Keyboard Unquality

[Novus]

I need suggestions for a new keyboard that i want to buy that will likely break down after a month of normal usage.

Go.

[SpAmRaY]

[Novus]

(Attachment Link)

Silly Ray,
Keyboard not a bedpost

[SpAmRaY]

(Attachment Link)

Silly Ray,
Keyboard not a bedpost

well i figured someone would say razer but no one did...so...

razer!

a lot of people seem to think this one is kind of crappy, it goes on sale for like $30ish

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=9433v

[Kliee]

Well, I guess you can go to a big computer accessories seller's website and order the cheapest of the no-name keyboards. But even with that, failling in one month would take chance...
The worst keyboard I ever had was a logitech ALTO, but it was a $120+ board. It started failling almost day one, sometimes not registering a string of keystrockes... But I guess they fixed the problem now and I don't even know if that keyboard is still available.

May we know why you want such a keyboard?

[Tarzan]

I need suggestions for a new keyboard that i want to buy that will likely break down after a month of normal usage.

Go.

Tp4tissue?  Is that you?

[FoxWolf1]

Go onto TaoBao; search for mechanical keyboards, looking only at new items, and sort by price. Start at a reasonable number, then go down. Go down until you get to the cheap stuff in the $30-$40 range with older-generation Kailhs and other "MX-Compatible" switches, and then keep going past those things down into the $20-$30 range. Now, at that level, most of the keyboards will be rubber domes that call themselves mechanical-like, or say they have a mechanical handfeel, or that are just falsely marketed as mechanical. Others will be rubber domes with 8 mechanical switches (usually on WASD and the arrow keys). But...down there, in the realm of companies too cheap even to use the lowest of Kailh switches, you'll also find a couple of keyboards-- and remember, we're talking new only, not used-- that are fully mechanical, using ALPS-style switches of unknown provenance, sporting names like "MG Flame" or "Flagk Iori".

Try one of those.

[Hak Foo]

If you can find one, anymore, a Ducky 1008XM demonstrates low quality in many ways.

The plate can be easily bent by hand.

The circuit-board is of relatively low quality.

The case is of such a crappy plastic that you WILL strip every screw through the simple act of disassembling and reassembling once.  Bonus points: it fits together in a bizarre and non-intuitive fashion.

The caps are thin and poorly lettered; you will wear the filled-in letters off over time.

However, I just can't kill it outright.  I cracked the PCB, and managed to patch it together with conductive paint.  I replaced the switches, some of which now mount on dangling lifted traces, and it still worked when decommissioned.

[FoxWolf1]

If you can find one, anymore, a Ducky 1008XM demonstrates low quality in many ways.

The plate can be easily bent by hand.

The circuit-board is of relatively low quality.

The case is of such a crappy plastic that you WILL strip every screw through the simple act of disassembling and reassembling once.  Bonus points: it fits together in a bizarre and non-intuitive fashion.

The caps are thin and poorly lettered; you will wear the filled-in letters off over time.

However, I just can't kill it outright.  I cracked the PCB, and managed to patch it together with conductive paint.  I replaced the switches, some of which now mount on dangling lifted traces, and it still worked when decommissioned.

I killed mine outright after a couple of months, but then, I'm not very good (read: terrible) at repairs. To add to the list of crappy things that you mention:
-Case wobble. Lots and lots of case wobble.
-Because the plate, case, and PCB are all crap, if you have a habit of pressing keys on the harder side, you can actually cause the switches to tear free of the PCB. I know this because I did it.
-Switches can easily be broken, or even accidentally torn off entirely, when trying to change keycaps. ALPS cap tightness + crappy plate is not a good combination.
So yes, this would be a good option...

But, I can't help wonder if these new Chinese models with ALPS-style switches, being even cheaper than the 1008XM ever was, might not be even worse...

[C5Allroad]

(Attachment Link)

Silly Ray,
Keyboard not a bedpost

well i figured someone would say razer but no one did...so...

razer!

a lot of people seem to think this one is kind of crappy, it goes on sale for like $30ish

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=9433v

Silly noob!
This will break in a few weeks...

[katushkin]

Erm, wtf are those legends on the WASD cluster?

[Novus]

Erm, wtf are those legends on the WASD cluster?

Lantean

[rowdy]

Anything Razer?

[swill]

I will be unpopular because of this, but I am going to throw the QFR in here.

After about 6 months of use the switches started failing. I resoldered them to get them working again. The traces on this thing are crap though.

Another 2 months of use and a different 5 keys stopped working. Now I need to just resolder the whole board.

Quality is lacking for sure.

[berserkfan]

If you can find one, anymore, a Ducky 1008XM demonstrates low quality in many ways.

The plate can be easily bent by hand.

The circuit-board is of relatively low quality.

The case is of such a crappy plastic that you WILL strip every screw through the simple act of disassembling and reassembling once.  Bonus points: it fits together in a bizarre and non-intuitive fashion.

The caps are thin and poorly lettered; you will wear the filled-in letters off over time.

