Simple Questions, Simple Answers (FAQ in the OP)

[Jack Burton]

Hi

I am requesting some suggestions for a keyboard which will allow me to program several keys to act as additional function keys so I can map them to certain actions I need for my projects.  My budget is about $50.

I would prefer it not to be one of of the 122-key Model M keyboards as I do not really like those types of buckling springs.
I have seen some of these Memorex Telex keyboard on ebay.  I have read they are rubber dome but use a type of technology called maxi switch.  Does this have a good feel?  Does anyone know if the extra keys are readable in modern operating systems?



I know there is also the gateway 2000 anykey out there.  Would it use the same dome switches as this?

[xtrafrood]

Hi

I am requesting some suggestions for a keyboard which will allow me to program several keys to act as additional function keys so I can map them to certain actions I need for my projects.  My budget is about $50.

I would prefer it not to be one of of the 122-key Model M keyboards as I do not really like those types of buckling springs.
I have seen some of these Memorex Telex keyboard on ebay.  I have read they are rubber dome but use a type of technology called maxi switch.  Does this have a good feel?  Does anyone know if the extra keys are readable in modern operating systems?

Show Image

I know there is also the gateway 2000 anykey out there.  Would it use the same dome switches as this?

If you can't find a Model F 122 just get a Model M 122. Actually, the M would be cheaper vs. the model f in the long run, even with a soarer's converter and bolt mod. They're usually around $50 on ebay. Lookup deskthority model m so you have a solid grasp regarding the model numbers. Why pay for a rubber dome when you can get a buckling spring?

[Phyltre]

So I'm the extremely happy owner of a VE.A b-stock kit.  (This is my very first self-build.)  And, as expected, I need to buy more stuff to put it together.  Looking at the assembly guide, I'm seeing several things not in the box that aren't really explained that well for someone who hasn't put together a keyboard before.  It looks like I need three of some kind of LED, resistors of some kind?, a few stabilizers that I'm not sure of the type or possibilities with, obviously a quantity of switches (but I'm not sure what mounting type this is actually is to order them), and obviously the cables and keycaps--which I can certainly sort out myself.

Is there a more comprehensive guide out there for someone like me?  Or alternatively a definitive guide as to what I need to buy to make sure I have the right parts for this keyboard?

[ajx]

Hello, where can i find a good mechanical numpad?
I wish programmable, pcb and case, i can find switch myself
Thanks

I've been considering one of the newer Leopold numpads. I guess there is a version that outputs numpad codes rather than plain ordinary numbers. Could take it apart and wire it all to a teensy. I bet there are GB numpads floating around. Have you looked at winkeyless.kr? Pretty cool stuff

Thanks, unfortunately about Leopold numpads, one thing does bother me: cable isnt removal
I wish a numpad with removal cable
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=85046.0
this one is sick but pretty above my budget
Anything similar but with lower budget?
Yes, i already took a look into winkeyless shop

[xtrafrood]

Hello, where can i find a good mechanical numpad?
I wish programmable, pcb and case, i can find switch myself
Thanks

I've been considering one of the newer Leopold numpads. I guess there is a version that outputs numpad codes rather than plain ordinary numbers. Could take it apart and wire it all to a teensy. I bet there are GB numpads floating around. Have you looked at winkeyless.kr? Pretty cool stuff

Thanks, unfortunately about Leopold numpads, one thing does bother me: cable isnt removal
I wish a numpad with removal cable
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=85046.0
this one is sick but pretty above my budget
Anything similar but with lower budget?
Yes, i already took a look into winkeyless shop

IDK - most kits end up costing about the same as a Winkeyless numpad if not more. It might be easier (definitely cheaper) to mod a detachable into an existing numpad.

