Mechanical Keyboard Club!

[Yogi_DaBear221]

I do hope this is the thread to ask about this on so if not I can like create one, but I'm looking to move on from my Logitech G915 TKL, it's a great keyboard but I've been very interested in custom keyboards as of late.

 

So I'm kinda wanting to try getting into that hobby, but as someone could understand I'm not looking to blow hundreds of dollars and then find out I don't care for it or like it's too much fuss.

 

So I'm wanting to get something hot swappable, just the board and then the switches separate, I've been looking at a lot of stuff from Keychron but I'm also kinds unsure of what switches I'd like, like I love the G915's tactiles, but I just wish they weren't low profile, so something close to that, would be wonderful! 

 

Thanks in advance!

[johnt]

15 minutes ago, Yogi_DaBear221 said:

looking to move on from my Logitech G915 TKL

Isn't that an insanely expensive keyboard? Overall I can't blame you. I have a g-pro from 2017/2018 era and I just can't with it anymore... 

 

Here are a few simple items for your consideration that won't break the bank. But you have to give some consideration to the switches and key caps. I used to be a huge tactile fan, but the Gateron pro yellows linear have won my heart.

 

Custom key caps are all over the place too. Picking a profile is tough, but you can't go wrong with OEM or Cherry profiles. I fell in love wit MDA, but they are rare. XDA is easy to find and they take a little while to get used to. Slightly taller keys, but that's what I am using now. I would avoid ABS plastic just because there are better options. PBT should be a minimum. You can get PBT if you want to see the light shine through the cap from the keyboard LEDs. Or you can get dye sublimination PBT, which is limited to solid caps (no shine through) and brighter colors. 

 

Beginner board for custom:

Board and PCB: https://www.amazon.com/GK-GAMAKAY-LK67-Mechanical-Programmable/dp/B09PRPFSTD

 

 

End game beginner board:

Board and PCB and some foam: https://www.amazon.com/EPOMAKER-Bluetooth-Mechanical-Keyboard-Capacity/dp/B0BMKBMCS2 This board is hot swappable, gasket mounted, plenty of room for more foam modding, aluminum knob, completely programmable, plus a limited FN layer for custom macros, wired/radio/3 device BT. The only problem is the LEDs completely suck for matching the on screen color. Yellow doesn't exist lol

 

 

Subjective Items:

Caps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B24KY398 (don't buy the other ones from this seller, it's just mint (XDA) or sakura (Cherry) ones that are really good!)

 

Linear Switches (pre-lubed): https://www.amazon.com/Gateron-Switches-Pre-lubed-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B09VBKZPMW 

The gateron pro line is nice because all the switches are factory lubed. Great or not is another question... it's a huge upgrade and saves you HOURS. Good for beginners. You are on your own for switches.. there's so MANY

 

 

Basic Mods: 

Foam Tape (cut to size, easy to store, I would just place it tape side down without removing the film... keeps it cleaner and no adhesive or residue to deal with): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TL82123 (don't put tape over the battery)

[Yogi_DaBear221]

1 hour ago, johnt said:

Isn't that an insanely expensive keyboard? Overall I can't blame you. I have a g-pro from 2017/2018 era and I just can't with it anymore... 

 

Here are a few simple items for your consideration that won't break the bank. But you have to give some consideration to the switches and key caps. I used to be a huge tactile fan, but the Gateron pro yellows linear have won my heart.

 

Custom key caps are all over the place too. Picking a profile is tough, but you can't go wrong with OEM or Cherry profiles. I fell in love wit MDA, but they are rare. XDA is easy to find and they take a little while to get used to. Slightly taller keys, but that's what I am using now. I would avoid ABS plastic just because there are better options. PBT should be a minimum. You can get PBT if you want to see the light shine through the cap from the keyboard LEDs. Or you can get dye sublimination PBT, which is limited to solid caps (no shine through) and brighter colors. 

