Okay, question.
The qfr controller. I got lucky enough to pick up a board with a custom frosty flake controller. Are qfr the only ones thay can fit this controller? Where is the filco and leupold controllers?
I was hoping to upgrade the pcb at some point, and use the frosty flake again. But I might just have to find another qfr pcb so i can have one with LEDs
Okay, question.
The qfr controller. I got lucky enough to pick up a board with a custom frosty flake controller. Are qfr the only ones thay can fit this controller? Where is the filco and leupold controllers?
I was hoping to upgrade the pcb at some point, and use the frosty flake again. But I might just have to find another qfr pcb so i can have one with LEDs
filco tkl have their own custom controller and the FF would physically not fit anyway.
i would assume that the matrix of the leopolds are different so they would not work with the controller either.
Okay, question.
The qfr controller. I got lucky enough to pick up a board with a custom frosty flake controller. Are qfr the only ones thay can fit this controller? Where is the filco and leupold controllers?
I was hoping to upgrade the pcb at some point, and use the frosty flake again. But I might just have to find another qfr pcb so i can have one with LEDs
filco tkl have their own custom controller and the FF would physically not fit anyway.
i would assume that the matrix of the leopolds are different so they would not work with the controller either.
That's what I had assumed. Is it possible to maybe send my QFR to somebody and get a custom board done to the same specs, but with better materials and different colors? Anybody know where I could find somebody to do that for me, at an MOQ of 1? Or would other people potentially be interested in QFR style custom PCBs?
Okay, question.
The qfr controller. I got lucky enough to pick up a board with a custom frosty flake controller. Are qfr the only ones thay can fit this controller? Where is the filco and leupold controllers?
I was hoping to upgrade the pcb at some point, and use the frosty flake again. But I might just have to find another qfr pcb so i can have one with LEDs
filco tkl have their own custom controller and the FF would physically not fit anyway.
i would assume that the matrix of the leopolds are different so they would not work with the controller either.
That's what I had assumed. Is it possible to maybe send my QFR to somebody and get a custom board done to the same specs, but with better materials and different colors? Anybody know where I could find somebody to do that for me, at an MOQ of 1? Or would other people potentially be interested in QFR style custom PCBs?
Okay, question.
The qfr controller. I got lucky enough to pick up a board with a custom frosty flake controller. Are qfr the only ones thay can fit this controller? Where is the filco and leupold controllers?
I was hoping to upgrade the pcb at some point, and use the frosty flake again. But I might just have to find another qfr pcb so i can have one with LEDs
filco tkl have their own custom controller and the FF would physically not fit anyway.
i would assume that the matrix of the leopolds are different so they would not work with the controller either.
That's what I had assumed. Is it possible to maybe send my QFR to somebody and get a custom board done to the same specs, but with better materials and different colors? Anybody know where I could find somebody to do that for me, at an MOQ of 1? Or would other people potentially be interested in QFR style custom PCBs?
But the Frosty Flake controller wouldn't work on Phantoms, right? Because they're not set up to take a QFR controller.
I know, but this is my first real keyboard, my first modding experience, and I'm replacing everything but the PCB and the Controller. I want the controller to live on, if that makes sense. The PCB needs to be replaced at some point, and I want the essence of the keyboard to live on. So I want the controller to carry on to the keyboard's next life. So what ever PCB I get, I want this same controller.
I know it's stupid, right? Just get a phantom. And I am planning to get a phantom, but I don't want to give up on this keyboard. I want to finish it. I want it to be something I can be proud to own without just replacing every single thing in it. I feel like that's admitting that the keyboard never had worth to begin with.
So I want to get a custom PCB made that can take the frosty flake. Is there any way to do that?
Why does the PCB need to be replaced? Lifted pads can be repaired.
So it looks like I can do a row (what, like 20, depending on row) before I need a break. I'm surprised at how quicky, and how easily I'm picking this up. I really, really expected a fight. But boy am I glad I opted for a cheaper soldering iron and the soldapullt, as opposed to a more expensive iron and a cheap sucker.
You need to expose some trace by scraping, then bridge the trace to the lead with solder or conductive epoxy/ink. Look up conductive epoxy / CircuitWriter.
While soldering, I'm having this issue. It's splattering little droplets of.. Resin? Or something similar in properties to resin all about my PCB, and occasionally, my arms. It hasn't proven a concern, but I'm curious if this is just nature of the beast, of if I've got my soldering iron set too hot, or one of my methods is bad, or something.
