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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: funkmon on Tue, 16 February 2021, 22:23:00

Title: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: funkmon on Tue, 16 February 2021, 22:23:00
What I mean is, like, if you really love a particular keyboard, do you guys buy another one of that keyboard?

Like, okay, so you have a beautiful, say, Model F AT. These things ain't never getting cheaper, and might at one point be difficult to find. You love your AT. You worry one day it will die and you will not be able to replace it. Do you see another good deal on one and then just buy it, test it, and put it back in the box for backup usage?

I do this in particular with very old keyboards. Like, I have two Acer keyboards in case one breaks. I'm not worried as much about my Alps boards to buy doubles of those, I figure Matias is still making em and if they stop, ebaying one wouldn't be hard, but the relatively rare ones? I get spares. Am I nuts?
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: tp4tissue on Tue, 16 February 2021, 22:35:22
Yea, just walk up to my pile, there're at least 40 keebs in there.  not gonna run out anytime soon.  Some doubles, 4 sets of ergodox total.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Sifo on Tue, 16 February 2021, 22:40:23
no unless lastpilot wants to sell me his. the 3rd one in existence is scuffed last time i saw it.

i do the same for mice though
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: buryberry on Tue, 16 February 2021, 22:42:20
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: kajahtaa on Wed, 17 February 2021, 01:58:12
Yes. 3 ortho. 3 splergo. Planning some 60% builds this year.

I have four desks.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Coreda on Wed, 17 February 2021, 02:23:25
no unless lastpilot wants to sell me his. the 3rd one in existence is scuffed last time i saw it.

I wonder what Sifo's reaction would be to some accident scenario involving their board.

Stunlocked in a look of gasping horror? Repeating something repeatedly while flurrying about in a panic? Monk-like resolve?
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: seville57 on Wed, 17 February 2021, 04:06:23
Yes, I have some Ducky Shine 2 - 3 - 4 and  2 Ducky One.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: chyros on Wed, 17 February 2021, 04:39:11
Yup, I've got six blue Alps boards and three ZKB-2's by now xD .
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: 4sStylZ on Wed, 17 February 2021, 05:25:15
I have no backup for my ****ty ruber dome g13… and considering that I cannot play without it (cause I use the joystick a lot), I fear a little bit.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Leslieann on Wed, 17 February 2021, 07:51:01
I've bought more than one of the same board but it was because the first ended up damaged (Model M and Logitech Illuminated).
Never as a backup though, I'd rather try something new and keep the other as a reserve.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 17 February 2021, 08:17:35
Yes, at least 2-3 of each of my favorites (of which there are 4 or 5).
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: ddrfraser1 on Wed, 17 February 2021, 09:09:41
Yeah let me just buy another F-107 for $900. Lol.

But in seriousness, I've got 60+ boards at this point that I rotate through. I've got about 10 favorites maybe. If any of them break I'm pretty sure I could fix em.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: yui on Wed, 17 February 2021, 09:30:06
i have bought 3 non working PC122, not really planed as spares but to learn to fix them, so far 2 are fixed. although one is missing a spacebar and a spring, overall plenty of fun to be had :)
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: jamster on Wed, 17 February 2021, 10:14:18
The only double up I have is two Model Ms.

Everything else is kinda the same switch-wise anyway (medium weight, highly tactile) so I have a reasonable number of options if one board were to fail. I don't really have that many boards compared to others here, as collecting is not really my thing.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Maledicted on Wed, 17 February 2021, 10:17:59
I have duplicates of boards I particularly like (and could afford more of). 2 F ATs, 2 or 3 ZKB-2s (in poor shape, unfortunately) probably close to 10 various Matias boards (I may have single-handedly dried up the cheap used market for these), 2 Omnikeys, stacks of TG3 boards both with and without the trackpad (some brand new old stock), 3 Model Ms (unless a dome M2 counts) ... untold numbers of Corsair K65s and K70s awaiting eventual modification. I have at least a second F77 coming ... some day. I'm probably missing some.

I have at least 4 different places in which I type regularly, so even with a second or third board, I can't cover all of my bases. I could add two more to that if I could clean up the area where I have two desks set up for working on computers and tinkering.

Yup, I've got six blue Alps boards and three ZKB-2's by now xD .

All in good shape? All of the ZKB-2s I end up finding look like they spent time at the bottom of the ocean. I figure if I can't save the switches, I'll put SKCM blue or Matias clickies in them.

Not daily driving a beam spring then?

I have no backup for my ****ty ruber dome g13… and considering that I cannot play without it (cause I use the joystick a lot), I fear a little bit.

Have you looked at these (https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Orbweaver-Chroma-Progammable-Adjustable/dp/B013P0HW7K)? I know, they're Razer, but they're mechanical. I know someone who's been using some iteration of the same family tree since finding an old Belkin Nostromo for cheap.

