Author Topic: Hello! Looking for key caps!  (Read 3002 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Hello! Looking for key caps!
« on: Sun, 08 May 2016, 23:11:59 »
Just joining because I recently purchased an Ergodox Infinity and want to customize it with some key caps, LEDs, and maybe modded switches. I code a lot and want to prevent any complications. Hope I can find what I'm looking for here. Cheers  :thumb:

Offline infiniti

  • I <3 KB
  • * Senior Moderator
  • Posts: 2405
  • Location: Thrilla, Manila, Philippines
  • Bob was here
    • PM me and ask for a custom title!
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 11:44:07 »
Welcome to GeekHack! :cool:

Check out the Classifieds sub-forum if you're looking to buy (note that you can't start a new thread there until you have 25 posts and 2 months of membership) and Making Stuff Together! sub-forum for modding and other projects.

Oh and check out the Cherry MX Switch Lubrication Guide for um...lubing tips.

Happy Keyboarding!

Offline izilla

  • Posts: 31
  • Location: Chicago
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 12:43:43 »
Just joining because I recently purchased an Ergodox Infinity and want to customize it with some key caps, LEDs, and maybe modded switches. I code a lot and want to prevent any complications. Hope I can find what I'm looking for here. Cheers  :thumb:

Welcome fellow coder sometimes Massdrop will have group buys with specific ergodox keycap pack or add-ons. I am building two custom ErgoDoxs at the moment just waiting on a couple of the pcb components to come in. I got a good deal on some of the original PCBs so I figures I would try that layout. The PCB I have only has 3 LEDs on it but I might try to mod some additionals on there....

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 13:23:28 »
Welcome to GeekHack! :cool:

Check out the Classifieds sub-forum if you're looking to buy (note that you can't start a new thread there until you have 25 posts and 2 months of membership) and Making Stuff Together! sub-forum for modding and other projects.

Oh and check out the Cherry MX Switch Lubrication Guide for um...lubing tips.

Happy Keyboarding!


So welcoming! Thank you for the links!

Just joining because I recently purchased an Ergodox Infinity and want to customize it with some key caps, LEDs, and maybe modded switches. I code a lot and want to prevent any complications. Hope I can find what I'm looking for here. Cheers  :thumb:

Welcome fellow coder sometimes Massdrop will have group buys with specific ergodox keycap pack or add-ons. I am building two custom ErgoDoxs at the moment just waiting on a couple of the pcb components to come in. I got a good deal on some of the original PCBs so I figures I would try that layout. The PCB I have only has 3 LEDs on it but I might try to mod some additionals on there....

I saw that on Massdrop also. It seems like it doesn't happen very often. Do you enjoy coding on your Ergodox?

Offline izilla

  • Posts: 31
  • Location: Chicago
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 14:28:39 »
My ErgoDox is a WIP I definitely prefer MX Greens/Blues for typing.

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 15:56:33 »
I ordered mine with cherry mx reds, but I've been reading about Ergo clears. They sound really nice to type on but man gotta put in work or commission someone to do the switches.

Offline izilla

  • Posts: 31
  • Location: Chicago
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 20:25:01 »
I ordered mine with cherry mx reds, but I've been reading about Ergo clears. They sound really nice to type on but man gotta put in work or commission someone to do the switches.

You mean de-solder the Reds and re-solder the Clears?

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 09 May 2016, 21:41:03 »
I ordered mine with cherry mx reds, but I've been reading about Ergo clears. They sound really nice to type on but man gotta put in work or commission someone to do the switches.

You mean de-solder the Reds and re-solder the Clears?

The whole taking apart the switch, stickering, lubing, etc. process

Offline xtrafrood

  • formerly csmertx
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 2715
  • Location: Gainesville, FL
  • wildling
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 10 May 2016, 08:42:05 »
Welcome! Since you're getting a keyboard kit you'll have tons of options before soldering in those switches :)

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 10 May 2016, 11:39:26 »
Welcome! Since you're getting a keyboard kit you'll have tons of options before soldering in those switches :)

I really got it for the ergonomic design and to get Bro Caps key caps lol.

Offline xtrafrood

  • formerly csmertx
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 2715
  • Location: Gainesville, FL
  • wildling
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 10 May 2016, 22:06:05 »
Welcome! Since you're getting a keyboard kit you'll have tons of options before soldering in those switches :)

I really got it for the ergonomic design and to get Bro Caps key caps lol.

