Simple Questions, Simple Answers (FAQ in the OP)

[enchong]

Not really sure tbh, probably the BKE tactile because I want it to be more tactile than the stock hhkb. I used to have a realforce ang I love how that feels. But I also like the hhkb layout.

[_rubik]

Not really sure tbh, probably the BKE tactile because I want it to be more tactile than the stock hhkb. I used to have a realforce ang I love how that feels. But I also like the hhkb layout.

I personally put the 56g bke tactile domes on my 87u (iirc). They feel ever so slightly heavier than the original 55g domes mostly because of the increased tactility. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone to the next lowest weight -- somewhere in the mid to high 40gs. It's all subjective, but the added tactility adds just enough resistance to the top of the force curve to make my brain think I'm typing on a heavier switch. Hope that helps

[erretter]

I F'd up the top housing of a soldered in switch (complicated to explain; please just take that info, as it is). The switch is still functioning, but wonky.

Q: Can I swap out the top housing of a switch from the top-side without desoldering it?

[_rubik]

I F'd up the top housing of a soldered in switch (complicated to explain; please just take that info, as it is). The switch is still functioning, but wonky.

Q: Can I swap out the top housing of a switch from the top-side without desoldering it?

Some plates have notches cut out on either side of the switch to allow the top housing clips bend outward. I haven't seen those in quite a few years though. If the plate is contacting the switch on all four sides, you're going to have to desolder. That said, it's a pretty simple operation and a great excuse to learn to solder. You got this! 

[erretter]

I F'd up the top housing of a soldered in switch (complicated to explain; please just take that info, as it is). The switch is still functioning, but wonky.

Q: Can I swap out the top housing of a switch from the top-side without desoldering it?

Some plates have notches cut out on either side of the switch to allow the top housing clips bend outward. I haven't seen those in quite a few years though. If the plate is contacting the switch on all four sides, you're going to have to desolder. That said, it's a pretty simple operation and a great excuse to learn to solder. You got this! 

Thank you! Didn't know about the plate specifics. But I have to say, I soldered the switches in by myself, with led free solder and desoldering this is a 50/50 chance damaging the PCB because it's almost impossible to get all the solder out.

[_rubik]

I F'd up the top housing of a soldered in switch (complicated to explain; please just take that info, as it is). The switch is still functioning, but wonky.

Q: Can I swap out the top housing of a switch from the top-side without desoldering it?

Some plates have notches cut out on either side of the switch to allow the top housing clips bend outward. I haven't seen those in quite a few years though. If the plate is contacting the switch on all four sides, you're going to have to desolder. That said, it's a pretty simple operation and a great excuse to learn to solder. You got this! 

Thank you! Didn't know about the plate specifics. But I have to say, I soldered the switches in by myself, with led free solder and desoldering this is a 50/50 chance damaging the PCB because it's almost impossible to get all the solder out.

It's amazing how much of a difference quality solder makes. I usually go with a 63/37 flux core solder which has the advantage of being eutectic -- a single, lower melting point that avoid that "gooey, semi-fluid" solder state you find on some cheaper solders.

For desoldering, I'd recommend getting a good solder pump with a soft tip (hard plastic tips on solder pumps never seal well around the component, IMO). I went through so many cheap suckers before finding the "Engineer Solder Sucker" on Amazon. I always add an extra dab of leaded solder before sucking just to make sure everything's good and melted. It's also more mass for the sucker to grab onto, in my experience.

[erretter]

I F'd up the top housing of a soldered in switch (complicated to explain; please just take that info, as it is). The switch is still functioning, but wonky.

Q: Can I swap out the top housing of a switch from the top-side without desoldering it?

Some plates have notches cut out on either side of the switch to allow the top housing clips bend outward. I haven't seen those in quite a few years though. If the plate is contacting the switch on all four sides, you're going to have to desolder. That said, it's a pretty simple operation and a great excuse to learn to solder. You got this! 

Thank you! Didn't know about the plate specifics. But I have to say, I soldered the switches in by myself, with led free solder and desoldering this is a 50/50 chance damaging the PCB because it's almost impossible to get all the solder out.

It's amazing how much of a difference quality solder makes. I usually go with a 63/37 flux core solder which has the advantage of being eutectic -- a single, lower melting point that avoid that "gooey, semi-fluid" solder state you find on some cheaper solders.

For desoldering, I'd recommend getting a good solder pump with a soft tip (hard plastic tips on solder pumps never seal well around the component, IMO). I went through so many cheap suckers before finding the "Engineer Solder Sucker" on Amazon. I always add an extra dab of leaded solder before sucking just to make sure everything's good and melted. It's also more mass for the sucker to grab onto, in my experience.