 

Beginner board for custom:

Board and PCB: https://www.amazon.com/GK-GAMAKAY-LK67-Mechanical-Programmable/dp/B09PRPFSTD

 

 

End game beginner board:

Board and PCB and some foam: https://www.amazon.com/EPOMAKER-Bluetooth-Mechanical-Keyboard-Capacity/dp/B0BMKBMCS2 This board is hot swappable, gasket mounted, plenty of room for more foam modding, aluminum knob, completely programmable, plus a limited FN layer for custom macros, wired/radio/3 device BT. The only problem is the LEDs completely suck for matching the on screen color. Yellow doesn't exist lol

 

 

Subjective Items:

Caps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B24KY398 (don't buy the other ones from this seller, it's just mint (XDA) or sakura (Cherry) ones that are really good!)

 

Linear Switches (pre-lubed): https://www.amazon.com/Gateron-Switches-Pre-lubed-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B09VBKZPMW 

The gateron pro line is nice because all the switches are factory lubed. Great or not is another question... it's a huge upgrade and saves you HOURS. Good for beginners. You are on your own for switches.. there's so MANY

 

 

Basic Mods: 

Foam Tape (cut to size, easy to store, I would just place it tape side down without removing the film... keeps it cleaner and no adhesive or residue to deal with): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TL82123 (don't put tape over the battery)

I like the looks of a lot of it! Can I ask the purpose of the foam tape?

[johnt]

1 hour ago, Yogi_DaBear221 said:

I like the looks of a lot of it! Can I ask the purpose of the foam tape?

The bottom layer of foam, or "case foam," absorbs the sound that is reverberating inside the board. It is often referred to as the "hollow" sound as you're typing. You might have it in yours as well? Not sure if the G915 has bottom foam. It doesn't take much foam to get rid of the hollow sound.

 

I provided a link to PE foam tape because it's easier to shape. Plus you get a lot more than a dedicated EVA, PE, or Poron foam sheet. The bottoms of these plastic cases usually have thicker and taller sections of plastic to help with rigidity and reduce bending (or flexure if you're a civil nerd), which are called stiffeners, but sometimes the PCB rests directly on them as well. So there isn't enough room for a continuous foam with some boards and PCB combos. Your cuts don't have to be perfect either. I usually cut my foam into small squares that fit inside the grids created by the stiffener sections.

 

This is completely an optional step. That's why I labeled it as a mod. You will need a decent pick kit to help you get into the cases and some smaller Philips screw drivers. Get the board/pcb, the switches, the key caps, and then consider mods.

 

All this might be less of an issue if you get a metal board. I believe those have a flat bottom because they don't require extra rigidity. But you still have the hollowness sound. It's a cheap, fun little project.

 

If you buy the fancy barebones kits, they will come with all the foam and everything you need in one package. Even the Epomaker I linked comes with a small piece of case foam, but it still sounds very hollow. And they sell foam sheet without adhesive, but you still have to cut them to shape around screw holes, the stiffeners, connectors, and other protrusions. It's less forgiving in my opinion. I've found the tape a lot more manageable.

 

Sorry I don't normally talk this much

[Einher]

I figured this is a good place to request some advice, I'm looking to get off my Logitech G613 and on a TKL. I know that wireless is probably a really bad bet, and wondered if anyone had recommendations for keys (I'm only really familiar with MX reds from 4 years ago) and if going Keychron or Ducky TKL for keyboards is a bad bet. Any other alternatives would be appreciated.

[AngelOfBodom]

Hey all! Thinking about getting new switches for my Keychron. I'd ideally like something with a heavy/high actuation (I bottom out) and something tactile without the click. I always refer to cherry greens but not sure if there are alternatives. Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated!

[johnt]

3 hours ago, AngelOfBodom said:

Hey all! Thinking about getting new switches for my Keychron. I'd ideally like something with a heavy/high actuation (I bottom out) and something tactile without the click. I always refer to cherry greens but not sure if there are alternatives. Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated!

I got a linear set from Durock and it’s an impressive and safe switch. They are pre lubed switched. Look at the T1 tactile. It has a 67g actuation, which is close to the mx greens. They have springs of all weights for like $15. You can swap them out if you really want to go super heavy. Honestly I would consider a 70A rubber o ring if the bottom out is your issue. Stiffer rubber doesn’t feel as mushy. 

[Volbet]

On 4/29/2023 at 1:40 AM, AngelOfBodom said:

Hey all! Thinking about getting new switches for my Keychron. I'd ideally like something with a heavy/high actuation (I bottom out) and something tactile without the click. I always refer to cherry greens but not sure if there are alternatives. Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated!

