Simple Questions, Simple Answers (FAQ in the OP)

[SpAmRaY]

Where I can get some sip sockets? and what is the main difference between long and short ones?

For sources you can get them on eBay (cheapest I'm sure one example http://m.ebay.com/itm/5-x-40-Pin-DIP-SIP-IC-Sockets-Adaptor-Solder-Type-USA-SELLER-Free-Shipping-/321804663212?nav=SEARCH , mechanicalkeyboards.com, zealpc, mouser and I'm sure many other places.

The differences I think are self explanatory, the longer ones give you more to solder to, but to me its almost personal preference and how much do you really want to spend.

[Bucake]

thanks a ton CPTBadAss a bunch of real nice info in that thread.

( i must be bad at google for not having found that thread myself! )

[ideus]

Where I can get some sip sockets? and what is the main difference between long and short ones?

For sources you can get them on eBay (cheapest I'm sure one example http://m.ebay.com/itm/5-x-40-Pin-DIP-SIP-IC-Sockets-Adaptor-Solder-Type-USA-SELLER-Free-Shipping-/321804663212?nav=SEARCH , mechanicalkeyboards.com, zealpc, mouser and I'm sure many other places.

The differences I think are self explanatory, the longer ones give you more to solder to, but to me its almost personal preference and how much do you really want to spend.

They are in their way to my door, already. My Nerd60 will be very happy to have interchangeable leds.

[dohbot]

1) Well my question would be, what would the FC660M aluminum case in titanium grey look like with hyperfuse on it? So if someone has that combo, I'd love a picture, but since I don't know if anyone has that case or one by the same company with the same color, I'll ask,

2) what color aluminum case http://world.taobao.com/item/520940971460.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.MLdXWo#detail would be best suited towards hyperfuse?

1) This is the closest picture I could find of that case color and a quick search.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/aluminum-case-for-leopold-fc660m/talk - Case for reference
http://i.imgur.com/6R7DPK6.jpg - Keyboard (Not sure who is the owner or what keyboard it is )

2) Definitely personal preference in terms of what you think is "best". I can't do color comparisons on my work computer though to give you my opinion since my work computer's colors are jacked.

1)Where I can get some sip sockets?

2) and what is the main difference between long and short ones?

1) https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51792.msg1413823#msg1413823

2) You mean besides the length? ) I'd just use whatever everyone else used. I would imagine that the longer ones would make it harder to install.

hehe, got it.

so i have a zenith 100-1886 coming in. does anyone know if this thing is AT, or XT? would it be safe to just try it out with an AT to PS/2 adapter?
also, is there anything i should keep in mind when i open it up for cleaning? like a risk of breaking (stabilized) caps when pulling them up? (it uses Alps SKCL.)

I'm guessing AT from these pictures. Alps in general are more susceptible to dirt, dust, and grime affecting the feeling so you may want to clean it. Alps caps are harder to pull off so make sure you rock from side to side while pulling caps. Be very careful pulling stabilizers as they're hard to come off and if you break them, very hard to replace. I suggest checking out chyros' videos on how he cleaned up his Alps boards. Also BlueBar has a good video IIRC.

I know this question comes up an awful lot regarding various custom boards, but after some light searching I'm coming up empty.    So, sorry to be that guy, but:

Does anyone know the alloy type used in The Cheat's construction?

Seems like the vast majority of customs are Aluminum 6061 but I'm not sure. I couldn't find an answer but I did find this clue from DanGWanG.

That looks like the black case I just don't want the modifier keys to be a slightly different and weird to the case thanks for the help!

[ideus]

Thank you very much for the answers guys.

[njbair]

I know this question comes up an awful lot regarding various custom boards, but after some light searching I'm coming up empty.    So, sorry to be that guy, but:

Does anyone know the alloy type used in The Cheat's construction?

Seems like the vast majority of customs are Aluminum 6061 but I'm not sure. I couldn't find an answer but I did find this clue from DanGWanG.

