Author Topic: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL (Read 9684 times)

WhiteFireDragon · « **on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 01:04:56 »

No keycap pr0n in this thread, only barebones. This is durainello's custom CM quickfire. Instead of taking a break from weekday stresses and going out, I spent my whole Saturday building this for him. Gawd I'm such a nerd, but sometimes love it

.

modded with

ergo-clear switches
62g springs
cherry stabilizers
lubed with krytox GPL 103, GPL 205, victorinox
mx grey spacebar
custom TKL plate
stabilizers lubed, dampeners clipped
white LEDs
top switch housing drilled for LEDs

what it started out with

mx black switches
stock black springs
costar stabilizers
non switch-removable plate
red LEDs

durainello · « **Reply #1 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 07:50:29 »

There aren't enough words or ways to say how grateful I am to WFD for doing a great job and spending his Saturday to make my board looks so great.

Thanks bro.

metalliqaz · « **Reply #2 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 07:53:52 »

cool

inteli722 · « **Reply #3 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 09:09:56 »

Wow...someone actually replaced Costar Stabs with Cherry stabs. I do prefer them, but I thought the majority rule here was that Costar stabs are better...

But dang, that's a nice looking board. Fancy!

durainello · « **Reply #4 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 09:15:58 »

I will spend more replacing broken stabilizers inserts

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #5 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:21:29 »

Very nice. I have been working on doing something very similar with an old Chicony for fun. Also nice to see someone else has the sense to replace costar with Cherry.
Can you elaborate on how you made the in switch led on pcb that dosen't support? I figured to file a small notch in the lower housing so I could bend the legs out in a 90 degree and then just run wire under the plate above the pcb to the existing lock led pads, did you make a similar approach?

AKIMbO · « **Reply #6 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:27:17 »

WFD is the man. I've used him a couple times in the recent past and he's been awesome every single time.

CPTBadAss · « **Reply #7 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:29:30 »

WFD, how do you have time for all these projects? Anyways, this looks awesome. The build came out super sexy. Can you elaborate on swapping out LEDs? I'd like to swap the blue ones in my Leopold for purple/magenta ones

Sai · « **Reply #8 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 10:58:00 »

this is awesome. ! waiting for my phantom's turn to come.

inteli722 · « **Reply #9 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 11:28:53 »

Quote from: dante on Sun, 10 February 2013, 11:14:25

Quote from: inteli722 on Sun, 10 February 2013, 09:09:56
Wow...someone actually replaced Costar Stabs with Cherry stabs. I do prefer them, but I thought the majority rule here was that Costar stabs are better...

I've done a 180 as well. Costar stabilizers are super easy to swap keycaps and do not change the feel but I prefer the cushioning of Cherry stabilizers.

Really? I find Costar stabs are harder to change the caps...My Leopold has Cherry Stabs, and I find them much more preferable to Costars.

Vintage · « **Reply #10 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 12:22:54 »

Wow, nice board!

Caaaarrrt · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 16:51:12 »

You drilled the switch tops of the switches with LEDs so you can still swap them without desoldering the LEDs? That's quite a good idea.

missalaire · « **Reply #12 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 17:13:11 »

Nice job. Just curious, how much do you charge for this service?

WhiteFireDragon · « **Reply #13 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 19:55:28 »

Quote from: Caaaarrrt on Sun, 10 February 2013, 16:51:12

You drilled the switch tops of the switches with LEDs so you can still swap them without desoldering the LEDs? That's quite a good idea.

The top housing where the LED sits was shaved off with a dremel. This lets you remove the stop cover while the LEDs are still installed. Basically every switch is removable, including switches with modifiers and LEDs. Here's a pic of a modded LED cover, next to an unmodded one.

Quote from: missalaire on Sun, 10 February 2013, 17:13:11

Nice job. Just curious, how much do you charge for this service?

I think it was around $65 for labor, which is not much at all considering how many mods this is, how long it took, and how much my lube costs. Durainello covered all the costs of parts though. This was done more as a project, not as a business to profit.

okooko · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 20:01:43 »

Thats a reasonable price especially considering how much time that would have been spent doing this.

If only USPS shipping wasnt horribad, id have you build all my future stuffs.

durainello · « **Reply #15 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 20:58:39 »

Dump all the unnecessary like the retail boxes etc , u can get a much cheaper shipping. Est us$40 to ship to Aust or SG is not considered expensive.

Caaaarrrt · « **Reply #16 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 21:07:37 »

Quote from: WhiteFireDragon on Sun, 10 February 2013, 19:55:28

Quote from: Caaaarrrt on Sun, 10 February 2013, 16:51:12
You drilled the switch tops of the switches with LEDs so you can still swap them without desoldering the LEDs? That's quite a good idea.

