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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: MKB on Fri, 22 July 2011, 23:30:34

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: MKB on Fri, 22 July 2011, 23:30:34

What is an easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?  My current favorite body is the Filko Tenkeyless...

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: mmmty on Fri, 22 July 2011, 23:40:06

Has to be KBC Poker. PCB with only 62 keys.

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: mtl on Sat, 23 July 2011, 00:11:38

If you can desolder, the Filco is a good keyboard for this mod. I can't imagine trying to pry all those switches open without taking them off the board first, but others have had some success doing so with non-plate mounted switches.

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: mmmty on Sat, 23 July 2011, 00:20:02

I used this thing to pick the switches on my Poker and it was pretty easy to get to the stems.

(http://www.gwarehouse.com.au/system/files/imagecache/product_full/products/kit.JPG)

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: keyboardlover on Sat, 23 July 2011, 00:24:23

I say PCB-mounted boards are easiest like Cherry G80-3494, Poker, Compaq MX-11800, etc.

PCB-mounted means you can swap without soldering (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:12790).

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: MKB on Sat, 23 July 2011, 01:08:54

So the poker did not come with clears...

Where do you get the clears from?

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: mmmty on Sat, 23 July 2011, 01:40:55

No.

Here
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?17570-G80-8113LRCUS-0-on-eBay-for-20usd

or here
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cherry-Electrical/MX1A-C1NW/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsqIr59i2oRchADAiXHZjyCn5%2fFW2t0nXM%3d

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: N8N on Sun, 24 July 2011, 07:59:20

here's a current auction...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330590827681

am considering buying a couple...  really like the clears, and other than the extra keys it is a fairly standard IBM 101 style layout but with super and win keys.  I hate the ISO enter, but that's the main complaint.  Am typing this on one with browns now and have one with clears at work.  PCB mount so you don't have to desolder to harvest the stems.

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: RickyJ on Sun, 24 July 2011, 12:30:38

^ That's the seller that the cheap clears are coming from, the one I found and posted up.  People here have had great success getting deals from him, but if everyone keeps lowballing then it won't be worth it for him to keep the boards coming in.

I've been using my sharp tipped electronics tweezers to pop two tabs at a time, then using a jeweller's screwdriver to hold that side up while I pop the tabs on the other side.  Takes literally two seconds to do it this way.  I'm currently swapping clear stems into my new Adesso keypad (PCB mount; review coming soon), and it's going quick!  Just need to look up grease for the stem ramps before I swap stems into my Leopold.  The difference in tactility between stock clears and ergo clears is huge, but you don't lose the ramp that helps keep you from bottoming out.

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: mmmty on Sun, 24 July 2011, 12:38:42

$80 ($0.93 x 87) for 87 new stems is a lot of money though. You can buy another keyboard with that. Unless you know of a cheaper place to buy.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cherry-Electrical/MX1A-C1NW/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsqIr59i2oRchADAiXHZjyCn5%2fFW2t0nXM%3d

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: RickyJ on Sun, 24 July 2011, 12:39:29

With so many key switches on these boards to choose from, you have the opportunity to cherry pick stems from unused keys and place them in alpha key locations.  It's always a gamble how used the boards are, but such is life.

Rip, ever since you put the ever-changing pic in your sig, I've wondered why the link is to a specific thread?

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: keyboardlover on Sun, 24 July 2011, 15:26:29

I certainly feel the tactile bump on my used Cherry clears.

Title: Easy keyboard to make Cherry Clear Ergo?
Post by: RickyJ on Sun, 24 July 2011, 15:30:07

All of the clear switches from my clear board were just fine.

Finished swapping clear stems into my keypad, had to run out and get some white lithium grease.  Initial impressions aren't great, feels like the keys want to get stuck in the tactile valley on the way back up.