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geekhack Community => geekhack Media => Topic started by: WhiteFireDragon on Sun, 10 February 2013, 01:04:56

Title: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Sun, 10 February 2013, 01:04:56
No keycap pr0n in this thread, only barebones. This is durainello's custom CM quickfire. Instead of taking a break from weekday stresses and going out, I spent my whole Saturday building this for him. Gawd I'm such a nerd, but sometimes love it  ^-^ .

modded with

what it started out with(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/IMG_2530.jpg)


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/IMG_2535.jpg)


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/IMG_2542.jpg)


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/IMG_2555.jpg)
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: durainello on Sun, 10 February 2013, 07:50:29
There aren't enough words or ways to say how grateful I am to WFD for doing a great job and spending his Saturday to make my board looks so great.

Thanks bro.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: metalliqaz on Sun, 10 February 2013, 07:53:52
cool  :cool:
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: inteli722 on Sun, 10 February 2013, 09:09:56
Wow...someone actually replaced Costar Stabs with Cherry stabs. I do prefer them, but I thought the majority rule here was that Costar stabs are better...

But dang, that's a nice looking board. Fancy!
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: durainello on Sun, 10 February 2013, 09:15:58
I will spend more replacing broken stabilizers inserts  :p
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:21:29
Very nice. I have been working on doing something very similar with an old Chicony for fun. Also nice to see someone else has the sense to replace costar with Cherry.
Can you elaborate on how you made the in switch led on pcb that dosen't support? I figured to file a small notch in the lower housing so I could bend the legs out in a 90 degree and then just run wire under the plate above the pcb to the existing lock led pads, did you make a similar approach?
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: AKIMbO on Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:27:17
WFD is the man.  I've used him a couple times in the recent past and he's been awesome every single time. 
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: CPTBadAss on Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:29:30
WFD, how do you have time for all these projects? Anyways, this looks awesome. The build came out super sexy. Can you elaborate on swapping out LEDs? I'd like to swap the blue ones in my Leopold for purple/magenta ones
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: Sai on Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:58:00
this is awesome. ! waiting for my phantom's turn to come.  :p
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: inteli722 on Sun, 10 February 2013, 11:28:53
Wow...someone actually replaced Costar Stabs with Cherry stabs. I do prefer them, but I thought the majority rule here was that Costar stabs are better...

I've done a 180 as well.  Costar stabilizers are super easy to swap keycaps and do not change the feel but I prefer the cushioning of Cherry stabilizers.

Really? I find Costar stabs are harder to change the caps...My Leopold has Cherry Stabs, and I find them much more preferable to Costars.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: Vintage on Sun, 10 February 2013, 12:22:54
Wow, nice board!  :D

Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: Caaaarrrt on Sun, 10 February 2013, 16:51:12
You drilled the switch tops of the switches with LEDs so you can still swap them without desoldering the LEDs? That's quite a good idea.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire
Post by: missalaire on Sun, 10 February 2013, 17:13:11
Nice job. Just curious, how much do you charge for this service?
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Sun, 10 February 2013, 19:55:28
You drilled the switch tops of the switches with LEDs so you can still swap them without desoldering the LEDs? That's quite a good idea.

The top housing where the LED sits was shaved off with a dremel. This lets you remove the stop cover while the LEDs are still installed. Basically every switch is removable, including switches with modifiers and LEDs. Here's a pic of a modded LED cover, next to an unmodded one.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/th_IMG_2562.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/IMG_2562.jpg)



Nice job. Just curious, how much do you charge for this service?

I think it was around $65 for labor, which is not much at all considering how many mods this is, how long it took, and how much my lube costs. Durainello covered all the costs of parts though. This was done more as a project, not as a business to profit.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: okooko on Sun, 10 February 2013, 20:01:43
Thats a reasonable price especially considering how much time that would have been spent doing this.

If only USPS shipping wasnt horribad, id have you build all my future stuffs.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: durainello on Sun, 10 February 2013, 20:58:39
Dump all the unnecessary like the retail boxes etc , u can get a much cheaper shipping. Est us$40 to ship to Aust or SG is not considered expensive.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: Caaaarrrt on Sun, 10 February 2013, 21:07:37
You drilled the switch tops of the switches with LEDs so you can still swap them without desoldering the LEDs? That's quite a good idea.

