GSX96 on TaoBao - Anyone want to help me decipher?

[TerryMathews]

Correct. Mine only had screws for the standoffs machined into the case and the two screws to attach the feet. I'm going to use rubber bumpons to negate bowing in the middle.

[Aox]

I picked one of these up in silver from the seller on Taobao.  I also didn't recieve the screws/feet, or missed them in the shipping box, and already threw them out...

I ordered some stainless steel button socket head screws in M2 x 5mm from a local supplier.  I wanted to go with black screws, but all the black screws I found were low quality, so I went with the stainless.

I've got some feet coming from winnja.com.  I've got a batch of gateron browns, some krytox, switch stickers, cherry stabs, and leds coming from mehkee.com.  I was all set to place my order from switchtop but the gateron browns were out of stock, so I went with mehkee.

So, just so I'm perfectly clear, if anyone wants to chime in...  No screws hold the plate to the case?  All screws go through the place and hold the PCB to the case, and technically, the plate is held in by the soldered in switches.  Is this correct?

I've been into R/C cars, planes, and helis for years, but this is my first kb build, I think it's going to be fun

EDIT: Also, I went with pcb mount switches, for the extra tabs, and it looks like the pcb will be able to support them.  I figure any extra support is good.  Am I crackin' smoke on this?  I figure worse case, I can cut the extra pins of, but it looks like they'll work with this board.

[schoolbus]

I picked one of these up in silver from the seller on Taobao.  I also didn't recieve the screws/feet, or missed them in the shipping box, and already threw them out...

I ordered some stainless steel button socket head screws in M2 x 5mm from a local supplier.  I wanted to go with black screws, but all the black screws I found were low quality, so I went with the stainless.

I've got some feet coming from winnja.com.  I've got a batch of gateron browns, some krytox, switch stickers, cherry stabs, and leds coming from mehkee.com.  I was all set to place my order from switchtop but the gateron browns were out of stock, so I went with mehkee.

So, just so I'm perfectly clear, if anyone wants to chime in...  No screws hold the plate to the case?  All screws go through the place and hold the PCB to the case, and technically, the plate is held in by the soldered in switches.  Is this correct?

I've been into R/C cars, planes, and helis for years, but this is my first kb build, I think it's going to be fun

EDIT: Also, I went with pcb mount switches, for the extra tabs, and it looks like the pcb will be able to support them.  I figure any extra support is good.  Am I crackin' smoke on this?  I figure worse case, I can cut the extra pins of, but it looks like they'll work with this board.

Correct, the screws only latch onto the PCB and they are held in place by the switches.

Yeah, you should be fine to use PCB mount- just make sure they're pressed in fully otherwise you'll find yourself taking it apart and desoldering/pushing them in deeper.

Some people like to snip them always when plate mount just to keep everything more flush- but there's nothing wrong with keeping them in if you want additional support.

[cynviloq]

gone, sorry

[schoolbus]

Can anyone possibly take a look at their PCB/ take a picture of this area:

http://imgur.com/rvV4bIV

I believe I'm missing some SMD components and I'm trying to figure out what they are, I think it's the root cause for all my RGB led's not working.

I'd contact the seller but I don't know how to etc.

[cynviloq]

Can anyone possibly take a look at their PCB/ take a picture of this area:

http://imgur.com/rvV4bIV

I believe I'm missing some SMD components and I'm trying to figure out what they are, I think it's the root cause for all my RGB led's not working.

I'd contact the seller but I don't know how to etc.

Here you go

[schoolbus]

Thanks. Looks like you don't have the 1.5k either- I believe that's a resistor but if you don't have it maybe it's not necessary?

I have no idea what the 100n is though.. does anyone with SMD component experience know what it is? lol

[Aox]

I'm 99% sure that's a 100nF SMD capacitor for delivering voltage to the LEDs.

It's present on mine.

-Aox

[schoolbus]

I'm 99% sure that's a 100nF SMD capacitor for delivering voltage to the LEDs.

It's present on mine.

-Aox

Awesome, thanks.

[kmba]

Finally recovered from my thumb injury and I Was able to test my pcb tonight.  Two small issues.  1) internal usb connector was misaligned slightly with the connector housing in a way that wouldn't allow me to plug in. There was 0 gap between the connector and the housing.  Had to bend the housing a bit, and it fits fine now.  2)  I have one lame underglow LED that struggles with some combination colors.  R, G, B, White are fine.  Cyan is fine after a second.. but green, yellow, and some others flicker constantly.  Not a big issue as I will only be using it on a few static colors like cyan.  Every switch location registers correctly though, which is the biggest deal!  All in all, I can't complain for $136 total shipped, but certainly not a flawless product. 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

I'm just curious how everyones' builds are going.  Anything new to share?  Hoping I can snag one of these in the future; I'll have a fresh set of caps in Oct/Nov timeframe that will need a home. 

