Simple Questions, Simple Answers (FAQ in the OP)

[hwood34]

What kind of stem is this?

[SpAmRaY]

What kind of stem is this?
(Attachment Link)

Is it from am SP crap bag?

I think it goes to a POS rubberdome.

[Puddsy]

What kind of stem is this?
(Attachment Link)

Is it from am SP crap bag?

I think it goes to a POS rubberdome.

Correct

[hwood34]

What kind of stem is this?
(Attachment Link)

Is it from am SP crap bag?

I think it goes to a POS rubberdome.

Sweet I've been wanting some of those  and yeah crap bag

[wharrislv]

Being that the demand for clacks is obviously through the roof since the resale value is 10-15x more than retail, is there some reason they're not made in higher numbers?  Is this a case of nintendo marketing, or is there some production issue that prevents them from being made in numbers to satisfy the market?  I'd love to have a bunch of them, but I'm not interested in the "market" and certainly would rather have an entire keyboard instead of a single keycap.  Same goes for brobots and other novelty caps.  I really want to get a few red topre and cherry MX caps to balance my red escapes and even to decorate my numpads, but it'd cost me thousands!

[Pacifist]

most novelty caps are created by individuals who are not there for profit. they produce small batches for us enthusiasts and themselves

[CommonCurt]

Being that the demand for clacks is obviously through the roof since the resale value is 10-15x more than retail, is there some reason they're not made in higher numbers?  Is this a case of nintendo marketing, or is there some production issue that prevents them from being made in numbers to satisfy the market?  I'd love to have a bunch of them, but I'm not interested in the "market" and certainly would rather have an entire keyboard instead of a single keycap.  Same goes for brobots and other novelty caps.  I really want to get a few red topre and cherry MX caps to balance my red escapes and even to decorate my numpads, but it'd cost me thousands!

Click Clack and Bro Caps are basically one man teams that make caps by hand. Therefor they couldn't possible produce enough caps to keep up with demand. Too many people want them.

[ajx]

There recently was a post with somebody saying that people asked for a KBT Pure Replica from Vortex (basically a KBT Pure with PN layer and a plate I guess) because they were not happy with the Pure Pro, and they're out of stock pretty much everywhere now, which makes me conclude that they stopped producing them as soon as the Pure Pro came out or even earlier. Same for Poker X and Poker II.

I found only one available on Amazon uk
unfortunately in purple backlit

[rowdy]

Being that the demand for clacks is obviously through the roof since the resale value is 10-15x more than retail, is there some reason they're not made in higher numbers?  Is this a case of nintendo marketing, or is there some production issue that prevents them from being made in numbers to satisfy the market?  I'd love to have a bunch of them, but I'm not interested in the "market" and certainly would rather have an entire keyboard instead of a single keycap.  Same goes for brobots and other novelty caps.  I really want to get a few red topre and cherry MX caps to balance my red escapes and even to decorate my numpads, but it'd cost me thousands!

Click Clack and Bro Caps are basically one man teams that make caps by hand. Therefor they couldn't possible produce enough caps to keep up with demand. Too many people want them.

CC has his small army of gnomes to help.

Bro Caps does it by himself, by all accounts.

[infiniti]

Should I use 0805 or 0603 smd resistors for my FaceW build?

[BlueBär]

CC has his small army of gnomes to help.

Bro Caps does it by himself, by all accounts.

Also Binge works together with his grilfriend and nubs does everything himself I think.

[SpAmRaY]

CC has his small army of gnomes to help.

Bro Caps does it by himself, by all accounts.

Also Binge works together with his grilfriend and nubs does everything himself I think.

and hipsterpunks

[epzy]

CC has his small army of gnomes to help.

Bro Caps does it by himself, by all accounts.

Also Binge works together with his grilfriend and nubs does everything himself I think.

and hipsterpunks

and Pac Caps

[nubbinator]

CC has his small army of gnomes to help.

Bro Caps does it by himself, by all accounts.

Also Binge works together with his grilfriend and nubs does everything himself I think.

Yup, I do it all on my own when I find the time and when I'm not exhausted from work. So it's usually on a weekend.

[rowdy]

CC has his small army of gnomes to help.

