Author Topic: Good morning!  (Read 2114 times)

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Offline jlib386

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 9
Good morning!
« on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 07:53:51 »
New guy here... fell into the trap one day when I watched a keyboard build video just for kicks. Somehow when I stumbled across this site and when I learned about group-buy's, I lost my wallet  :))

First build I'm putting together is:
-KBD fans low-profile 65% (tada68 I think is its official name?)
-Brass plate with foam
-KBD67 rev ii
-Durock v2 Stabs
-Zilent 62's for the alphas
-Sakurio 62's for everything else (might do clicky del/esc)
-Metropolis R2 caps

I have a pretty decent background in tinkering with electronics, soldering, building PC's, so I'm pretty confident and excited. I'm sure there's a lot to learn and I look forward to learning from and helping others.

Re: Good morning!
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 09:22:27 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Offline foxieze

  • Posts: 49
  • Location: Great Britain
  • i like code.
Re: Good morning!
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 09:44:11 »
Welcome! I hope you're looking forward to an empty wallet  :p

Offline jlib386

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 9
Re: Good morning!
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 14:29:11 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.
« Last Edit: Wed, 28 April 2021, 14:34:17 by jlib386 »

Offline jlib386

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 9
Re: Good morning!
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 14:31:40 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.
Oh, trust me I know. This was supposed to be a budget/get-your-feet-wet/see-if-its-for-you type situation.... yeah I'm in almost as much as a mortgage payment already.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers that's I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Re: Good morning!
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 30 April 2021, 00:34:48 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Basically the same for me, except that I annoy myself with the sound of tying when hacking away at the keys like a child on a sugarRush.. that's also why I can't type on the new cherry blues with their super high pitch without wearing headphones.

I also don't understand the feel snobs being like "uuugh that mushy bottom out feel is so craptastic" and "why do you need that, don't you touchType". Turning that around: If you touchType, why would you bottom out and feel the silicone bumpers on the stem?!

The good news is that the gatekeeping and snobbery has taken more of a backseat in the last few year through the influx of new members.

One suggestion I can make for silenced switches tho is to definitely lube the spring, otherwise you're gonna have a pingy sound on release and if you have/wanna make it, put a bit of foam or silicone sheeting between plate and pcb, that in addition with a bit of foam to fill out the space in the bottom of the case will give you a much more pleasant low pitched, rounded off sound profile, which while not reducing the volume too much will make it less intrusive or even nice to listen to for people not on the mechanical train. And a deskMat to decouple the board from the table of course. Towel will do in a pinch  :))

Offline jlib386

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 9
Re: Good morning!
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 30 April 2021, 10:04:28 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Basically the same for me, except that I annoy myself with the sound of tying when hacking away at the keys like a child on a sugarRush.. that's also why I can't type on the new cherry blues with their super high pitch without wearing headphones.

I also don't understand the feel snobs being like "uuugh that mushy bottom out feel is so craptastic" and "why do you need that, don't you touchType". Turning that around: If you touchType, why would you bottom out and feel the silicone bumpers on the stem?!

The good news is that the gatekeeping and snobbery has taken more of a backseat in the last few year through the influx of new members.

One suggestion I can make for silenced switches tho is to definitely lube the spring, otherwise you're gonna have a pingy sound on release and if you have/wanna make it, put a bit of foam or silicone sheeting between plate and pcb, that in addition with a bit of foam to fill out the space in the bottom of the case will give you a much more pleasant low pitched, rounded off sound profile, which while not reducing the volume too much will make it less intrusive or even nice to listen to for people not on the mechanical train. And a deskMat to decouple the board from the table of course. Towel will do in a pinch  :))

yeah brother, I'm right there with ya! Snobs will be snobs. I value more important things in life that are more of a necessity and a priority to me than being able to touch type. I'm just about finished lubing the switches, the ping is gone and it could just be my OCD but I still notice a crunchy sound at the bottom and maybe what an expert might classify as "scratchy" sounding throughout the range of motion (It's smooth to the feel but I still hear the movement). I did get the foam in between the plate and the pcb and ordered a .10" piece of Sorbothane for under the PCB and a deskmat for sure. Whats your opinion on clicks ESC and DEL? lol thinking about box whites...

Re: Good morning!
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 01 May 2021, 08:19:14 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Basically the same for me, except that I annoy myself with the sound of tying when hacking away at the keys like a child on a sugarRush.. that's also why I can't type on the new cherry blues with their super high pitch without wearing headphones.