Noppoo Choc Mini detachable USB (Youtube)--pretty much the same process

The Jelly Comb numpad sells for $20. One could buy a cheap soldering iron, flux, solder, usb female connector, and the numpad, for a cheaper price compared to most premade mechanical numpads

[ideus]

Hi

I am requesting some suggestions for a keyboard which will allow me to program several keys to act as additional function keys so I can map them to certain actions I need for my projects.  My budget is about $50.

I would prefer it not to be one of of the 122-key Model M keyboards as I do not really like those types of buckling springs.
I have seen some of these Memorex Telex keyboard on ebay.  I have read they are rubber dome but use a type of technology called maxi switch.  Does this have a good feel?  Does anyone know if the extra keys are readable in modern operating systems?

Show Image

I know there is also the gateway 2000 anykey out there.  Would it use the same dome switches as this?

If you can't find a Model F 122 just get a Model M 122. Actually, the M would be cheaper vs. the model f in the long run, even with a soarer's converter and bolt mod. They're usually around $50 on ebay. Lookup deskthority model m so you have a solid grasp regarding the model numbers. Why pay for a rubber dome when you can get a buckling spring?

Burton wrote he does not like BS; so, why are you recommending to get one?

[xtrafrood]

Hi

I am requesting some suggestions for a keyboard which will allow me to program several keys to act as additional function keys so I can map them to certain actions I need for my projects.  My budget is about $50.

I would prefer it not to be one of of the 122-key Model M keyboards as I do not really like those types of buckling springs.
I have seen some of these Memorex Telex keyboard on ebay.  I have read they are rubber dome but use a type of technology called maxi switch.  Does this have a good feel?  Does anyone know if the extra keys are readable in modern operating systems?

Show Image

I know there is also the gateway 2000 anykey out there.  Would it use the same dome switches as this?

If you can't find a Model F 122 just get a Model M 122. Actually, the M would be cheaper vs. the model f in the long run, even with a soarer's converter and bolt mod. They're usually around $50 on ebay. Lookup deskthority model m so you have a solid grasp regarding the model numbers. Why pay for a rubber dome when you can get a buckling spring?

Burton wrote he does not like BS; so, why are you recommending to get one?

Honestly, I didn't read that part. But why even buy a 122 keyboard in the first place? 122 keys of rubber domes without the springs underneath to make them snappy? Does not compute.

[fohat.digs]

There are 122-key NMB Hi-Tek "Space Invaders" terminals that (i think that I remember) come with native PS/2 which might be an excellent choice, even if it took a re-mapping program for some of them.

edit - Hypersphere is selling one here, now. He bought it from me and it was essentially new when I got it, so it is still surely in spectacular shape.

[MandrewDavis]

I am coming from green alps and trying this super-tuned 'n lubed vintage MX black dealio.

What weight gold springs (SPRiT) is most comparable to MX blue springs in a Dolch-Pac. I swapped some Gateron yellow sliders into the stock housings and I really like the weighting.

[jaffers]

I am coming from green alps and trying this super-tuned 'n lubed vintage MX black dealio.

What weight gold springs (SPRiT) is most comparable to MX blue springs in a Dolch-Pac. I swapped some Gateron yellow sliders into the stock housings and I really like the weighting.

Because there is no actuation point in linears you might want to go with a light 62g spring, especially since they're lubed. Cherry blues are 50cN so 50/55g springs (depending on what you can find), but they've got the actuation point

[Jack Burton]

There are 122-key NMB Hi-Tek "Space Invaders" terminals that (i think that I remember) come with native PS/2 which might be an excellent choice, even if it took a re-mapping program for some of them.

edit - Hypersphere is selling one here, now. He bought it from me and it was essentially new when I got it, so it is still surely in spectacular shape.

I am very interested in this keyboard and I made a failed attempt at purchasing one for $40 from a retailer in Quebec, Canada where it was listed on their site as in stock.  It seems that listing was in error. 

Unfortunately, the unit that is on sale on ebay is far outside of my current price range.  I will have to keep my eyes open for another opportunity. 

