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Interest Checks / Re: [IC] GMK Arabian Dusk
« Last post by NightFox99 on Wed, 15 April 2026, 08:23:08 »
So good, will be waiting for it
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Interest Checks / Re: [IC] Infinite 70
« Last post by Randomlosername on Wed, 15 April 2026, 07:04:08 »
It is a shame that the layout for this one is so bad. If this was WKL 7u locked bottom row with options for Split BS/RS it would kill. Absolutely day 1 pickup for me if the layout was right as I love the design, but forcing layout options feels really bad in 2026. Especially since the western market doesn't really use 6.25u bottom row. It really is such a shame that a lot of these really cool designs with really solid price points end up favoring a specific market.
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Reviews / Re: The journey to find a replacement for MX Clears... and Zealios V2
« Last post by Peytontyler on Wed, 15 April 2026, 06:20:19 »
This is interesting. Thanks for posting this.

For MX Clear replacements, I sometimes prefer Durock Medium Tactile. Which is inspired by Zealio V1 / V2. The new Gateron Longjing Tea are somewhat nice, but maybe too gentle for your requirements.

For you, I would recommend some other switches in the Ergo Clear category. The JWK/Durock or JWICK T1 were often rated as being 'better Ergo Clears.' Some interesting variants of the T1 are the SP Star Polaris Purple. Some people prefer the SP Star version of things.

The Everfree Grayish are definitely worth trying, if they are still being sold at budget prices. They are Gateron's attempt at a budget heavy-tactile. You could compare and contrast them with KTT Matcha, which may be too light for you.

Most of the items I just listed, except for Everfree Grayish, probably aren't 'crunchy' enough for you. What some people do is put Durock Medium Tactile stems inside T1 housings. This produces a ramped-up Ergo Clear.

The MMD Princess switches are very, very affordable heavier tactiles, and most people would also try the more upscale U4T tactiles. The Haimu WS Heavy Tactiles are something cheap to experiment with.

People who use them favour the Durock Anubis. Others speak well of the Tecsee Purple Pandas. One of the most tactile switches available, possibly worth trying for you, are the Zeal Clickiez in tactile-mode.
Thanks, this is super helpful. I’ll try T1 variants and Everfree Grayish first, then compare with U4T tactiles. appreciate it
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Off Topic / Re: What's Bothering You? (The thread about what is bothering you.)
« Last post by phinix on Wed, 15 April 2026, 04:42:55 »
Can anyone of Chinese heritage tell me why old Chinese grandmas put EVERY SINGLE item in a plastic bag when grocery shopping? Not just fruits and veggies, but things already in packaging. Bread, cereal boxes, milk cartons, candy. Every single item in it's own plastic bag. And then they refuse paper bags and walk out carrying 75 little blue plastic bags?

Why? Why do they do this?

Sounds like they take it to use for something later at home. Maybe they use them as bin bags?
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Beautiful! Can't go wrong with beige plus a little bit of colours  :thumb:

GLWGB!
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Off Topic / Re: What's Bothering You? (The thread about what is bothering you.)
« Last post by noisyturtle on Tue, 14 April 2026, 23:11:55 »
Can anyone of Chinese heritage tell me why old Chinese grandmas put EVERY SINGLE item in a plastic bag when grocery shopping? Not just fruits and veggies, but things already in packaging. Bread, cereal boxes, milk cartons, candy. Every single item in it's own plastic bag. And then they refuse paper bags and walk out carrying 75 little blue plastic bags?

Why? Why do they do this?
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Group Buys and Preorders / Re: [GB] KeyMaze Geometric Fairytale | April 7 - 27
« Last post by dvorcol on Tue, 14 April 2026, 21:56:37 »
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Here is a summary of the Round 2 improvements over the Round 1 beam spring boards:

An improved, dampened, and more refined sound while typing, due to:

