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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Pacifist on Fri, 06 June 2014, 14:48:53

Title: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: Pacifist on Fri, 06 June 2014, 14:48:53
Are there any model F modders for hire here? Specifically a 122 ANSI modder
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: AKIMbO on Fri, 06 June 2014, 15:48:50
Are there any model F modders for hire here? Specifically a 122 ANSI modder

Do it yourself. That mod is super easy...maybe 3/10 on the difficulty scale.  I know several ghers who've done the mod successfully (including myself). We can walk you through all the steps.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Fri, 06 June 2014, 16:09:10
I'll do it for you.  Just got done cleaning, painting, and modding mine in various ways and I have all the tools. 

But I also recommend that you do it yourself.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 06 June 2014, 16:34:35
That mod is super easy...maybe 3/10 on the difficulty scale.

Good to know.

What would be an 8.5/10?

PS - I always thoroughly clean every single part, sand and paint everything metal and/or rusty, and install sound padding, etc, plus, at least half the time, cut a new mat. Is that included in the 3/10?
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: AKIMbO on Fri, 06 June 2014, 16:36:01
That mod is super easy...maybe 3/10 on the difficulty scale.

Good to know.

What would be an 8.5/10?

PS - I always thoroughly clean every single part, sand and paint everything metal and/or rusty, and install sound padding, etc, plus, at least half the time, cut a new mat. Is that included in the 3/10?


Desoldering an alps board without ruining a single switch? But seriously, anything involving smd soldering or delicate alps pcbs.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 06 June 2014, 16:55:37
Desoldering an alps board without ruining a single switch?

Oh, that. Yes, I have a few dead PCBs that I butchered and a bowl of mangled switches.

I was thinking in terms of hours and sweat.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: newchemicals on Fri, 06 June 2014, 17:22:52
If I ever get a model F I would probably want some help modding it.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: dorkvader on Fri, 06 June 2014, 17:38:37
I would rate my F122 mod project a 9001/10.

It's been in pieces for over a year, I've tried fixing it at least seven different times to no avail. SMD soldering is quite easy for me, but this F122 is ridiculous.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: jwaz on Fri, 06 June 2014, 17:43:03
Are there any model F modders for hire here? Specifically a 122 ANSI modder

yeh, I'm really good at teh sik m0dz, just send it right over ;)
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: sleepy916 on Fri, 06 June 2014, 18:22:42
I would rate my F122 mod project a 9001/10.

It's been in pieces for over a year, I've tried fixing it at least seven different times to no avail. SMD soldering is quite easy for me, but this F122 is ridiculous.

It took me a few months to finish everything except the teensy because I moved in between. Putting it back together was the hardest part. But now it's sitting in a box.  :confused:
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 06 June 2014, 18:45:59
A staggering difference of opinions, as always.

Clearly, you should hire prdlm2009 to do it.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: dorkvader on Fri, 06 June 2014, 20:27:20
I would rate my F122 mod project a 9001/10.

It's been in pieces for over a year, I've tried fixing it at least seven different times to no avail. SMD soldering is quite easy for me, but this F122 is ridiculous.

It took me a few months to finish everything except the teensy because I moved in between. Putting it back together was the hardest part. But now it's sitting in a box.  :confused:

How's the mat?

Putting it together isn't the issue with clamps, time and patience. Fabricating a new mat has involved many tries and failures. I wonder if just sending rubber to a lasercutter is the best option.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: nubbinator on Fri, 06 June 2014, 20:54:50
That mod is super easy...maybe 3/10 on the difficulty scale.

Good to know.

What would be an 8.5/10?

PS - I always thoroughly clean every single part, sand and paint everything metal and/or rusty, and install sound padding, etc, plus, at least half the time, cut a new mat. Is that included in the 3/10?


Desoldering an alps board without ruining a single switch? But seriously, anything involving smd soldering or delicate alps pcbs.

That's only a toughie if they bent those damn legs over before soldering them.  I want to go back in time and slap a cracka for doing that.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: dorkvader on Fri, 06 June 2014, 21:11:43
it was pretty common, especially on ICs. It kept everything together when soldering and assembly.

WYSE did it as well.
---

The interesting part of model Fs is that depending on condition and what needs to be done, the repair and restoration might be easier or more difficult.

I think this is part of the disparity in opinion of the difficulty.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: jacobolus on Fri, 06 June 2014, 21:24:08
Desoldering an alps board without ruining a single switch? But seriously, anything involving smd soldering or delicate alps pcbs.
Nah, this isn’t that difficult, it just takes practice. After desoldering about 6 of them, I now no longer damage any switches or lift any pads. (Also, what counts as “ruining”? Usually for me the damage was just the little plastic clips breaking off, which isn’t too serious usually.)
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: nubbinator on Fri, 06 June 2014, 21:28:39
Desoldering an alps board without ruining a single switch? But seriously, anything involving smd soldering or delicate alps pcbs.
Nah, this isn’t that difficult, it just takes practice. After desoldering about 6 of them, I now no longer damage any switches or lift any pads. (Also, what counts as “ruining”? Usually for me the damage was just the little plastic clips breaking off, which isn’t too serious usually.)

