I am just about ready to start modifying my Das Prime 13. I studied up on switches, tried a bunch out, tried some of the mods like Ergo and Panda, o-rings vs landing pads; and then I thought long and hard about how I
actually use my keyboard on a daily basis - such as with which keys I have touch typing trouble, the ones I often fat-finger, which ones I really hammer on, etc. I mocked up a layout accordingly, and have now procured sufficient quantities of Tactile Greys, clicky Whites, Clears, and
Greens (won't be used in this build, they sound terrible!), plus qty.200 of three different white LED varieties. As soon as I decide which LEDs are best, I will start desoldering the Prime and prepping the new switches. Aside from a possible tweaks, here is how I currently intend to set up the board:
(grey = Tactile Grey)
(white= White/Milk)
(aqua = Clear)
(red dot =
Super 150g spring)
(purple dot = 80g spring from Tactile Grey)
Note on the purple dot: Although both the White and Grey switches are officially spec'd at 80 cN, the spring designs differ. I put Grey springs in a few Whites and compared them SxS to un-modified Whites, and there is definitely a difference in the tactile feel and actuation force. The White/Grey combo is a tad stiffer, the tactile bump is less pronounced (think Brown vs Clear) but also more crisp, and the downstroke feels less mushy than a stock White - I really like this hybrid! If it doesn't have a name yet, I nominate the name Smoky/Smoke
I want click+tactile feedback on certain keys that I often make mistakes with. My left-shift pinky is sometimes laggy and I end up with DOuble CAps. I get too zealous with the backspace and sometimes hit it once or twice too many. The ability to hear certain keys over the rest will help me break bad habits associated with those keys, let me know when locks/insert are inadvertently activated, while the addition of Super springs makes certain ones especially difficult to hit accidentally.
The Tactile Greys are there for the keys I want more deliberate effort required, and the red-dot Greys & Whites will be extremely stiff.
The top row keys are often pressed by my sleeping cat... perhaps very heavy switches will reduce her hacking of teh webz.