Author Topic: R4 Zealio Switch/Zeal60RGB/Zealencio Silencing Clips/Transparent Screw-in Stabs!  (Read 306075 times)

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Offline kundica

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Got em!
Nice! I was hoping mine would come in before the new year but no luck.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


Offline Slash Emperor

  • Posts: 461
  • Location: Boston, MA
  • Lust for life lost, keyboards acquired.
Have all orders with zeal60s gone out?

I haven't received any tracking info yet
As far as I know, I don't have tracking for mine yet, either. Shouldn't be too long, though.

Sent from my LG-V20


Offline Zeal

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Have all orders with zeal60s gone out?

I haven't received any tracking info yet

Hoping to start pumping out remaining Zeal60 orders over the weekend. Shouldn't be long.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline Slash Emperor

  • Posts: 461
  • Location: Boston, MA
  • Lust for life lost, keyboards acquired.
Have all orders with zeal60s gone out?

I haven't received any tracking info yet

Hoping to start pumping out remaining Zeal60 orders over the weekend. Shouldn't be long.
Great to hear! Timing couldn't be better, since I come back from vacation tomorrow anyways, and the shipment is going to my office.

Offline kasakka

  • Posts: 107
Got my stabs, switches and silencing caps. The stabs are a great upgrade over the Chinese fakes I had before. Removing those and installing the Zealio stabs with the plate in place was a huge pain in the ass but I succeeded! The 67g switches also seem more stable and nicer than the R3 65g I currently use.

Unfortunately I was not that happy with the silencing clips. I am experiencing some missed keys or duplicated inputs and they seem to get caught a bit on my JTK keycaps.

My question is, what is the correct way to remove the silencing clips? They seem to be stuck in really hard. :(

Unless JTK have a fatter stem than GMK/Cherry caps, it shouldn't cause any interference. Both sides have to click in to be properly mounted.

To remove the clips, use a small precision flat head and gently pry on one end then the other. It should pop off quite easily.

Even though both sides clicked I had issues. I have to press much harder for keys to register and sometimes they get slightly stuck and cause double inputs. Got some removed but the clips are stuck on R3 Zealios pretty hard so often the top of the switch tries to come off.

Offline Zeal

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Got my stabs, switches and silencing caps. The stabs are a great upgrade over the Chinese fakes I had before. Removing those and installing the Zealio stabs with the plate in place was a huge pain in the ass but I succeeded! The 67g switches also seem more stable and nicer than the R3 65g I currently use.

Unfortunately I was not that happy with the silencing clips. I am experiencing some missed keys or duplicated inputs and they seem to get caught a bit on my JTK keycaps.

My question is, what is the correct way to remove the silencing clips? They seem to be stuck in really hard. :(

Unless JTK have a fatter stem than GMK/Cherry caps, it shouldn't cause any interference. Both sides have to click in to be properly mounted.

To remove the clips, use a small precision flat head and gently pry on one end then the other. It should pop off quite easily.

Even though both sides clicked I had issues. I have to press much harder for keys to register and sometimes they get slightly stuck and cause double inputs. Got some removed but the clips are stuck on R3 Zealios pretty hard so often the top of the switch tries to come off.

Are your LEDs facing "up" (away from user) by any chance? Cherry style switches mounted in reverse already barely have enough clearance for Cherry profile caps. Adding a clip makes it a bit too fat for reverse mount though, which would explain them being harder to register on certain rows. This issue with OEM caps, but the clips are best used with Cherry profile caps with "downwards" facing LEDs.


The clips are only held down by small retention clips on two sides.. Prying off one end should release the other quite easily. There shouldn't be any upwards force required and it shouldn't feel like the switch top is going to pop out. .
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline kasakka

  • Posts: 107
Got my stabs, switches and silencing caps. The stabs are a great upgrade over the Chinese fakes I had before. Removing those and installing the Zealio stabs with the plate in place was a huge pain in the ass but I succeeded! The 67g switches also seem more stable and nicer than the R3 65g I currently use.

Unfortunately I was not that happy with the silencing clips. I am experiencing some missed keys or duplicated inputs and they seem to get caught a bit on my JTK keycaps.

My question is, what is the correct way to remove the silencing clips? They seem to be stuck in really hard. :(

Unless JTK have a fatter stem than GMK/Cherry caps, it shouldn't cause any interference. Both sides have to click in to be properly mounted.

To remove the clips, use a small precision flat head and gently pry on one end then the other. It should pop off quite easily.

Even though both sides clicked I had issues. I have to press much harder for keys to register and sometimes they get slightly stuck and cause double inputs. Got some removed but the clips are stuck on R3 Zealios pretty hard so often the top of the switch tries to come off.

