Simple Questions, Simple Answers (FAQ in the OP)

[rowdy]

Hehe cheers

We have a thread for that too: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37647.0

[SpAmRaY]

so does cherry not make cherry stabilizers??

[fourzeropooh]

Where is the actuation point on topre 45g and 55g switches? And is the leopold f660c 45g or 55g?

[riotonthebay]

Where is the actuation point on topre 45g and 55g switches? And is the leopold f660c 45g or 55g?

Not sure about your first question, but the Leo is 45g.

[fourzeropooh]

Where is the actuation point on topre 45g and 55g switches? And is the leopold f660c 45g or 55g?

Not sure about your first question, but the Leo is 45g.

Thank you. That is the same with the HHKB right?

[SpAmRaY]

Where is the actuation point on topre 45g and 55g switches? And is the leopold f660c 45g or 55g?

Not sure about your first question, but the Leo is 45g.

Thank you. That is the same with the HHKB right?

Yes

But some of us have modded them with 55g domes.

[HPE1000]

After some research I think I want to buy these, I want to know if anyone knows if there would be anything wrong with putting these on a poker.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-x-LED-3mm-UV-Purple-Ultra-Bright-Round-Top-LEDs-Light-Lamp-RC-Car-PC-T1-/151022044759?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23299d8657

Specs are as follows:

Size   3mm Round Top Clear
Luminosity/Brightness   2,000-3,000 mcd
Forward Voltage   3.0-3.4v
Current   20mA
Wavelength   395-405nm
Viewing Angle   20-30 Degrees
Mount Style   Through Hole (DIP)

Another thing to consider is possible eye damage from UV leds, most led equip t devices warn to avoid looking directly at the led light source.

That doesn't sound good.. Although I would probably only use the leds every now and then.

[vivalarevolución]

I have searched Geekhack, but I am having some trouble finding a good Model M bolt mod thread with pictures and detailed instructions.  Could anybody point me towards a good bolt mod/rivet replacement thread?

[yjfknt]

Have anyone tried dental rubberband on MX switches? I want to go back to my old dentist for some if it works.

[SpAmRaY]

Have anyone tried dental rubberband on MX switches? I want to go back to my old dentist for some if it works.

Most people use orings or landing pads with MX.

[fourzeropooh]

Have anyone tried dental rubberband on MX switches? I want to go back to my old dentist for some if it works.

I have. They aren't as good because they are thinner, but they slightly work. I use 3/16 size ones

[jadow]

has any1 tried opening a cmstorm pro ? there seems to be a hidden screw somewhere...

EDIT: found why. there were tabs in the faceplate

[riotonthebay]

More

Is there some place where I can buy small amounts (e.g. 0.5oz vs. 1lb) of Krytox GPL 103? Searches turn up a number of past group-buys.

Is there a reason you're set on GPL103? You can use this lube kit from Sheraton which will work fine for lubing your keyboard.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm already aware of those kits. I realize now that I should have asked a different question:

I already have GPL 205 and I'm looking for an oil that can be mixed with it. I've heard that GPL 103 mixes well with it, but it's not readily available. Is there another oil that people would recommend mixing with GPL 205 that's more easily acquired?

It turns out that Miller-Stephenson sells 1/2 oz. bottles of GPL 103, though ordering involves actually calling them and requires a company name because "they won't sell to individuals". I gave them the name of my employer and used my personal card. Total was $21 plus shipping.

http://www.miller-stephenson.com/

More of answering my own questions:

Since I found GPL 103 through Miller-Stephenson, it's become available on eBay here for a better price. The same seller has Krytox GPL 205 available, which means your own personal stash of godly switch lubricant is only about $50 away.

[CPTBadAss]

I have searched Geekhack, but I am having some trouble finding a good Model M bolt mod thread with pictures and detailed instructions.  Could anybody point me towards a good bolt mod/rivet replacement thread?

I like this bolt mod Wiki.

Harry talks about bolt modding an F here.