I can't imagine why anyone would use an alloy other than 6061-T6, unless they just wanted to be able to say their keyboard is made from aircraft aluminum or something. T6 is not only one of the cheapest and most widely available, it's also very stable and easy to work with (some alloys bend and bow a lot as you remove stock).

[CPTBadAss]

I agree njbair but perhaps people want to go with say mild steel of some sort to save money.

* CPTBadAss dreams of a keyboard case made of Inconel

[Bucake]

safe to clean pcb + components with alcohol 70%?

[CPTBadAss]

safe to clean pcb + components with alcohol 70%?

Probably but I'd recommend trying to find 90+% which has less water in it.

[MJ45]

I know this question comes up an awful lot regarding various custom boards, but after some light searching I'm coming up empty.    So, sorry to be that guy, but:

Does anyone know the alloy type used in The Cheat's construction?

Seems like the vast majority of customs are Aluminum 6061 but I'm not sure. I couldn't find an answer but I did find this clue from DanGWanG.

I can't imagine why anyone would use an alloy other than 6061-T6, unless they just wanted to be able to say their keyboard is made from aircraft aluminum or something. T6 is not only one of the cheapest and most widely available, it's also very stable and easy to work with (some alloys bend and bow a lot as you remove stock).

Although beautiful Aluminum is soft and very easy to dent, ding and scratch up.

[Bucake]

is it safe to plug a 5din into a ps/2 PC port?
i mean.. this board i have here might be XT for all i know, but i have a 5din to ps/2 adapter (not converter) here and figured i'd just try to see if it works..

so, is it guaranteed safe to try, even if the board would be XT? or could it actually do harm to the board or my pc?

[fohat.digs]

is it safe to plug a 5din into a ps/2 PC port?
i mean.. this board i have here might be XT for all i know, but i have a 5din to ps/2 adapter (not converter) here and figured i'd just try to see if it works..

so, is it guaranteed safe to try, even if the board would be XT? or could it actually do harm to the board or my pc?

Don't plug it in hot. As far as I know, if it is XT it simply won't be recognized at boot-up.

[Bucake]

is it safe to plug a 5din into a ps/2 PC port?
i mean.. this board i have here might be XT for all i know, but i have a 5din to ps/2 adapter (not converter) here and figured i'd just try to see if it works..

so, is it guaranteed safe to try, even if the board would be XT? or could it actually do harm to the board or my pc?

Don't plug it in hot. As far as I know, if it is XT it simply won't be recognized at boot-up.

thank you, thank you turned off the pc, and plugged it in..
the lights light up (and stay on), but no key seems to be doing anything. "no keyboard found" in startup as well.
i hope this means it's a functional XT rather than broken AT will get a converter soon, though!

thanks again!

[whentheclouds]

i can't track down a scientific explanation of why aluminum cannot be anodized white. anyone cares to shed some light on this?

why does a keyboard still draw power from the usb hub when the laptop is turned off and charging, but not when it is in sleep mode and charging?

[njbair]

i can't track down a scientific explanation of why aluminum cannot be anodized white. anyone cares to shed some light on this?

why does a keyboard still draw power from the usb hub when the laptop is turned off and charging, but not when it is in sleep mode and charging?

Anodize colors are applied via a dyeing process. Dye soaks into materials and adds tint to the original color. Pigmentation, such as paint, sits on top of a material and covers up the original color. Since white is the lightest color, white dye is actually just clear. It may be scientifically possible to clear dye something, I don't know. But you wouldn't be able to see it.

[CPTBadAss]

i can't track down a scientific explanation of why aluminum cannot be anodized white. anyone cares to shed some light on this?

why does a keyboard still draw power from the usb hub when the laptop is turned off and charging, but not when it is in sleep mode and charging?

Anodize colors are applied via a dyeing process. Dye soaks into materials and adds tint to the original color. Pigmentation, such as paint, sits on top of a material and covers up the original color. Since white is the lightest color, white dye is actually just clear. It may be scientifically possible to clear dye something, I don't know. But you wouldn't be able to see it.