TY! I found that pump. Might give it a try or.... I use this wobbly switch to build the next board

[jeffs]

What are good search terms for relatively recent information and opinions on ortholinear layouts keyboards, especially reduced size options?

The following did not seem to be very fruitful:

• ortholinear
• Planck
• OLKB
• 4x12

Edit: Other resources are also welcome.

[5443]

where can I buy keyboard O rings in Toronto, Canada?

something thin and soft, like 40A thin, for cherry MX brown switches

shipping from the US is outrageous! I was shocked at the prices, so there must be something cheaper locally, or at least shipped from Canada? (or perhaps shipped from China?)

[fohat.digs]

shipping from the US is outrageous!

shipped from China?

Outbound international shipping from the US is notoriously expensive. It was always high, but in the last decade or 2 it has skyrocketed, even to our nearest friends.

Shipping from China is nearly free. If you can wait 3+ weeks you can get merchandise at a fraction of the price.

[5443]

shipping from the US is outrageous!

shipped from China?

Outbound international shipping from the US is notoriously expensive. It was always high, but in the last decade or 2 it has skyrocketed, even to our nearest friends.

Shipping from China is nearly free. If you can wait 3+ weeks you can get merchandise at a fraction of the price.

i am fine with waiting when it comes to shipping from China. do you have any sites that i can go to so i can buy some 40A o rings?

[5443]

I was thinking of buying these o rings, a set for $1 for the entire keyboard: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006997613276.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.5ddf7ddcPoPURO&algo_pvid=dfcc0b17-e606-48cd-95c2-27fbd9d26110&algo_exp_id=dfcc0b17-e606-48cd-95c2-27fbd9d26110-1&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21CAD%215.33%211.38%21%21%2127.90%217.21%21%402101dee017203579294185543ed0f6%2112000038992504211%21sea%21CA%210%21AB&curPageLogUid=kdUJqt51waAF&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

they work for cherry mx browns right?

does anyone know what hardness they are? i can't seem to find it on the page?

[fohat.digs]

I am not really a Cherry guy. It has been at least a decade since I bought O-rings for my son's Filco, but those look pretty fat ....

But those are a start and it would not be a big loss if you don't like them. Thickness seems more important to me than hardness, but what do I know?

[5443]

An unrelated question, but this forum does seem pretty slow? then where do all the mechanical keyboard people hang out now? I remember back in the old days, when elitekeyboards.com was around (like 10 years ago?), that geekhack was the place to find all things about mech keyboards

[5443]

ok, so i just ordered 130 1.5mm thick rings, no idea on the hardness (or softness) but i will see how they are when they get here.

I paid $2.56 cad for the set, much better than the rip off prices that the US sites are selling for

[5443]

Well I got the O rings today, 9 days shipping, pretty fast from across the ocean I must say, and you can't beat $2.56, sellers on this side of the planet were charging 6 x that amount of the same thing, I couldn't go through with that.

I tried them out on my Filco, I added them to the Home/End island cluster of 6 keys, from my initial tests those keys were like 20 % quieter and had like 20 % less key travel. I don't know if it is worth it, maybe I should try it on the letter keys before jumping to conclusions. What are you guy's opinions when it comes to O rings on Cherry switches?



And why the hell is this forum so dead? Back in the day it used to be the place to go for all things mechanical keyboards. Nowadays I have to go to Mechanical Keyboard reddit if I don't want to talk to a brick wall here.

[Rhienfo]

Well I got the O rings today, 9 days shipping, pretty fast from across the ocean I must say, and you can't beat $2.56, sellers on this side of the planet were charging 6 x that amount of the same thing, I couldn't go through with that.

I tried them out on my Filco, I added them to the Home/End island cluster of 6 keys, from my initial tests those keys were like 20 % quieter and had like 20 % less key travel. I don't know if it is worth it, maybe I should try it on the letter keys before jumping to conclusions. What are you guy's opinions when it comes to O rings on Cherry switches?

Show Image

And why the hell is this forum so dead? Back in the day it used to be the place to go for all things mechanical keyboards. Nowadays I have to go to Mechanical Keyboard reddit if I don't want to talk to a brick wall here.

Sorry missed your earlier comment. When it comes to o rings, it's mainly just a preference thing, I personally don't like it though. I just really like full travel when it comes to my switches. But it's pretty easy to add and remove so it's not a big commitment.

Also the hobby has become way less centralized, a lot of the community is now on the many MANY discords, would like to see more people here but discord is definitely a lot more of a convenient place when it comes to the hobby, so it's understandable why people don't move over to this old forum.