Ripster's bolt mod guide can be found here.

so does cherry not make cherry stabilizers??

They do. I mean they're called out in the Cherry Datasheet. They're called "leveling kits".

[riotonthebay]

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Is this high of a defect rate usual for whites, or did I get particularly unlucky? Only 46 clicked consistently – much softer than blues, but a nice, distinct click. I was really hoping that 100 switches had plenty of wiggle room to outfit a 60% board, but this barely gives me the base set .

Anyways, I'm hoping that scavenging the clickiest of the inconsistent ones and lubing all of them normalizes the click a bit.

[fourzeropooh]

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Is this high of a defect rate usual for whites, or did I get particularly unlucky? Only 46 clicked consistently – much softer than blues, but a nice, distinct click. I was really hoping that 100 switches had plenty of wiggle room to outfit a 60% board, but this barely gives me the base set .

Anyways, I'm hoping that scavenging the clickiest of the inconsistent ones and lubing all of them normalizes the click a bit.

Why do whites have this high of a defect rate? What kind of design does it have?

[riotonthebay]

More

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Is this high of a defect rate usual for whites, or did I get particularly unlucky? Only 46 clicked consistently – much softer than blues, but a nice, distinct click. I was really hoping that 100 switches had plenty of wiggle room to outfit a 60% board, but this barely gives me the base set .

Anyways, I'm hoping that scavenging the clickiest of the inconsistent ones and lubing all of them normalizes the click a bit.

Why do whites have this high of a defect rate? What kind of design does it have?

Whites have 2-part sliders like blues or greens, but I have no clue what the difference is between a clicking one and a defect. I took two apart to compare them but couldn't identify any noticeable difference in either the slider or the bottom housing.

[fourzeropooh]

More

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Is this high of a defect rate usual for whites, or did I get particularly unlucky? Only 46 clicked consistently – much softer than blues, but a nice, distinct click. I was really hoping that 100 switches had plenty of wiggle room to outfit a 60% board, but this barely gives me the base set .

Anyways, I'm hoping that scavenging the clickiest of the inconsistent ones and lubing all of them normalizes the click a bit.

Why do whites have this high of a defect rate? What kind of design does it have?

Whites have 2-part sliders like blues or greens, but I have no clue what the difference is between a clicking one and a defect. I took two apart to compare them but couldn't identify any noticeable difference in either the slider or the bottom housing.

That doesn't make sense 
If they are like blues they shouldn't be that broken 

[SpAmRaY]

Whites are factory lubed. That seems to be the problem.

[fourzeropooh]

Whites are factory lubed. That seems to be the problem.

Why would they prelube them? Do they use kytox or some other formula?

[BlueBär]

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Whites are not supposed to click as much as greens/blues, their click gets called a soft click. So the ones that click are the "defect" ones. Also the ones that make no click at all.

Why would they prelube them? Do they use kytox or some other formula?

To dampen the click sound. They have the same spring as greens so the only difference to them is that the whites make a different sound.

I don't think the lube they use is known. Captain even recently mentioned somewhere that he thinks that whites are actually not lubed and something else causes the difference in sound.

[HPE1000]

Sounds like you would have better results lubing greens blindfolded..

[riotonthebay]

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Whites are not supposed to click as much as greens/blues, their click gets called a soft click. So the ones that click are the "defect" ones. Also the ones that make no click at all.

Hmm… I didn't consider that. I was thinking that the ones with a distinctive click were still considerably softer than blues or greens, but I was making the big mistake of testing blues/greens with keycaps on and whites without. The keycaps make the clicks much louder, and when taking them off the clicky whites sound almost exactly the same as greens.

Taking them apart, it doesn't appear that there's any lube in them, but I'm going to play around with krytox mixes and see if I can bring them all down to the level of the soft-clicking ones.

Thanks!

[HPE1000]

What grade aluminum is the KMAC 2?

[dustinhxc]

Is there a bro bots wiki? I couldnt find it in search. Would like to know all V1 colors and how many were made/sold (tech keys right) for each color.

Thanks!