I'm working on a Yihua 936 set to about 360 (no idea what I should be soldering at, but it's worked well for me so far. Not burning the board and melting the solder pretty quick)
with Kester .. what was it? 60/40?
I think I need to calibrate my Yihua's heat. Because at 300-325 I'm getting nothing done. I can barely melt solder at that point, and as soon as I pull it off the node, it hardens. At 350 I can work, but it takes so much more time to melt all the solder that I spend the whole time panicky that I'm burning the board, and at 375, I can melt and pull in about <5 seconds. I don't think my 375 is your 375. I'm probably running hotter than I should, however, but it's fine for me on the switches. I just pulled the whole board without messing a single one up.
LEDs however, I burned right through those.
Anyways. Mission complete.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/cEX5gEV.jpg)
Now I wait patiently for the_Beast to put the switch tools up for sale, for my uTKL plate to come in the mail, for any set of matching keycaps, and for some new and exciting switch types. Then I can get modding.
Glad it's over. I expect soldering will be significantly easier than desoldering. Or, at least less stressful.
Haha, that's the board I f**ked up the pads on. Wow, I really sucked on soldering that day... It is the QFR the Frosty Flake design is based on =)
Soldering is way easier than de-soldering.
I think I need to calibrate my Yihua's heat. Because at 300-325 I'm getting nothing done. I can barely melt solder at that point, and as soon as I pull it off the node, it hardens. At 350 I can work, but it takes so much more time to melt all the solder that I spend the whole time panicky that I'm burning the board, and at 375, I can melt and pull in about <5 seconds. I don't think my 375 is your 375. I'm probably running hotter than I should, however, but it's fine for me on the switches. I just pulled the whole board without messing a single one up.
LEDs however, I burned right through those.
Anyways. Mission complete.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/cEX5gEV.jpg)
Now I wait patiently for the_Beast to put the switch tools up for sale, for my uTKL plate to come in the mail, for any set of matching keycaps, and for some new and exciting switch types. Then I can get modding.
Glad it's over. I expect soldering will be significantly easier than desoldering. Or, at least less stressful.
Is that a QFR PCB mine is green and dual layer. :-\
As far as I know it's a QFR PCB. I doubt somebody got a custom made cheap one sided replacement. Must be an earlier version.
Alright. Still pushing ahead with my wife's keyboard.
Got a uTKL plate (thank you, bunny) and took the next step.
Now. I installed all of my blue switches on the plate, flipped it over, set the PCB down atop of it and thought everything lined up.
It did not occur to my until significatly later that the controller (frosty flake) is higher than the plate, so I soldered all of these switches about 2-3 MM off the PCB. I figured hey, as long as it works, right?
Well, about a third of the alpha keys do not work. So all of my excitement was for naught. I have to go back and desolder them all.
Also, I don't know if this is a systemic problem, but my stabilizers aren't.. working? I pulled the stabs off of the QFR plate, and installed them on the uTKL plate, but they're pinched in, and the gap is closer at the top than at the bottom, and all of my stabilized keys stick. Which is why they aren't installed. Do I need different stabs? Maybe take a file and shave just a bit off the plate? Or did I mess something up installing them?
This is a known issue with those stainless steel plates that are 0.0625" thick. The spec calls for 0.060" so the Costar stabilizer inserts don't fit all that well. A file on those stab holes works well. You can also stick a small screwdriver or long nose pliers in there to try and seat them better.
I think I need to calibrate my Yihua's heat. Because at 300-325 I'm getting nothing done. I can barely melt solder at that point, and as soon as I pull it off the node, it hardens. At 350 I can work, but it takes so much more time to melt all the solder that I spend the whole time panicky that I'm burning the board, and at 375, I can melt and pull in about <5 seconds. I don't think my 375 is your 375. I'm probably running hotter than I should, however, but it's fine for me on the switches. I just pulled the whole board without messing a single one up.
LEDs however, I burned right through those.
Anyways. Mission complete.Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/cEX5gEV.jpg)
Now I wait patiently for the_Beast to put the switch tools up for sale, for my uTKL plate to come in the mail, for any set of matching keycaps, and for some new and exciting switch types. Then I can get modding.
Glad it's over. I expect soldering will be significantly easier than desoldering. Or, at least less stressful.
Can any1 help me? I just learnt to soldered and tried out on my qfr but now there is one switch where when I try to solder, the solder doesn't come off and go onto the switch wire and there is slight black brownish burn marks on it. Can this problem be solved? Or is that particular key totally unusable?Post it here (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42824.0) and with pics! :D
Thanks in advanced. ;D