The top housing where the LED sits was shaved off with a dremel. This lets you remove the stop cover while the LEDs are still installed. Basically every switch is removable, including switches with modifiers and LEDs. Here's a pic of a modded LED cover, next to an unmodded one.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/th_IMG_2562.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/keyboard/IMG_2562.jpg)


OK thank you, that looks good, I might have a go at doing it too.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: rowdy on Sun, 10 February 2013, 21:38:56
Dump all the unnecessary like the retail boxes etc , u can get a much cheaper shipping. Est us$40 to ship to Aust or SG is not considered expensive.

When shipping a valuable keyboard so far, you'd want to make sure it was very securely packed.  There are too many stories about boxes being dropped on the corner which shatters the case.  Keycaps dislodged.  That sort of thing.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: durainello on Sun, 10 February 2013, 21:47:32
That responsibility shall falls under WFD  :p, he gotta ditch the retail box and make sure it's packed like within a retail box.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: duq on Sun, 10 February 2013, 22:59:14
Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: cgbuen on Sun, 10 February 2013, 23:51:20
Nice, I did something similar (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40081.msg794364#msg794364) on Friday evening too. I used cheaper lube (Superlube), heavier springs, and removed the LEDs though. I was thinking of doing something to shave off the top housing as well but I wasn't sure if the LED was too weak to be supported without that part, and I just got too lazy to even try haha. Great to see how you got it to work though, gotta try it out soon.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: Jocelyn on Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:10:44
Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

Clears with 62g springs are like Heaven, especially when they're Gold 62g springs :)
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: The_Beast on Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:12:23
Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

Clears with 62g springs are like Heaven, especially when they're Gold 62g springs :)

55g is better!
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: durainello on Thu, 21 February 2013, 18:37:59
That's even lighter than brown and red?
Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

Clears with 62g springs are like Heaven, especially when they're Gold 62g springs :)

55g is better!
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: sordna on Thu, 28 February 2013, 02:17:23
Yes 55g is a bit lighter than brown and red (whose springs bottom out at 60g).

That's even lighter than brown and red?
55g is better!
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: whiteduck on Wed, 24 April 2013, 12:31:45
Can you describe the difference in switch feel between a 55g rf and these modded switches?  I have never tried clears or egroclears but have a 55g uniform rf I got a week ago that I may or may not keep.  Verdict is still out on that...
Thanks
-wd
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: Lunartuna on Fri, 26 April 2013, 10:01:43
Hope you like the grey space bar. The girlfirend is having a hard time getting used the the grey space on her Ducky because of the lower activation point than the rest of the cherry blacks on the board.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: VesperSAINT on Fri, 26 April 2013, 11:05:51
Hope you like the grey space bar. The girlfirend is having a hard time getting used the the grey space on her Ducky because of the lower activation point than the rest of the cherry blacks on the board.

Holy, I've felt this grey space bar on my friend's Ducky with Blacks... I won't lie.. that space bar is really hard to work. I end up with some really long words composed multiple words.
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: durainello on Fri, 26 April 2013, 12:07:59
Trust me, keep your RF 55, it makes any cherry switches boring.  :))

Can you describe the difference in switch feel between a 55g rf and these modded switches?  I have never tried clears or egroclears but have a 55g uniform rf I got a week ago that I may or may not keep.  Verdict is still out on that...
Thanks
-wd
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: gameaholic on Fri, 26 April 2013, 14:07:58
where is a good source for cherry stabilizers?

also would these LEDs work to swap into a Filco or QFR?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=06Oaj2cKCwE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=06Oaj2cKCwE)

http://lighthouseleds.com/3mm-led-red-green-blue-rainbow-ultra-bright-slow.html (http://lighthouseleds.com/3mm-led-red-green-blue-rainbow-ultra-bright-slow.html)
Title: Re: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL
Post by: Dreamre on Fri, 26 April 2013, 14:33:46
Looks awesome! Love the white LEDs :).