Are your LEDs facing "up" (away from user) by any chance? Cherry style switches mounted in reverse already barely have enough clearance for Cherry profile caps. Adding a clip makes it a bit too fat for reverse mount though, which would explain them being harder to register on certain rows. This issue with OEM caps, but the clips are best used with Cherry profile caps with "downwards" facing LEDs.


The clips are only held down by small retention clips on two sides.. Prying off one end should release the other quite easily. There shouldn't be any upwards force required and it shouldn't feel like the switch top is going to pop out. .

Yeah the LEDs are at the top of the switch, facing away from me. It's a Satan GH60 board. The keycaps (JT Royal Purple) should be Cherry profile. I think this should have been stated on the GB order as I would have never ordered the clips had I known about the clearance issues.

I got the clips off, most of them came out pretty easily as soon as I figured out the correct tactic (press on each side, then lift from the small slot in the bottom side)

Offline kawasaki161

  • Posts: 1059
  • Location: Germany
Seems like I misinterpreted the direction in which the wires are loose from looking at it in the weird angle. In the video I tried my best to show the wobble. Since I didn't fancy disassembing my board for this I simply used the TXPad PCB to show the wire wobble and showed the keywobble on the assembled TX87.

Offline MajorKoos

  • Posts: 851
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Seems like I misinterpreted the direction in which the wires are loose from looking at it in the weird angle. In the video I tried my best to show the wobble. Since I didn't fancy disassembing my board for this I simply used the TXPad PCB to show the wire wobble and showed the keywobble on the assembled TX87.

That wire needs to clip into the stabilizer housing rather than just sit on top of the clips like in the video.
The little insert which the end of the wire goes into has a side with 1 hole and another with 2.
The side with 2 holes should face the opening on the stabilize body and the wire goes into the bottom of the 2 holes.

Offline awhitedev

  • Posts: 393
  • Location: Ohio, USA
So I know I've read an answer to this somewhere before but I can't find it... is it recommended to lube the switches and stabilizers? Or do they pretty much feel the same whether you do or not?

Offline kawasaki161

  • Posts: 1059
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That wire needs to clip into the stabilizer housing rather than just sit on top of the clips like in the video.
The little insert which the end of the wire goes into has a side with 1 hole and another with 2.
The side with 2 holes should face the opening on the stabilize body and the wire goes into the bottom of the 2 holes.

I know how to assemble stabs mate... they are clipped in and the inserts are not rotated

Offline MajorKoos

  • Posts: 851
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  • 1 life please. Extra large.

That wire needs to clip into the stabilizer housing rather than just sit on top of the clips like in the video.
The little insert which the end of the wire goes into has a side with 1 hole and another with 2.
The side with 2 holes should face the opening on the stabilize body and the wire goes into the bottom of the 2 holes.

I know how to assemble stabs mate... they are clipped in and the inserts are not rotated

Yeah, you're right - I didn't look at the vid closely enough.
They're wobbling around so much I mistook them as not being clipped in at all.
Some PTFE grease would at least quieten the rattle.

Offline Zeal

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So I know I've read an answer to this somewhere before but I can't find it... is it recommended to lube the switches and stabilizers? Or do they pretty much feel the same whether you do or not?

I always lube everything I build, but the question is whether you think it's worth your time to lube up switches/stabs.


That wire needs to clip into the stabilizer housing rather than just sit on top of the clips like in the video.
The little insert which the end of the wire goes into has a side with 1 hole and another with 2.
The side with 2 holes should face the opening on the stabilize body and the wire goes into the bottom of the 2 holes.

I know how to assemble stabs mate... they are clipped in and the inserts are not rotated

Yeah, you're right - I didn't look at the vid closely enough.
They're wobbling around so much I mistook them as not being clipped in at all.
Some PTFE grease would at least quieten the rattle.


Thing is, the stabs don't rattle when in use. The inserts have the little lip that needs to be pierced through with the wire for a snug fit, which is exactly the same as Authentic Cherry stabs. Wire diameter is >1.6mm, which is the proper size as well. I've done a bunch of measurements during proto and on final product dimensions are all right. Surface on my stabs are smoother, which allow for easier movement. Cherry stabilizers are actually quite grainy, paired with un-polished raw wire that they come with = rougher/lesser free moving stab.

I've just tested a few of my boards with Cherry stabs, and from what I can see, all the longer keys wobble more. I don't really see the issue.

Here's a video I made for an A/B test with the longest non-spacebar stabilized key, 2.75 r_shift. (R4 Zealio, Zeal stabs, gold wire) vs (R4 Zealio, Authentic Cherry stabs, gold wire). Everything unmodded, only basic assembly of stabilizers. Wobble seems the same to me. Add on some thick grease/lube and you have one of the smoothest and quietest stabilizers available.