One of the other Memorex Telex keyboard auctions provided this photo under the key caps:



This does not appear to be Maxi Switch.

[fohat.digs]

Unfortunately, the unit that is on sale on ebay is far outside of my current price range.  I will have to keep my eyes open for another opportunity. 

The price is stiff but that is a magnificent keyboard. Pristine black clicky NMB Hi-Teks are extremely rare anyway, and in a 122-key terminal with native PS/2 is almost unheard-of.

It is truly rare in that condition. I bought it to harvest immaculate switches and PBT dye-sub key caps, but I could not bring myself to dismantle it.

[Melvang]

When one bottoms a Cherry MX, where exactly is the bottoming contact made? The reason I am asking is because I bought some magnets to glue into a few to see what it feels like and trying to determine if I need to clip the mind off the bottom housing and the bottom of the stem.

[user 18]

When one bottoms a Cherry MX, where exactly is the bottoming contact made? The reason I am asking is because I bought some magnets to glue into a few to see what it feels like and trying to determine if I need to clip the mind off the bottom housing and the bottom of the stem.

Check out the first few pictures in this thread. There's a MX switch sliced in half and bottomed out. Contact does seem to be between the stem and the bottom of the housing, but the 'arms' are close.

[DanB]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TO-300-ANSI-Keyboard-Vintage-Black-Cherry-Switches-Double-Shot-00-120-001-0870-/132006544019?hash=item1ebc340293:g:ZpAAAOSw2GlXH8CN

Does this keyboard have vintage blacks?

[CommonCurt]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TO-300-ANSI-Keyboard-Vintage-Black-Cherry-Switches-Double-Shot-00-120-001-0870-/132006544019?hash=item1ebc340293:g:ZpAAAOSw2GlXH8CN

Does this keyboard have vintage blacks?

I didn't buy that exact model from him, but I have bought two other ones he was selling, and they did have vintage blacks just as advertised.

[DanB]

I didn't buy that exact model from him, but I have bought two other ones he was selling, and they did have vintage blacks just as advertised.

Thank you very much. Looks like I have a cheap source of vintage blacks for a build or two.

[tofgerl]

I'm looking for a set of 1.25 arrow keys in GMK R4. Preferably just one set in a primary color so that it will look good with as many other sets as possible. Does such a thing exist?

[ideus]

I'm looking for a set of 1.25 arrow keys in GMK R4. Preferably just one set in a primary color so that it will look good with as many other sets as possible. Does such a thing exist?

Maybe blanks, I have not seen arrow keys in that size, so far. Granite set comes with some, though, other profile.

[tofgerl]

Yeah, I know about the granite ones.

[MandrewDavis]

Beside the Duck Orion and Kingsaver, are there any other customs that have Alps support?

[xtrafrood]

Beside the Duck Orion and Kingsaver, are there any other customs that have Alps support?

Infinity Ergodox? If you were referring to similarly styled cases I have no idea what else is out there

[DanD3n]

How hard is to get adjusted to an ortho linear?

[thokir]

Not that hard, cost me 3 days to completely adjust from my gh60 to a planck.
And I definitely would do it again, the planck is much more ergonomic for long typingsessions.

How hard is to get adjusted to an ortho linear?

[DanD3n]

Hmmm. Then i should give it a chance... What is the cheapest ortho keyboard available? Not necessary a mech, since i just want one to practice and see who i feel about it.

[9fiftyfive_]

I'm looking into building my own keyboards. I've always wanted a Planck (in fact, I was going to buy it as my first mechanical keyboard until I discovered the HHKB), however, I came across the JD40 kit, and then I wasn't sure which one I wanted to buy. Then I came across the AMJ40, and now I really can't decide which one to build (unfortunately "all" isn't an option :/). I'm hesitant on purchasing the Planck because a.) that layout and b.) I have to buy each part separate from olkb.com since it's not on Massdrop anymore. I'm hesitant on purchasing the JD40 because I feel like the layout isn't used to it's full potential (unlike the AMJ40 and MiniVan). I'm hesitant on purchasing the AMJ40 because they aren't even in stock and I might as well get a MiniVan. So, which one should I build?