Bro Caps does it by himself, by all accounts.

Also Binge works together with his grilfriend and nubs does everything himself I think.

I hope you're not suggesting that Binge's girlfriend is a gnome

[irendulic]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find the information on how to change (if at all possible) stems on plate mounted cherry switch. I see that pcb mounted ones are really easy to open, but can't figure out if the plate mounted ones can be opened without desoldering, with desoldering or not at all?
I would greatly appreciate a link to some post on how to do it, I've googled and searched here, but only managed to find about pcb mounted ones

Thanks!

[Sifo]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find the information on how to change (if at all possible) stems on plate mounted cherry switch. I see that pcb mounted ones are really easy to open, but can't figure out if the plate mounted ones can be opened without desoldering, with desoldering or not at all?
I would greatly appreciate a link to some post on how to do it, I've googled and searched here, but only managed to find about pcb mounted ones

Thanks!

You absolutely have to desolder plate mounted cherry switches to change the stem.

That being said, there are certain custom keyboards and custom plates with a design that allows you to do so without having to desolder, but you have to desolder and resolder your switches to install these plates anyway, and only certain keyboards will support it.

[irendulic]

You absolutely have to desolder plate mounted cherry switches to change the stem.

That being said, there are certain custom keyboards and custom plates with a design that allows you to do so without having to desolder, but you have to desolder and resolder your switches to install these plates anyway, and only certain keyboards will support it.

Thank you! A couple of follow-up questions.
After desoldering a plate mounted switch, opening it can be done in the same way as the pcb monted, like with those paper binder clips?
And pcb mounted switches can be used with plate mount keyboards if those two extra legs are cut off? I'm looking to buy some clears from mk.com, but they are only available as pcb mounted.

[Zeal]

You absolutely have to desolder plate mounted cherry switches to change the stem.

That being said, there are certain custom keyboards and custom plates with a design that allows you to do so without having to desolder, but you have to desolder and resolder your switches to install these plates anyway, and only certain keyboards will support it.

Thank you! A couple of follow-up questions.
After desoldering a plate mounted switch, opening it can be done in the same way as the pcb monted, like with those paper binder clips?
And pcb mounted switches can be used with plate mount keyboards if those two extra legs are cut off? I'm looking to buy some clears from mk.com, but they are only available as pcb mounted.

Correct. 

[BlueBär]

I hope you're not suggesting that Binge's girlfriend is a gnome

I never saw a picture so I can't be sure but the voice didn't sound like one.

After desoldering a plate mounted switch, opening it can be done in the same way as the pcb monted, like with those paper binder clips?

You don't have to use paper binder clips, there are 4 little tabs on the side (you can see them on this photo) which you will have to slightly lift, there are many tools to do that, for example a small screwdriver works as well. Binder clips or switch opennig tools are proably easier though and faster if you have to open many.

[nuclearsandwich]

Is there any sort of dust or spill cover that you can get for custom keyboards? It doesn't need to be molded perfectly to the layout like the kind that come with old Dell and new Ducky boards, but at least something that would keep dust off and prevent spilled water from getting into the case proper.

I've gotten a few nice keyboards from excellent folks here and I daresay that making a few more is not outside the realm of possibility. However my home is quite dusty, contains a cat who has a precedent of hurking on keyboards (though thankfully not in a while and only on trash low profile rubber domes), and my main workstation is at a lab bench style desk which I share with two others so while I'm not trying to hermetically seal the things between uses I feel like doing something to prevent wayward liquid and cat hair from getting into them is a reasonable precaution for such irreplaceable beauties.

I've seen the dust covers on EK and it looks like they're designed to rest on the top of the case and thus would be really easy to knock askew. Is that the case or am I missing something?

[Melvang]

Is there any reason why 26ga or smaller solid core wire would not work for the matrix in a hand wired version?

Also, related to the same project, does anyone know what gauge wire and possible pitch is used for IDE cables?

[HoffmanMyster]

Is there any reason why 26ga or smaller solid core wire would not work for the matrix in a hand wired version?

Also, related to the same project, does anyone know what gauge wire and possible pitch is used for IDE cables?