The top housing where the LED sits was shaved off with a dremel. This lets you remove the stop cover while the LEDs are still installed. Basically every switch is removable, including switches with modifiers and LEDs. Here's a pic of a modded LED cover, next to an unmodded one.

Show Image

OK thank you, that looks good, I might have a go at doing it too.

rowdy · « **Reply #17 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 21:38:56 »

Quote from: durainello on Sun, 10 February 2013, 20:58:39

Dump all the unnecessary like the retail boxes etc , u can get a much cheaper shipping. Est us$40 to ship to Aust or SG is not considered expensive.

When shipping a valuable keyboard so far, you'd want to make sure it was very securely packed. There are too many stories about boxes being dropped on the corner which shatters the case. Keycaps dislodged. That sort of thing.

durainello · « **Reply #18 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 21:47:32 »

That responsibility shall falls under WFD

, he gotta ditch the retail box and make sure it's packed like within a retail box.

duq · « **Reply #19 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 22:59:14 »

Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

cgbuen · « **Reply #20 on:** Sun, 10 February 2013, 23:51:20 »

Nice, I did something similar on Friday evening too. I used cheaper lube (Superlube), heavier springs, and removed the LEDs though. I was thinking of doing something to shave off the top housing as well but I wasn't sure if the LED was too weak to be supported without that part, and I just got too lazy to even try haha. Great to see how you got it to work though, gotta try it out soon.

Jocelyn · « **Reply #21 on:** Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:10:44 »

Quote from: duq on Sun, 10 February 2013, 22:59:14

Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

Clears with 62g springs are like Heaven, especially when they're Gold 62g springs

The_Beast · « **Reply #22 on:** Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:12:23 »

Quote from: Jocelyn on Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:10:44

Quote from: duq on Sun, 10 February 2013, 22:59:14
Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

Clears with 62g springs are like Heaven, especially when they're Gold 62g springs

55g is better!

durainello · « **Reply #23 on:** Thu, 21 February 2013, 18:37:59 »

That's even lighter than brown and red?

Quote from: The_Beast on Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:12:23

Quote from: Jocelyn on Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:10:44
Quote from: duq on Sun, 10 February 2013, 22:59:14
Looking good wfd. Would this be your preferred setup? I have yet to try 62G switches let alone clears.

Clears with 62g springs are like Heaven, especially when they're Gold 62g springs

55g is better!

sordna · « **Reply #24 on:** Thu, 28 February 2013, 02:17:23 »

Yes 55g is a bit lighter than brown and red (whose springs bottom out at 60g).

Quote from: durainello on Thu, 21 February 2013, 18:37:59

That's even lighter than brown and red?
Quote from: The_Beast on Wed, 20 February 2013, 15:12:23
55g is better!

whiteduck · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 24 April 2013, 12:31:45 »

Can you describe the difference in switch feel between a 55g rf and these modded switches? I have never tried clears or egroclears but have a 55g uniform rf I got a week ago that I may or may not keep. Verdict is still out on that...
Thanks
-wd

Lunartuna · « **Reply #26 on:** Fri, 26 April 2013, 10:01:43 »

Hope you like the grey space bar. The girlfirend is having a hard time getting used the the grey space on her Ducky because of the lower activation point than the rest of the cherry blacks on the board.

VesperSAINT · « **Reply #27 on:** Fri, 26 April 2013, 11:05:51 »

Quote from: Lunartuna on Fri, 26 April 2013, 10:01:43

Hope you like the grey space bar. The girlfirend is having a hard time getting used the the grey space on her Ducky because of the lower activation point than the rest of the cherry blacks on the board.

Holy, I've felt this grey space bar on my friend's Ducky with Blacks... I won't lie.. that space bar is really hard to work. I end up with some really long words composed multiple words.

durainello · « **Reply #28 on:** Fri, 26 April 2013, 12:07:59 »

Trust me, keep your RF 55, it makes any cherry switches boring.

)

Quote from: whiteduck on Wed, 24 April 2013, 12:31:45

Can you describe the difference in switch feel between a 55g rf and these modded switches? I have never tried clears or egroclears but have a 55g uniform rf I got a week ago that I may or may not keep. Verdict is still out on that...
Thanks
-wd

gameaholic · « **Reply #29 on:** Fri, 26 April 2013, 14:07:58 »

where is a good source for cherry stabilizers?

also would these LEDs work to swap into a Filco or QFR?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=06Oaj2cKCwE

http://lighthouseleds.com/3mm-led-red-green-blue-rainbow-ultra-bright-slow.html

Dreamre · « **Reply #30 on:** Fri, 26 April 2013, 14:33:46 »

Looks awesome! Love the white LEDs

.

News:

Author Topic: Heavily modified CM quickfire TKL (Read 9684 times)