[Traijan]

If a stabilizer (like the two on my space bar) don't have a wire, are they still considered and named a stabilizer?  I have a ReDragon keyboard and the left shift, space bar, backspace and enter keys all have 3 +
 one + in the center that is the switch and one on each side that don't have a wire connecting them like I've seen in videos.  I'm wondering the pros and cons of not having the wire connecting the 2 outside +'s together.

Thanks

[rxq12]

Hi, I have a question about GM60 Poker, I accidentally put a macro on the keyboard, now when you press 1 button, the entire row is pressed, I flashed VIA, nothing helped... The reset of the keyboard also did not lead to anything, the macro remained, please tell me, maybe there is a combination for a complete reset of the bm60? There is no macro in VIA itself.

[TheloniousDrunk]

I've been waiting for literal years for a rerun of Aerboards' Aegis keyboard, the southpaw 1800 Compact is without a doubt my favorite layout of all time.

Sadly it doesn't seem like that'll ever be run again so I'm forced to try and find an 1800 compact. I know Hineybush did a run of these years ago and when I looked now I see there's a keychron 1800 compact, but I don't like any of the colors available.

Where can I find an 1800 Compact keyboard kit, ideally with a black or dark colored anodized aluminum case and it'd be nice-to-have but not critical at all for it to have a rotary encoder

[Melvang]

Couple quick questions regarding QMK on Xwhatsit controller for an original Kishy. 

I have an original Kishsaver with a 2014 Rev2 Xwhatsit controller that I purchased years ago.  Would this be the correct setup to use QMK for it?  Will it flash over the top of the original firmware or will I have other steps to do to convert from using the original IBM_Capsense_Utility?

Also, can anyone confirm if the solenoid and drivers listed at ModelFKeyboards[.]com will work with that controller and physically fit in the original Kishsaver case without modifications?

I did send a PM to Pandrew over at DT but have not received a reply?  Any other sources I could post these questions?

[Norz]

Hello !

I LOVE nice keyboards, but don't really know keyboards. So I'm looking for guidance here. This is what I'm looking for :

Quality, ISO, TKL, nice wood case, green/brown/forest style double PBT, wireless.

Do you keyboard wiz can think of something that'd be easy and fast enough to put together ? Thank you <3

[ShangWang]

I have this K10 Pro that I replaced the stabilizers with DUROCK Stabilizer V3s and applied their stabilizer wire and housing pad. I applied 81150 Permatex Dielectric grease to the wires and lubed the housings with G-lube. I had no issues until now, where my right shift key has some resistance when popping back up from being held down, and as a result produces a loud-ping recoil sound. All my other stabilizers are perfectly fine.

https://imgur.com/a/stabilizer-recoil-DkqvUSN

I also took the enter key off and then back on which initially had no issues, and upon putting it back on it had the same recoil sound as the right shift key. The wires are in place and the grease is still there, does anyone know why this resistance/friction of the stabilizers after being held down happens?

[Cuby_Ruby]

Hi all, I'm new here, not sure if I'm asking this question in the right section or if I'll find anyone here with similar keyboards, but I'll ask nonetheless.
I'm a pretty big fan of keyboards from IBM, especially the F models.
I have two keyboards of this model
The model F XT and the model F77.
And after buying the F77 I came across a YouTube video of a person using the F107 without foam and I liked the sound of its springs so much that I also wanted to remove the foam from mine and see if the sound would change to a more resonant sound, of course I realize that the f107 is a different keyboard and it's unlikely I'll get the same sound, but I still want to know if there's a difference in the sound without the foam.

I've already found a couple forums where this topic has been discussed, but there was more talk about whether it would work after removing it and what disadvantages they would get, rather than what sound they would get

[Ellipse]

Cuby_Ruby Model F keyboards can be used without the inner foam but the barrels would not be secured in place as tightly and may wobble more, and the keyboard will be more prone to dust and debris entry, which may cause typing errors such as double key presses.  I would not recommend it.

[gazabi]

Hi, I have an OSA Alice PCB and was wondering what the purpose of the 3 sets of pads on the left of the PCB in the attached imgur link are for. I think they are for capslock/numlock leds, but I found no definitive information or guide on how to use them. I got the pads below the switches to work with LEDs but the 3 sets on the side dont seem to respond to anything.

https://imgur.com/gallery/osa-alice-pcb-xNZ5cYY

If anyone can point me to how I can use them that would be very helpful.

[sheepish.alpaca]

What do you guys do with bad switches that have reached their service life and can't be used any more (e.g., because they don't debounce properly anymore & send two keystrokes instead of one; they don't register key presses w/o additional force; etc.)?