I don't know why a smaller gauge wire than 26 wouldn't work.  Personally, I'm using 28 gauge, though it's not finished so that's hardly a testimonial.  But I've used 32 gauge for similar projects with no issues, so I'm expecting it to work fine.

[BlueBär]

I was looking up what internal connector Filco uses for the keyboard cable and it looks like it is a Molex 87369-0500. Does anybody know any other source than Mouser (as shipping would cost 20€ for me)? I only need one.

[nubbinator]

I was looking up what internal connector Filco uses for the keyboard cable and it looks like it is a Molex 87369-0500. Does anybody know any other source than Mouser (as shipping would cost 20€ for me)? I only need one.

I think I have some.  I can include them in the package I'm sending your way.

[BlueBär]

I think I have some.  I can include them in the package I'm sending your way.

That would be great, thank you!

[CPTBadAss]

Is there any sort of dust or spill cover that you can get for custom keyboards?

I've seen the dust covers on EK and it looks like they're designed to rest on the top of the case and thus would be really easy to knock askew. Is that the case or am I missing something?

I've been using the plastic ones that come with the board and I also got a silicone cover with my 700R. If you buy the keycap set box from EK, there should be a cover that you can use. All the covers I use are easily knocked askew. I believe someone was making acrylic covers here which might be harder to knock over.

[BlueBär]

I believe someone was making acrylic covers here which might be harder to knock over.

I think that was MOZ. At least he made some covers for his Phantom and Schoolbus 1800.

[Photekq]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find the information on how to change (if at all possible) stems on plate mounted cherry switch. I see that pcb mounted ones are really easy to open, but can't figure out if the plate mounted ones can be opened without desoldering, with desoldering or not at all?
I would greatly appreciate a link to some post on how to do it, I've googled and searched here, but only managed to find about pcb mounted ones

Thanks!

You absolutely have to desolder plate mounted cherry switches to change the stem.

That being said, there are certain custom keyboards and custom plates with a design that allows you to do so without having to desolder, but you have to desolder and resolder your switches to install these plates anyway, and only certain keyboards will support it.

Or you could push down the entire metal plate, allowing you to open up the switches, and then push it back up again. I saw a thread on it, but I can't find it again.

[SpAmRaY]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find the information on how to change (if at all possible) stems on plate mounted cherry switch. I see that pcb mounted ones are really easy to open, but can't figure out if the plate mounted ones can be opened without desoldering, with desoldering or not at all?
I would greatly appreciate a link to some post on how to do it, I've googled and searched here, but only managed to find about pcb mounted ones

Thanks!

You absolutely have to desolder plate mounted cherry switches to change the stem.

That being said, there are certain custom keyboards and custom plates with a design that allows you to do so without having to desolder, but you have to desolder and resolder your switches to install these plates anyway, and only certain keyboards will support it.

Or you could push down the entire metal plate, allowing you to open up the switches, and then push it back up again. I saw a thread on it, but I can't find it again.

Isn't that just for a specific line of boards?

[Photekq]

Isn't that just for a specific line of boards?

I don't see why it would be.

[Zeal]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find the information on how to change (if at all possible) stems on plate mounted cherry switch. I see that pcb mounted ones are really easy to open, but can't figure out if the plate mounted ones can be opened without desoldering, with desoldering or not at all?
I would greatly appreciate a link to some post on how to do it, I've googled and searched here, but only managed to find about pcb mounted ones

Thanks!

You absolutely have to desolder plate mounted cherry switches to change the stem.

That being said, there are certain custom keyboards and custom plates with a design that allows you to do so without having to desolder, but you have to desolder and resolder your switches to install these plates anyway, and only certain keyboards will support it.

Or you could push down the entire metal plate, allowing you to open up the switches, and then push it back up again. I saw a thread on it, but I can't find it again.

Isn't that just for a specific line of boards?

I recall seeing the youtube video, and the maker said it was only applicable for POS matrix boards.

[nuclearsandwich]

Is there any sort of dust or spill cover that you can get for custom keyboards?

I've seen the dust covers on EK and it looks like they're designed to rest on the top of the case and thus would be really easy to knock askew. Is that the case or am I missing something?

