Hi all!
I am interested in the Varmilo TKL ISO-UK and it looks like there are not available in Europe at the moment, so I thought about a custom one. I'm generally new to MK so not everything is clear to me but at the same time, I would like to get max from the customization. There is also some confusion with Varmilo on Mac. So here I come hoping to get some answers
For clarity, I use Varmilo configuration option names as bullet names.
1. Positioning Plate and Stabilizers Are the plate or stabilizers visible at all? Does the color of the stabilizer make any difference like a different type?
2. BacklitIt looks like the Mac (Dual) version is in conflict with the RGB LEDs and the pre-built boards come with the white led only. I think full white is really fine and I could go along with it.
However, I am considering using dedicated colored LEDs for specific keys like Esc, Enter, hjkl. Does it make sense for more than a day? I don't look at the keyboard while typing, and when that happens it is for some rarely used keys, definitely nothing like Esc or Enter, so maybe highlighting the most critical keys can district from finding others in the dark?
What keys are commonly highlighted? Esc, Enter, wasd, hjkl, anything else?
Also, can I control each LED independently? I guess it only works in the full RGB mode.
3. KeycapsWhat's the standard? If I would like to look for a good alternative, what should I look for? What profile? In Varmilo's description for additional keycaps they are described as "slightly lower than OEM". Does this apply to the keycaps on the VA87/88?
In general, I would like to understand how easy it is to buy new keycaps for Varmilo keyboards. Can I mix them with the original ones? Or maybe the originals have a unique profile and I would need to replace all of them? Will all profiles work as long as they are "cherry" compatible?
I also read that Varmilo places the keycaps in opposite directions (north vs south). What does it matter when buying new keycaps?
4. SwitchesI want to use MX Blue switches, but I'm thinking about tweaking some keys. Like using MX Green for Enter and Spacebar. I am also considering using MX Reds for mods since they are used in pairs with other keys and are held for a few secs. But I'm not really sure if this makes sense and gives any actual benefits.
What are common patterns for Blue alphas?
Does Varmilo mix switches in stock keyboards (like using Green for Enter for Blue keyboards)?
Can the switches be replaced on others later?
5. Dual mode - mac compatibilityThis topic is really confusing. Depending on the location (website, user manual, description), Varmilo says different things. I am not sure if I need to select the Dual version (instead of the RGB) to be able to use the keyboard on Mac. I tested the VA111M and it worked great on Mac. I was able to activate Mac mode (Fn+a for 3-5 secs) and it worked even better. The keyboard was with white LEDs, so maybe it was the dual mode version but keycaps were designed for Windows and there was no description for Mac mode.
Does anyone know what is the current state of this? Based on the user manual, it looks like 80%+ is fully compatible with Mac now (even the RGB version). I don't understand why 65% is not on the list and why if 80% is compatible, I am still able to select the dual mode when building the custom.
Maybe all current models are fully compatible and the only difference is USB port (mini for standard, usb-c for the dual mode).
Thanks for reading and hope to get some answers!