What are some advancements you want to see in the hobby?

[Nurseh]

Hello Everyone!

Myself and some friends were talking this week and were talking about some of the things that have developed in the keyboard hobby. We have seen long pole switches become popular, pe foam, amongst many other things. We got to thinking what could be brought into the hobby to mix things up a bit. What are some things you might want to see/be developed?

Looking forward to some input, cheers!

[Leslieann]

Carbon Fiber, would make for some awesome low weight portable boards.

Better factory lube, more of it, more consistent, if done right, there's little need to lube and yet too many need more lube.  No reason a factory can't do it.

Better stabs... I think there's a LOT of room for improvement here and it's one area almost no one has tackled.

I'd also love to see manufacturers, and hobbyist cable makers embrace magnetic connectors. Many of us have switched to them (Netdot gen 10 most common) and refuse to go back.


Oh, and having inventory...  Remember when things were in stock? 

[noisyturtle]

Convex Keycaps

100% Glass Keycaps

100% Glass Convex Keycaps w/ Doubleshot Glass in Glass Legends


also, Smartglass keycaps that fog up when you actuate them (or vise-versa)

[fohat.digs]

NumLock "ON" as default and the LED indicator light glows when NumLock is "OFF"

[treeleaf64]

Moar 3d printing! you can get really cool keyboard component that you cannot get with 3 axis CNC.

[tp4tissue]

Moar 3d printing! you can get really cool keyboard component that you cannot get with 3 axis CNC.

m0ar 5-axis CNC.

[Leslieann]

Moar 3d printing! you can get really cool keyboard component that you cannot get with 3 axis CNC.

With a bit of creativity there's almost nothing on a keyboard you can do on a 3d printer you can't do on a 3 or 5 axis mill, I don't even think we really need 5 axis most of the time.

The only thing 3d printers really offer that's different is the ability to do honeycomb/cavities and that's not something we often see on keyboards anyhow.

[tp4tissue]

Moar 3d printing! you can get really cool keyboard component that you cannot get with 3 axis CNC.

With a bit of creativity there's almost nothing on a keyboard you can do on a 3d printer you can't do on a 3 or 5 axis mill, I don't even think we really need 5 axis most of the time.

The only thing 3d printers really offer that's different is the ability to do honeycomb/cavities and that's not something we often see on keyboards anyhow.

I don't think treeleaf is talking about the tech,  he's probably including the cost-prohibitive-ness of doing complex geometry on cnc.

[Nurseh]

Carbon Fiber, would make for some awesome low weight portable boards.

Better factory lube, more of it, more consistent, if done right, there's little need to lube and yet too many need more lube.  No reason a factory can't do it.

Better stabs... I think there's a LOT of room for improvement here and it's one area almost no one has tackled.

I'd also love to see manufacturers, and hobbyist cable makers embrace magnetic connectors. Many of us have switched to them (Netdot gen 10 most common) and refuse to go back.


Oh, and having inventory...  Remember when things were in stock? 

Show Image

I think improving the factory lube would be a great advancement in the hobby. I'm sure everyone could appreciate that if done right! Same goes for better stabs, it seems that a lot of people struggle the most with stabs; I can agree when you bring up the point that there is a lot to improve on. Some recent stabs that are improved slightly upon, sell like hotcakes.

[Nurseh]

Moar 3d printing! you can get really cool keyboard component that you cannot get with 3 axis CNC.

m0ar 5-axis CNC.

Moar 3d printing! you can get really cool keyboard component that you cannot get with 3 axis CNC.

I believe I saw a board just recently in IC that is bringing in some more 5 axis aspects.

[DubbTom]

Along the same lines I'm looking forward to what designs metal 3D printing would enable. Hopefully in the next 3-5 years it will be economically feasible for consumers/hobbyists.

[Leslieann]

Along the same lines I'm looking forward to what designs metal 3D printing would enable. Hopefully in the next 3-5 years it will be economically feasible for consumers/hobbyists.

To own a machine, very, very unlikely.

It's coming down to common industrial levels so getting something made will come down SOME, but metal printing at home is even more hazardous than resin printing, which already comes with a lot of caveats (messy, toxic smell, the need for clean up and curing stations).


Metal (which is always powder based) has a few major issues:
You REALLY need a clean room/station and includes a vacuum system to control the powder from going everywhere, it's worse than glitter for spreading and waaay worse for your lungs.

The powder itself is EXPENSIVE and no one sells in small quantity (also highly explosive if burned). If you think extruded aluminum or titanium is expensive imagine how much it costs when it needs to be ground into micro particles without being contaminated by whatever you use to grind it into powder.

