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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: NotAPrune on Mon, 29 September 2014, 19:04:15

Title: Ghetto Reds or new keyboard?
Post by: NotAPrune on Mon, 29 September 2014, 19:04:15
So I have 3 mechanical keyboards at the moment.

1. A Leopold FC200R TKL with blues and custom keycaps that I use at home and absolutely love.
2. A Tt eSports Meka G1 with black switches which I hate, but I got it for free from my boss so I use it around the office.
3. A Ducky DK9008g2 with blues. This was my first keyboard at home but I fell in love with TKL and so I bought the Leopold.

I tried the Ducky at work, but I work in a small open plan office so it bothered everybody else. So now the Ducky just sits all sad and alone in the box while I use a keyboard I don't really like at work. I've always loved red switches every time I use them and have been threatening for years that I'm going to get a keyboard with them. I have been thinking of possibly gutting the Meka G1 for the black switch stems and putting them into the Ducky to make ghetto reds for my new office keyboard.

Those of you who have done keyboard mods before, would you do the mod or just pick up a new board with reds and slap some nice keycaps on it for the office?
Title: .
Post by: esoomenona on Mon, 29 September 2014, 19:11:06
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Title: Ghetto Reds or new keyboard?
Post by: strict on Mon, 29 September 2014, 19:37:43
My vote will always lean towards doing mods yourself. It's rewarding using a keyboard you've put hours of work into to make it just right. Anybody can just buy a board and smack the keys around, it's different when it's something you've put your heart into.
Title: Re: Ghetto Reds or new keyboard?
Post by: NotAPrune on Mon, 29 September 2014, 19:49:46
Cool thanks for the feedback. :D

I've never soldered before, but I'm not afraid to tackle new skills. I'm just scared the bug might catch me too heavily and I'll do too many other "While I'm in here" mods.  :p
Title: Re: Ghetto Reds or new keyboard?
Post by: Puddsy on Mon, 29 September 2014, 21:31:42
Soldering is fun, but make sure you practice on something less expensive than a keyboard first. Practice boards can be found cheaply at most hobby electronics shops.

And feel free to look around this thread (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42824.0) for more fun soldering advice/ideas
Title: Re: Ghetto Reds or new keyboard?
Post by: Polymer on Tue, 30 September 2014, 01:04:03
If you're going to take apart two keyboards....

Why not just sell both and buy another one?

Unless you really want to take them apart and mess around with them (which could very well be enjoyable for you), I'd not waste time on it..especially since your net result is just one keyboard....

I'm not against modding...but if you're basically building something you can easily buy, unless you want to spend a lot of time on it, buying is probably more efficient. 
Title: Re: Ghetto Reds or new keyboard?
Post by: NotAPrune on Tue, 30 September 2014, 04:04:47
If you're going to take apart two keyboards....

Why not just sell both and buy another one?

Unless you really want to take them apart and mess around with them (which could very well be enjoyable for you), I'd not waste time on it..especially since your net result is just one keyboard....

I'm not against modding...but if you're basically building something you can easily buy, unless you want to spend a lot of time on it, buying is probably more efficient. 

I did think of that, but both are used and so they wouldn't fetch much. I also really like the Ducky, I just can't use it in the office because it's a bit too loud. I wouldn't want to sell the Meka G1 as I don't think it's that great of a keyboard, plus I got it for free so using it as a donor seems suitable. I can always put the blue stems from the ducky into it and make blue switches with black springs? Not sure what those would be called, but it would be interesting.