of them don't click, 25% of them have weak clicks, the rest is also problematic but at least clicky a bit

At least my pcbs don't have visible problems, so there's that for the positive side of things - I'm only using the PCBs at this point - the firmware also have some promising recent improvements, but the feature set is still lacking - converting Shift+Esc to a pure ~ is still not possible :)

On my latest build, I'm using fully lubed clears, I don't think I can ever use clicky MX switches again after testing the switches massdrop sent me - they left a rotten taste - I also have a batch of PCB-mount greens that I bought months ago, I was intending to build a single 60% with clicky switches for the occasional clicks, I will probably skip it now

So for future buyers: get the keycaps and switches elsewhere :) (massdrop is probably very unlucky, their SP blanks also seemed deformed to me at a quick glance, I was intending to use some of them for my 1.75/1.25/1.25/1.25 arrow cluster, I've skipped it for now)

[childofthehorn]

On my latest build, I'm using fully lubed clears, I don't think I can ever use clicky MX switches again after testing the switches massdrop sent me - they left a rotten taste - I also have a batch of PCB-mount greens that I bought months ago, I was intending to build a single 60% with clicky switches for the occasional clicks, I will probably skip it now

So for future buyers: get the keycaps and switches elsewhere (massdrop is probably very unlucky, their SP blanks also seemed deformed to me at a quick glance, I was intending to use some of them for my 1.75/1.25/1.25/1.25 arrow cluster, I've skipped it for now)

I could swear that in general, the Cherry MX switches have gone down in quality. The smoothness of vintage Blacks and my 2012 blackwidow (which was hardly used) which uses blues have basically shown me that the current set of switches are not even close to being as nice. The Gateron switches really are just better. Taking apart the switches somewhat reveals this in the fit and finish. I know that there are purists, but meh...

I am somewhat hopping to see that GH60 variant that they had up again.

[childofthehorn]

My Inifity keyboard JUST STOPPED WORKING mid-typing.

Nothing can see it on the USB port. Checked the continuity of the connector and its fine.
How in the HELL? The microcontroller just GAVE OUT on the USB.

Count me pissed. I had not even done any fixes yet, just happened to check into why with a multimeter in my pocket.

I didn't even get ONE MONTH of use before it died.

Beware, if you are getting double letters, your microcontroller is about to DIE!

@HaaTa, you have some splaining to do.

[HaaTa]

Have you gone through the flashing steps?

Does the light turn on when you press the flashing button?
    (if not, the microcontroller is not getting power and there is a problem, likely somewhere between the computer and the microcontroller. USB power is direct connect to the chip, so it's most likely a cable/connector issue or less likely a bad solder issue on the microcontroller).

Also, I don't have enough background to debug your issue. Please provide the standard support request info:
1) Which OS and what sort of computer specs
2) Are you using the USB cable shipped with keyboard? If not, what is it?
3) Please take a photo of the pcb (enough quality to make sure I can see if any traces have lifted due to soldering errors at the fab)
4) Which case for the keyboard are you using?

And, regardless, you'll be dealing with Massdrop support to get a new keyboard if it really is a hardware issue.

As for the double letters, that's due to switch contact corrosion. I already have a fix for that (just needs to be pushed to the configurator once I validate USB on all the OSs). I'm targeting the end of the week to get the change pushed.

[mashby]

May not be at all related, but I've had some issues with the USB hub that my keyboard plugs into. Nothing specific to my Infinity, but when switching boards, I lose that port on the USB hub. I was able to diagnose it because when I looked at the hub, the light for that USB port was unlit.

Just something else to check.

[HaaTa]

I've created a secondary configurator link which has the absolute latest source code (updates every hour or so). This way you don't have to wait for a full roll-out to try out new changes.
(Fixes double presses)

http://configurator.input.club/latest/

Still validating OS compatibility (typing should be fine, though there are some debug console issues left I think).