        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline kawasaki161

  • Posts: 1059
  • Location: Germany
Maybe I'm nitpicking too much, but I definitely have a lot less (as in basically non existant) wobble on the stabs I got from SPRiT back in the day, also considerably less on original Cherry stabs (with standard wires) which I bought a few weeks ago from LeanreN. Though yours are definitely smoother. Maybe the thing will look a lot better on boards where the wires are south facing.
Another problem I've encountered (which is a lot more annoying) is when I remove tight fitting keycaps (like EnjoyPBT) from the 2u stabs the wire pops out pretty often (in like 4 out of 5 cases). Again, quite nitpicky, but we are talking about pretty expensive stabs here.

To not only point out flaws I've gotta say that the wobble on R4 Zealios is really nicely improved now and much less than in R2 and R3 (probably also better than R1, but I've got none to compare them to). Together with the Zealencios the tactile point feels a lot higher and they give out a really nice thock, I really like the combo of Zealios and Zealencios :thumb:.

Offline pixelpusher

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That's kinda what I was thinking after seeing his video.  I was thinking, "heck my stabilizers have always wobbled like that... are they not supposed to?"  They have to unless you put real switches with springs in them, but that would increase the required force to depress the key.

Looking forward to getting mine in.  They shipped today!

Offline Zeal

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Maybe I'm nitpicking too much, but I definitely have a lot less (as in basically non existant) wobble on the stabs I got from SPRiT back in the day, also considerably less on original Cherry stabs (with standard wires) which I bought a few weeks ago from LeanreN. Though yours are definitely smoother. Maybe the thing will look a lot better on boards where the wires are south facing.
Another problem I've encountered (which is a lot more annoying) is when I remove tight fitting keycaps (like EnjoyPBT) from the 2u stabs the wire pops out pretty often (in like 4 out of 5 cases). Again, quite nitpicky, but we are talking about pretty expensive stabs here.

To not only point out flaws I've gotta say that the wobble on R4 Zealios is really nicely improved now and much less than in R2 and R3 (probably also better than R1, but I've got none to compare them to). Together with the Zealencios the tactile point feels a lot higher and they give out a really nice thock, I really like the combo of Zealios and Zealencios :thumb:.

The transparent stabs are made of Nylon, so it's a lot softer as well vs ABS(?) on Cherry stabs. The horizontal cross compresses a bit after a few pulls and should be a perfect fit afterwards. If you don't want to "break them in", squeeze on the horizontal cross with needle nose pliers and it'll feel right from the beginning. Better tight than loose. Vertical cross is a dummy on all stabs when inserted into keycaps.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline Malenky

  • Posts: 271
  • Location: United Kingdom
Waiting on my X60 to do a build with the PCB/switches/stabs now. Can't wait! The PCBs are really beautiful and the labelling is very clear. I almost feel bad that you won't be able to see the PCB at the end of it all.

Now if only linear Zeals made it to production, milky gat blacks are just not good enough :(

Offline Vypr

  • Posts: 56
Just built my VE.A keyboard with all the Zeal parts I received.
62G Zealios, Zealencios, and the transparent screw in stabs with gold wires.




Thanks Zeal  :thumb:
current keyboard: VE.A (home) WhiteFox TrueFox (home)  MD1 Infinity (Home)  Infinity Ergodox (work)
future keyboards:

Offline Petch

  • Posts: 536
  • Location: UK
My order arrived safe and sound! Well packaged.

Now I just need my PCB from another GB to arrive so I can start

Offline katushkin

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My order arrived yesterday ^_^ Thanks Zeal, great service as ever. Looking forward to putting my Zealiostotles together :)
Can we get them to build the Alps ten feet higher and get Cherry to pay for it?
Katushkin's Clearout | Twitter | Steam | Instagram| Discord - katushkin

Offline satricion

  • Posts: 25
Just built my VE.A keyboard with all the Zeal parts I received.
62G Zealios, Zealencios, and the transparent screw in stabs with gold wires.

Show Image

Show Image


Thanks Zeal  :thumb:

That is some god tier **** my froend.

Offline katushkin

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So just to double check what the recommendations are for lubing Zealiostotles (I know I posted this somewhere but I can't remember where), nathanrosspowell has advised to lube the bottom of the channels and both ends of the spring, but is anyone doing any different?

Also, thick or thin?
« Last Edit: Sun, 01 January 2017, 04:15:07 by katushkin »
Can we get them to build the Alps ten feet higher and get Cherry to pay for it?
Katushkin's Clearout | Twitter | Steam | Instagram| Discord - katushkin

Offline Zeal

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So just to double check what the recommendations are for lubing Zealiostotles (I know I posted this somewhere but I can't remember where), nathanrosspowell has advised to lube the bottom of the channels and both ends of the spring, but is anyone doing any different?

Also, thick or thin?