[9fiftyfive_]

Whoops, accidentally posted twice.

[giammin]

is it possible to map ctrl+c on a key in a pok3r?

[iFreilicht]

Hmmm. Then i should give it a chance... What is the cheapest ortho keyboard available? Not necessary a mech, since i just want one to practice and see who i feel about it.

I tried to see whether I could find non-mech orthos, but apart from the TypeMatrix, I didn't find any, and that is super expensive for a rubber-dome. I think the cheapest way would be to get a planck case, but switches in it and then hand-wire it.

[davkol]

Tipro, Access-IS and other point-of-sale keypads have Cherry MX Black switches in a grid, and can be had for about €30 second-hand. See Deskthority Marketplace (or the finds' thread); UK Keycaps or some other British vendor had lots of Acess-IS boards too.

[MandrewDavis]

Do tactile greys have the same issues with stem tightness as mx clears?

[iamtootallforthis]

Do tactile greys have the same issues with stem tightness as mx clears?

Yes and linear greys have the same issue too.

[fublamchu]

For people who've tried the Topre-MX sliders from Aliexpress, how are they?

[BLaZe]

Does a ducky one tkl pcb fit in an aluminium case such as https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=280 ?

[unoab]

Does a ducky one tkl pcb fit in an aluminium case such as https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=280 ?

No, look at the spacing between the function and the number row, that is where the differences are in TKL boards.  The filcos/cooler masters have more vertical spacing between those rows than the duckys, so the ducky will not fit the case.

[BLaZe]

Does a ducky one tkl pcb fit in an aluminium case such as https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=280 ?

No, look at the spacing between the function and the number row, that is where the differences are in TKL boards.  The filcos/cooler masters have more vertical spacing between those rows than the duckys, so the ducky will not fit the case.

Thank you, yes the gap between rows are slightly thiner on the duckky than on a filco. Guess I'll keep stock case.

[9fiftyfive_]

How do I wire this:

http://winkeyless.kr/product/rgb-led/

up to a B.mini EX X2?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fictiouz]

How do I wire this:

http://winkeyless.kr/product/rgb-led/

up to a B.mini EX X2?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You don't wire them up per se, these are SMT components and require you to solder them directly to the solder pads of the winkeyless or supporting PCB.

[9fiftyfive_]

How do I wire this:

http://winkeyless.kr/product/rgb-led/

up to a B.mini EX X2?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You don't wire them up per se, these are SMT components and require you to solder them directly to the solder pads of the winkeyless or supporting PCB.

Oh, I had a brain fart. They come presoldered with the SMT kit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MandrewDavis]

Which is going to be quieter? HHKB Type S or HHKB Pro2 with Hypersphere rings?

[menuhin]

Having been fishing around too much, and I realize it's better to focus my energy (about this hobby) in planning my "end-game" projects - a series of Hot-swappable modded keyboards from 40% up to 75% (or VE.A) for both Alps and MX.

A few simple questions for all the experienced GHers:

1. Does a JD40 milled case exist?
e.g. like those for JD45, and not with some screws exposed.
If it doesn't exist, and as JD40 totally does not fit in a Planck case, I'll go with a modified Quark PCB (which is open-sourced) with a JD40 bottom role. However, JD40 is Alps compatible, and so does Planck PCB. Not for the case of Quark / Kwark PCB. Hotswap-mods for MX are all easy on these 3 PCB.

2. Does B.mini has a compatible aluminum case that can make use of its bottle light, but not in a screw-exposed and all-screwed-together layered style?
e.g. like those of RedScarf or Duck (Korean Duck, not the Taiwan Ducky.
B.mini is the only 75% PCB on which a no drilling required MX hotswap-mod is possible.