[speaktobrett]

Has anyone had the issue where Bootmapper just closes itself down when you try to download the config from your keyboard?

[kmba]

I haven't gotten a chance to build mine yet. It's low in my queue since I'm waiting for solarized dark to put on it. Have a kdb75, let's split, and soon to be m65a in line ahead of it. Didn't have any boot mapper issues while testing.

[speaktobrett]

I haven't gotten a chance to build mine yet. It's low in my queue since I'm waiting for solarized dark to put on it. Have a kdb75, let's split, and soon to be m65a in line ahead of it. Didn't have any boot mapper issues while testing.

I tested it on another pc and confirmed it is my pc that it only crashes on. I am an idiot, thank you for replying

[Ouhei]

Had some water spill on mine when the unit above me leaked water through the ceiling...everything works fine still except the K key has to be mashed super hard to register. I'm hoping it's just the switch, which I'll attempt to desolder and replace tomorrow.

I'm gonna be really sad if this thing is broken before the keyset I bought for it even arrives.

[cynviloq]

Is there any interest in a R2 run by Mehkee? I've been talking with the TB runner and the price has gone up a bit. Due to unplanned defects (this seems to be his first GB), he didn't make sure to plan for the costs associated with possible PCB and anodizing failures so he's properly including them this time. I think we could get a set out at $160ish + shipping and include a Genuine Cherry stabs set as well as discounted switches if purchased with the kit.

Color options are the same: silver, black, titanium gray, blue, red.

The case is basically unchanged aesthetically except a few screw hole positions for stability.

I would think a timeline would be to run the GB for a few weeks ending first week of August and then ~8-10 weeks for delivery.

Would love to get some high level thoughts from you guys and others that may be interested in this thread before running an IC/GB.

[schoolbus]

Had some water spill on mine when the unit above me leaked water through the ceiling...everything works fine still except the K key has to be mashed super hard to register. I'm hoping it's just the switch, which I'll attempt to desolder and replace tomorrow.

I'm gonna be really sad if this thing is broken before the keyset I bought for it even arrives.

Hopefully it'll be okay, if it's just that switch & subsequent PCB pads that have issues you can probably jump it to the next switch to give it better connectivity.

[schoolbus]

Is there any interest in a R2 run by Mehkee? I've been talking with the TB runner and the price has gone up a bit. Due to unplanned defects (this seems to be his first GB), he didn't make sure to plan for the costs associated with possible PCB and anodizing failures so he's properly including them this time. I think we could get a set out at $160ish + shipping and include a Genuine Cherry stabs set as well as discounted switches if purchased with the kit.

Color options are the same: silver, black, titanium gray, blue, red.

The case is basically unchanged aesthetically except a few screw hole positions for stability.

I would think a timeline would be to run the GB for a few weeks ending first week of August and then ~8-10 weeks for delivery.

Would love to get some high level thoughts from you guys and others that may be interested in this thread before running an IC/GB.

Given how big 96 keys are right now and the demand for them I think this would be a home-run considering all the knock-off ones lately have not had an aluminum case option which everyone clamors for.

I think given the price and knowledge moving forward it would be a really solid group buy.

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Is there any interest in a R2 run by Mehkee? I've been talking with the TB runner and the price has gone up a bit. Due to unplanned defects (this seems to be his first GB), he didn't make sure to plan for the costs associated with possible PCB and anodizing failures so he's properly including them this time. I think we could get a set out at $160ish + shipping and include a Genuine Cherry stabs set as well as discounted switches if purchased with the kit.

Color options are the same: silver, black, titanium gray, blue, red.

The case is basically unchanged aesthetically except a few screw hole positions for stability.

I would think a timeline would be to run the GB for a few weeks ending first week of August and then ~8-10 weeks for delivery.

Would love to get some high level thoughts from you guys and others that may be interested in this thread before running an IC/GB.

Absolutely.    Sounds great.

Given how big 96 keys are right now and the demand for them I think this would be a home-run considering all the knock-off ones lately have not had an aluminum case option which everyone clamors for.