Thick for tactile, thin for linears, experiment for Zealiostotles. Don't recommend adding much lube at all for that particular mod as getting lube in the wrong places will kill the click.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline ctrlX

  • Posts: 302
Got my stabs and Zealencios during the Christmas holiday. Thank you very much Zeal! :)

I had some time to test fit the stabs on a new board I've received and they feel really good. Although the switches were not soldered I got a good feel of how the stabs are. They sure feel great! Really like not having to do the clipping mod. I did not experience any annoyance regarding the wobble with the Zeal stabs. Mine felt pretty sturdy (and I've been a bit picky when it comes to the Zealios wobble).

I was also very exited to finally test the Zealencios which I started installing on my favorite board (Octagon V2). I do however have to admit that installing them was a big pain. I hade to apply a lot of force before hearing the "click" sound. As a matter of fact I stopped after installing 4 of them. Partly because the supplied tool was starting to look really jacked only after installing so few Zealencios and also for the fear of not being able to remove them without damaging the switches or scratching the plate. I am using R3 Zealios on that particular board and I do not know if this has something to do with this. The new board has support for switch top removal so maybe it will be easier to install the Zealencios on it with combination of R4 Zealios that I ordered a couple of days ago.

I have another question though. It might be a bit odd so please bare with me :) After test fitting the stabs and noticing that the upcoming SIP sockets on zealpc.net will be gold plated, I realized that I do not like the gold finish. I know I know... Really silly of me because no one will ever see if the stab wires and/or SIP sockets are gold plated. BUT as many other GH members I am a perfectionist and I am convinced that a lot of us have a bit of OCD going on when it comes to keyboard builds. Just the fact of me knowing that there are gold plated finishes (which I am not fond of) will drive me absolutely crazy. Having said that I would like to know why you are going for products with gold plated finishes? Is it just for "good looks" or does it provide some superior function I haven't thought of? If the reason is mostly because of the bling what do I have to do to get it with a silver finish? (With my taste it would look so much nicer if it was all silver)?

I might as well add that it does not bother me that the springs are gold plated. I can understand the reason behind having gold springs instead of normal SS springs.

Offline joey

  • Posts: 2296
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Got my package today, will try out the silencers tonight!

Offline Zeal

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Got my stabs and Zealencios during the Christmas holiday. Thank you very much Zeal! :)

I had some time to test fit the stabs on a new board I've received and they feel really good. Although the switches were not soldered I got a good feel of how the stabs are. They sure feel great! Really like not having to do the clipping mod. I did not experience any annoyance regarding the wobble with the Zeal stabs. Mine felt pretty sturdy (and I've been a bit picky when it comes to the Zealios wobble).

I was also very exited to finally test the Zealencios which I started installing on my favorite board (Octagon V2). I do however have to admit that installing them was a big pain. I hade to apply a lot of force before hearing the "click" sound. As a matter of fact I stopped after installing 4 of them. Partly because the supplied tool was starting to look really jacked only after installing so few Zealencios and also for the fear of not being able to remove them without damaging the switches or scratching the plate. I am using R3 Zealios on that particular board and I do not know if this has something to do with this. The new board has support for switch top removal so maybe it will be easier to install the Zealencios on it with combination of R4 Zealios that I ordered a couple of days ago.

I have another question though. It might be a bit odd so please bare with me :) After test fitting the stabs and noticing that the upcoming SIP sockets on zealpc.net will be gold plated, I realized that I do not like the gold finish. I know I know... Really silly of me because no one will ever see if the stab wires and/or SIP sockets are gold plated. BUT as many other GH members I am a perfectionist and I am convinced that a lot of us have a bit of OCD going on when it comes to keyboard builds. Just the fact of me knowing that there are gold plated finishes (which I am not fond of) will drive me absolutely crazy. Having said that I would like to know why you are going for products with gold plated finishes? Is it just for "good looks" or does it provide some superior function I haven't thought of? If the reason is mostly because of the bling what do I have to do to get it with a silver finish? (With my taste it would look so much nicer if it was all silver)?

I might as well add that it does not bother me that the springs are gold plated. I can understand the reason behind having gold springs instead of normal SS springs.

The Zealencios need to be a tight snap fit or you'll end up with a loose plastic cover sitting on top of a switch. It's pretty normal for the flat head part of the spudger to start getting a bit indented, you could use a small disposable chopstick if it makes you feel better. :) As for removing the clips, a small precision flat head bit from any magnetic set should do the trick. Gently wedge a side and it should come loose enough to pop off the other end. Alternatively, as you have mentioned, you could install the clips ahead of time before soldering in switches.

The gold plated finish on stab wires actually makes the wire smoother vs Cherry's typical raw steel piano wire or whatever material they use. As for the SIPs, it's just something new I decided to stock. Finally ran out of the regular silver ones, so I decided why not /blingfactor. I wouldn't recommend stripping off the gold plating with any sort of acid etc as it would damage the overall smoothness/finish of the product.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline pixelpusher

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Got mine delivered today!  Too bad I'm out of town all week  :mad:

Offline breckstar

  • Posts: 289
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Got the tracking today and supposed to be here tomorrow so pumped

Offline Zeal

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R4 is pretty much complete. Shipped remaining orders ~51 boxes yesterday afternoon. Only outstanding orders are those combining lustro/holding to return from holidays.



Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline Malenky

  • Posts: 271
  • Location: United Kingdom
Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.

Pizza was the first thing I thought when I got mine :D

Offline ctrlX

  • Posts: 302
Got my stabs and Zealencios during the Christmas holiday. Thank you very much Zeal! :)

I had some time to test fit the stabs on a new board I've received and they feel really good. Although the switches were not soldered I got a good feel of how the stabs are. They sure feel great! Really like not having to do the clipping mod. I did not experience any annoyance regarding the wobble with the Zeal stabs. Mine felt pretty sturdy (and I've been a bit picky when it comes to the Zealios wobble).

I was also very exited to finally test the Zealencios which I started installing on my favorite board (Octagon V2). I do however have to admit that installing them was a big pain. I hade to apply a lot of force before hearing the "click" sound. As a matter of fact I stopped after installing 4 of them. Partly because the supplied tool was starting to look really jacked only after installing so few Zealencios and also for the fear of not being able to remove them without damaging the switches or scratching the plate. I am using R3 Zealios on that particular board and I do not know if this has something to do with this. The new board has support for switch top removal so maybe it will be easier to install the Zealencios on it with combination of R4 Zealios that I ordered a couple of days ago.

I have another question though. It might be a bit odd so please bare with me :) After test fitting the stabs and noticing that the upcoming SIP sockets on zealpc.net will be gold plated, I realized that I do not like the gold finish. I know I know... Really silly of me because no one will ever see if the stab wires and/or SIP sockets are gold plated. BUT as many other GH members I am a perfectionist and I am convinced that a lot of us have a bit of OCD going on when it comes to keyboard builds. Just the fact of me knowing that there are gold plated finishes (which I am not fond of) will drive me absolutely crazy. Having said that I would like to know why you are going for products with gold plated finishes? Is it just for "good looks" or does it provide some superior function I haven't thought of? If the reason is mostly because of the bling what do I have to do to get it with a silver finish? (With my taste it would look so much nicer if it was all silver)?

I might as well add that it does not bother me that the springs are gold plated. I can understand the reason behind having gold springs instead of normal SS springs.

The Zealencios need to be a tight snap fit or you'll end up with a loose plastic cover sitting on top of a switch. It's pretty normal for the flat head part of the spudger to start getting a bit indented, you could use a small disposable chopstick if it makes you feel better. :) As for removing the clips, a small precision flat head bit from any magnetic set should do the trick. Gently wedge a side and it should come loose enough to pop off the other end. Alternatively, as you have mentioned, you could install the clips ahead of time before soldering in switches.

The gold plated finish on stab wires actually makes the wire smoother vs Cherry's typical raw steel piano wire or whatever material they use. As for the SIPs, it's just something new I decided to stock. Finally ran out of the regular silver ones, so I decided why not /blingfactor. I wouldn't recommend stripping off the gold plating with any sort of acid etc as it would damage the overall smoothness/finish of the product.

Yes, a small flat head screwdriver did the trick. I was very careful so I wouldn't slip and scratch the alu plate. I've managed to do that in the past  :(

Regarding gold plated stabs. It never crossed my mind to try to tamper with the gold plating to get it off (wouldn't be so smart). I do agree that Cherry stab wires are a bit rough. I have actually ordered both from you and Winkeyless as I was not satisfied with the first set. Can't remember if I ended up using yours or from Winkeyless. One set was less rough than the other. But it should be possible to get the same smooth surface/finish as the gold plated ones but in silver, correct? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrome_plating) But I guess if there is slim to none demand for it then why should you bother  ;)

Offline itskuroi

  • Posts: 179
  • Location: texas
Just got my package in! Everything was well wrapped and can't wait to build once my 27TKL comes in haha.

The Zeal60 seems a little overwhelming for me, may consider just selling it  :-X

Offline smittysteve

  • Posts: 538
  • Location: Erie, CO
  • Tea > Coffee. Clack > Thwock.
Two lovely boxes arrived in the AZ desert today, all the way from chilly BC... Everything is packed perfectly and man, that Zeal60 is a sexy beast. I immediately ran back and showed it off to our in-house board layout team and they were suitably impressed. Nicely done on that one!

Through all the hurdles this GB cleared, I am thrilled with everything- from how it was run to what was delivered today. Zeal is the man. IMHO, still unquestionably on top of the switch mountain- the MODs and others can challenge, but they have a ways to go until there's a serious contender ready to clack up against the champ. Built up a Whitefox with R4 Zealios last week, so I got a preview taste of this round and now can't wait to pepper several other boards with purple goodness.