There are a bunch of people testing many kinds of receptacles for MX, unfortunately they are not interested in the real good switches - Alps.
Source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTEpMxu0-9QZoqANt2piXOzjxHSEIafLuUYjJIw1J0JFAH_xiA6n6MSeU7UlZ0oli9fbNn87rjUl_Ov/pubhtml?gid=986897710&single=true

[nyunyu]

I recently got a '95 Cherry MX 1000 keyboard (G80-1000HFD)
But it seems to be 2KRO, you can't press A+W+D together, it doesn't registers D.

As I see it has a decent keyboard controller (Motorola ZC86956P), which is capable of handling 8*19 keyboard matrix, so theoretically NKRO should not be a problem.

As I read somewhere, early Cherry keyboards had diodes in their switches, so you could press any buttons, they did work perfectly as NKRO.

Can I upgrade my keyboard to NKRO by replacing the jumpers in my switches with diodes?

[trenzafeeds]

Having been fishing around too much, and I realize it's better to focus my energy (about this hobby) in planning my "end-game" projects - a series of Hot-swappable modded keyboards from 40% up to 75% (or VE.A) for both Alps and MX.


A few simple questions for all the experienced GHers:

1. Does a JD40 milled case exist?

not from jd that I know of, the only official jd40 stuff is the top bottom plates, which right now are sold on 1up in CF, and I think I saw steel as well in the past (at least that's what was planned for the smallfrye kit). I know some people have made their own stuff with like big blue saw, but never cases persay, just the top and bottom. Have you tried the minivan? has alps and mx compatibility and I believe the first edition was milled alu.

2. Does B.mini has a compatible aluminum case that can make use of its bottle light, but not in a screw-exposed and all-screwed-together layered style?

I know that people have toyed with metal cases for the TKL winkeyless boards, but nothing for the 75 I dont think.

There are a bunch of people testing many kinds of receptacles for MX, unfortunately they are not interested in the real good switches - Alps.

talk to E3E, he knows everything about hotswapping and alps.

hope some of this helped

[frosty]

what are the best kind of lube for cherry stabs? to cancel and dampen the rattle to the maximum

[Melvang]

So, not to long ago, I was reading some material on how xwhatsit came up with all the stuff for his controller, something like 12 or 14 pages.  Any idea where I can find that?  His usual download link is just install stuffs.

Scratch that, I found it.

http://downloads.cornall.co/ibm-capsense-usb-web/ibm-capsense-usb.html

[pr0ximity]

what are the best kind of lube for cherry stabs? to cancel and dampen the rattle to the maximum

Something thick that won't react to plastics or move around to much. http://techkeys.us/collections/accessories/products/krytox-switch-lurbricant TechKeys has a thick and thin, I'd use thick for the stabs and thin for the stems+springs.

[Tomasz]

Ducky DKON1687 is my first keyboard from Ducky. Can you please tell me if it is normal that the cable/connector does not go any deeper?

http://i.imgur.com/JnZssog.jpg

[Melvang]

Ducky DKON1687 is my first keyboard from Ducky. Can you please tell me if it is normal that the cable/connector does not go any deeper?

http://i.imgur.com/JnZssog.jpg

While I don't have any experience with that particular keyboard, it doesn't look like it "clicked" into place.

[ArchDill]

I read the FAQ thread but I have questions regarding certain LED's. I saw Quakemz post about building and he mentioned he liked 1.8 LED's. Any leads on where to get those? The places in the FAQ does not really explain which ones I need. Thanks for any help!

[Fusion]

I recently got a Leopold FC660M and I removed the spacebar to try some o-rings. Well, after reinstalling the spacebar (Cherry stabilizers), it seems that it sits higher than it used to. I tried removing the o-rings, and flipping it. Is it possible that I messed up the switch when removing it, or am I just crazy?