I also don't understand the feel snobs being like "uuugh that mushy bottom out feel is so craptastic" and "why do you need that, don't you touchType". Turning that around: If you touchType, why would you bottom out and feel the silicone bumpers on the stem?!

The good news is that the gatekeeping and snobbery has taken more of a backseat in the last few year through the influx of new members.

One suggestion I can make for silenced switches tho is to definitely lube the spring, otherwise you're gonna have a pingy sound on release and if you have/wanna make it, put a bit of foam or silicone sheeting between plate and pcb, that in addition with a bit of foam to fill out the space in the bottom of the case will give you a much more pleasant low pitched, rounded off sound profile, which while not reducing the volume too much will make it less intrusive or even nice to listen to for people not on the mechanical train. And a deskMat to decouple the board from the table of course. Towel will do in a pinch  :))

yeah brother, I'm right there with ya! Snobs will be snobs. I value more important things in life that are more of a necessity and a priority to me than being able to touch type. I'm just about finished lubing the switches, the ping is gone and it could just be my OCD but I still notice a crunchy sound at the bottom and maybe what an expert might classify as "scratchy" sounding throughout the range of motion (It's smooth to the feel but I still hear the movement). I did get the foam in between the plate and the pcb and ordered a .10" piece of Sorbothane for under the PCB and a deskmat for sure. Whats your opinion on clicks ESC and DEL? lol thinking about box whites...

I mean if you like it, go for it.. I've mixed switches in the beginning but either got lazy or didn't see the point anymore. Also stopped using different strength springs for space and whatnot. If you prefer lighter springs it makes sense, so the spacebar or other stabilized keys return properly but once you get above 70g bottom out weight it doesn't really matter anymore. (I like resting my fingers on the keys and with heavy weight springs they don't accidentally actuate anymore.. that's also the reason I use 5000cst silicone oil to lube mine, it's nice and buttery once you surpass the friction point but until then it's not all that slip n slidey or gritty like ptfe suspensions)

Oh also.. if you like the zilents check out the U4 Boba switches, I have yet to find a find a good home for mine but they already feel pretty nice stock in hand.

You did say you went with silent switches because you work from home and don't wanna annoy people, right? How often do you press the esc/del keys?!

Offline jlib386

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 9
Re: Good morning!
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 03 May 2021, 10:36:15 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Basically the same for me, except that I annoy myself with the sound of tying when hacking away at the keys like a child on a sugarRush.. that's also why I can't type on the new cherry blues with their super high pitch without wearing headphones.

I also don't understand the feel snobs being like "uuugh that mushy bottom out feel is so craptastic" and "why do you need that, don't you touchType". Turning that around: If you touchType, why would you bottom out and feel the silicone bumpers on the stem?!

The good news is that the gatekeeping and snobbery has taken more of a backseat in the last few year through the influx of new members.

One suggestion I can make for silenced switches tho is to definitely lube the spring, otherwise you're gonna have a pingy sound on release and if you have/wanna make it, put a bit of foam or silicone sheeting between plate and pcb, that in addition with a bit of foam to fill out the space in the bottom of the case will give you a much more pleasant low pitched, rounded off sound profile, which while not reducing the volume too much will make it less intrusive or even nice to listen to for people not on the mechanical train. And a deskMat to decouple the board from the table of course. Towel will do in a pinch  :))

yeah brother, I'm right there with ya! Snobs will be snobs. I value more important things in life that are more of a necessity and a priority to me than being able to touch type. I'm just about finished lubing the switches, the ping is gone and it could just be my OCD but I still notice a crunchy sound at the bottom and maybe what an expert might classify as "scratchy" sounding throughout the range of motion (It's smooth to the feel but I still hear the movement). I did get the foam in between the plate and the pcb and ordered a .10" piece of Sorbothane for under the PCB and a deskmat for sure. Whats your opinion on clicks ESC and DEL? lol thinking about box whites...

I mean if you like it, go for it.. I've mixed switches in the beginning but either got lazy or didn't see the point anymore. Also stopped using different strength springs for space and whatnot. If you prefer lighter springs it makes sense, so the spacebar or other stabilized keys return properly but once you get above 70g bottom out weight it doesn't really matter anymore. (I like resting my fingers on the keys and with heavy weight springs they don't accidentally actuate anymore.. that's also the reason I use 5000cst silicone oil to lube mine, it's nice and buttery once you surpass the friction point but until then it's not all that slip n slidey or gritty like ptfe suspensions)

Oh also.. if you like the zilents check out the U4 Boba switches, I have yet to find a good home for mine but they already feel pretty nice stock in hand.