Offline pixelpusher

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Just got my package in! Everything was well wrapped and can't wait to build once my 27TKL comes in haha.

The Zeal60 seems a little overwhelming for me, may consider just selling it  :-X

I don't know if you're serious or not, but I'll buy it if you decide to sell :)

Offline breckstar

  • Posts: 289
  • Location: Earther
R4 is pretty much complete. Shipped remaining orders ~51 boxes yesterday afternoon. Only outstanding orders are those combining lustro/holding to return from holidays.

Show Image


Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.

Zeal or all,

Is it possible to get to get the split backspace and right shift + fn all lit up? Doesn't seem like my LB5 lights up or LD8 when R-Shift is soldered (JD7A)

I'll keep poking around on it but if you know anything, that would be awesome :)

Thanks
 
Edit: Currently looking at https://zealpc.net/blogs/news/programming-your-zeal60-rgb-pcb to see if anything pops out
« Last Edit: Wed, 04 January 2017, 20:44:30 by breckstar »

Offline Jeu

  • Posts: 110
  • Location: US-TX
R4 is pretty much complete. Shipped remaining orders ~51 boxes yesterday afternoon. Only outstanding orders are those combining lustro/holding to return from holidays.

Show Image


Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.

Zeal or all,

Is it possible to get to get the split backspace and right shift + fn all lit up? Doesn't seem like my LB5 lights up or LD8 when R-Shift is soldered (JD7A)

I'll keep poking around on it but if you know anything, that would be awesome :)

Thanks
 
Edit: Currently looking at https://zealpc.net/blogs/news/programming-your-zeal60-rgb-pcb to see if anything pops out

Should be able to, has it's own RGB LED! Might be a bad joint or overflow solder shorting the LED.  Or maybe it's keymap specific and the extra lights only light up when the keymap shows split backspace and r shift.  Just guessing since I don't have a zeal60

Offline Zeal

  • Actually the King of Green Tea Kit-Kats
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  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 2798
  • Location: BC, Canada
    • Zeal Generation Inc.
R4 is pretty much complete. Shipped remaining orders ~51 boxes yesterday afternoon. Only outstanding orders are those combining lustro/holding to return from holidays.

Show Image


Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.

Zeal or all,

Is it possible to get to get the split backspace and right shift + fn all lit up? Doesn't seem like my LB5 lights up or LD8 when R-Shift is soldered (JD7A)

I'll keep poking around on it but if you know anything, that would be awesome :)

Thanks

Have you flashed the board to the proper HHKB.bat layout? The firmware will disable certain LEDs depending on which layout you've chosen. The default rainbow cycling mode you received lights up the "FN" key and HHKB`~ key prior to jumping, so those were confirmed fully functional.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline breckstar

  • Posts: 289
  • Location: Earther
R4 is pretty much complete. Shipped remaining orders ~51 boxes yesterday afternoon. Only outstanding orders are those combining lustro/holding to return from holidays.

Show Image


Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.

Zeal or all,

Is it possible to get to get the split backspace and right shift + fn all lit up? Doesn't seem like my LB5 lights up or LD8 when R-Shift is soldered (JD7A)

I'll keep poking around on it but if you know anything, that would be awesome :)

Thanks

Have you flashed the board to the proper HHKB.bat layout? The firmware will disable certain LEDs depending on which layout you've chosen. The default rainbow cycling mode you received lights up the "FN" key and HHKB`~ key prior to jumping, so those were confirmed fully functional.

I have not. I was about to do that :) I'll update in soon.

Edit: Never used flip on any of my programmable boards before so I'm just sifting through the dark with my eyes closed :p

Edit2: Got it up an running. Thanks for that little tip. After looking at that stuff and the commands for split backspace etc it became self explanatory :) thanks again all for the help.

Bonus pics :) Zeal60 PCB, R4 78g Zealios (which feel stronger than R2 + 80g springs), WKL B.face case -- Side note for anyone going this route: you will have to shave the case down to fit the transparent stabilizers through the pcb mount slots so that the two acrylic pieces will sit flush on the pcb.

http://imgur.com/a/h1kPH

« Last Edit: Wed, 04 January 2017, 21:40:51 by breckstar »

Offline Zeal

  • Actually the King of Green Tea Kit-Kats
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  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 2798
  • Location: BC, Canada
    • Zeal Generation Inc.
R4 is pretty much complete. Shipped remaining orders ~51 boxes yesterday afternoon. Only outstanding orders are those combining lustro/holding to return from holidays.

Show Image


Lots of pizzas were sent via DHL.

Zeal or all,

Is it possible to get to get the split backspace and right shift + fn all lit up? Doesn't seem like my LB5 lights up or LD8 when R-Shift is soldered (JD7A)

I'll keep poking around on it but if you know anything, that would be awesome :)

Thanks

Have you flashed the board to the proper HHKB.bat layout? The firmware will disable certain LEDs depending on which layout you've chosen. The default rainbow cycling mode you received lights up the "FN" key and HHKB`~ key prior to jumping, so those were confirmed fully functional.