[inanis]

Thanks for the new configurator link, HaaTa. I'll try this out on Monday morning, since I do still have some chatter issues. FWIW, I love my Infinity. Thanks for all your hard work.

[mko]

Hope this drop could restart. I want one!

[mashby]

Hope this drop could restart. I want one!

MassDrop has done two or three drops on this board, so I'm sure they'll do another one. It's a great board.

[njbair]

I ordered two boards during the second round. One with Matias Quiet switches and the other with MX Browns. I've had the Matias board for about a month and a half. The MX brown just arrived today. I haven't had time to open that one yet, but I've got the Matias board all assembled in a TEX aluminum case.

I'm kind of irked that the Massdrop version of the configurator software is still broken. The input.club one works, but you can't save a layout. That's a pain. And setting up the build system on Windows is pretty much a no-go at this point as well, which means I have to use my secondary computer (a Mac) or a Linux VM if I want to reload a config. Also, I'm sure the KLL spec is great and all, but it's not very approachable, which means you kind of have to become an expert if you want to hand-modify the config files. I was hoping to set up layers 1-4 for QWERTY, Dvorak, Colemak, and a function layer, respectively. So far I haven't been able to get the layer locking/unlocking working properly.

The other big issue I have, is that the plate is really too thick for Matias/Alps switches. The wings don't fully clip into place. Combine this with the extremely tight-fitting SP Alps DSA caps, and you're almost guaranteed to break off a switch or two while swapping caps. Compared to hasu's Alps PCB and the AEKII Alps plate from Nubbinator's recent GB, which holds Alps switches firmly and tightly, I don't think I would have gotten an Alps Infinity if I had it to do over again.

We'll see how the MX Brown build goes. I'm hoping the Cherry switches stay put a little better in the Infinity plate. I plan on setting that one up on my Ubuntu desktop at home, so maybe the firmware build process will go a little more smoothly in a native *nix environment.

[KHAANNN]

I ordered two boards during the second round. One with Matias Quiet switches and the other with MX Browns. I've had the Matias board for about a month and a half. The MX brown just arrived today. I haven't had time to open that one yet, but I've got the Matias board all assembled in a TEX aluminum case.

I'm kind of irked that the Massdrop version of the configurator software is still broken. The input.club one works, but you can't save a layout. That's a pain. And setting up the build system on Windows is pretty much a no-go at this point as well, which means I have to use my secondary computer (a Mac) or a Linux VM if I want to reload a config. Also, I'm sure the KLL spec is great and all, but it's not very approachable, which means you kind of have to become an expert if you want to hand-modify the config files. I was hoping to set up layers 1-4 for QWERTY, Dvorak, Colemak, and a function layer, respectively. So far I haven't been able to get the layer locking/unlocking working properly.

The other big issue I have, is that the plate is really too thick for Matias/Alps switches. The wings don't fully clip into place. Combine this with the extremely tight-fitting SP Alps DSA caps, and you're almost guaranteed to break off a switch or two while swapping caps. Compared to hasu's Alps PCB and the AEKII Alps plate from Nubbinator's recent GB, which holds Alps switches firmly and tightly, I don't think I would have gotten an Alps Infinity if I had it to do over again.

We'll see how the MX Brown build goes. I'm hoping the Cherry switches stay put a little better in the Infinity plate. I plan on setting that one up on my Ubuntu desktop at home, so maybe the firmware build process will go a little more smoothly in a native *nix environment.