I think given the price and knowledge moving forward it would be a really solid group buy.

+1

[speaktobrett]

Is there any interest in a R2 run by Mehkee? I've been talking with the TB runner and the price has gone up a bit. Due to unplanned defects (this seems to be his first GB), he didn't make sure to plan for the costs associated with possible PCB and anodizing failures so he's properly including them this time. I think we could get a set out at $160ish + shipping and include a Genuine Cherry stabs set as well as discounted switches if purchased with the kit.

Color options are the same: silver, black, titanium gray, blue, red.

The case is basically unchanged aesthetically except a few screw hole positions for stability.

I would think a timeline would be to run the GB for a few weeks ending first week of August and then ~8-10 weeks for delivery.

Would love to get some high level thoughts from you guys and others that may be interested in this thread before running an IC/GB.

I would definately in for another one the build quality for the cost is great!

[Ouhei]

Is there any interest in a R2 run by Mehkee? I've been talking with the TB runner and the price has gone up a bit. Due to unplanned defects (this seems to be his first GB), he didn't make sure to plan for the costs associated with possible PCB and anodizing failures so he's properly including them this time. I think we could get a set out at $160ish + shipping and include a Genuine Cherry stabs set as well as discounted switches if purchased with the kit.

Color options are the same: silver, black, titanium gray, blue, red.

The case is basically unchanged aesthetically except a few screw hole positions for stability.

I would think a timeline would be to run the GB for a few weeks ending first week of August and then ~8-10 weeks for delivery.

Would love to get some high level thoughts from you guys and others that may be interested in this thread before running an IC/GB.

Given how big 96 keys are right now and the demand for them I think this would be a home-run considering all the knock-off ones lately have not had an aluminum case option which everyone clamors for.

I think given the price and knowledge moving forward it would be a really solid group buy.

Pulled it apart today and checked everything, resoldered the K switch and it started working, but now about 20% of the board doesn't register and all of my solders are good so I'm pretty sure something happened to the board. I'm not sure if there was more damage from the water or if I managed to kill it in trying to fix it (I had to stick a small screwdriver inbetween the plate and PCB to pop my spacebar stabilizers back in place maybe I scratched the board...I was careful).

I've been working on it for a few hours now and I can't see anything else I can do, I think it's dead.

****.

[cynviloq]

Is there any interest in a R2 run by Mehkee? I've been talking with the TB runner and the price has gone up a bit. Due to unplanned defects (this seems to be his first GB), he didn't make sure to plan for the costs associated with possible PCB and anodizing failures so he's properly including them this time. I think we could get a set out at $160ish + shipping and include a Genuine Cherry stabs set as well as discounted switches if purchased with the kit.

Color options are the same: silver, black, titanium gray, blue, red.

The case is basically unchanged aesthetically except a few screw hole positions for stability.

I would think a timeline would be to run the GB for a few weeks ending first week of August and then ~8-10 weeks for delivery.

Would love to get some high level thoughts from you guys and others that may be interested in this thread before running an IC/GB.

Given how big 96 keys are right now and the demand for them I think this would be a home-run considering all the knock-off ones lately have not had an aluminum case option which everyone clamors for.

I think given the price and knowledge moving forward it would be a really solid group buy.

Pulled it apart today and checked everything, resoldered the K switch and it started working, but now about 20% of the board doesn't register and all of my solders are good so I'm pretty sure something happened to the board. I'm not sure if there was more damage from the water or if I managed to kill it in trying to fix it (I had to stick a small screwdriver inbetween the plate and PCB to pop my spacebar stabilizers back in place maybe I scratched the board...I was careful).

I've been working on it for a few hours now and I can't see anything else I can do, I think it's dead.

****.

Sorry that stinks. Let me speak to him and see if I can get any extra R1 PCBs or if the R2 PCBs will fit the R1 case given the screw hole changes. I wouldn't get my hopes up but I'll at least ask for you.

[Ouhei]

Sorry that stinks. Let me speak to him and see if I can get any extra R1 PCBs or if the R2 PCBs will fit the R1 case given the screw hole changes. I wouldn't get my hopes up but I'll at least ask for you.

Not sure how I quoted that post, not the one I meant to, oh well. Thanks for checking for me. I'm going to contact the building management company and see about filing a claim for it since there was water spilled all over it, maybe I can at least get my money back...

My Maxkeys SA dolch/cyan is probably going to ship this week too, this really blows...I've wanted this layout ever since I found mechanical keyboards.