I have not. I was about to do that :) I'll update in soon.

Edit: Never used flip on any of my programmable boards before so I'm just sifting through the dark with my eyes closed :p

Edit2: Got it up an running. Thanks for that little tip. After looking at that stuff and the commands for split backspace etc it became self explanatory :) thanks again all for the help.

Bonus pics :) Zeal60 PCB, R4 78g Zealios (which feel stronger than R2 + 80g springs), WKL B.face case -- Side note for anyone going this route: you will have to shave the case down to fit the transparent stabilizers through the pcb mount slots so that the two acrylic pieces will sit flush on the pcb.

http://imgur.com/a/h1kPH



Glad everything turned out well. :)

Yeah, unfortunately layered acrylic cases are designed to hug the PCB as close as possible, leaving insufficient clearance for the screw in stabs. A bit of small filing fixes the issue though. Didn't have any GON/WKL cases, so I couldn't test the clearance. Regular top mounted boards/tray style cases aren't an issue.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline dakisback

  • Posts: 0
Thank you Zeal!

Love the switches and the PCB! My first time trying Zealios. Made a good choice!  :thumb:

Offline Mr_BeastQuake

  • Posts: 639
    • Reddit
Decided to go ahead and spend too much time working on the ol' keyboard with 67g Zealios, Zeal stabs, and V4 lube. Essentially no wobble, the lube was well worth the time to apply, and the stabs are amazing. Couldn't be happier with this round of supplies.

Offline smittysteve

  • Posts: 538
  • Location: Erie, CO
  • Tea > Coffee. Clack > Thwock.
Decided to go ahead and spend too much time working on the ol' keyboard with 67g Zealios, Zeal stabs, and V4 lube. Essentially no wobble, the lube was well worth the time to apply, and the stabs are amazing. Couldn't be happier with this round of supplies.

Gorgeous 'bird, man!! The build shows the time, love and quality all the way around! ;) Like Skeletor on there too with the purple LEDs... well played.

Offline Dominathan

  • Posts: 87
  • Location: San Francisco
  • Too many keyboards? Not enough hands.
Where do we get the driver?   

Offline Zeal

  • Actually the King of Green Tea Kit-Kats
  • * Moderator
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 2798
  • Location: BC, Canada
    • Zeal Generation Inc.
Where do we get the driver?   

https://zealpc.net/blogs/news/programming-your-zeal60-rgb-pcb

Direct DL: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0490/7329/files/zeal60_v0_1.zip

Firmware will be updated as needed throughout the weeks/months. GUI in the works.
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline daviswalkers

  • Posts: 296
  • Location: Columbus, Ohio
  • HHKB Amature 2
    • Graphic Design Portfolio
I was going to write a full review, however I'm not the best at such things so here's what I came up with:

I'll start this out by saying that I've never done a review before so don't expect some eloquent review with tons of pictures and super detailed breakdowns, however after using the Zealencio Silencing Clips for a few weeks now, in conjunction with 78g Zealio Switches I am absolutely in love, and this is by far the best typing experience I've ever had.  I've always been self-conscience of my loud keyboards, started about 8 or so years ago with the Razer BlackWidow, I loved the way it felt and sounded however whenever I was on comms I felt bad for those with me as they could hear it even more than I could since my headphones canceled out most of the sound, I then switched to using Browns, which I was not a fan of at all, then reds, and missed the tactile feel and the sound was still audible as I'm a heavy typer, about 4 different switch types later I joined the first Zealio group by and fell in love with the feel of them, however unfortunately went back to feeling bad when typing at work or on comms, I tried all the different o-rings I could find, the different materials, sizes, everything, nothing seemed to really lower the click sound without completely ruining the feel, so when I saw Zeal had made a silencing system completely different than what I had seen before I had to buy them, and boy did it pay off. 
My keyboard is now quieter than anyone at work, even people using the crappy scissor switch dell keyboards they give to us, I've been getting loads of comments in discord, but instead of complaints it's been compliments that they no longer hear every keystroke, and honestly, the very little that it effected the feel of my typing has actually been an improvement, I don't think I'll ever be able to type on a mech without them again. Thank you Zeal for this, I honestly never really understood people who critiqued every aspect and weight of their switches as I never felt a huge difference or cared too much (as long as it was tactile I was happy) but after using this for a few weeks I've been converted, I finally understand what it feels like to find the perfect combo for you.

Sorry for the wall of text and I'm sure many grammatical errors and crap post but I was so happy with this purchase I had to show my gratitude somehow, not to mention that Zeal is in my opinion one of if not the best GB Organizers, on every front, be it communication, speed, or flexibility I've been blown away at every step of the process.