Also this thread: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45117.5

[whentheclouds]

Anodize colors are applied via a dyeing process. Dye soaks into materials and adds tint to the original color. Pigmentation, such as paint, sits on top of a material and covers up the original color. Since white is the lightest color, white dye is actually just clear. It may be scientifically possible to clear dye something, I don't know. But you wouldn't be able to see it.

so you subscribe to the theory that white dyes are translucent? someone said the process is akin to pouring milk onto the metal which makes sense to me. but this is different from the theory posted in CPT's link, which says white pigment molecules are too large for the pores on the aluminum surface. they are both sound theories, hence my attempt to find a scientifically credible source to confirm things, one way or the other

[njbair]

Anodize colors are applied via a dyeing process. Dye soaks into materials and adds tint to the original color. Pigmentation, such as paint, sits on top of a material and covers up the original color. Since white is the lightest color, white dye is actually just clear. It may be scientifically possible to clear dye something, I don't know. But you wouldn't be able to see it.

so you subscribe to the theory that white dyes are translucent? someone said the process is akin to pouring milk onto the metal which makes sense to me. but this is different from the theory posted in CPT's link, which says white pigment molecules are too large for the pores on the aluminum surface. they are both sound theories, hence my attempt to find a scientifically credible source to confirm things, one way or the other

As an utterly untrained layperson, yes that was my understanding.

[ideus]

Is there an stepped ISO enter key for Cherry switches like the one available on the Kishsavers?

[CPTBadAss]

Is there an stepped ISO enter key for Cherry switches like the one available on the Kishsavers?

I've never seen one. Or heard of a stepped enter key.

[Eugene45]

Hello, i have a g81-3000LANDE laying aroud, wanted to use it or doing some paint project on it.
What are the board who can go in it to have some "REAL" mechanical switches in it ?

By any chance has someone a CAD 3d file of a g81-3000 case ?

Thanks in advance and have a nice day.

[Bucake]

anywhere to get springs for (compicated) alps?
i have some board with green SKCL Alps, but the right shift has a damaged spring :/
wouldn't mind if the force isn't exactly the same as the other keys of course. would be nice to get it close, though. wikipedia says greens are 50gf.

also.. the spacebar rattles like crazy. any way to 'fix' this? the stabilizer does not seem damaged or bent in any way.

[fohat.digs]

I've never seen one. Or heard of a stepped enter key.

I have several stepped Enter keys from 122-key IBM terminals. It is located at the lower right where you expect Right Control to be.

[fohat.digs]

anywhere to get springs for (compicated) alps?
i have some board with green SKCL Alps, but the right shift has a damaged spring :/
wouldn't mind if the force isn't exactly the same as the other keys of course. would be nice to get it close, though. wikipedia says greens are 50gf.

also.. the spacebar rattles like crazy. any way to 'fix' this? the stabilizer does not seem damaged or bent in any way.

I would send you some old switches for the cost of international postage, but it would be faster and easier to get them in the Euro zone.

The space bar probably has 2 insert tabs on the underside that hold the wire, and there are probably 2 hold-down tabs mounted in the front plate. Ensure that all 4 of these are seated properly and the wire is being restrained as it should be.

[CPTBadAss]

Hello, i have a g81-3000LANDE laying aroud, wanted to use it or doing some paint project on it.
What are the board who can go in it to have some "REAL" mechanical switches in it ?

By any chance has someone a CAD 3d file of a g81-3000 case ?

Thanks in advance and have a nice day.

G81 has Cherry MY switches which are mechanical, just feel awful. You can probably drop a Leeku 3000 PCB into it and it'll work with MX mount switches.

I've never seen one. Or heard of a stepped enter key.

I have several stepped Enter keys from 122-key IBM terminals. It is located at the lower right where you expect Right Control to be.

