NEW BLOG POST: B. LOG (THE B STANDS FOR BUILD)
you guys! i promised and now i deliver.
here's a very short build log of my Apple Enshortened Keyboard (AEK).
i will try to update this later with some of the issues I had but here's the ol' jist of it:
fig 1: bralps. with a yellow linear for the space. the yellow came off the board I got the bralps from. it's about 10g heavier than the browns.
fig 2: PCB. i already soldered the diodes on this a few weeks back. you can tell because i am a certified butcher with a soldering iron, and i dont clean my iron tip enough. dirty tip.
fig 3: the plate. this was a custom jobby designed by jdcarpe with a split backspace. it's 3mm matte acrylic or something. kinda flexy, not a big deal when the switches are mounted to a PCB.
fig 4: the case. one of those vortex massdrops jobbies. not my favorite for AEK caps because it leaves a lot exposed on the sides. other than that i actually really like this case - very simple, pretty heavy, no frills. frills are dumb.
fig 5: the most important part. dont not drink and solder.
fig 6. what, you wanted pictures for every switch? c'mon. here it is with all the switches mounted and soldered. deal with it.
fig 7. closer upper. dat yella
as mentioned, there were some issues with the stabilizers. alps switches and stabs are designed for what, like, 1mm plates? metal guys. i have a 3mm plastic plate. that means things dont really snap into place as they're supposed to. not a huge deal for the switches (although you have to be careful when soldering because the switches may not be pressed down all the way) but for stabilziers it's an issue.
what i ended up doing is using a knife to cut off the plate-clip parts of the wire clips, then dabbing a bit of hot glue around the sides of the wire clips. then i quickly pressed them into place in the stabilizer mounts on the plate. hot glue is good becase you can easily remove it. the softness of the glue helps as a friction fit more than the tackiness keeps it stuck to the plate.
i will hurt u