Recently I've really liked the Aflion Runner switches. They have a 70g bottom out force and a decently high actuation point. The factory lube on the switches is also fairly decent and consistent. They do probably need to be filmed, though.

Edit: Yes, the Aflion Runner switches definitely benefits from being filmed.  

 

If you want something that's ready out of the box, I can also recommend the Gazzew Boba U4T(X) switches. They come with up to a 68g bottom out force and don't really need to be lubed nor filmed. They're also long-pole stem switches, which is a personal favorite of mine. 

 

On 4/29/2023 at 5:41 AM, johnt said:

I got a linear set from Durock and it’s an impressive and safe switch. They are pre lubed switched. Look at the T1 tactile. It has a 67g actuation, which is close to the mx greens. They have springs of all weights for like $15. You can swap them out if you really want to go super heavy. Honestly I would consider a 70A rubber o ring if the bottom out is your issue. Stiffer rubber doesn’t feel as mushy. 

I can second the Durock T1s, although, in my experience they really do need to both lubed and filmed by hand.

The factory lube is essentially just a light oil and it's kinda inconsistent across switches. The stem wobble can also be annoying in the long run, which is why I would recommend filming them while lubing them. 

[rice guru]

24 minutes ago, Volbet said:

Recently I've really like the Aflion Runner switches. They have a 70g bottom out force and a decently high actuation point. The factory lube on the switches is also fairly decent and consistent. They do probably need to be filmed, though. '

 

If you want something that's ready out of the box, I can also recommend the Gazzew Boba U4T(X) switches. They come with up to a 68g bottom out force and don't really need to be lubed nor filmed. They're also long-pole stem switches, which is a personal favorite of mine. 

 

I can second the Durock T1s, although, in my experience they really do need to both lubed and filmed by hand.

The factory lube is essentially just a light oil and it's kinda inconsistent across switches. The stem wobble can also be annoying in the long run, which is why I would recommend filming them while lubing them. 

separate questions I've been having troble finding a extra long pole switch  do happen to have any ideas for a tactile or linear that is available right now that has super long pole? I had a friend who wants to get into custom keyboards and he really liked how my DOOM and Zaku switches felt. 

[Volbet]

1 hour ago, rice guru said:

separate questions I've been having troble finding a extra long pole switch  do happen to have any ideas for a tactile or linear that is available right now that has super long pole? I had a friend who wants to get into custom keyboards and he really liked how my DOOM and Zaku switches felt. 

Depends on how long extra long is. The longest pole tactile switch I've used is the Prevail Badseed Tactile. But I'm not sure how available they are now that Prevail has closed up shop.

But if those are available they're really good tactile switches all around.

 

Apart from those, I don't really know any long pole tactile switches that are longer than others. Most seem to aim at the sane spec as the original Holy Panda switches. Be it the Drop editions or the Gazzew switches, they all seem the same in regards to the pole length.

 

As for linear switches, I'm probably not the right person to ask. Apart from the Gateron CJ switchs, which aren't long pole, I don't really like linear switches.

[rice guru]

44 minutes ago, Volbet said:

Depends on how long extra long is. The longest pole tactile switch I've used is the Prevail Badseed Tactile. But I'm not sure how available they are now that Prevail has closed up shop.

But if those are available they're really good tactile switches all around.

 

Apart from those, I don't really know any long pole tactile switches that are longer than others. Most seem to aim at the sane spec as the original Holy Panda switches. Be it the Drop editions or the Gazzew switches, they all seem the same in regards to the pole length.

 

As for linear switches, I'm probably not the right person to ask. Apart from the Gateron CJ switchs, which aren't long pole, I don't really like linear switches.

Yeah unfortunately I can't find much on the length other than them being o sidered extended stems not long pole. They do have noticable shorter travel distances than the likes of a boba. 

 

[Volbet]

15 hours ago, rice guru said:

Yeah unfortunately I can't find much on the length other than them being o sidered extended stems not long pole. They do have noticable shorter travel distances than the likes of a boba. 

 

One thing I've experimented with in the past is adding a ball bearing to the pole well. That way you'll shorten the travel significantly.