[cynviloq]

Threw up a quick IC on Reddit, GB could start as early as Friday: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/6o9erb/ic_r2_of_gsx96_aluminum_case_96key_kit/

Ouhei - you may want to check out the original listing, it seems there are a few extra PCBs to purchase off TB. The runner confirmed there are a few extra PCBs as well.

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Nice.  You move fast man.  Filled out IC.

[Ouhei]

Threw up a quick IC on Reddit, GB could start as early as Friday: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/6o9erb/ic_r2_of_gsx96_aluminum_case_96key_kit/

Ouhei - you may want to check out the original listing, it seems there are a few extra PCBs to purchase off TB. The runner confirmed there are a few extra PCBs as well.

Yeah, I checked it this morning and it looked like there was some available. Sent him a message to confirm but if he has with you I may just order.

I should be getting a check from someone's insurance at some point, but I don't mind fronting it if I can rebuild the thing sooner.

[cynviloq]

Nice.  You move fast man.  Filled out IC.

I think enough interest has been attained to move forward on Friday. Looking for pictures of blue and red cases from R1 if anyone has any to provide as reference pictures! Also an other TG pics that people might be willing to share are much appreciated

Some updates on R2:

• Redesigned plate / case with ~9 standoffs at the moment
• No groove on the backside of the case for the weird plates that were offered in R1
• Custom branding on the PCB - I'm going to call it the 96KEE and will use that naming convention for future builds - I'm going to keep focusing on low-to-mid priced kits to continue offering affordable keyboards to our community. We have so many good designers and people focused on the high end with not so much available in the accessible range
• Layout for the PCB / plate will still be ANSI-focused and pretty strict (no split BS) but we'll work to improve that for R3, this round is about making the R1 expanded with minor improvements to keep costs low!

Thank you all for your feedback and to Ouhei for finding this kit and sharing it with us.

As far as my discussion has been with the TB runner, he won't be offering it on TB as of now and it will only be through Mehkee to save him some hassle on the distribution side.

[Ouhei]

Nice.  You move fast man.  Filled out IC.

I think enough interest has been attained to move forward on Friday. Looking for pictures of blue and red cases from R1 if anyone has any to provide as reference pictures! Also an other TG pics that people might be willing to share are much appreciated

Some updates on R2:

• Redesigned plate / case with ~9 standoffs at the moment
• No groove on the backside of the case for the weird plates that were offered in R1
• Custom branding on the PCB - I'm going to call it the 96KEE and will use that naming convention for future builds - I'm going to keep focusing on low-to-mid priced kits to continue offering affordable keyboards to our community. We have so many good designers and people focused on the high end with not so much available in the accessible range
• Layout for the PCB / plate will still be ANSI-focused and pretty strict (no split BS) but we'll work to improve that for R3, this round is about making the R1 expanded with minor improvements to keep costs low!

Thank you all for your feedback and to Ouhei for finding this kit and sharing it with us.

As far as my discussion has been with the TB runner, he won't be offering it on TB as of now and it will only be through Mehkee to save him some hassle on the distribution side.

Awesome work! I may have to jump in on R3 depending on the timing. If I wasn't having to rebuild my R1 I'd buy in on this round, haha.

[Ouhei]

My replacement PCB and Plate have shipped. He sent the v2 PCB and said enough of the holes should line up for the v1 case that it'll work. I'm going to order switches soon, I think I may go Zealios this time as I threw my SA set on the Mod-M's and the wobble is really intense! I never really noticed it with the Cherry profile set I had on there before.

[schoolbus]

I threw my SA set on the Mod-M's and the wobble is really intense!

Yes.. the mod wobble is pretty substantial w/ SA. Although you'll probably find SA feels wobbly on just about any switch, but definitely exaggerated w/ mods.

[Ouhei]

I threw my SA set on the Mod-M's and the wobble is really intense!

Yes.. the mod wobble is pretty substantial w/ SA. Although you'll probably find SA feels wobbly on just about any switch, but definitely exaggerated w/ mods.

I'm using the SA set on a board with Gateron Browns right now and there's definitely more wobble than any set I've put on there before, but yeah not nearly as bad as the Mods were. It's a shame, I liked the bump in the Mods more than Zealios...

[cynviloq]

I threw my SA set on the Mod-M's and the wobble is really intense!

Yes.. the mod wobble is pretty substantial w/ SA. Although you'll probably find SA feels wobbly on just about any switch, but definitely exaggerated w/ mods.