[zoolzoo]

When mounting pcb cherry switches, how do you get them to all be perfectly centered? What Im saying is...a pcb mount switch can twist and wiggle little bit when inserted into the pcb even with the legs "secure" in the pcb holes. In contrast, plate mounted switches snap into the plate ensuring a uniform mounting.

I tried to swap switches on a pcb mount numpad. When I was all done, there were tiny variances in how they were mounted...causing some keys to appear to be tilting (more like swiveling, actually) to the left or the right. I didnt even notice it until they were all soldered and the keycaps were on. But it looked very bad.

Oh and merry christmas!

[BlueBär]

I tried to swap switches on a pcb mount numpad. When I was all done, there were tiny variances in how they were mounted...causing some keys to appear to be tilting (more like swiveling, actually) to the left or the right. I didnt even notice it until they were all soldered and the keycaps were on. But it looked very bad.

I would suggest taking a ruler and some tape to get them all aligned and then solder them after they're all in the right position. You won't get them all perfectly aligned but you will probably get better results.

[zoolzoo]

I tried to swap switches on a pcb mount numpad. When I was all done, there were tiny variances in how they were mounted...causing some keys to appear to be tilting (more like swiveling, actually) to the left or the right. I didnt even notice it until they were all soldered and the keycaps were on. But it looked very bad.

I would suggest taking a ruler and some tape to get them all aligned and then solder them after they're all in the right position. You won't get them all perfectly aligned but you will probably get better results.

I actually think it was the pcb I was using. I just mounted some onto a different pcb and I didnt run into this issue. weird.

[Puddsy]

Is there a bro bots wiki? I couldnt find it in search. Would like to know all V1 colors and how many were made/sold (tech keys right) for each color.

Thanks!

Not yet. Maybe you could team up with bro caps and make one!

[BlueBär]

I actually think it was the pcb I was using. I just mounted some onto a different pcb and I didnt run into this issue. weird.

Maybe the holes for the pins that PCB mounted switches have are slightly bigger?

[dustinhxc]

Is there a bro bots wiki? I couldnt find it in search. Would like to know all V1 colors and how many were made/sold (tech keys right) for each color.

Thanks!

Not yet. Maybe you could team up with bro caps and make one!

Thank You!

[domoaligato]

boilermaker might have that information in his records... brocaps and boilermaker would have to approve of this though.

[CPTBadAss]

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Whites are not supposed to click as much as greens/blues, their click gets called a soft click. So the ones that click are the "defect" ones. Also the ones that make no click at all.

Hmm… I didn't consider that. I was thinking that the ones with a distinctive click were still considerably softer than blues or greens, but I was making the big mistake of testing blues/greens with keycaps on and whites without. The keycaps make the clicks much louder, and when taking them off the clicky whites sound almost exactly the same as greens.

Taking them apart, it doesn't appear that there's any lube in them, but I'm going to play around with krytox mixes and see if I can bring them all down to the level of the soft-clicking ones.

Thanks!

I agree with this. I didn't see any lube in the MX White switches I took apart. I no longer believe that the MX Whites have extra lube in them from the factory.

What grade aluminum is the KMAC 2?

6061 I believe.

Is there a bro bots wiki? I couldnt find it in search. Would like to know all V1 colors and how many were made/sold (tech keys right) for each color.

Thanks!

Not yet. Maybe you could team up with bro caps and make one!

Thank You!

There isn't one at the moment. I created a V2 list but there isn't a V1 list yet. As domoaligato said, we'd have to check with Bro Caps to see what information he's willing to divulge if we were to make a list of how many caps were made per color.

[dustinhxc]

I just received 100 MX White switches. I know that the defect rate is high with these, so the first thing I did was separate them into properly-clicking and dampened-or-not-clicking piles. To my dismay, more than half don't click properly!

Whites are not supposed to click as much as greens/blues, their click gets called a soft click. So the ones that click are the "defect" ones. Also the ones that make no click at all.