I've been using the plastic ones that come with the board and I also got a silicone cover with my 700R. If you buy the keycap set box from EK, there should be a cover that you can use. All the covers I use are easily knocked askew. I believe someone was making acrylic covers here which might be harder to knock over.

Hmm. Guess I'll have to wait til finals are over and experiment with bending acrylic over a strip heater.

[intelli78]

Is there a reason why the sliders in complicated Alps are non symmetrical? Does the little indent on one side do anything at all?

[BlueBär]

Is there a reason why the sliders in complicated Alps are non symmetrical? Does the little indent on one side do anything at all?

There is no known reason for it not being symmetrical and clones have symmetrical sliders, so that obviously works too.

[Rewind]

What is a set of BSP caps?

[BlueBär]

What is a set of BSP caps?

BSP is a keycap manufacturer for PBT dyesub keycaps.
For future reference, check out the Geekhack Glossary.

[Rewind]

What is a set of BSP caps?

BSP is a keycap manufacturer for PBT dyesub keycaps.
For future reference, check out the Geekhack Glossary.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Sorry for not reading and requesting to be spoon fed information... =x

[BlueBär]

Sorry for not reading and requesting to be spoon fed information... =x

Don't worry, nobody knows everything

[combataran]

Do people sometimes find their 55g RFs tiring, even a little? I'm seeing threads about the 45 vs 55g Topres with varying opinions, some say they're the best switch they'll ever have, some say that the 45g is easier on the hands, 45gs are for baby hands, etc. I can't just get both(college budget), so help me out here.

[Pacifist]

Do people sometimes find their 55g RFs tiring, even a little? I'm seeing threads about the 45 vs 55g Topres with varying opinions, some say they're the best switch they'll ever have, some say that the 45g is easier on the hands, 45gs are for baby hands, etc. I can't just get both(college budget), so help me out here.

Its personal preference

[ComradeSniper]

Do people sometimes find their 55g RFs tiring, even a little? I'm seeing threads about the 45 vs 55g Topres with varying opinions, some say they're the best switch they'll ever have, some say that the 45g is easier on the hands, 45gs are for baby hands, etc. I can't just get both(college budget), so help me out here.

It's definitely much more tactile and snappy, but I wouldn't say that 55g is tiring.

[SpAmRaY]

What's the difference between a moogle kit and a moggle kit?

[BlueBär]

What's the difference between a moogle kit and a moggle kit?

The spelling error.

[SpAmRaY]

What's the difference between a moogle kit and a moggle kit?

The spelling error.

Ok, just checking I thought maybe they were two different things.

[BlueBär]

Ok, just checking I thought maybe they were two different things.

I quickly looked if I could find more posts on it but from the posts I could find it's just a moogle kit.

[CPTBadAss]

What's the difference between a moogle kit and a moggle kit?

The spelling error.

LOL. That reply made me laugh BlueBär. It is just a spelling error though.

Do people sometimes find their 55g RFs tiring, even a little? I'm seeing threads about the 45 vs 55g Topres with varying opinions, some say they're the best switch they'll ever have, some say that the 45g is easier on the hands, 45gs are for baby hands, etc. I can't just get both(college budget), so help me out here.

For me, all Topre switches hurt my hands. I always bottom out when I type and I found that typing for extended periods of time on the 55g Topre switches hurt after a while. The 45g was worse for me since they're much lighter. I don't like light switches so I prefer 55g but then I can't type on 55g for more than 2 hours. But as mentioned before, it's personal preference. Obviously people who, for example, have HHKB in their custom title love their HHKBs and don't have any complaints.

[rowdy]

What's the difference between a moogle kit and a moggle kit?

The moggle kit comes with an extra "G" key.

They weren't selling too well, which is why so many people ended up with DS G keys in their last but one crap bags.

[SeeThruHead]

I'm interested in diying my first keyboard and I was thinking that the ergodox would be a good project. Is there a preferred dealer of kits in the forums? Also I'd like to get an aluminum case for it as well. Where would you guys recommend I purchase the components/kit.

[Pacifist]

I'm interested in diying my first keyboard and I was thinking that the ergodox would be a good project. Is there a preferred dealer of kits in the forums? Also I'd like to get an aluminum case for it as well. Where would you guys recommend I purchase the components/kit.

md``mk.com