I always intended to use modifiers with extended/different purposes, like Shift+Esc as a pure ~ or Alt+I as F13+I+F13 or Ctrl+C as Alt+F4 etc. however, realistically speaking, I don't think this will happen - at least not soon - so I might also give tmk_keyboard another chance, you might consider it too (comparatively, tmk_keyboard's build fails at osx due to library issues, that's why I sticked to infinity's firmware, as it works, and it's pretty practical on osx to re-build and re-deploy) (the infinity framework is pretty much like a programmable poker, non-standard stuff is not possible, so I don't think we reap the benefits of full programmability)

Other than that, I strongly suggest a new plate (or new plates) - especially if you like switches to be perfectly aligned, the nudged cutouts are also non-optimal for Cherry's: http://builder.swillkb.com/ - the regular/square one is much better

[njbair]

I ordered two boards during the second round. One with Matias Quiet switches and the other with MX Browns. I've had the Matias board for about a month and a half. The MX brown just arrived today. I haven't had time to open that one yet, but I've got the Matias board all assembled in a TEX aluminum case.

I'm kind of irked that the Massdrop version of the configurator software is still broken. The input.club one works, but you can't save a layout. That's a pain. And setting up the build system on Windows is pretty much a no-go at this point as well, which means I have to use my secondary computer (a Mac) or a Linux VM if I want to reload a config. Also, I'm sure the KLL spec is great and all, but it's not very approachable, which means you kind of have to become an expert if you want to hand-modify the config files. I was hoping to set up layers 1-4 for QWERTY, Dvorak, Colemak, and a function layer, respectively. So far I haven't been able to get the layer locking/unlocking working properly.

The other big issue I have, is that the plate is really too thick for Matias/Alps switches. The wings don't fully clip into place. Combine this with the extremely tight-fitting SP Alps DSA caps, and you're almost guaranteed to break off a switch or two while swapping caps. Compared to hasu's Alps PCB and the AEKII Alps plate from Nubbinator's recent GB, which holds Alps switches firmly and tightly, I don't think I would have gotten an Alps Infinity if I had it to do over again.

We'll see how the MX Brown build goes. I'm hoping the Cherry switches stay put a little better in the Infinity plate. I plan on setting that one up on my Ubuntu desktop at home, so maybe the firmware build process will go a little more smoothly in a native *nix environment.

I always intended to use modifiers with extended/different purposes, like Shift+Esc as a pure ~ or Alt+I as F13+I+F13 or Ctrl+C as Alt+F4 etc. however, realistically speaking, I don't think this will happen - at least not soon - so I might also give tmk_keyboard another chance, you might consider it too (comparatively, tmk_keyboard's build fails at osx due to library issues, that's why I sticked to infinity's firmware, as it works, and it's pretty practical on osx to re-build and re-deploy) (the infinity framework is pretty much like a programmable poker, non-standard stuff is not possible, so I don't think we reap the benefits of full programmability)

Other than that, I strongly suggest a new plate (or new plates) - especially if you like switches to be perfectly aligned, the nudged cutouts are also non-optimal for Cherry's: http://builder.swillkb.com/ - the regular/square one is much better

It didn't occur to me to try TMK firmware on the Infinity. I really like TMK on the custom Alps 60% board I have, so maybe that's the way to go. It would be nice to have all 3 boards set up the same. Honestly, TMK also has minor issues in Windows, but at least I can get everything installed and working. Thanks for the tip!

I assumed the combo plate might have issues with Cherry MX as well. Have you had better luck getting the switches properly aligned using the stock Infinity plate?

[KHAANNN]

It would be great if you could share your experience with TMK+infinity - I will probably re-attempt it soon too, I'm going to add some character combos to some Alt+character keys, while keeping the regular Alt functionality intact (like Alt+mouse click etc.)

Anyway, if you use PCB-mounts, they correct mis-alignments a lot, if you're going to use dark keycaps, you probably won't have any issues with alignments
It's more of an issue with light keycaps, the Eve alphas for example, amplify mis-alignments, while the Dolch alphas suppress them

Since you're now aware of the issue, you might even make normal switches work too, but you have to take your time to do it right, even if you check all of the switches, sometimes 1-2 switches need fixing - I remember heating the solder points one by one and pushing/turning the switches in place, if you do this 4-5 times to a switch, you can shift it's alignment without de-soldering

Other than these minor issues, it's a nice hefty plate, I miss the added weight a bit

(I also had issues with the side gaps the plate leaves with some 60% cases, but that problem isn't easy to solve with any plate, you have to get a reference plate manufactured, measure the enlargements needed, then get an actual plate produced, each case also has different dimensions - gon pcbs and plates also suffer from the same issue for example, if the USB-cutouts of the case is large, you might center the PCB by drilling the screw holes too - so it will stay in the center of the case)

[ishpeck]

Show Image

Show Image

Those keycaps look fantastic.