However, I just can't kill it outright.  I cracked the PCB, and managed to patch it together with conductive paint.  I replaced the switches, some of which now mount on dangling lifted traces, and it still worked when decommissioned.

True quality. As you can see, even lower end Duckys don't die easy.

[berserkfan]

I will be unpopular because of this, but I am going to throw the QFR in here.

After about 6 months of use the switches started failing. I resoldered them to get them working again. The traces on this thing are crap though.

Another 2 months of use and a different 5 keys stopped working. Now I need to just resolder the whole board.

Quality is lacking for sure.

Having just changed my PLU blacks to clears, I would like to suggest PLU as a cheap keyboard with some quality despite not seeming quality. I actually managed to desolder everything without burning the board, lifting traces, or cracking anything.

[C5Allroad]

Erm, wtf are those legends on the WASD cluster?

I don't know... It's supposed to be alien crap.
I know alienware has their own alphabet....
4 key rollover FTW
[EDIT] Found it..... http://www.alienowners.com/content.php/13-Alienware-Caret-Alphabet-Decoded

[Defect]

I get that the prompt is meant to spark conversation about low quality boards but I don't think that even the cheapest of boards would break after 1 month of normal use.

I guess I would nominate...anything with first gen Kailh switches.  Based on what I read, not from personal experience.

Or you could 3d print a case and 61+ mx compatible switches and make a board.  Sounds expensive, impractical, and somehow fun.

[paicrai]

break into a school or library and steal any keyboard that is not listed in online stores anymore

[swill]

break into a school or library and steal any keyboard that is not listed in online stores anymore

We do not condone illegal activities on this forum, so be a bit careful about your suggestions.   

[paicrai]

okay, ask for a handmedown or spare or whatever :b

[aref]

I've never owned one, but a Rapoo Blade keyboard would get my vote for an
early breakdown. I've been told Rapoo are inexpensive and are quick to fail.

[VilaBobz]

I don't think anything will break that fast.  Even the cheaper rubber dome boards should last you a very long while.

[C5Allroad]

Depends how you treat your stuff.
Most things with me last longer than most people, like phones, watches and membrane boards lasted a while with me before mechanical.

Some people are really rough with their things. But here on GH, everyone seems to have OCD with boards lol.

[1996 Ford Taurus]

The Dell PS/2 keyboards from around 2004 were pretty bad. They'd probably break easily.

[tp4tissue]

Exactly 1 month?...

why not just buy any 2 dollar keyboard...  then after 30 days... touch it to live wall and fry it.. 

[berserkfan]

I don't think anything will break that fast.  Even the cheaper rubber dome boards should last you a very long while.

Let's figure out something fun.

We should put our minds together and construct the worst possible keyboard.

EG worst possible casing, worst possible components, etc to maximize chances of keyboard falling apart within 1 month.

For instance we could go for Kailh switches or something even worse.
We must go for the worst possible PCBs. I believe there are some Chinese makes that are purely domestic because they are that bad.
We must use the infamous Rosewill mini-USB connector soldering.
Please guys, come up with more ideas!

[tp4tissue]

I don't think anything will break that fast.  Even the cheaper rubber dome boards should last you a very long while.

Let's figure out something fun.

We should put our minds together and construct the worst possible keyboard.

EG worst possible casing, worst possible components, etc to maximize chances of keyboard falling apart within 1 month.

For instance we could go for Kailh switches or something even worse.
We must go for the worst possible PCBs. I believe there are some Chinese makes that are purely domestic because they are that bad.
We must use the infamous Rosewill mini-USB connector soldering.
Please guys, come up with more ideas!

this makes no sense...  you can't solve a problem with such open-ended parameters.

[Hak Foo]

Let's fiddle with using things slightly out of their tolerance band... take a MX-style PCB and mount ALPS switches rotated 30 degrees into it.  It will sort of fit but probably not stay.  Using them without a plate will also reduce durability.

Then, because there are no caps that will fit that switch positioning, use some sort of adapter to make them fit MX keycaps.  Make it out of brittle plastic.

[FoxWolf1]

Use a plate made out of flexible plastic, and space it too far away from the (one-sided) PCB, so that there's a gap between the bottoms of the switch housings and the PCB. You'll still be able to solder the switches on so long as the very bottoms of the pins can get through the PCB, but each keypress will put strain directly onto the solder joints, and from there, onto the traces. 

Use Noppoo's debounce algorithm.

Hold the case together primarily with clips made of brittle plastic. You know, the kind that inevitably break the first time that you open the keyboard.

[Oobly]

Just buy the first board you find which has a 1 month warranty.   

[gcb]

I need suggestions for a new keyboard that i want to buy that will likely break down after a month of normal usage.

Go.

Every single one.

I doubt any keyboard would break *before* a month of normal usage.

[False_Dmitry_II]

Eh, even my original rubber dome, which was $5 from microcenter lasted for at least three years until I switched to mech. It even barely has any wear on its lettering. I can only assume that the more expensive gamer dome keyboards from its time that also felt worse would have failed faster.