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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: DuckMyDucky on Wed, 11 February 2015, 16:56:05

Title: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: DuckMyDucky on Wed, 11 February 2015, 16:56:05: Hey guys, long time lurker here, decided to finally register.

Anyways, I got a Ducky DK1008L with blue cherry mx switches I bought some time around 2011 from a taiwanese website using google translate and whatnot. Being used to ISO layout I figured it would be a good idea to get the big-ass enter (I was young and stupid, ok?!). Turns out this big-ass enter thing kind of sucks. Picture of the thing:

(http://tigerimports.net/sunshop/images/products/large_13427_DK1008L.jpg)

Yes, it really is that ugly. Understandably, I would like to change to other keycaps with normal ANSI layout. Underneath the enter key cap it looks like normal ANSI keyboard. That's right, when you press the enter key you actually depress two delightful blue switches plus the cherry stabilizers. Contrary to belief this doesn't cause twice the pleasure of a single switch click. I'm pretty sure though that normal ANSI keycaps would fit fine here, although I guess I would have to do something nifty to make the \ key actually register \ and not return.

My bigger concern is the right shift. It is short because of the added \ key, and I see no way of getting a long shift with stabilizers there.

I should probably just buy a new keyboard, right? Or maybe I should just stop fooling myself and admit that nothing will surpass my model m anyway and call it the end game :p
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 11 February 2015, 17:09:34: You could take up all the large keys and temporarily replace each one with a 1x then test to see what activates what.

I don't know much about Cherries, but if the stabilizer has a dummy block that can be replaced with a real switch, it may be a fairly trivial soldering job.
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: DuckMyDucky on Wed, 11 February 2015, 18:15:20: Thanks for reply. I decided it was easier for me to just take it all apart and figure it out myself. My discoveries:

- The upper enter switch which is normally / does nothing. I can easily solder wires from this to the other / switch, so not really a problem.
- The left shift works perfectly as an enter key. Am I right in saying that the left shift is same size as ANSI enter key?
- The PCB has another hole for moving the position of the right switch to normal ANSI layout! Yay, so I can simply desolder this switch, cut a new hole in the plastic and solder it back on in ANSI position. I would miss out on stabilizers though. I didn't find any replacements on ebay, are these available anywhere? Not that it really matters, I confess to never using right shift, so it will be there purely for aesthetics. (meaning it should stay in place even without stabilizers).

Guess I just have to find myself a nice PBT set now :p
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: falkentyne on Wed, 11 February 2015, 18:41:28: Yes, the left shift and enter keys are the exact same size :)
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: Hyde on Wed, 11 February 2015, 18:42:20: As far as I know most keyboard nowadays come with PCB that supports both ANSI and ISO (Saves cost during manufacturing).

So you can desolder the switches and resolder in the ANSI position if you want.

But I'm not sure how the stabilizers will fit also seems like a lot of work.

Like you said it's most likely easier to just sell this and buy one with ANSI lol.
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: Anole on Wed, 11 February 2015, 19:02:36: Try installing a 2x enter and then a 1x keycap ontop...
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: ideus on Wed, 11 February 2015, 19:08:47: ANSI Enter is 2.25u row 3. \| key is 1.5u row 2.

The left shift is 2.25u row 4.
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: DuckMyDucky on Wed, 11 February 2015, 19:32:57: Thanks guys, decided I'm gonna go through with it, as it seems like only small modifications are needed. Was thinking about buying a new keyboard, but keyboards with ANSI layouts are pretty much non-existent where I live, so it would be too expensive for me to justify buying a keyboard from US or something and shipping it here. I want a quality set of PBT key caps anyway, and I would need to buy that separate either way. Speaking of, anyone got any recommendations for thick white PBT key caps I can buy without having to lie to my friends about purchase price when they ask me? Maybe I should wait for next opportunity at massdrop.
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: Bludude4 on Wed, 11 February 2015, 21:10:12: TheSven posted a thread where he was looking for a big-ass enter key. I think the two of you might work something out.
Here's the link to the thread:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=68481.0

I also posted a reply on his thread pointing to you, because I read his thread, then I read yours, and it simply seemed like a match made in heaven (At least to me. XD)
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 11 February 2015, 21:19:14: I wish the Egdx had the big enter key... Then I could be mas'dramatico when I

do

This..

....

(http://www.msgking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/onion-avatar086.gif)
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: Oobly on Thu, 12 February 2015, 03:53:27: Quote from: tp4tissue on Wed, 11 February 2015, 21:19:14
I wish the Egdx had the big enter key... Then I could be mas'dramatico when I

do

This..

....

Show Image
(http://www.msgking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/onion-avatar086.gif)

Slam it with a fist at the end of every line... I like it.

Reminds of the "rage quit" discussion. I like the idea of a separate 2x2 mini board with 4 SuperBlacks. Big red "RAGE QUIT" button. Sends only Alt-F4 keycode combo.
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: DuckMyDucky on Fri, 13 February 2015, 09:49:33: I might be straying a bit off-topic now, but since I'm going through with this I need a set of key caps. I'm ideally looking for some thick white/grey PBT at a reasonable price (maximum 40 dollars). I'm looking into getting the Vortex Backlit Doubleshot PBT Keycaps from Massdrop, but I would have to wait some two months to receive them. Any other suggestions?
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: CuriousJ on Sat, 31 October 2015, 07:17:48: Hey, if you've still got that keyboard as pictured, it's exactly what I'm looking for, including the smaller right shift key with the "broken bar|backslash" key beside it! I'll buy it from you!
Title: Re: Help me get rid of my big-ass enter
Post by: seville57 on Sat, 31 October 2015, 07:41:56: Like someone said buy a ANSI k-board.

Here in Sweden we have the ISO/Nordic layout and it is a hell to find good lookin keycaps sets.

We have 2 webshops that sells ISO/Nordic keycaps sets:

The first shop has only 2 Ducky keycaps set + some Ducky keycap.

The second shop has the same 2 Ducky sets + some Ducky keycap and some ISO/Nordic WASD keycaps sets + some sets from QWERKeys and some more.

That's all we have here in Sweden.

So last year I bought a ANSI Ducky Shine 3 k-board from MechanicalKeyboards.com.

Have 5 ANSI k-boards now and never gonna go back to ISO.

So now I can buy/use ANSI keycaps sets drops from Massdrop, AliExpress + more.