Where I Am Right Now______________________________________________________________
As more people are getting their own TGR-Jane's I was so inspired by how quickly people have built it and how well yuktsi organized and shipped the product that I decided to begin a build log of this keyboard. If you didn't know this was the "start" of TGR's endeavors in to the custom keyboard development and was teased for a little less than two months in the IC threads. I received the kit on October 17, 2015 so the whole process from the beginning of the IC thread to landing on my doorstep(seriously I heard the box plop down on my steps) took about three and a half months. I'd say that's a quick turnaround time, especially by group buy standards!
The plan with the board is to have it gifted to my significant other. I have a bad habit of bringing everyone around me in to my hobbies whether it be gaming, model building, cars, etc. Unfortunately for her she had to hear me talk about different switches, soldering, and all the little things about keyboards and this is the least I can do to show her appreciation for the patience. Plus I got number 19 which is my birth date.
)
The ending result should be as follows:
- TGR-Jane Winkeyless TKL
- Steel Plate
- 62g lubed Ergo "Vintage" Clears
- Gateron Clear Switch Tops
- Clipped and Lubed Stabilizers
- Polished Brass Bar
- GON Foam Insert
- Pink LEDS
I'll keep the first post of this updated so that it'll be an easy look for everybody. Hopefully the readers enjoy this as this will be a learning experience for me. Feel free to school me on anything.
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Unboxing and dismantlingDid not realize I had to buy resistors and diodes. Maybe I got spoiled by the DUCK boards in that regard. Quick message to Yuktsi and was told to buy ll4148 diodes and 0805 type resistors. Since there will be pink 1.8mm LEDS I opted for 820ohm resistors. Ordered and should reach me by the end of the week.
Picked up the steel plate for a few reasons. I didn't think the red aluminum backplate would blend well with a pink aluminum keyboard and I wanted the heavier weight and more solid feeling of steel.
One thing I noticed while dismantling the board was the need to use two different hex keys. One was to take apart the case and the other was used to separate the steel plate from the top case and removal of the brass weight. It would have been simpler to have the need for only one hex key for the entire board. Not a big deal for me since I had the tools on hand already.
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Switch ModdingHere is my station for switch modding. The switches were cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with IPA for three passes of 30 minutes off camera. Each part was separated in to individual batches.
Relevant materials include:
- Sprit 62g Gold Springs
- "Vintage" Cherry MX Clears
- Sprit Lube Station
- Gateron Clear Switch Tops
- Reaper Paint Brush
- GH V3 Thick Lube
- Krytox Mix of GPL 103 and GH V3 Thick Lube to my desired consistency(for springs)
- Cloth for Cleanliness
It was around this time I got a little tired. Between this and watching DOTA 2 streams took me about 2 hours to make sure the switch feeling and sound matched my preferences.
My method for lubing switches was light coat of oil on the bottom of the spring where it meets the housing, light coats of thick lube on the friction points on the slider, and then a light coat on the copper leaf where it makes contact with the slider leg. Did I say light coat? I'm sure I did.
All done. 84 switches completed and willing to assimilate with the board.
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Brass Bar Polishing + Bonus ContentHere is a picture of the bar before polishing. I didn't realize how nasty it was until it was uploaded and viewed on my PC. Ugh.
Post polishing shot. The polishing process was easy. Someone recommended I use a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice as the compound for polishing. Combine it with some elbow grease and a plush microfiber cloth and this is the result. I was pretty satisfied with this so I cancelled my order for a brass polishing compound I made the night before. Amazon can be pretty convenient that way.
The bonus content involves making the Jane and numbered engravings pop. As you can tell from the previous picture the engraving sort of gets lost in the luster of the brass.
In order to do this you need these materials:
- Thin Paint Brush
- Enamel Paint
- Zippo Lighter Fluid
- Paper Towels
- Cotton Swabs
The method is pretty easy but I polished the weight primarily to help aid in the flow of the thinned paint in to the engravings. First you want to mix the enamel paint and the zippo lighter fluid in to the dish aiming for the consistency of skim milk. The lighter fluid acts as a thinner for enamel paints but it's real value comes from it evaporating rapidly. Dip the brush in to the mix to "load" it up. When you touch the paint brush in to the engraving you want the "loaded" brush to transfer the paint in to the engraving like a flowing river. You don't have to be accurate as you can tell from the picture. Do that for the entire engraving.