Yeah let me just buy another F-107 for $900. Lol.

But in seriousness, I've got 60+ boards at this point that I rotate through. I've got about 10 favorites maybe. If any of them break I'm pretty sure I could fix em.

You paid $900 for that F107? Did it come painted like that, or did you have to do that too?

i have bought 3 non working PC122, not really planed as spares but to learn to fix them, so far 2 are fixed. although one is missing a spacebar and a spring, overall plenty of fun to be had :)

That's good. As many old boards should be restored to function as possible without ending up in a landfill.  :thumb:
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: ddrfraser1 on Wed, 17 February 2021, 13:29:25

Yeah let me just buy another F-107 for $900. Lol.

But in seriousness, I've got 60+ boards at this point that I rotate through. I've got about 10 favorites maybe. If any of them break I'm pretty sure I could fix em.

You paid $900 for that F107? Did it come painted like that, or did you have to do that too?

Oh no, much less. But that's about what they're going for now.

Mine looked like this when I got it.

[attach=1]

Then I took it to get powder coated and recapped it.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Snowdog993 on Wed, 17 February 2021, 15:46:58
I do believe I do.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Sup on Wed, 17 February 2021, 18:12:03
I have to many back-up boards  :blank:
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: chyros on Thu, 18 February 2021, 05:45:34
I have duplicates of boards I particularly like (and could afford more of). 2 F ATs, 2 or 3 ZKB-2s (in poor shape, unfortunately) probably close to 10 various Matias boards (I may have single-handedly dried up the cheap used market for these), 2 Omnikeys, stacks of TG3 boards both with and without the trackpad (some brand new old stock), 3 Model Ms (unless a dome M2 counts) ... untold numbers of Corsair K65s and K70s awaiting eventual modification. I have at least a second F77 coming ... some day. I'm probably missing some.

I have at least 4 different places in which I type regularly, so even with a second or third board, I can't cover all of my bases. I could add two more to that if I could clean up the area where I have two desks set up for working on computers and tinkering.

Yup, I've got six blue Alps boards and three ZKB-2's by now xD .

All in good shape? All of the ZKB-2s I end up finding look like they spent time at the bottom of the ocean. I figure if I can't save the switches, I'll put SKCM blue or Matias clickies in them.
My work ZKB-2 is rather dirty by now, and well-used, but still going strong. The others are in very nice condition. The blue Alps keyboards are all at least 7/10, some NOS.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Touch_It on Fri, 19 February 2021, 12:54:58
my only regret is not nabbing a ton of ibm keebs while they were "cheap" 
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: dabeshu on Fri, 19 February 2021, 20:18:40
Backup pcb’s sure, but I dunno if I’m a bad enough dude to just go and get two of something lol
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: funkmon on Mon, 22 February 2021, 10:26:10
Yeah let me just buy another F-107 for $900. Lol.

But in seriousness, I've got 60+ boards at this point that I rotate through. I've got about 10 favorites maybe. If any of them break I'm pretty sure I could fix em.

Dude, here's how bug nutty I am. I bought that F107, used it for a couple weeks, decided "this is such a good keyboard I'll be devastated if it breaks" and then I put it in the ****ing box and it's in the closet. My idea was that when I got a new desk I would move to using that board as my main keyboard, or if I ever decide to move into my mom's house like she wants, I use it as a main, but I got an F122 as a backup so I can do that. Then I got another F122 as a backup to my backup. So I should still be able to use Models F as full size keyboards, if all goes well.

If not, I have like 60 Models M so if all my Models F die I'm still fine.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: Maledicted on Mon, 22 February 2021, 12:44:46
Yeah let me just buy another F-107 for $900. Lol.

But in seriousness, I've got 60+ boards at this point that I rotate through. I've got about 10 favorites maybe. If any of them break I'm pretty sure I could fix em.

Dude, here's how bug nutty I am. I bought that F107, used it for a couple weeks, decided "this is such a good keyboard I'll be devastated if it breaks" and then I put it in the ****ing box and it's in the closet. My idea was that when I got a new desk I would move to using that board as my main keyboard, or if I ever decide to move into my mom's house like she wants, I use it as a main, but I got an F122 as a backup so I can do that. Then I got another F122 as a backup to my backup. So I should still be able to use Models F as full size keyboards, if all goes well.

If not, I have like 60 Models M so if all my Models F die I'm still fine.

How would you manage to kill a 4704 F? I imagine that F107 will survive the apocalypse.
Title: Re: Do you guys have backup boards?
Post by: funkmon on Mon, 22 February 2021, 12:50:33
Again, I'm nuts. I'm thinking like, what if it only lasts like 20 years of constant use? I figure at that point I have to wait to open it until I hit 40 or something so even if I'm over 60 I'll be so near death I won't even notice.