I took a quick look on Google and all I'm finding is advice on throwing away entire keebs as e-waste, and I can't find any answers here on GH or /r/MK.

[enchong]

How's your HHKB snow holding up?

I just recently bought a new HHKB Hybrid Snow blank key caps. I really love the color. I wonder if this will turn yellow after a few years as how most white electronics does.

[Melvang]

Where can I buy Cherry style stabilizers, need both plate and PCB mount (different boards, one won't have a pcb and the other doesn't have a plate), but only in 2u.  Both keyboards are Ergo Dox layouts so no 6.25 or 7u stabs needed.

[nico.psd]

Hi everyone
I'm returning to the community after a couple years away. It's nice to be back 
I am currently looking for switch recommendations. My main board and my fave switches of all time are the NK Blueberries - I love a heavier tactile! I would like to try some similar switches, so if anyone has recommendations (especially if easy to get in the UK) I would like to know!
Have a good day all! o/

[ABunchOfNumbers]

Hi everyone
I'm returning to the community after a couple years away. It's nice to be back 
I am currently looking for switch recommendations. My main board and my fave switches of all time are the NK Blueberries - I love a heavier tactile! I would like to try some similar switches, so if anyone has recommendations (especially if easy to get in the UK) I would like to know!
Have a good day all! o/

I’ve had good experiences with Prototypist.net, Mechmods.co.uk and Mechboards.co.uk for UK based orders.

They currently have some variants of the U4Ts and JWK T1s in stock. The U4T has a strong tactile bump but is more rounded and less sharp than the NK Blueberry. If you’re after something with a crisper bump, the T1s might be a closer match.

Prototypist has a few other tactile switches but I cannot comment as I haven't tried any of them.

There aren’t many other UK vendors I’m aware of, but if you’re looking to try other switches, importing could be worth considering. Most switch orders fall below the £130 VAT/import duty threshold, so the only extra cost is usually shipping.

[cheater]

Couple quick questions regarding QMK on Xwhatsit controller for an original Kishy. 

I have an original Kishsaver with a 2014 Rev2 Xwhatsit controller that I purchased years ago.  Would this be the correct setup to use QMK for it?  Will it flash over the top of the original firmware or will I have other steps to do to convert from using the original IBM_Capsense_Utility?

Also, can anyone confirm if the solenoid and drivers listed at ModelFKeyboards[.]com will work with that controller and physically fit in the original Kishsaver case without modifications?

I did send a PM to Pandrew over at DT but have not received a reply?  Any other sources I could post these questions?

Hi there, I've been trying to get in touch with pandrew as well - were you able to get in touch with him in the end?

Thanks

[Kerim1te]

Q: Any idea how to change a keyboards Menu/App key to the FN key? New board came with this by default instead of an FN button and I'm not familiar with how to change it with VIA for example.

[nescio]

Q: Any idea how to change a keyboards Menu/App key to the FN key? New board came with this by default instead of an FN button and I'm not familiar with how to change it with VIA for example.

https://docs.qmk.fm/newbs_building_firmware_configurator

[Virtual.mp3]

Q: Trying to buy Gateron Type R switches but live in Europe, anyone has a store recommendations based in Europe that has them? Or a store that ships to Europe and does not cost an obscene amount.

[nescio]

Regarding "build quality", it seems to me that any of the large companies like Logitech would be able to completely crush anyone competing with them, because they have the resources to hire people full-time and have a million dollar electronmicroscope to do material science, etc.

So, the most likely hypothesis from that worldview is that all those small companies built by hobbyists are basically just producing expensive waste.

Can anyone explain why this isn't true without accusing me of being a troll?

I might be biased, but bigger companies almost always do have better people on the payroll.

[nescio]

Why would anyone want a keyboard without a Del key (like one of the keyboards at the top at  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=125894.0;topicseen )? 

[zegonix]

i write this answer from an optica60 (60% as the name suggests).
once you get into layers, you can put delete wherever you want.

[nescio]

i write this answer from an optica60 (60% as the name suggests).
once you get into layers, you can put delete wherever you want.

Why did you buy that instead of the Glove80?

Your keyboard does sound nice, but I still don't get it.

[noisyturtle]

Are there still people doing custom switch soldering and lubing, or has it become all DIY these days?

[zegonix]

i write this answer from an optica60 (60% as the name suggests).
once you get into layers, you can put delete wherever you want.

Why did you buy that instead of the Glove80?

Your keyboard does sound nice, but I still don't get it.

because the optica60 looks beautiful.