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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: fuzzybaffy on Fri, 31 January 2014, 22:20:10
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I don't mean to bad-mouth a vendor's product, but I really need to ask...
I just recently purchased a used set of Imsto's dye-sub PBTs (with Hangul letters) second-hand, and I noticed that a lot of keys were extremely easy to put on, and pull out. So it's making me wonder if the caps are actually just resting on top of the stems, and not actually holding on to it (if that makes sense)...
It's just, while I'm typing I just get the sense that the keys are kind of loose on the stem, and not snuggly fit. It feels like they're kind of wobbling on the stems. I have no idea if it's just a mental thing, however, as I just noticed it today.
Is there any way to test this? Can anyone with experience with Imsto's dye-sub PBTs share their experiences/observations? Are they really easy to pull off for you, too? Or am I just imagining things? Or could the fact that they're used might have loosened then up a bit?
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Mine were really easy to pull off as you describe, but I really like that about them. However, I didn't notice any wobble nor would they ever just 'fall off' the keyboard. In the end, they're on there tightly enough to not be a problem for me.
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If you can flip the keyboard over and the keycaps don't fall off... they are fine. If you still feel they need to go on tighter, cut tiny squares of saran wrap and place over stem and jam the keycap on.
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use plastic wrap to fill up the lil gaps between the keycap stem and with switch
had to do this for some spacebars that fit loosely on the mx switch
edit: person above beat me to it
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Well, if these keycaps came from a board that had clears...then there's your answer. Keycaps + clears = uber tight (which in turn makes the keycap looser on different stems).
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Well, if these keycaps came from a board that had clears...then there's your answer. Keycaps + clears = uber tight (which in turn makes the keycap looser on different stems).
Honestly I only use clears and had not considered that after using caps on clears it would change the fit on other caps, that is an interesting thought.
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They are easy to pull off but not wobbly at all. I like them because of this.
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Well... I found out a decent way to see if the caps wobble on the stem or not: The Costar stabilizers have those little nubs that you can take in and out, which I assume are the standard Cherry stem size, and I can put those in the main stem-inserts/regular 1x sized keycaps to see if they wobble.
And... they do. :(
And since the keys seem to fit more loosely on some of the actual switch stems than the stabilizer nubs, and since the keys wobble on the nubs, then I'm assuming that the keys are wobbling on the switch stems as well. :(
Granted... the caps don't wobble on all the available stabilizers. And if I interchange caps with different stems on the actual board (not the stabilizer nubs), the looseness will remain with the switch stems, not the keycaps. So, it seems there is actually some variance in Cherry stem sizes throughout the board, while the keycaps themselves are fairly consistent in terms of size.
But still... even if the keycaps are the consistent variable, its baseline size is too loose for the smallest of stems, and can, apparently, wobble on them. And... that just bothers me, so I think I'm going to sell them back on the classifieds (with a serious discount, of course, with full disclosure of why I'm selling them). :( Not interested in really doing the whole saran-wrap modification; I'd rather just have keycaps that fit nicely on their own.
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has anyone actually had a set that fit without needing fillet?
only stock keycaps and ducky replacement sets worked for me. sp dsa definitely needs help and so do all custom caps
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has anyone actually had a set that fit without needing fillet?
only stock keycaps and ducky replacement sets worked for me. sp dsa definitely needs help and so do all custom caps
I've never had to do anything extra to get caps to fit because of looseness.
I've had imsto, gmk, SP, all major novelty caps.
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loose is "GOOD" as far as cherry mx goes.
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Sometimes if I smack the 'A' key at just the right angle my IMSTO PBT cap goes flying! That's only happened like 4 times in the 5 months that I've had 'em... It's more amusing than anything.
I'm using a CM QF XT (costar stabs) btw.
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Sometimes if I smack the 'A' key at just the right angle my IMSTO PBT cap goes flying! That's only happened like 4 times in the 5 months that I've had 'em... It's more amusing than anything.
I'm using a CM QF XT (costar stabs) btw.
I don't believe.. Please make video... (http://www.emotasia.com/wp-content/uploads/totally-naughty-panda-emoticon-23.gif)
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Actually... I just did a comparison of the stabilizer nubs, and the actual switch stems, and it seems like the stabilizer nubs ARE indeed smaller than the switch stems, in both dimensions (except for these tiny ridges on the top and bottom of the nubs). This would account for them wobbling inside the keys.
Also, when I took out what I believed to be were "loose" caps, they were not as loose, and were fit in more tightly on the stems, which tells me the "looseness" I felt was just a matter of the keys not be seated 100%, remedied by typing on the caps for some time.
So... nevermind. I guess my keycaps are fine. =D
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I've noticed with clears there will be caps I have to press down very firmly on to get them to seat properly.
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i usually just look at on the side to make sure the entire row is the same height (or close enough).
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i usually just look at on the side to make sure the entire row is the same height (or close enough).
no.. this is keyboard sickness..
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Yes, my IMSTO caps are pretty loose, but it does not really affect anything. It is my only issue with these caps. Best caps I own right now...