Worse, like resin you need to fill a vat or tub with material every print and while it can be re-used I think most recommend re-using it more than 5 times and it wastes a LOT of material every print, hence always trying to fill the tub with as many prints as possible. While there is a new type that doesn't waste hardly any material, it functions closer to common printers and therefore has limited ability to bridge and do overhangs, it's relatively new and therefore locked down under a division of patent lawyers. 3d printers have existed since the 80's, the reason hardly anyone knew they existed was because of the patents being abused to control the market and prices, they aren't going to let go of the last vestiges of intellectual property keeping them old geezers afloat. Even then it still has many of the same drawbacks in regards to cleanrooms and powder costs, it just wastes less power.


All that said... You can sort of do metal with a common desktop printer.
They load the filament with metal powder and a bonding agent, you print it, then either leave it as is, which is not bad and looks and feels like metal or you can use a furnace for casting or ceramics to either fuse it all together with the bonding agent or burn out the bonding agent in a sand box and melt the metal together.

The filament is EXPENSIVE, like $75 for 3/4kg of brass or aluminum (metal powder is expensive) and it absolutely wrecks almost any nozzle it's run through.

[Findecanor]

Along the same lines I'm looking forward to what designs metal 3D printing would enable. Hopefully in the next 3-5 years it will be economically feasible for consumers/hobbyists.

To own a machine, very, very unlikely.

To own: unlikely, but not impossible. I know a makerspace that bought one.. and then realised that they couldn't use it, for the reasons you mentioned.   

All that said... You can sort of do metal with a common desktop printer.
They load the filament with metal powder and a bonding agent, you print it, then either leave it as is, which is not bad and looks and feels like metal or you can use a furnace for casting or ceramics to either fuse it all together with the bonding agent or burn out the bonding agent in a sand box and melt the metal together.

There is also the "Lost PLA" method. Print in cheap PLA filament, and then cast it like the "Lost Wax Method": pack casting sand around it to make a mould with sprues and pour molten metal down the sprues. The print will melt, being replaced with metal in the same shape.
But casting "larger" things, like a metal keyboard isn't something you'd do in the garage.
I know of someone who cast a Mandalorian helmet in aluminium - but that was at the professional forge where he worked.

[DubbTom]

Yeah I should have been more clear. When I said economically feasible for consumers/hobbyists in the next 3-5 years I was referring to outsourcing manufacturing and not a home machine. Although you both brought up good points in the difficulty of printing with metal powder that I was not aware of. I'm mostly thinking of innovative designs like the Evolv that were hindered by the high cost or low quality associated with metal printing.

[Surefoot]

Hall effect switches (with MX keycap mount of course), and custom PCB that support them.
More click leaf options with MX style mount (currently, only the upcoming Zeal clickies). Click leaf in Hall effect switches, in custom keyboards, would be really nice.
Better stabilizers, with included dampening pads (from the mold, double shot maybe).
Better factory lubrication for switches.

[iri]

New switch designs, and not the 579843007528435 shoddily made MX clones. And not the ones that require lubing for sure.

[HungerMechanic]

OUTEMU / Gazzew managed to make a switch, with the Boba housing, that's factory-smooth and hardly any ping. Very tight housing. Doesn't need lube + filming.

We need more switches like that, in other categories besides heavy-tactile and linear.

[kajahtaa]

stm32 availability for less than 1$ would be nice
A switch that feels like amber omron
Loud boards
KAM blanks in stock
Normies learning about QMK or ZMK
More designers with style
Extermination of 65
Stabs that aren't trash

[HungerMechanic]

A factory-tactile version of the Zeal PC clicky switch tuned to resemble the intensity of ALPS SKCM Orange.

100% boards.

[phinix]

I would say stock. More things in stock, so it could be bought without waiting for GB to complete.

[Nurseh]

I would say stock. More things in stock, so it could be bought without waiting for GB to complete.

Wait times due to recent issues have become an issue for a lot of people. Waiting a year minimum for GMK is is pushing others to come into the picture, which I find a good thing for the hobby.
Were seeing a lot of sets in stock with vendors as well as keyboard group buys being in stock/ shorter wait times. Definitely looking forward to seeing where it goes from here!

[Handke]

NumLock "ON" as default and the LED indicator light glows when NumLock is "OFF"

Interesting... my black-sharpie colored led agrees.

[Handke]

Carbon Fiber, would make for some awesome low weight portable boards.

Better factory lube, more of it, more consistent, if done right, there's little need to lube and yet too many need more lube.  No reason a factory can't do it.

Better stabs... I think there's a LOT of room for improvement here and it's one area almost no one has tackled.

I'd also love to see manufacturers, and hobbyist cable makers embrace magnetic connectors. Many of us have switched to them (Netdot gen 10 most common) and refuse to go back.