You did say you went with silent switches because you work from home and don't wanna annoy people, right? How often do you press the esc/del keys?!

I did hear about the boba's but it was after I made the decision to repurchase Zeal's (so many damn switches it's impossible to research). Surprisingly I don't use DEL or ESC that much BUT... I do have unconditional love for satisfying clicky keys. Once I saw users in the forums saying it's "a thing", It gave me an excuse to jump on that bandwagon. Over the weekend I think I came to a conclusion during a mock-up that I'll have my shift keys be Sakurio's. Capslock, ESC, DEL as clicky, and everything else will be the Zilent's. It's almost upsetting that I'll have to wait until Q1 of next year for my metropolis caps to come in.

Re: Good morning!
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 03 May 2021, 12:21:25 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Basically the same for me, except that I annoy myself with the sound of tying when hacking away at the keys like a child on a sugarRush.. that's also why I can't type on the new cherry blues with their super high pitch without wearing headphones.

I also don't understand the feel snobs being like "uuugh that mushy bottom out feel is so craptastic" and "why do you need that, don't you touchType". Turning that around: If you touchType, why would you bottom out and feel the silicone bumpers on the stem?!

The good news is that the gatekeeping and snobbery has taken more of a backseat in the last few year through the influx of new members.

One suggestion I can make for silenced switches tho is to definitely lube the spring, otherwise you're gonna have a pingy sound on release and if you have/wanna make it, put a bit of foam or silicone sheeting between plate and pcb, that in addition with a bit of foam to fill out the space in the bottom of the case will give you a much more pleasant low pitched, rounded off sound profile, which while not reducing the volume too much will make it less intrusive or even nice to listen to for people not on the mechanical train. And a deskMat to decouple the board from the table of course. Towel will do in a pinch  :))

yeah brother, I'm right there with ya! Snobs will be snobs. I value more important things in life that are more of a necessity and a priority to me than being able to touch type. I'm just about finished lubing the switches, the ping is gone and it could just be my OCD but I still notice a crunchy sound at the bottom and maybe what an expert might classify as "scratchy" sounding throughout the range of motion (It's smooth to the feel but I still hear the movement). I did get the foam in between the plate and the pcb and ordered a .10" piece of Sorbothane for under the PCB and a deskmat for sure. Whats your opinion on clicks ESC and DEL? lol thinking about box whites...

I mean if you like it, go for it.. I've mixed switches in the beginning but either got lazy or didn't see the point anymore. Also stopped using different strength springs for space and whatnot. If you prefer lighter springs it makes sense, so the spacebar or other stabilized keys return properly but once you get above 70g bottom out weight it doesn't really matter anymore. (I like resting my fingers on the keys and with heavy weight springs they don't accidentally actuate anymore.. that's also the reason I use 5000cst silicone oil to lube mine, it's nice and buttery once you surpass the friction point but until then it's not all that slip n slidey or gritty like ptfe suspensions)

Oh also.. if you like the zilents check out the U4 Boba switches, I have yet to find a good home for mine but they already feel pretty nice stock in hand.

You did say you went with silent switches because you work from home and don't wanna annoy people, right? How often do you press the esc/del keys?!

I did hear about the boba's but it was after I made the decision to repurchase Zeal's (so many damn switches it's impossible to research). Surprisingly I don't use DEL or ESC that much BUT... I do have unconditional love for satisfying clicky keys. Once I saw users in the forums saying it's "a thing", It gave me an excuse to jump on that bandwagon. Over the weekend I think I came to a conclusion during a mock-up that I'll have my shift keys be Sakurio's. Capslock, ESC, DEL as clicky, and everything else will be the Zilent's. It's almost upsetting that I'll have to wait until Q1 of next year for my metropolis caps to come in.

Oh time. Time has become a meaningless concept when participating in groupBuys. I've been waiting since late 2019 for an certain metal keyboard, and I know it will take another half year until they ship.. but that's what I signed up for; an ever receding sip of water, just out of reach, just close enough to almost taste it's sweet dewy freshness on my lips.
But in the end I will have my Stargate board. time be damned.