For me it's breaking the tips off the legs.  I never lifted a single pad, but those legs were too easy to break.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: jacobolus on Fri, 06 June 2014, 22:10:16
For me it's breaking the tips off the legs.  I never lifted a single pad, but those legs were too easy to break.
I’ve only ever snapped off one Alps lead... I desoldered a Cherry MX board and snapped off several though. (First, the MX switches have flimsier leads, and second, lead-free solder is awful.)

If the leads are bent over and stuck down, what I do is, for every bent lead on the board: (a) use the soldapullt as usual pulling most of the solder out of the hole, (b) apply heat and pull up on the lead with a little metal dental pick [these are super useful general-purpose tools], until it comes free of the pad, (c) unbend the lead using some snipe-nosed pliers. Then after that, I take the PCB off, and only then try to push any switches out of the plate, making sure to push down the little plastic “wings” so they don’t break.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: jacobolus on Fri, 06 June 2014, 22:11:19
Are there any model F modders for hire here? Specifically a 122 ANSI modder
If you just let the modder keep the board at the end, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of takers! :p

Otherwise, why not try to do it yourself?
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: sleepy916 on Fri, 06 June 2014, 22:26:19
I would rate my F122 mod project a 9001/10.

It's been in pieces for over a year, I've tried fixing it at least seven different times to no avail. SMD soldering is quite easy for me, but this F122 is ridiculous.

It took me a few months to finish everything except the teensy because I moved in between. Putting it back together was the hardest part. But now it's sitting in a box.  :confused:

How's the mat?

Putting it together isn't the issue with clamps, time and patience. Fabricating a new mat has involved many tries and failures. I wonder if just sending rubber to a lasercutter is the best option.

I had to make a new mat, the old was sticking to the plate and crumbling before my eyes. Making a new mat was not hard, just took time. The set of punch tools I bought were not the best so it took a good smack each time to get a clean cut through the new rubber mat.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: mougrim on Fri, 06 June 2014, 22:54:47
Hmm, and how thick new rubber mat should be?
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: sleepy916 on Fri, 06 June 2014, 23:01:18
Hmm, and how thick new rubber mat should be?

 I ordered this one, it is 1/16" thick.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#8647k102/=sarjxd (http://www.mcmaster.com/#8647k102/=sarjxd)
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: Techno Trousers on Sat, 07 June 2014, 02:13:05
Hmm, and how thick new rubber mat should be?

 I ordered this one, it is 1/16" thick.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#8647k102/=sarjxd (http://www.mcmaster.com/#8647k102/=sarjxd)

I've used that as well, and it worked out great. It's not so thick that it prevents you from getting the plates back together, but still keeps everything snug when it's reassembled.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: mougrim on Sat, 07 June 2014, 02:57:36
Thanks! It could be useful if/when I'll get F-122.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Sat, 07 June 2014, 16:27:24
I would rate my F122 mod project a 9001/10.

It's been in pieces for over a year, I've tried fixing it at least seven different times to no avail. SMD soldering is quite easy for me, but this F122 is ridiculous.

I would like to know what you have been attempting to do with your F 122.  I was able to take this:

[attach=1]


and turn it into this:

[attach=2][attach=4]
[attach=3]
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 07 June 2014, 16:42:25

I was able to take this:

and turn it into this:


Nice work! That one was worse than any of the 10+ that I have seen and you cleaned it up well.


Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Sat, 07 June 2014, 16:44:31

I was able to take this:

and turn it into this:


Nice work! That one was worse than any of the 10+ that I have seen and you cleaned it up well.


The key ingredient was a boatload of elbow grease.
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 07 June 2014, 16:59:27
The key ingredient was a boatload of elbow grease.

Once you get the courage to take the thing completely apart, you can be really aggressive. Then it goes much faster and you can get an immaculate finished product.

That is probably a big part of the reason that I just dis-assemble everything, all the way, if I possibly can, because it makes cleaning/sanding/painting  * so *  much more satisfying.
 
Title: Re: Model F modders for hire?
Post by: mougrim on Sun, 08 June 2014, 04:21:18
I would rate my F122 mod project a 9001/10.

It's been in pieces for over a year, I've tried fixing it at least seven different times to no avail. SMD soldering is quite easy for me, but this F122 is ridiculous.

I would like to know what you have been attempting to do with your F 122.  I was able to take this:

(Attachment Link)


and turn it into this:

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)

What a big table you have...