I'm using the SA set on a board with Gateron Browns right now and there's definitely more wobble than any set I've put on there before, but yeah not nearly as bad as the Mods were. It's a shame, I liked the bump in the Mods more than Zealios...

You could swap the MOD stems into Gateron Housings to get the bump with a little less wobbliness

[cynviloq]

As mentioned before, we worked to get an R2 of this going: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=90742.0

Some changes this round include black/gold PCB, additional standoffs for stability, flat bottom (removal of the groove/indent for the thin metal plates).

[Ouhei]

As mentioned before, we worked to get an R2 of this going: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=90742.0

Some changes this round include black/gold PCB, additional standoffs for stability, flat bottom (removal of the groove/indent for the thin metal plates).

I wonder if my new PCB will be black/gold...he said he sent a revised one to me, but then he sent a picture of a red board so maybe the black/gold is just for the upcoming one but he'd already adjust the holes?

Either way mine is on it's way to the US now.

[cynviloq]

As mentioned before, we worked to get an R2 of this going: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=90742.0

Some changes this round include black/gold PCB, additional standoffs for stability, flat bottom (removal of the groove/indent for the thin metal plates).

I wonder if my new PCB will be black/gold...he said he sent a revised one to me, but then he sent a picture of a red board so maybe the black/gold is just for the upcoming one but he'd already adjust the holes?

Either way mine is on it's way to the US now.

The black / gold hasn't been produced yet - it will be the original red as far as I'm aware. If you do get a black / gold please post pictures!

edit: here is a sample picture

[Ouhei]

As mentioned before, we worked to get an R2 of this going: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=90742.0

Some changes this round include black/gold PCB, additional standoffs for stability, flat bottom (removal of the groove/indent for the thin metal plates).

I wonder if my new PCB will be black/gold...he said he sent a revised one to me, but then he sent a picture of a red board so maybe the black/gold is just for the upcoming one but he'd already adjust the holes?

Either way mine is on it's way to the US now.

The black / gold hasn't been produced yet - it will be the original red as far as I'm aware. If you do get a black / gold please post pictures!

Sure thing, I'll post them either way if my holes end up being different.

Still waiting on the owner above me to get back to be about paying for damages, fun stuff.

[Aox]

Finally built mine up yesterday.

I'm super stoked about how well this came out and how much I like it

[speaktobrett]

Finally built mine up yesterday.

I'm super stoked about how well this came out and how much I like it

Show Image

How good were the round kits! Great bang for buck :)

[schoolbus]

disregard

[Aox]

Finally built mine up yesterday.

I'm super stoked about how well this came out and how much I like it

Show Image

How good were the round kits! Great bang for buck :)

HEY BUDDY!!!  Yeah, honestly, for that price, this is an amazing board.  The LSv2 moved off to live with a guy in Boston now, so I was happy to have this.  I used a couple 3M bumpons under the top of the board, so I'm not having any flex issues at all.  I haven't been this stoked about something in a while :D

[Axiomatik]

How difficult was it to program the board?

[Aox]

I'm really familiar with the Bootmapper client, so it wasn't going to be hard, but then I ended up just going with the stock layout, and only use Bootmapper to confirm what the FN key combos were, so all in all it was ridiculously easy.  The hardest part of the whole build was unsoldering two bad switches and resoldering new ones in.

[Ouhei]

Love seeing this thread keep popping back up with more builds!

Mine should be back up and running soon, new PCB and plate are on the way to the US now and I've got 67g Zealios on the way.

[greenbox]

I still haven't purchased my switches yet. Where are you buying the zealios from ?

Sent from my ONE A2001 using Tapatalk

[Axiomatik]

Zeal R7 just started and they just released new "tealios" linears

https://zealpc.net/

[Ouhei]

I got mine from KBDfans, they're stocking R5 now but as far as I'm aware there's not a difference between R5, R6 and R7 for normal Zealios. Linears have gotten some large improvements in R7 though.

[kmba]

No diff between r4-r7 regular zealios.

[KHAANNN]

This was a very pleasant thread to glance at, I hope I catch the next iteration

[schoolbus]

I'm 99% sure that's a 100nF SMD capacitor for delivering voltage to the LEDs.

It's present on mine.

-Aox

Finally got around to "fixing this", ordered some off ebay and worked like a charm- all my RGB underglow is now functional. Woo

[Ouhei]

Those fealios when your switches and stabs arrive but your PCB and plate are seemingly lost in Chinese post...