Hmm… I didn't consider that. I was thinking that the ones with a distinctive click were still considerably softer than blues or greens, but I was making the big mistake of testing blues/greens with keycaps on and whites without. The keycaps make the clicks much louder, and when taking them off the clicky whites sound almost exactly the same as greens.

Taking them apart, it doesn't appear that there's any lube in them, but I'm going to play around with krytox mixes and see if I can bring them all down to the level of the soft-clicking ones.

Thanks!

I agree with this. I didn't see any lube in the MX White switches I took apart. I no longer believe that the MX Whites have extra lube in them from the factory.

What grade aluminum is the KMAC 2?

6061 I believe.

Is there a bro bots wiki? I couldnt find it in search. Would like to know all V1 colors and how many were made/sold (tech keys right) for each color.

Thanks!

Not yet. Maybe you could team up with bro caps and make one!

Thank You!

There isn't one at the moment. I created a V2 list but there isn't a V1 list yet. As domoaligato said, we'd have to check with Bro Caps to see what information he's willing to divulge if we were to make a list of how many caps were made per color.

Thatd be awesome! I have asked a couple times in threads but never a PM. I wonder if he will give us a list. 

[swill]

I don't know where to ask this question, so I will ask it here...  Please tell me to take it somewhere else if it is not a simple question.

A friend of mine at the office has been using my QFR with blues.  Today he showed me that some of the key presses are not registering.  The ones that are really noticeable are: 5, t, b and left alt.  I noticed right away that 5, t, b are probably on the same matrix line.  Left alt is another story, but that key gets used a lot because he is using the keyboard on a mac (so its his command key).

So to the question.  How do I troubleshoot the problem?  I am guessing there is a problem with a couple solder joints are something like that.  It works a lot of the time, but periodically it misses a key press.  Some of those keys are worse than others.  Should I unsolder those switches and then resolder them and see if that fixes the problem?  Anything I can test with a multimeter which would help diagnose where the problem stems from?

Figured I would post back for other peoples benefit on this one...

I checked and I was past my warranty by about 2 weeks, so I opened it up to see if I could fix it.  I have to say I was not impressed with what I saw.  I don't think I saw a single shiny solder joint, they were all a matte grey.  Before I opened up I checked and I had about a 10% hit rate on B and about an 80% hit rate on 4 other keys.  I solder pulled the 5 bad keys so I could flux and resolder them to see if that would fix the problem.  Of the 5 switches I unsoldered, 2 of them had pad issues.  One pad lifted and was broken, but I was able to gently put it back in place and with a crap ton of flux was able to get a nice solder joint on it.  The other was a different story altogether.  When I first looked at the joint I kinda scratched my head and thought 'that looks funny'.  It was like there was a small air hole on one side of the solder joint.  I thought, 'whatever, its a crap solder job, I will just resolder it'.  I solder pulled it and realized that not only was the pad broken, it was missing a piece.  That is why it looked like it had an air hole because there was no pad on the hole, so the solder did not spread to that side of the hole.  Obviously, with only half a pad, I really lifted that pad.  I was able to wrap the pad back around the switch leg and solder it back on, but it was ugly.  We will see how long it lasts...

All to say, I am VERY disappointed with the quality of this QFR.  I have no idea how something like this gets through QC.  I have no idea how so many people have modded a QFR.  How many of you had to do some direct wiring after unsoldering it?

Anyway, to make a long story short(er), resoldering the switches fixed the problems with all the switches, so it is back to good (for now).  I know I am going to have to resolder a bunch more switches after seeing that solder job, but I don't want to just do them all right now because of how bad the pads are.  This is probably going to be one of those boards I just fix slowly as it breaks. 

Thanks for all the suggestions on this...

[riotonthebay]

Thanks for the information, swill! FWIW, I've completely desoldered and replaced the switches on my QFR twice and haven't had any issues with pads lifting, etc. I don't plan to do any more work on it at this point, but I'll be more wary and careful with other QFR PCBs in the future.

