Hi geekhack,
After reading though all the posts I have found about modding keyboards, I still have a few questions I was hoping someone would help me with.
I have a Filco Majestouch-2 with Cherry MX Red Switches and a Ducky DK 9008-G2 with Cherry MX Brown switches. I would like to swap the switches on the two boards, resulting in a Ducky with all Red switches and a Filco with all Brown switches.
I bought a practice board and successfully desoldered, re-soldered, and verified the keys work on that board without much problem, so I feel confident about the process of swapping the switches.
My questions are these:
What type of solder should I use? I’ve been reading about leaded vs lead-free solder and given the easier use of leaded solder that seems like a good way to go. I was trying to decide on the correct mix, whether 60/40 or 63/37, but saw what seemed to be indications that these mixes will dissolve gold. Are the Cherry contacts gold plated? If so, will using these solders pose a problem? Is lead-free that much more of a problem to work with?
Is there a known correct temperature setting? If I was practicing using 850 F without burning the board, does it matter?
What diameter solder would be best? Should I get the finest diameter I can, making it easier to put the correct amount of solder on the joint?
Should I get solder with or without a flux core? The solder I was using had a flux core and left a small amount of pooling around the joint, which I don’t think is a problem, but I just want to check.
Lastly, does anyone have any information on or know how I can determine the voltage of LEDs on the Ducky keyboard? I was considering replacing the blue LEDs with red ones while I was working on it, but saw posts about how changing the voltages on the board may lead to problems with too much draw and such. Changing the LEDs isn’t a huge deal, just something I considered.
Thanks for the help.