Plate mounted vs PCB mounted Stabilzers

[potatobot]

hello everyone,

I just received my rs68 kit from Massdrop and i got too excited so i started doing mock ups

Then i noticed the stabilizers they came with are total garbage so i decided to buy some

after searching i found out that the cheapest source i can find for various stabilizers would be from http://www.switchtop.com/products (im not advertising or anything but they are indeed the cheapest i can find with shipping CONUS)

So im confused whether to get plate mounted or pcb mounted ones

Im not sure if my plate does infact accept plate mounted ones, but i just need legit stabilizers that would feel much much better.

are costar stabilzers an option for rs68?

let me hear your thoughts before i press checkout 

[RageNorge]

Not to hijack your thread, but what even IS the difference between them?

Sent fra min HUAWEI GRA-L09 via Tapatalk

[suicidal_orange]

Not to hijack your thread, but what even IS the difference between them?

Sent fra min HUAWEI GRA-L09 via Tapatalk

PCB mount clip through the PCB, plate mount clip to the plate.  I haven't noticed any significant difference in feel...


@potatobot post a pic of the cutouts in your plate then anyone who knows can tell you what will fit even if they aren't familiar with the rs68

[RageNorge]

But, why the difference in stabs? Why not just have the plates be compatible from the start?

[potatobot]

Not to hijack your thread, but what even IS the difference between them?

Sent fra min HUAWEI GRA-L09 via Tapatalk

PCB mount clip through the PCB, plate mount clip to the plate.  I haven't noticed any significant difference in feel...


@potatobot post a pic of the cutouts in your plate then anyone who knows can tell you what will fit even if they aren't familiar with the rs68

hey, sorry it took me so long to reply

im confused where to buy some stabs now. techkeys are offering some which are made by GMK too

here's the pic of the plate (sorry it has some switches/stabs mounted on for fitting)

[Badwrench]

Not to hijack your thread, but what even IS the difference between them?

Sent fra min HUAWEI GRA-L09 via Tapatalk

PCB mount clip through the PCB, plate mount clip to the plate.  I haven't noticed any significant difference in feel...


@potatobot post a pic of the cutouts in your plate then anyone who knows can tell you what will fit even if they aren't familiar with the rs68

hey, sorry it took me so long to reply

im confused where to buy some stabs now. techkeys are offering some which are made by GMK too

here's the pic of the plate (sorry it has some switches/stabs mounted on for fitting)

Looks like you need pcb mount.  The plate is cut larger to clear the stab housing. 

Can you pull one of yours out and get a picture?  I can't quite tell what they sent you.  Switch top does seem to be the cheapest for a full set. 

[Tactile]

What's the problem with the stabs included with the kit?

[potatobot]

What's the problem with the stabs included with the kit?

according to this photo, the stabs are FAKE and they are really wobbly. Aside from that, i need a 7U wire which MD forgot to include.

Looks like you need pcb mount.  The plate is cut larger to clear the stab housing. 

Can you pull one of yours out and get a picture?  I can't quite tell what they sent you.  Switch top does seem to be the cheapest for a full set. 

im too lazy to tear it apart now, but i already confirmed that the plate doesn't allow for plate mounting.

I was leaning towards techkey's offering because they say its "made by GMK"

[Tactile]

I received some similar stabs in something I bought - either in a kit or bought separately. Mine were also already clipped - or, really, just weren't made with the little tab at all, so no need to clip. I wouldn't use the word "fake" to describe them, though. They're just aftermarket stabilizers. Anyway, I've had no trouble with any Cherry type stabs I've ever used. Once the cap is installed they all work great.

I've built 2 40%, a GH60 rev C, and a Clueboard, all with Cherry type stabs and somewhere in that bunch are some aftermarket stabs similar to the ones in your photo but I wouldn't be able to find them by typing on the keyboards.

[kawasaki161]

The stabs on switchtop are the exact same as the ones you have right now (chinese clones), so you only have to get the 7u one for the right wire there.
The Techkeys ones are legit, but the 6.25u wire does not work with plates if you would want to use it for a different build.

[potatobot]

The stabs on switchtop are the exact same as the ones you have right now (chinese clones), so you only have to get the 7u one for the right wire there.
The Techkeys ones are legit, but the 6.25u wire does not work with plates if you would want to use it for a different build.

Thanks for the info! Im only getting 7u & 2u's for my build so no worries. 

I received some similar stabs in something I bought - either in a kit or bought separately. Mine were also already clipped - or, really, just weren't made with the little tab at all, so no need to clip. I wouldn't use the word "fake" to describe them, though. They're just aftermarket stabilizers. Anyway, I've had no trouble with any Cherry type stabs I've ever used. Once the cap is installed they all work great.

I've built 2 40%, a GH60 rev C, and a Clueboard, all with Cherry type stabs and somewhere in that bunch are some aftermarket stabs similar to the ones in your photo but I wouldn't be able to find them by typing on the keyboards.

Its just that i need a 7u for my build which wasnt included in my package.

So now im looking for the best stabs i can get, wanna try out the legit ones too, as my previous experience with those kinds of stabs weren't that good at all(they get removed from the pcb when i try to remove keycaps). Toothpick mod would be a good fix but they are just too flimsy for my taste.

[Tactile]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't want the stabs to be tight and precise. You want them to be a bit of a sloppy fit so if you have a cap (usually a spacebar) which is slightly warped or a little out of spec you can still install it and it will work fine. If the stab inserts were as precise as the switch stems you'd have a lot more trouble fitting some keycaps and then they might bind somewhere in the stroke. IOW, they're sloppy for a reason.

[potatobot]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't want the stabs to be tight and precise. You want them to be a bit of a sloppy fit so if you have a cap (usually a spacebar) which is slightly warped or a little out of spec you can still install it and it will work fine. If the stab inserts were as precise as the switch stems you'd have a lot more trouble fitting some keycaps and then they might bind somewhere in the stroke. IOW, they're sloppy for a reason.

Ohh thanks! im going with techkey's offering then, to test them out and compare them.

i only have plate mounted ones on my ducky and pok3r to compare with the china stabs for now.

[chuckdee]

I just completed an RS78. They are PCB mount, and I was told the same thing about the included stabs, so used the ones from a prior buy that I'd gotten in on... for once buying on spec worked out!  And I will add, make sure you test them before starting your soldering.  And by test I mean take the mounts, and move them up and down to make sure that they work.  I didn't, and didn't figure out what people meant by test until after I'd soldered and they didn't work.   That's a really bad feeling, and very hard to fix.  I only fixed it for my spacebar.  The others, I just cut the mounts off with a wire snipper.

[menuhin]

What's the problem with the stabs included with the kit?

according to this photo, the stabs are FAKE and they are really wobbly. Aside from that, i need a 7U wire which MD forgot to include.

More

Looks like you need pcb mount.  The plate is cut larger to clear the stab housing. 

Can you pull one of yours out and get a picture?  I can't quite tell what they sent you.  Switch top does seem to be the cheapest for a full set. 

im too lazy to tear it apart now, but i already confirmed that the plate doesn't allow for plate mounting.

I was leaning towards techkey's offering because they say its "made by GMK"

It is quite clear that the stab on the left has both hooks and holes for screws, and the one on the right has only the holes for screws.
Doesn't it make some difference?