On the myriad of switches: The large solder sucking pumps are worlds better. You know, the ones you can just press against your hip instead of cocking with your thumb. Won't cramp your style or hand and have one hell of a succ.

Offline jlib386

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 9
Re: Good morning!
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 04 May 2021, 10:33:40 »
hello new guy o/
you're gonna love the zilents, they're some of my favorites.

Funny story, after picking up a bunch of switch testers, I thought I settled on Glorious Panda's and was sure I made the right decision... then for whatever reason I picked up the Zeal switch tester and the moment I hit the Zilent I immediately changed my mind and returned the Pandas. I love tactile but I need things to be as silent as possible for my WFH setup.

Basically the same for me, except that I annoy myself with the sound of tying when hacking away at the keys like a child on a sugarRush.. that's also why I can't type on the new cherry blues with their super high pitch without wearing headphones.

I also don't understand the feel snobs being like "uuugh that mushy bottom out feel is so craptastic" and "why do you need that, don't you touchType". Turning that around: If you touchType, why would you bottom out and feel the silicone bumpers on the stem?!

The good news is that the gatekeeping and snobbery has taken more of a backseat in the last few year through the influx of new members.

One suggestion I can make for silenced switches tho is to definitely lube the spring, otherwise you're gonna have a pingy sound on release and if you have/wanna make it, put a bit of foam or silicone sheeting between plate and pcb, that in addition with a bit of foam to fill out the space in the bottom of the case will give you a much more pleasant low pitched, rounded off sound profile, which while not reducing the volume too much will make it less intrusive or even nice to listen to for people not on the mechanical train. And a deskMat to decouple the board from the table of course. Towel will do in a pinch  :))

yeah brother, I'm right there with ya! Snobs will be snobs. I value more important things in life that are more of a necessity and a priority to me than being able to touch type. I'm just about finished lubing the switches, the ping is gone and it could just be my OCD but I still notice a crunchy sound at the bottom and maybe what an expert might classify as "scratchy" sounding throughout the range of motion (It's smooth to the feel but I still hear the movement). I did get the foam in between the plate and the pcb and ordered a .10" piece of Sorbothane for under the PCB and a deskmat for sure. Whats your opinion on clicks ESC and DEL? lol thinking about box whites...

I mean if you like it, go for it.. I've mixed switches in the beginning but either got lazy or didn't see the point anymore. Also stopped using different strength springs for space and whatnot. If you prefer lighter springs it makes sense, so the spacebar or other stabilized keys return properly but once you get above 70g bottom out weight it doesn't really matter anymore. (I like resting my fingers on the keys and with heavy weight springs they don't accidentally actuate anymore.. that's also the reason I use 5000cst silicone oil to lube mine, it's nice and buttery once you surpass the friction point but until then it's not all that slip n slidey or gritty like ptfe suspensions)

Oh also.. if you like the zilents check out the U4 Boba switches, I have yet to find a good home for mine but they already feel pretty nice stock in hand.

You did say you went with silent switches because you work from home and don't wanna annoy people, right? How often do you press the esc/del keys?!

I did hear about the boba's but it was after I made the decision to repurchase Zeal's (so many damn switches it's impossible to research). Surprisingly I don't use DEL or ESC that much BUT... I do have unconditional love for satisfying clicky keys. Once I saw users in the forums saying it's "a thing", It gave me an excuse to jump on that bandwagon. Over the weekend I think I came to a conclusion during a mock-up that I'll have my shift keys be Sakurio's. Capslock, ESC, DEL as clicky, and everything else will be the Zilent's. It's almost upsetting that I'll have to wait until Q1 of next year for my metropolis caps to come in.

Oh time. Time has become a meaningless concept when participating in groupBuys. I've been waiting since late 2019 for an certain metal keyboard, and I know it will take another half year until they ship.. but that's what I signed up for; an ever receding sip of water, just out of reach, just close enough to almost taste it's sweet dewy freshness on my lips.
But in the end I will have my Stargate board. time be damned.

On the myriad of switches: The large solder-sucking pumps are worlds better. You know, the ones you can just press against your hip instead of cocking with your thumb. Won't cramp your style or hand and have one hell of a succ.

I really appreciate your help, advice, and conversation. I think I'm going to make a video of my personal experience and what I had to learn/research along to way to be confident in building my first project. I've seen a lot of build videos but nothing that really stuck out as a good beginner (100% beginner) build guide from my personal perspective.