Although, it's a very expensive solution, as there's a lot of trial and error involved. It also means potentially adding a slight rattle to every switch, which, depending on who's experiencing it, is incredibly annoying.

[rice guru]

2 hours ago, Volbet said:

One thing I've experimented with in the past is adding a ball bearing to the pole well. That way you'll shorten the travel significantly.

Although, it's a very expensive solution, as there's a lot of trial and error involved. It also means potentially adding a slight rattle to every switch, which, depending on who's experiencing it, is incredibly annoying.

I started looking around for zakus on ali express being switches being made by tecsee it seems that are pretty readily available so I think he's solved for now.

[Volbet]

On 5/1/2023 at 10:59 AM, rice guru said:

I started looking around for zakus on ali express being switches being made by tecsee it seems that are pretty readily available so I think he's solved for now.

Sorry for returning to this two weeks later, but I found a switch that might be of interest, if you wanna try a long pole linear, namely the KNC Keys Clackbits: https://knckeys.com/products/clackbits-linear-switches

 

They're also made by Tecsee and has a stem that, at least according to the vendor, is slightly longer than the Zakus. 

 

I just got a pack of them in and they're a really nice linear switch. 

 

Edit: 

I guess I should also post this:

I decided that I liked the NCR 80 that I build for a colleague so much that I wanted one myself. 

This one's outfitted with ZealPC Clickerz and a white and grey SA keycap set. If you wanna annoy every single person in you vicinity, this is the keyboard for you. It's probably the noisiest thing I've ever put together. 

[rice guru]

5 hours ago, Volbet said:

Sorry for returning to this two weeks later, but I found a switch that might be of interest, if you wanna try a long pole linear, namely the KNC Keys Clackbits: https://knckeys.com/products/clackbits-linear-switches

 

They're also made by Tecsee and has a stem that, at least according to the vendor, is slightly longer than the Zakus. 

 

I just got a pack of them in and they're a really nice linear switch. 

 

Edit: 

I guess I should also post this:

I decided that I liked the NCR 80 that I build for a colleague so much that I wanted one myself. 

This one's outfitted with ZealPC Clickerz and a white and grey SA keycap set. If you wanna annoy every single person in you vicinity, this is the keyboard for you. It's probably the noisiest thing I've ever put together. 

Ooh thanks might get those. I have a really flexy gmmk pro I modded..and it's too flexible with traditional long pole wonder how well it will fair with these longer poles.

[Volbet]

The groupbuy for the MM Studio Class 80 finally shipped. Decided to populate it with Prevail Bad Seed Tactile switches and a temporary GMK Laser keycap set. I say "temporary," as I wanna try it out with some WoB SA keycaps, but I've yet to find a good set available with a Nordic ISO layout. 

The only mod I really had to do was the force break mod. Not that I know if it was necessary, but I always do that to keyboards in a aluminium case. 

Also, this is one hell of a big boy, weighing in at 3,6kg (or almost 8lb) fully build. 

The GMK set is really nice looks wise, but I don't think I'll ever get the hype surrounding GMK. Mainly because all the sets I've seen, apart from novelty sets, are completely lacking in tertiary characters on the keys. Only primary and secondary characters are printed, so I guess I have to fire blindly when I wanna do a backslash or an at sign.

 

If you're into retro keyboards, this is definitely a looker, especially if you got the white case for it. 

Although, the QC on it could certainly have been better. I don't know if this is an issue unique to the solder PCB when run in an ISO layout with a 7U spacebar, but the right Alt-key is essentially swapped with the windows key, meaning that the spacebar covers the right Alt-key, while the cover for the Windows-key actually covers the FN/menu-key. 

Now, this is incredibly annoying. 

 

I was able to fix it with VIA and QMK, but it wasn't obvious that the keyboard even supported VIA and/or QMK.  It's not on the MM Studio's website and the keyboard isn't automatically recognized by VIA. You have to go to a third-party seller for the JSON to import it into VIA. 

That would have been really nice to know before I began wiring the switch on the Windows-key onto the right Alt-key. So while it was fixable (either via software or brute force,) it's small annoyances like this that I had hoped the custom keyboard market had outgrown by this point. 