Let it dry completely then pour lighter fluid on to your cotton swabs/paper towels and squeeze out any excess by pressing it against a paper towel. The swab/towel should not be soaking wet. Wipe away GENTLY over the brass bar and then you'll come across a product like below.
Very easy to do. Let it dry for a few hours. You can reapply paint as needed. Enamel paints take a long time to cure so I'll have it sitting on my table for the next 24 hours.
As a final say before we move on to the next section - The polishing was very light and probably the least abrasive method. Could I have attempted to polish the weight to a mirror finish? Yeah but doing that by hand is time consuming. If I still had my DA polish I could have thrown on a small 4" buffering pad and probably achieved a blindingly glossy finish but that was given up a long time ago. That said the weight will ultimately be covered by the foam and pcb so if you want to do this you have to weigh the effort invested and the amount of satisfaction after. For less than hours worth of work(including typing up the entry and quick processing/uploading) I'm happy with the end result.
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Weighing parts and anodizing flaws
Time to weight the components of the kit. Still waiting on those SMD diodes and resistors so really I'm just finding reasons to play with the board.
I notice my rug appears to be different colors in these pictures. Photography is difficult!
Brass Weight: 11.1oz
Steel Plate: 9.3oz
Bare PCB - 4.6oz
Bottom Case - 3lbs 5.3oz
Top case - 11.7oz
Screws - 0.3oz
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Total weight of kit: 5lbs 10.5oz
Added GON foam instert beneath the PCB and foam between pcb and plate so weight will be very slightly less without those.
As TGR's first attempt at the custom keyboard business I expected a flaw to arise. I discovered these fingerprint looking things and attempted to wipe away with a soft microfiber cloth and some IPA to no avail. I brought it up with Yuktsi mentioning that this probably happened from hand oils while handling the case before throwing it in for anodizing. Also it's fairly obvious in previous pictures but there's a slight shade difference between the top and bottom half casings. It doesn't bother me but I promised Yuktsi that I'd bring up any issues I find whether it was minor or significant.
Regardless, I'm overall satisfied with the end product and Yuktsi made every attempt to ensure the product arrived safely to the group buyers. The anodizing issues will be addressed before the next round of the group buy starts. Unfortunately for the impatient that means R2 of TGR keyboards will be delayed but I'm sure that wait will be appreciated in the end.
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My first ever mishap with shipping since I started online shopping in 2007Alright I woke up from my sleep(I work nights so I typically sleep during the day) and saw an envelope on my table. I knew it was my package for the diodes and resistors. Something was awry though because I noticed it was completely flat. That was sign number one that there might be a problem.
Notice the top crease was ignored and a new fold was made? Uh oh...
As a result the top wasn't sealed and the contents of my package was lost. The fold was tucked inside rather than over. RIP in peace SMD components.
At least this came in today. It's a DIY headphone AMP! Excitement has been rekindled.
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Building the boardSoldering the SMD components wasn't bad at all. In fact I find it was less intimidating than when I first learned how to solder. Still it was my first go at soldering a complete set for a board and I definitely made the rookie mistake of putting excess solder on multiple joints.
If you haven't SMD soldered before you can reference these two videos:
I linked the first one to sort of illustrate how much flux helps with the soldering SMD components.
LL4148 diodes probably won't be on my ordering list again since they like to roll around. 1N4148W diodes cost a little bit more but the easier placement is something I will probably prefer.
Next up you'll want to make sure the steel/aluminum plate is straight. Crooked mounted switches isn't a fun thing to take care of after everything is already soldered together.
Stabilizers clipped
When mounting the stabilizers to the pcb you insert and match the red circles first and then the blue.
I test fitted the plate over the spacebar stabilizer to check for any tolerance or contact issues.
Toothpick inserted stabilizers. I'm not sure if there's really a benefit in feeling but I can say it at least keeps the stabilizer wedged in place.
Soldering is done
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Up Next: LEDs whenever they decide to come in(and the accompanying SMD resistor soldering).
Change Log
- 10.19.15 - First post
- 10.20.15 - Tweaked post, added description, made it look nicer(I think)
- 10.21.15 - Added brass bar polishing and painted engraving process
- 10.22.15 - Weighed the components and photographed anodizing flaw
- 10.23.15 - RIP my SMD components
- 10.28.15 - Soldering of switches and diodes completed. Board is functional.