Oh, and having inventory...  Remember when things were in stock? 

Show Image

Do you agree on Durock v2 being the best?

About the Netdot gen 10, what are the drawbacks? It seems too good to be true. Having the plug constantly connected to the phone, and to the keyboard, seems a good idea. Plus, nobody is stealing my cable anymore...

The netdot seem to have gotten way worse in the last generations... se the last reviews

https://www.amazon.it/product-reviews/B07LBG1DFQ/ref=acr_dp_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

[Leslieann]

Do you agree on Durock v2 being the best?

I haven't tried them.

I think the entire Cherry (and Costar) stab design in general is terrible.
It was a 5 cent solution designed decades ago and doesn't measure up to the quality of keyboards and manufacturing systems we have today.

It's one area on the keyboard itself that has had almost zero innovation on it in nearly 40 years.

About the Netdot gen 10, what are the drawbacks? It seems too good to be true. Having the plug constantly connected to the phone, and to the keyboard, seems a good idea. Plus, nobody is stealing my cable anymore...

The netdot seem to have gotten way worse in the last generations... se the last reviews

The American Amazon has stellar reviews and tons of us here use them on our keyboards and more. I have 6(?) Gen 10 cords and about 10 tips, plus about half that in gen 3. My only complaint with the 3 was limited top selection and it was one sided. I also broke one tips magnet.

There is one downside and that is it sticks out.
I do NOT recommend it for phones, if you drop your phone and it happens to land on that connector it will absolutely wreck your phone. I mean bent frame, smashed screen, broken pcb. I HIGHLY recommend wireless charging whenever possible (Ikea has a decent one for about $5).

Side note...
Some type C connections have been known to have issues. I've had some Type C go into my Galaxy and nearly break the port and I've heard of it breaking others. It's NOT a Netdot issue, it's a type C issue. USB standards and tolerances are complete and utter garbage. Users think of Type C as being end user friendly but really almost all the standards and practices are geared (and written) by the industry to be easy for them. This is why Type C has so many variants and problems.

[HungerMechanic]

Carbon Fiber, would make for some awesome low weight portable boards.

Better factory lube, more of it, more consistent, if done right, there's little need to lube and yet too many need more lube.  No reason a factory can't do it.

Better stabs... I think there's a LOT of room for improvement here and it's one area almost no one has tackled.

Agree with all of your suggestions in your post. Particularly the fact that part designs for many aspects of MX keyboards are 40 years out-of-date, and were not necessarily good to begin with.

With the size of MX switches and keyboards, and the wide compatibility of the parts ecosystem, there should be new designs for things like stabilizers that take advantage of the space in the keyboard, and the existing compatibility.

Also, I agree that carbon-fibre should be looked-at. The rubber-domes on carbon-fibre Thinkpads are often excellent, particularly the ones with like 2mm+ of travel. The carbon-fibre chassis of the X1 Carbon gives a very light and sturdy base for these rubber-domes.

Honestly, a rubber-dome Thinkpad-style keyboard in conventional TKL and full-size configuration would be all that most people need. Bonus if they use the classic Thinkpad keys, super-bonus if the rubber-domes [same ones] are made to be MX-compatible.

[tp4tissue]

The keyswitch Peaked with Cherry MX Booru..  Nothing better has ever been made or since.

[Darthbaggins]

The keyswitch Peaked with Cherry MX Booru..  Nothing better has ever been made or since.

Show Image

Nope Navy tops it, crisp clicks that exude dominance in the workplace.

[Findecanor]

There is one downside and that is it sticks out.
I do NOT recommend it for phones, if you drop your phone and it happens to land on that connector it will absolutely wreck your phone. I mean bent frame, smashed screen, broken pcb. I HIGHLY recommend wireless charging whenever possible (Ikea has a decent one for about $5).

What about a phone case?

[Leslieann]

There is one downside and that is it sticks out.
I do NOT recommend it for phones, if you drop your phone and it happens to land on that connector it will absolutely wreck your phone. I mean bent frame, smashed screen, broken pcb. I HIGHLY recommend wireless charging whenever possible (Ikea has a decent one for about $5).

What about a phone case?

The tips stick out 3mm (1/8in), you would need a pretty thick case to reduce the risk but even then it's not likely to protect it properly.

[CaesarAZealad]

Either more or less degeneracy. I don't care which way it goes, but I want it to either go full puritan, or having a BD sponsored keyboard lubed with [REDACTED]
That and also maybe a vintage keyboard website that isn't full of *******s? Wishful thinking I know.

[granola bar enthusiast]

i would love to see more restocks and maybe some advancements in the budget keycaps area, we have xiami and a few ePBT sets but other than that not much quality stuff thats frequently restocked to my knowledge