[cookiesowns]

Has anyone created a Poker II like layout yet on the Infinity keyboard ? I have both my boards built, but I can't just get over the default HHKB based layout.

[KHAANNN]

Has anyone created a Poker II like layout yet on the Infinity keyboard ? I have both my boards built, but I can't just get over the default HHKB based layout.

I did, I'm glad I did too: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72183.0

Theoretically, the PCB should allow almost all kinds of non-standard layouts, the path design seems to be simple enough to allow bypasses (probably not around the space area tho, that area is very crowded, probably adding PCB-mount cherry stabs would be extremely challenging too)

It would have been awesome if the empty areas of the PCB weren't grounded tho, I wonder whether it could pose issues (don't know why they are grounded, whether it has a purpose, but the texture of the PCB seems to be ground lining, as pointed out by another buyer)

[njbair]

Has anyone created a Poker II like layout yet on the Infinity keyboard ? I have both my boards built, but I can't just get over the default HHKB based layout.

I did, I'm glad I did too: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72183.0

Theoretically, the PCB should allow almost all kinds of non-standard layouts, the path design seems to be simple enough to allow bypasses (probably not around the space area tho, that area is very crowded, probably adding PCB-mount cherry stabs would be extremely challenging too)

It would have been awesome if the empty areas of the PCB weren't grounded tho, I wonder whether it could pose issues (don't know why they are grounded, whether it has a purpose, but the texture of the PCB seems to be ground lining, as pointed out by another buyer)

It's because the copper substrate is applied first, then etched away to separate circuits. That means it actually takes more work to remove a ground pad than just leaving it there. Plus, large etched areas would probably look very bad cosmetically.

[cookiesowns]

Has anyone created a Poker II like layout yet on the Infinity keyboard ? I have both my boards built, but I can't just get over the default HHKB based layout.

I did, I'm glad I did too: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72183.0

Theoretically, the PCB should allow almost all kinds of non-standard layouts, the path design seems to be simple enough to allow bypasses (probably not around the space area tho, that area is very crowded, probably adding PCB-mount cherry stabs would be extremely challenging too)

It would have been awesome if the empty areas of the PCB weren't grounded tho, I wonder whether it could pose issues (don't know why they are grounded, whether it has a purpose, but the texture of the PCB seems to be ground lining, as pointed out by another buyer)

That's supercool. Maybe I should have elaborated. By layout I meant firmware/keymapping layout.

[inanis]

I've created a secondary configurator link which has the absolute latest source code (updates every hour or so). This way you don't have to wait for a full roll-out to try out new changes.
(Fixes double presses)

http://configurator.input.club/latest/

Still validating OS compatibility (typing should be fine, though there are some debug console issues left I think).

Just want to report that I used the new firmware to reflash my Infinity with the chatter issues, and after using it for a day, I can say with confidence that the issue has been resolved. I really appreciate it! I put a lot of thought into this board and I am very happy I can use it issue free. No more extra "e"s for me! Thank you!

[KHAANNN]

Interestingly I managed to avoid this issue even with clears, didn't even upgrade to the latest firmware yet as it's a lot of work to create a system to persist kll changes

So far I was mostly lucky with infinities, hope my luck persists, I also avoided the pcbs with the missing diodes

Going to share my 3rd infinity build soon, but here's the second one:



Top row drilled to convert it to an 2u - before this I was in agony with a 1u Del