I was subtly hinting at the fact that you won't have to pay for someone to do switch mods for ya ;)

Edit - Oh dear me, looks like it doesn't matter either way since the Infinity Ergodox was designed so that a person can open the switches without desoldering (if'ns you don't have in switch leds installed). mechanicalkeyboards.com sells the pcb switch opener tools if you need them btw
« Last Edit: Wed, 11 May 2016, 14:46:57 by csmertx »

Offline rowdy

  • HHKB Hapster
  • * Erudite Elder
  • Posts: 21175
  • Location: melbourne.vic.au
  • Missed another sale.
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #11 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 06:03:14 »
Welcome to Geekhack!

For an Ergo Dox, you might be best to start with uniform profile keycaps, such as DSA.  A few DSA sets have even been including Ergo Dox add-on kits recently.  Most other sets are sculptured to fit a more conventional layout (e.g. ANSI) and you might not get all the keycaps you need to fit an Ergo Dox.

Although you can pay someone to mod a keyboard for you, most of the modifications are not that difficult as long as you take your time as you start, and don't get frustrated with boredom part way through.  Gives a real sense of accomplishment too, knowing that you made each and every thing in the keyboard yourself!
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 12:07:25 »
Decided to back out of that Ergodox mass dro, but I still want to make my own keyboard from scratch or partially mod it. Been reading the single unit keys on the thumb portion of the Ergodox is pretty useless so I'm gonna go for something like an HHKB that a lot of ppl seem to enjoy building and modding. Now just have to find the resources lol

Offline xtrafrood

  • formerly csmertx
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 2715
  • Location: Gainesville, FL
  • wildling
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #13 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 12:55:39 »
Decided to back out of that Ergodox mass dro, but I still want to make my own keyboard from scratch or partially mod it. Been reading the single unit keys on the thumb portion of the Ergodox is pretty useless so I'm gonna go for something like an HHKB that a lot of ppl seem to enjoy building and modding. Now just have to find the resources lol

Winkeyless.kr had the fake HHKB layout. I doubt that I'll ever understand why people want to recreate the HHKB with cherry style switches

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #14 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 13:30:38 »
Decided to back out of that Ergodox mass dro, but I still want to make my own keyboard from scratch or partially mod it. Been reading the single unit keys on the thumb portion of the Ergodox is pretty useless so I'm gonna go for something like an HHKB that a lot of ppl seem to enjoy building and modding. Now just have to find the resources lol

Winkeyless.kr had the fake HHKB layout. I doubt that I'll ever understand why people want to recreate the HHKB with cherry style switches

Man, I need to do more research lol. HHKB looks great but I feel I some of the function keys quite a bit and the print screen and delete. I think they're programmable? Not sure just yet. Was looking at a Filco TKL but so bent on what switch. I like reds because I code a lot. Browns don't seem as comfortable when typing for a long time. So many options 😑

Offline xtrafrood

  • formerly csmertx
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 2715
  • Location: Gainesville, FL
  • wildling
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #15 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 13:38:18 »
Decided to back out of that Ergodox mass dro, but I still want to make my own keyboard from scratch or partially mod it. Been reading the single unit keys on the thumb portion of the Ergodox is pretty useless so I'm gonna go for something like an HHKB that a lot of ppl seem to enjoy building and modding. Now just have to find the resources lol

Winkeyless.kr had the fake HHKB layout. I doubt that I'll ever understand why people want to recreate the HHKB with cherry style switches

Man, I need to do more research lol. HHKB looks great but I feel I some of the function keys quite a bit and the print screen and delete. I think they're programmable? Not sure just yet. Was looking at a Filco TKL but so bent on what switch. I like reds because I code a lot. Browns don't seem as comfortable when typing for a long time. So many options 😑

You can program a HHKB with a Hasu controller but afaik it is a harrowing experience because the HHKB's case is held together with plastics clips. You might be interested in gateron clears, same weight as cherry mx reds but with that tactile bump. I know I'll have to buy a few handfuls of switch testers before I build anything but I've definitely had my eyes on gateron clears or greens for sure

Offline AceRuckus

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 92
  • Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #16 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 14:52:57 »
Is there a website that I can customize a keyboard and then outsource the parts to build myself lol

Offline xtrafrood

  • formerly csmertx
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 2715
  • Location: Gainesville, FL
  • wildling
Re: Hello! Looking for key caps!
« Reply #17 on: Thu, 12 May 2016, 15:05:01 »
Is there a website that I can customize a keyboard and then outsource the parts to build myself lol

If you want to wire up your own switch matrix sure.