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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Defect on Sat, 31 May 2014, 15:02:04

Title: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go. [ON BREAK]
Post by: Defect on Sat, 31 May 2014, 15:02:04
Album here: Woo! (https://imgur.com/a/he7jS)

Got a Ducky 9008G2 from hwood34 with plans to mod and gift it to a friend.  Doing this RIGHT NOW and will be fielding questions for anyone who wants to follow me on this journey! 

Album updated as we go.

1. Panda Blues/Ghetto Greens (Blue Stem/Black Spring) on Alphas
2. Pink Waterclear LED's on WASD Cluster
3. MX White on Escape
4. MX Grey (Tactile) on Numlock
5. Green LED on Numlock
6. Lubed Ghost Blacks on 6-key cluster (insert/delete/home/end/pg up/pg down)
7. Lubed Stock Blacks on Arrow Keys

Edit (05/31/2014 6:46PM EST): Taking short break.  Nearly 4 hours spent on this thing and I need to go outside LOL.  Thanks to all those who followed!  Will still update the album as I go but its nearly done for now.
Title: Re: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go.
Post by: Defect on Sat, 31 May 2014, 15:02:34
Pics taken with my busted camera phone.  The lens popped from...I guess heat or something?  It doesn't focus anymore :(

Imgur album has more in depth commentary

Look what came in the mail today!
More
(https://i.imgur.com/QunrX6j.jpg)

Get that case off:
More
(https://i.imgur.com/P8a0NA6.jpg)

Back of PCB:
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(https://i.imgur.com/bbWjkTN.jpg)

Desoldering Switches:
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(https://i.imgur.com/l0sxdr0.jpg)

All (except WASD) Desoldered:
More
(https://i.imgur.com/k0jYxpL.jpg)

Box of Spares not reserved for other projects:
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(https://i.imgur.com/Wo6a4V7.jpg)

Black and Blue:
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(https://i.imgur.com/eVex59h.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/LQGUrUo.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/0kyFTqX.jpg)

Handful of Blues:
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(https://i.imgur.com/hzL78je.jpg)

ALMOST THERE:
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(https://i.imgur.com/LkNVWgF.jpg)

Panda Blues/Ghetto Greens ready for action!:
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(https://i.imgur.com/VIXO1T1.jpg)

Placed and soldered.  Now for the WASD cluster...
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(https://i.imgur.com/ZgFH4l9.jpg)

WASD is now Panda Blue/Ghetto Green
More
(https://i.imgur.com/IFq7u72.jpg)

And your LED's are no longer blue:
More
(https://i.imgur.com/EKiCvUq.jpg)

I have some extra MX White's
More
(https://i.imgur.com/CKbvnoU.jpg)

Board is starting to lose its uniformity.  Begin Frankensteinification
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(https://i.imgur.com/QopiZet.jpg)

MX Grey.  REALLY wish I had a camera that worked...
More
(https://i.imgur.com/Bvhfh8u.jpg)

It goes on the numlock
More
(https://i.imgur.com/IHGQUrI.jpg)

Numlock has LED.  My camera does not do these waterclears justice.  They look so much nicer in person.  SO much nicer
More
(https://i.imgur.com/e726Tzo.jpg)

The Original Plan: Lubed Ghost Black Arrow Keys
More
(https://i.imgur.com/F7HF932.jpg)

The Plan (Revised): Lubed Ghost Black on 6 key cluster, lubed stock black on arrow keys.
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(https://i.imgur.com/y62QIcc.jpg)


AAAAND done for today.  Phew.  4 hours almost.  I work slow on weekends :(

CONTINUED:

Clears and Blacks
More
(https://i.imgur.com/KYVlmdw.jpg)

Stock Clears and Stock Blacks Taken Apart
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(https://i.imgur.com/5yVrXRH.jpg)

Becomes Panda Clears and Ghost Blacks
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(https://i.imgur.com/jw6caIx.jpg)

Nearly completed
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(https://i.imgur.com/tt29wVZ.jpg)

Lubed 62g Ergo Clears:
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(https://i.imgur.com/DM6Zjyd.jpg)

Thread is a fail.  Feel embarrassed posting it here lol.
Title: Re: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go.
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:35:29
You've only had the thread up for a few hours.

Are those ghost blacks with a clear spring? That would have been too weird to type on with WASD like that. I think those springs are too strong to hold down while gaming.
Title: Re: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go.
Post by: hwood34 on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:41:20
Wow, nice work :thumb:
Title: Re: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go.
Post by: Defect on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:43:22
Quote from: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:35:29
You've only had the thread up for a few hours.

Are those ghost blacks with a clear spring? That would have been too weird to type on with WASD like that. I think those springs are too strong to hold down while gaming.

Agree that ghost blacks in WASD would have been really weird for normal use.  Instead, I put ghost blacks on the 6 key cluster (insert/delete/home/end/page up/page down) and the 0 on the numpad.  0 becomes "jump" for FPS.

Taking a break for today.  Nearly 4 hours spent on this board so far.  Up next I'm going to hook him up with some 62g ergo clears on an F cluster.  Also have to figure out what to do for the modifiers and num row.

Thanks for following, dude!  I felt alone for so long lol.

Edit: Ghost blacks are GREAT for gaming.  To actuate, they take slightly less force than stock blacks.  You don't have to hold them down all the way.  It's very cushiony and very comfortable.  Trying ghost blacks on an offline board is very different from using one for gaming and having real-time feedback on actuation.


Quote from: hwood34 on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:41:20
Wow, nice work :thumb:

Thanks!  You see why I was such an antsy buyer, haha.  I wanted to get to work right away!
Title: Re: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go.
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:59:42
I think instead of doing an entire F-block something different, I think F5 and F9 should be different. So that the switches for quick save and quick load are different.

You must have better desoldering stuff than just a braid, which is all I've used. You did stages fairly quickly.


Maybe floating like that would work on linear switches, it doesn't work for me at all on stock clears.
Title: Re: Modding a Board for a friend RIGHT NOW. Album updated as I go.
Post by: Defect on Sat, 31 May 2014, 18:08:16
Quote from: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 31 May 2014, 17:59:42
I think instead of doing an entire F-block something different, I think F5 and F9 should be different. So that the switches for quick save and quick load are different.

You must have better desoldering stuff than just a braid, which is all I've used. You did stages fairly quickly.


Maybe floating like that would work on linear switches, it doesn't work for me at all on stock clears.

Most of the games I play with my friend don't use the F-Row, so I was going to take the opportunity to turn them into 4-key switch testing sections.  Ergo clears in a block, reds in a block, stock blues in a block.  Just some ideas.

Hovering on stock clears is a dirty deed, my friend.  Ghost blacks are WAY different.  I don't think true "hovering" on any clears is possible.  The bump is too large.  Actuation is right at the bottom of the bump, so to hover you don't need to go above the bump.  Which feels bad.  So its weird to do.

I got a solder sucker off amazon for 5 bucks.  I think it shipped from China.  Used it to desolder over 5 boards now, and it's WAY easier than braid.  I almost rage-burned a PCB when I used cheap braid a few months ago.