Today I learned. Thanks! I love when I learn new info from this thread

[Blaise170]

anywhere to get springs for (compicated) alps?
i have some board with green SKCL Alps, but the right shift has a damaged spring :/
wouldn't mind if the force isn't exactly the same as the other keys of course. would be nice to get it close, though. wikipedia says greens are 50gf.

also.. the spacebar rattles like crazy. any way to 'fix' this? the stabilizer does not seem damaged or bent in any way.

I have some broken Matias Linear switches (missing leads) that you could have. They are 60gf though.

[Blaise170]

How hard is it to hand wire a keyboard? I have two that I'd like to use but I can't afford the $15/hour or so that is charged for custom soldering services.

[Eugene45]

Hello, i have a g81-3000LANDE laying aroud, wanted to use it or doing some paint project on it.
What are the board who can go in it to have some "REAL" mechanical switches in it ?

By any chance has someone a CAD 3d file of a g81-3000 case ?

Thanks in advance and have a nice day.

G81 has Cherry MY switches which are mechanical, just feel awful. You can probably drop a Leeku 3000 PCB into it and it'll work with MX mount switches.

I've never seen one. Or heard of a stepped enter key.

I have several stepped Enter keys from 122-key IBM terminals. It is located at the lower right where you expect Right Control to be.

Today I learned. Thanks! I love when I learn new info from this thread

Okay that is a great news. Do the MY switches have any utility ? Or is it just good enough for the bin ?
And now, i have to find G81-3000 case CAD file for my friend who could make me the 3d paint on it.
Thanks Captain and have a nice day.

[Blaise170]

I'd take an MY over here, need one of them still.  )

[fohat.digs]

I got an MY keyboard as a side to another deal here, several years ago. MY has some sort of double spring affair and he (can't remember who) had removed one set, resulting in an activation force of something like 15g. It was kind of interesting and I used it just a little, but I had really bought it for the caps so I tossed the rest.

[CPTBadAss]

Okay that is a great news. Do the MY switches have any utility ? Or is it just good enough for the bin ?
And now, i have to find G81-3000 case CAD file for my friend who could make me the 3d paint on it.
Thanks Captain and have a nice day.

If you like how they feel, keep the switches. If you don't, toss em. I consider MY instant toss but that's me.

I'm not sure you'll be able to find files to 3d print a 3000 case. Most available 3D printers don't have the build space. Not sure why you wouldn't just use the current case.

[Eugene45]

Friend of mine have great drawing skill, has a a drawing tablet, could make me a good job for the case but need so 3d file to send him.

[tofgerl]

I'm having problems finding long legged SIP sockets shippable to Europe. Ebay is fine, so is Dealextreme, AliExpress or whatever. TaoBao and your local hardware store is not. 

[suicidal_orange]

How hard is it to hand wire a keyboard? I have two that I'd like to use but I can't afford the $15/hour or so that is charged for custom soldering services.

If you have a soldering iron, some nice fluxy solder, two plates with cases, a couple of Teensys (or similar,) a big bag of switches, lots of diodes and some wire it's really not that hard, as long as you don't need it to look immaculate.

The only things to worry about are

1) Put all the diodes facing the same way.  If you're planning to use the EasyAVR firmware they need to be installed so current flows from row to column
2) Write down what you connected to what (rows and columns to pin numbers) so you can configure the firmware to match
3) Be careful not to short anything, though this will only cause random input not permanent damage

This thread has some good step by step pics

[darkspider]

I'm now interested in IBM Model F with solenoid installed. But I have a problem how to find them. It seems that people use solenoids from IBM Displaywriter in general, which I cannot find.
After some research, I found one from IBM Wheelwriter instead. However I wonder it will work well with xwhatsit-installed Model F, because I couldn't find well-described information about this kind of problem. If possible, please rent me your knowledge.

[swimmingbird]

Are there any Korean artisan makers out there or does it tend to be more of a GH thing?

edit: artisan as in keycap makers

[Bucake]

so i removed some rust off a plate, but in return i got grey/black areas, as well as 'bleached' areas..
did i screw up the plate..? what's going on?

i used lemon juice and a toothbrush..
was i too aggressive with the scrubbing? did i leave the juice on there for too long?

can i fix it?