Also, and this is more of a VIA and QMK problem, but the split-shift wasn't programmed properly by MM studio. The right side of a split shift, when running as Danish ISO, is supposed to type "<>\," and out of the box the it was set to the US backslash-key, which types " '* " in a Danish ISO layout. I know why this occurs, as that key is used for backslah in other ISO layouts, but it could have been fixed by just assigning the key to the non-US backslah-key in the firmware. 

Strangely enough, this also isn't the first keyboard I've owned where this is an issue. The NCR keyboard I've posted about earlier suffers from the same issue. 

[KamiNoFluff]

Hello everyone! Not sure if this is where I should ask, but I’ve been wanting to build a custom keyboard for a while now. I’m currently using the tactile G915 and have been loving it besides the a few minor things like the extra G keys, and the overall look.  
 

Since I have no idea where to even begin to look into which parts I should get and such. Can anyone recommend or point me in the right direction to some parts or sites where I can make a low profile keyboard similar to the G915. Thanks! 

[Volbet]

55 minutes ago, KamiNoFluff said:

Hello everyone! Not sure if this is where I should ask, but I’ve been wanting to build a custom keyboard for a while now. I’m currently using the tactile G915 and have been loving it besides the a few minor things like the extra G keys, and the overall look.  
 

Since I have no idea where to even begin to look into which parts I should get and such. Can anyone recommend or point me in the right direction to some parts or sites where I can make a low profile keyboard similar to the G915. Thanks! 

 

You're going to be pretty limited in regards to low profile, custom keyboards. 

 

The closest custom keyboard I know is the Keychron K5 (Pro). Both those keyboards are wireless, have hotswap switch sockets. The only difference between the K5 and the K5 Pro, as far as I can see, is that the K5 Pro has support for VIA and QMK. 

Although, all the low-profile Keychron keyboards only come in an ANSI layout, so if you're in a ISO region you're SOL. 

 

[Esemes16]

On 12/13/2022 at 3:44 PM, Jorgemeister said:

 

 

This looks interesting, I saw a video from rice cloud with that one and though it was interesting, she used some foil paper in between the top and mid acrylic panels to give it color btw, since you mention you want to paint it.

 

Given the joystick I think it would look cool with some Nintendo themed or colored keycaps.

I ended up following up on this with the Nintendo style key caps, and I painted it beige from the inside for extra points. This photo is from the Toronto Mechanical Keyboard Meetup

[BWMerlin]

What is the name of the keyboard in the bottom left at 0:29

[Volbet]

I decided to give linear switches another go in my work keyboard, and I also had the best, worst idea to date.

Because I'm a very heavy-handed typist, I usually just bottom-out any linear switch I've ever used, so I wanted to try some heavyer springs. That lead to me spring-swapping my Prevail Epsilon switches to a 150g bottom-out Sprit spring. 

 

It actually does work as intended. Typing on linears is a lot easier with that much force needed to bottom out. 

I can't recommend it for gaming, though. That would likely lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sooner rather than later, but it's really cool for typing. 

 

36 minutes ago, BWMerlin said:

What is the name of the keyboard in the bottom left at 0:29

It's an Angry Miao AM AFA.

[BWMerlin]

15 hours ago, Volbet said:

It's an Angry Miao AM AFA.

Thank you for that.

[mihaiHTG]

Hi all, my first post here. There is this Romanian Company doing an incredible job at promoting mechanical keyboards and they just released their 4th proprietary keyboard and it has very nice acoustics out of the box, gasket mount, wired/wireless/BT, with a knob and highly customisable with proprietary windows software. It is a great device at an affordable price and it would be incredible if we could shine some light on them. They do deliver worldwide. 
QwertyKey75 Terminal Bluetooth Wireless Hotswap RGB Gasket Mounted Tas (qwerty-key.com)

[PC Player]

Can anyone tell me if they know what hotswap PCBs are compatible with the KBD 67 Lite R4? Preferably not made by Kbdfans, and I don’t really care if it or they have rgb or not. I just want it to be 3 & 5 pin hotswap. Thanks in advance!

[Yone]

Thanks to LTT and these forums, I'm half thinking about getting a mechanical keyboard. But I'm concerned about the noise. I know to avoid clicky switches and that you can mod them to be quieter, but still. 

 

I remember reading that low profile mechanical keyboards are actually louder than regular ones. Is that right?