[Mysteric]

Is it possible to remap the right Menu context key on a Filco / other mech to act as a Function key? Basically I want to replicate the QFR multimedia keys on a Filco (Fn key and F5 (Play/Pause), F6 (Stop), F7 (Back), F8 (Forward) etc.)

[BlueBär]

Is it possible to remap the right Menu context key on a Filco / other mech to act as a Function key? Basically I want to replicate the QFR multimedia keys on a Filco (Fn key and F5 (Play/Pause), F6 (Stop), F7 (Back), F8 (Forward) etc.)

That should be possible via AutoHotKey.

[jdcarpe]

Is it possible to remap the right Menu context key on a Filco / other mech to act as a Function key? Basically I want to replicate the QFR multimedia keys on a Filco (Fn key and F5 (Play/Pause), F6 (Stop), F7 (Back), F8 (Forward) etc.)

That should be possible via AutoHotKey.

Or one of bpiphany's replacement controllers. Such as the Pegasus Hoof or HID Liberation Device, for Filco, for example.

[Mysteric]

I have no experience in using AutoHotKey. Is it easy enough to do?

[BlueBär]

I have no experience in using AutoHotKey. Is it easy enough to do?

There's a few tutorials, it should be fairly easy to do. Something like this should work:

Code: [Select]

AppsKey&F12::Media_Play_Pause

[jonathanyu]

Desko keyboard have abs keycaps or pbt keycaps?

[CPTBadAss]

Desko keyboard have abs keycaps or pbt keycaps?

I think it depends on the models. Kind of like how Cherry keyboards are. I'm fairly sure they come in both ABS and PBT. I've seen Desko's at the airport that are ultra shiny so they *must* be ABS. And I think the white color Desko boards are PBT. I'm just taking an educated guess though.

[Dubsgalore]

Desko keyboard have abs keycaps or pbt keycaps?

I think CPT is right, both ABS and PBT, but that one famous set is PBT, with the sublegends and famous RGB.

[SpAmRaY]

I agree with this. I didn't see any lube in the MX White switches I took apart. I no longer believe that the MX Whites have extra lube in them from the factory.

So you are saying mx whites are not factory lubed?

[Dubsgalore]

I agree with this. I didn't see any lube in the MX White switches I took apart. I no longer believe that the MX Whites have extra lube in them from the factory.

So you are saying mx whites are not factory lubed?

If they still do, then it must be incredibly hard to notice. He's saying he doesn't believe that they are.

[swill]

What screws/bolts are most common for holding PCBs to their cases?  Would a 4-40 be the most common?  If not, what should I be looking for?  In this case I am tapping my own holes, so I have some control over the size of my screws/bolts.

I see on all of the PCB diagrams that there are dimensions for everything except the holes.  Without the dimensions of the holes it is really hard to know what size screws/bolts to use. 

[Dubsgalore]

What screws/bolts are most common for holding PCBs to their cases?  Would a 4-40 be the most common?  If not, what should I be looking for?  In this case I am tapping my own holes, so I have some control over the size of my screws/bolts.

I see on all of the PCB diagrams that there are dimensions for everything except the holes.  Without the dimensions of the holes it is really hard to know what size screws/bolts to use.

Poker case and 60% case screws can be found here

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/3019/=q10hon

#92000A011

[swill]

What screws/bolts are most common for holding PCBs to their cases?  Would a 4-40 be the most common?  If not, what should I be looking for?  In this case I am tapping my own holes, so I have some control over the size of my screws/bolts.

I see on all of the PCB diagrams that there are dimensions for everything except the holes.  Without the dimensions of the holes it is really hard to know what size screws/bolts to use.

Poker case and 60% case screws can be found here

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/3019/=q10hon

#92000A011

So in this case it is not a 4-40:
"18-8 Stainless Steel Metric Pan Head Phillips Machine Screw, M2 Size, 4mm Length, .4mm Pitch"

Hmmm, are most cases different then or is this a pretty common screw for most cases?

[yasuo]

what difference Filco Majestouch 2 and ninja? just keycap?