Here's a pic of the finished product:

  • Black VE.A
  • R4 78g Zealio Switches
  • Zealencio Silencing Clips
  • Zeal Transparent Screw-in Stabs
  • GMK Hyperfuse Keyset
  • Blue LEDs
  • Homemade Sleeved SATA Cable (will be sleeving USB the same once parts come in)
      
Compact-SQ |          VE.A
 65g Zealios    |      78g Zealios

Offline toneman77

  • Posts: 19
So. My order arrived safely in germany and I have some good and some bad "news".

First the good ones. Flashing the default hex file worked flawlessly under linux with tkg-toolkit. My OEM PBT caps in combination with the Zealencios and the 67g Zealios feel awesome. Seriously... awesome. I think I can feel less wobble, but that never bothered my anyway. The R2 78g now feel... "less"

But...  :-X

That little bit of PCB where the USB socket is attached, sticks out 2 or 3 mm. Sadly. So that part of the PCB sits flush with my aliexpress aluminium CNC case, but should be 1-2mm further up.
Which results in:

Keep in mind: it's the PCB, not the socket that prevents "proper" positioning.

So I can only use the screws on that side of the PCB with a clear conscience and/or without fearing of damaging stuff.
Apart from that: as the last times: switches, shipping, stabs. Everything was exceptional.  :thumb: :thumb:

So I either have to dremel a bit of PCB off or use heavy artillery and remove some aluminium from my case.  :eek:
@Zeal any ideas?

Offline tusing

  • Posts: 15
Would just like to update everyone on the status of RGB underglow:



It's working! And you can read the guide how to do it yourself on the GitHub repository: https://github.com/Wilba6582/qmk_firmware/tree/zeal60/keyboards/zeal60/keymaps/tusing

Offline Dominathan

  • Posts: 87
  • Location: San Francisco
  • Too many keyboards? Not enough hands.
Where do we get the driver?   

https://zealpc.net/blogs/news/programming-your-zeal60-rgb-pcb

Direct DL: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0490/7329/files/zeal60_v0_1.zip

Firmware will be updated as needed throughout the weeks/months. GUI in the works.

I meant for Flip.  I can't get FLIP to recognize the keyboard.  I was following your readme until you said "Chances are, this isn't the first time you've flashed a board, so you should have the proper drivers installed for the ATmega32u4".  This is my first time.  I haven't programmed a microcontroller since school, and it was a lot different than this.

Offline Zeal

  • Actually the King of Green Tea Kit-Kats
  • * Moderator
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 2798
  • Location: BC, Canada
    • Zeal Generation Inc.
Where do we get the driver?   

https://zealpc.net/blogs/news/programming-your-zeal60-rgb-pcb

Direct DL: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0490/7329/files/zeal60_v0_1.zip

Firmware will be updated as needed throughout the weeks/months. GUI in the works.

I meant for Flip.  I can't get FLIP to recognize the keyboard.  I was following your readme until you said "Chances are, this isn't the first time you've flashed a board, so you should have the proper drivers installed for the ATmega32u4".  This is my first time.  I haven't programmed a microcontroller since school, and it was a lot different than this.


Ah, sorry about that. I'll include a link to DT on how to install FLIP drivers.

Here's how you direct the USB drivers for FLIP. https://deskthority.net/wiki/Flip-USB
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent

Offline Zeal

  • Actually the King of Green Tea Kit-Kats
  • * Moderator
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 2798
  • Location: BC, Canada
    • Zeal Generation Inc.
So. My order arrived safely in germany and I have some good and some bad "news".

First the good ones. Flashing the default hex file worked flawlessly under linux with tkg-toolkit. My OEM PBT caps in combination with the Zealencios and the 67g Zealios feel awesome. Seriously... awesome. I think I can feel less wobble, but that never bothered my anyway. The R2 78g now feel... "less"

But...  :-X
Show Image

That little bit of PCB where the USB socket is attached, sticks out 2 or 3 mm. Sadly. So that part of the PCB sits flush with my aliexpress aluminium CNC case, but should be 1-2mm further up.
Which results in:
Show Image

Keep in mind: it's the PCB, not the socket that prevents "proper" positioning.

So I can only use the screws on that side of the PCB with a clear conscience and/or without fearing of damaging stuff.
Apart from that: as the last times: switches, shipping, stabs. Everything was exceptional.  :thumb: :thumb:

So I either have to dremel a bit of PCB off or use heavy artillery and remove some aluminium from my case.  :eek:
@Zeal any ideas?

Could you link the case you purchasd on aliexpress? Is it the one with the cutout for a weight in the back? That's the only reported case I've received from a customer that doesn't have a large enough USB hole clearance (either due to cut out, or standoffs too tall).
        "Bird have wing, bird will fly. Henry had wings.  Henry now fly." -Sent