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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: dantan on Sat, 25 February 2017, 05:33:42

Title: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: dantan on Sat, 25 February 2017, 05:33:42
The price is dirt cheap and the pictures suggest something good, but what are you getting exactly?

Is the price for the PCB or what?

https://world.taobao.com/item/544676077849.htm?fromSite=main&ali_refid=a3_430618_1006:1105076969:N:%E6%9C%BA%E6%A2%B0%E9%94%AE%E7%9B%98+%E8%8C%B6%E8%BD%B4:177cf52b2de15e6766360a6ed6671fc5&ali_trackid=1_177cf52b2de15e6766360a6ed6671fc5&spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.x4Nvfl

Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: sony on Sat, 25 February 2017, 05:38:28
I believe that is the price for the whole keyboard. I've gotten keyboards off taobao for that cheap and used them as gifts for some friends.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: Krakob on Sat, 25 February 2017, 06:27:16
Are those the Outemu dust proof switches? If so, it's a great price for a (arguably) decent keyboard
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: dantan on Sat, 25 February 2017, 06:32:05
I honestly don't understand what you are getting. WHOLE keyboard? Are these hot swap PCB with hot swap LEDs? What kind of otemu switches? One of them looks like novatouch or royal kludge Topre imitations to me. And isn't that a double sided PCB which is supposed to be better than a single sided PCB?

Lots of info on that page but I'm waiting for that TP4 guy to explain.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: happylacquer on Sat, 25 February 2017, 06:38:54
I honestly don't understand what you are getting. WHOLE keyboard? Are these hot swap PCB with hot swap LEDs? What kind of otemu switches? One of them looks like novatouch or royal kludge Topre imitations to me. And isn't that a double sided PCB which is supposed to be better than a single sided PCB?

Lots of info on that page but I'm waiting for that TP4 guy to explain.

The cheapest ones are no LEDs and your choice of switches.
As they get more expensive, the LEDs get more complex and more fancy addons are available.
You can use a proxy like taobaoring or mistertao to buy taobao stuff to the USA.
Seems pretty hard to find one that does epacket shipping though, which is the best because it's both super cheap and the same exact service as EMS Express.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: dantan on Sat, 25 February 2017, 06:52:54
I honestly don't understand what you are getting. WHOLE keyboard? Are these hot swap PCB with hot swap LEDs? What kind of otemu switches? One of them looks like novatouch or royal kludge Topre imitations to me. And isn't that a double sided PCB which is supposed to be better than a single sided PCB?

Lots of info on that page but I'm waiting for that TP4 guy to explain.

The cheapest ones are no LEDs and your choice of switches.
As they get more expensive, the LEDs get more complex and more fancy addons are available.
You can use a proxy like taobaoring or mistertao to buy taobao stuff to the USA.
Seems pretty hard to find one that does epacket shipping though, which is the best because it's both super cheap and the same exact service as EMS Express.

Aha, so you mean that the very low price is the base price for the most stripped down outfit. Then as you add switches, add leds, etc it gets more expensive. Makes sense. I was wondering how they could sell a keyboard with everything in their pictures for that price.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: tp4tissue on Sat, 25 February 2017, 10:04:35
网咖骚男,    basically means, this keyboard is designed for --net cafe male hipsters--

That's the literal translation. hahahaha  kids these days.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: 1391406 on Sat, 25 February 2017, 11:24:56
Are those the Outemu dust proof switches? If so, it's a great price for a (arguably) decent keyboard

According to the listing, they're dust proof.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: sony on Sat, 25 February 2017, 12:34:09
I honestly don't understand what you are getting. WHOLE keyboard? Are these hot swap PCB with hot swap LEDs? What kind of otemu switches? One of them looks like novatouch or royal kludge Topre imitations to me. And isn't that a double sided PCB which is supposed to be better than a single sided PCB?

Lots of info on that page but I'm waiting for that TP4 guy to explain.

The cheapest ones are no LEDs and your choice of switches.
As they get more expensive, the LEDs get more complex and more fancy addons are available.
You can use a proxy like taobaoring or mistertao to buy taobao stuff to the USA.
Seems pretty hard to find one that does epacket shipping though, which is the best because it's both super cheap and the same exact service as EMS Express.

Aha, so you mean that the very low price is the base price for the most stripped down outfit. Then as you add switches, add leds, etc it gets more expensive. Makes sense. I was wondering how they could sell a keyboard with everything in their pictures for that price.
They all include switches. Backlighting is extra. It's so cheap because China.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: y11971alex on Sat, 25 February 2017, 12:46:24
This keyboard does not allow for LED colour adjustment.  But as far as I could tell, it is for a whole keyboard.  There is also a version that supports changing switches.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: ideus on Sat, 25 February 2017, 13:14:44
Is there a source for those switches? Are they Cherry compatible? I meant, if they fit in the same PCBs as Cherry SW.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: happylacquer on Sat, 25 February 2017, 16:31:06
Is there a source for those switches? Are they Cherry compatible? I meant, if they fit in the same PCBs as Cherry SW.

Yeah all over taobao. There are more brands of non-Cherry MX clones than you can shake a stick at.

I had a $25 China fake Blue MX board that I'd been using for about 3 years. It still works fine, now it has a rainbow cap set on it, and I gave it to my GF because blues infuriate me.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: dantan on Sun, 26 February 2017, 01:20:55
Is there a source for those switches? Are they Cherry compatible? I meant, if they fit in the same PCBs as Cherry SW.

Yeah all over taobao. There are more brands of non-Cherry MX clones than you can shake a stick at.

I had a $25 China fake Blue MX board that I'd been using for about 3 years. It still works fine, now it has a rainbow cap set on it, and I gave it to my GF because blues infuriate me.

So you think that with the non-soldered board we can just pull out the non-Cherry switches and substitute our own Cherry switches inside?
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: sony on Sun, 26 February 2017, 01:37:43
Is there a source for those switches? Are they Cherry compatible? I meant, if they fit in the same PCBs as Cherry SW.

Yeah all over taobao. There are more brands of non-Cherry MX clones than you can shake a stick at.

I had a $25 China fake Blue MX board that I'd been using for about 3 years. It still works fine, now it has a rainbow cap set on it, and I gave it to my GF because blues infuriate me.

So you think that with the non-soldered board we can just pull out the non-Cherry switches and substitute our own Cherry switches inside?
If you do get a hotswap board you may not be able to substitute cherry switches in. It depends on the socket used. For example, the teamwolf board allows for cherry and gateron switches, but the e-element does not.
Title: Re: Need a Taobao Fu expert to explain this keyboard
Post by: Andy_Nixeus on Tue, 28 February 2017, 15:19:59
this is a very interesting keyboard indeed. Curious how good those dust proof switches are.