•   Extra case material and foam on top of the modules (like on the originals) for added dampening.  The casing is made from custom-bent metal (see below factory videos) whose dimensions were based on scaling the measurements you kindly provided me.  The Round 2 keyboards were made to look like the classic appearance of the rounded case beam spring boards (basically all the boards except the angular 3278 and 3279 boards (a prototype was made of this design but most folks disliked it).  It's also inspired by the process used to make the IBM Displaywriter keyboard case (the bottom was stamped and folded, not die cast; the new beam spring boards were all stamped, folded, and welded with custom-made stamping tools). 
•   Improvements during a long R&D process over the past few years (the injection molds for the modules was redone and the beam module metal materials were changed to make them sound closer to the originals; though as I mentioned in my updates, the goal of this project was to bring back the beam spring mechanism and not to exactly recreate the sound or feel as exactly as with the Model F project). 
•   Also the inner assemblies are now closed with a torque screwdriver, which allows you to specify the torque and it will let you know if the torque is too high and if the screws are too tight.  The purpose of this process is to optimize how tightly the bottom and top inner assemblies are attached to each other.  In our research over the past few years to get these keyboards to be in line with IBM's standards, we have found that having a slight looseness to the assembly, as shown in one of the below videos, results in a far nicer sound and typing experience.  You don't need a torque screwdriver for your own maintenance of these keyboards, you can just back off the tightness a few turns by eyeing it and keep things loose for optimal sound and performance.

Additional improvements:

•   These are the very first beam spring keyboards with Rico's new open source RP2040-based Leyden Jar controller (same controller as on the F122's).  All the new Model F and beam spring boards still run Vial.  These now have enough memory and pins for 18 instead of 16 columns, improved matrix scanning speed, as well as additional Vial features, including layers and macros, that did not fit in the ATMEGA32U2 used in the xwhatsit controllers.  The other keyboards that do not require 18 columns (B62, BSSK, etc.) will continue to use the xwhatsit controllers until stock runs out, as I've noted on the forums.  I stocked up during the chip shortage many years back, before the Leyden Jar was released.
•   Improved QC - no one is expected to need to adjust the bend of the metal parts inside the module due to a factory QC error with some of the original modules that was disclosed at the time.  The most common issue is just a flyplate (the metal part connected to the flipper) that gets separated from the rest of the module while in transit.  This QC improvement was introduced with the second batch of Round 1 beam spring keyboards which have been in use for a couple years now without major reports of failures.
•   Reattaching the flyplate is now even easier than both the IBM and Round 1 originals where you had to use tape and a paperclip.  The modules now have a custom-molded press fit plastic washer on top so you can quickly and easily disassemble the module by hand and reattach the flyplate (or replace a damaged inner plastic part).  This was also introduced with the second batch of Round 1 beam spring boards which used a glued-on metal washer for each module.  Also in general the beam spring is much easier to take apart compared to a Model F; you only need to unscrew the bottom inner assembly plate instead of using pliers to separate it.  You can even leave the keys installed (except for the modules that you need to remove to fix, of course).  For these reasons, resolving issues requiring disassembly that come up over the years might be even easier and quicker to repair than many issues of the Model F.
•   The boards still come with a mini-first aid kit of 4 modules in anticipation that some may break while in shipping, though many folks order the 12 module full first aid kit.
And as always, for folks who have been waiting a while now and want to see the reasons behind the extended production timeline (and for everyone who is curious about the Beam Spring keyboard production journey), everything is explained in detail on the updates page on the project website.

The aforementioned beam spring Round 2 videos:

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Firmware update:

As per our recent discussions, all of the project's firmware development is now available in one place, Rico's github:  https://github.com/mymakercorner/

The leyden_jar branch is current for the Leyden Jar controller.  https://github.com/mymakercorner/vial-qmk/tree/leyden_jar

The xwhatsit_vial branch is current for the finalized NathanA updates of xwhatsit.

Other branches are for testing.

Additionally, I have attached an untested and unsupported Leyden Jar port of all the various xwhatsit boards, along with a python script that does the porting.  I just sent it to Rico.  It's provided untested, as is, but any fixes would be helpful.  So far the script is extremely preliminary and doesn't properly port over all of the features, the new calibration binning, the ability to check or uncheck in Vial to split or unsplit keys, etc.  If you're on Windows, QMK WSL compiles in minutes compared to the hours QMK MSYS takes.  This is only for those who have soldered a Leyden Jar controller to one of these other keyboards (F62, F77, F15, F Ortho, F50) and are willing to do some testing.
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