[fohat.digs]

so i removed some rust off a plate, but in return i got grey/black areas, as well as 'bleached' areas

did i screw up the plate?

can i fix it?

Get rid of all the bad stuff and give it a good paint job using rust preventive paint (eg "Rustoleum" in the US).

[CPTBadAss]

Are there any Korean artisan makers out there or does it tend to be more of a GH thing?

edit: artisan as in keycap makers

GirlDC is a Korean novelty cap maker. Not aware of any others off the top of my thing.

[Bucake]

Get rid of all the bad stuff and give it a good paint job using rust preventive paint (eg "Rustoleum" in the US).

thank you!! will need to look into it a bit because they seem to have a million different kinds

so those bleached or darkened areas don't necessarily matter, and i can just paint/coat over them?
because i can't seem to get rid of those areas. it looks like the acid just 'burned' the top (coating) of the metal off a little bit.
i also noticed that those areas feel smoother than the 'untouched' areas.

[fohat.digs]

thank you!! will need to look into it a bit because they seem to have a million different kinds

so those bleached or darkened areas don't necessarily matter, and i can just paint/coat over them?
because i can't seem to get rid of those areas. it looks like the acid just 'burned' the top (coating) of the metal off a little bit.
i also noticed that those areas feel smoother than the 'untouched' areas.

I swear by Rustoleum.

The story is that fishing ships rusted like crazy in the salt water, but fishermen realized that areas covered in fish oil did not rust as much.
So they isolated the fish oil component that resisted rust and incorporated it into the paint formula.

True or not, Rustoleum paint has always performed great for me. And they make products to be painted directly onto active rust to stop it!

[Elrick]

I swear by Rustoleum.

The story is that fishing ships rusted like crazy in the salt water, but fishermen realized that areas covered in fish oil did not rust as much.
So they isolated the fish oil component that resisted rust and incorporated it into the paint formula.

True or not, Rustoleum paint has always performed great for me. And they make products to be painted directly onto active rust to stop it!

Also brilliant for applying on the underside of any Landcruiser when it scrapes the natural paint off, through any off road maneuvers.  Have scraped off a lot of the natural paint down to bare metal and I simply apply a fresh coat of Rustoleum and it's good to go for another few years.

[asgeirtj]

Where can I buy replacement keyboard feet?  My octagon feet are starting to get loose.

[tofgerl]

Glued or screwed? Either way you can get them on ebay. There's a 3M part number floating around for glued feet which I think people have been very happy with, but I can't find it, which is weird, cause it's probably in this thread.

(No, not the transparent tiny bumps, the proper ones)

[Bucake]

damnit, i've been using the tiny transparent bumps :/
but there are better ones out there? they absorb better, or something?

[swimmingbird]

Are there any Korean artisan makers out there or does it tend to be more of a GH thing?

edit: artisan as in keycap makers

GirlDC is a Korean novelty cap maker. Not aware of any others off the top of my thing.

Cool! It's just whenever I browse OTD they have all the sweet Korean boards but the artisans are always CC or Bros

[tofgerl]

Bigger and actually made for it. These are made to lift the back (or front, if you want) of the keyboard, not just make it stand a little more still.
If you want the keyboard to ACTUALLY stand still, by the way, there's a third 3M number for that. I don't have that either. The transparent bumps are horrible at lifting AND horrible for stopping movement, but they're cheap so people get them anyway, and then get annoyed when they don't do what they're not meant to do.

[asgeirtj]

The bumps that came with the octagon were really cool, is it possible to buy something similar?

[ideus]

On 7u stab wires: Do bent and straight ones work the same?

[Dreamre]

Does anyone know where I can get long tailed SIP sockets? I got bunch of long MillMax ones off of one of the GBs. I've bought a bunch off of eBay and they're super short.

Thanks in advance!