Soldering Station

[QuantumPlutonian]

Hello everyone! I am wondering how exactly do I get a soldering station to mod keyboards. Are there any videos or articles on how to change switches on keyboards? I was mainly thinking of changing my brown switches to Cherry MX Red. I probably not do it right now, but I was wondering how, and if I need any infrastructure, and if it is expensive. So basically, I want to know where to get a soldering station, and if it is expensive, and where can I get red switches, because I have not been able to see clear red switches for sale anywhere. 

[Drama Lama]

in my opinion soldering stations are not needed 90% of the time. an normal soldering iron will do fine.

7 minutes ago, QuantumPlutonian said:

Are there any videos or articles on how to change switches on keyboards?

summoning the mighty @Eschew to help you on this topic

[Slottr]

There's tons on Amazon

 

This Hakko kit is what I've used for keyboards, it's great

https://www.amazon.ca/Hakko-FX888D-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=soldering+station&qid=1617554900&sr=8-14

 

You can buy a 30$ kit and be fine

 

However, switching switches on a keyboard is going to be a pain in the ass- it's probably not worth it over buying a new keyboard

[Eschew]

Hey there.

4 minutes ago, QuantumPlutonian said:

So basically, I want to know where to get a soldering station, and if it is expensive

Hm. Amazon carries a selection of soldering stations, soldering irons, and soldering kits. If you need recommendations, I recall Hakko soldering stations being well-loved by many, but they are somewhat more expensive. There are cheaper soldering stations and soldering kits you can find for $60-ish, but I'm uncertain how well or how reliably they perform.

 

7 minutes ago, QuantumPlutonian said:

where can I get red switches

A few stores carry Cherry MX Red RGB switches (RGB, as in, clear top and bottom housings to let the LEDs shine through):

• Cherry MX Red RGB Switch (PCB Mount, 5-Pin) from Mechanical Keyboards.
• CHERRY RGB Switches (Plate-Mount, 3-Pin) from KBDfans.
• Cherry RGB switch (Plate Mount, 3-Pin) from KPrepublic.

I'm a little short on time right now, but there should be more vendors that carry Cherry MX RGB switches, perhaps at fairer prices. If you've the patience to comb through all your options, a more comprehensive list of keyboard parts (and switches) vendors may be found in Section 6.0 of this thread (CTRL + F, then search "[6.0]" with brackets to jump to that section).

[seon123]

24 minutes ago, QuantumPlutonian said:

Are there any videos or articles on how to change switches on keyboards?

The video below by Juju should be fine. Use either the method with the solder wick or with the solder sucker. I used solder wick and a $10 soldering iron for my G710. Expect it to take up to quite a few hours, depending on your keyboard.

Spoiler

 

 

31 minutes ago, QuantumPlutonian said:

and where can I get red switches, because I have not been able to see clear red switches for sale anywhere. 

If you decide to really go to the effort of changing out your switches, please do yourself a favour, and at least get a nice switch, and not just Cherry MX Reds. And do make sure that you will actually enjoy the switch you decide to get. Some options could be Gateron Inks, Tealios, and various Durock/JWK linears. Where you should get them depends on what country/region you're buying from, so we would need to know that, in order to give better suggestions.