MKG - Mechanical Keyboard General

picked up a red dragon (no RGB) the other day i'm actually really liking it

Still waiting on my keycaps...
Jae sold me his SA Hyperfuse + FixKit set :3

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Outemu ice? D'you bother with the whole drilling out the center post thing?

GIVE ME A FUXKIGN FC660C ALREADY RESTOCK THEM IN THE WEST YOU GOOKS

Outemu Sky MX v2.2
They were already retooled by hbheroinbob so I didn't have to do anything to them.

Would giving MX Blues O rings make them sound more like MX Whites & would it affect the feeling?

lol why

Because there's no good videos on what o rings accurately sound like and I want a softer sound without buying a new keyboard.

>I want a softer sound without buying a new keyboard.
theres no way to effectively silence the click jacket without extensive modding

Bought this at a flea market for 1€ today but no idea what the dip.switches do

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They configure stuff, surprisingly.

OG blacks bottom out at 90g tho. They were so heavy cherry switched to a lighter spring.

You mean modded, not retooled

But I ordered a GREEN pcb REEEEEEEEEE
How am I gonna look like a hacker now, or resell it for $300 on reddit as an "early adopter" model after it becomes popular

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How good are Romer G switches?
Only ever read about cherry on Jow Forums.
I'm new to this and want to switch my 11 years old Logitech keyboard for board with those switches.

They feel like shit. They're even less tactile than cherry browns, but they're not linear either so they're scratchy and bumpy. Avoid.

you just described how 5$ membrane feels. the absolute state of gaming hardware.

>cpu not soldered
welcome to your worst nightmare.

Damn this shit is pretty hard because of all the different switches and I only know membrane.
Thanks anyway.

Well yeah I'm here to learn
Can't learn with this ugly "artisan PCB" though REEEEE

Not really. Even though there's a lot of different switches these days, deciding between them is pretty simple. Take your time to research it and you'll figure out what each brand offers.

based on experience you learn much more about keyboard by making a hand wired one

Do you want clicky, tactile or linear? Protip, unless you hate clicky sounds, you probably want clicky. Most people do. Tactile is good for when you basically want a clicky but don't want the click (one for one, they're usually less tactile than the equivalent clicky, but that doesn't mean that there aren't very good tactiles out there). Linear is a completely different experience, and unless you already have experience with them or can try them out in a store, I'd think twice about it: there are definitely plenty of people who love linears and would use nothing else, but it's less frequent of a preference.

Anyway, after this, you have to decide if you prefer heavier or lighter switches. Assuming you want clicky, here are the easy choices:
>box navy for really quite heavy
>box jades for medium, though heavier than "normal"
>box white for a softer click and a lighter feel
>cherry (preferably) or gateron (cheaper) blue, for an inferior click but a much more mainstream and easy to find switch
Mainstream tactile switches are a lot shittier, and a lot more preference dependent, so I won't list them here (gateron brown, but not cherry, is a good entry point, but it's not very tactile either; cherry clear or zealios are pretty good, but neither is very mainstream).
Linears are a dime a dozen and basically any gateron, cherry, or kailh box switch is good enough. Since they're all, well, linear, the main difference is in the spring weight and key smoothness/stability.

Most "gaming" switches (by razer, logitech, etc.) are dogshit. Extra cheap brands like outemu, greetech, etc. are only good for very tight budgets (

I read about all those different cherry switches, yet I don't even know what I want. Because everything seems really subjective to me.

No, the idea is to get experience soldering. I do have a hand wired build planned, but that's for later.

Speaking of the gergo, I forgot: is a wireless revision planned? I'm assuming it would come after the case is available, since you'd need to fit in a battery.

>Anyway, after this, you have to decide if you prefer heavier or lighter switches
>box navy for really quite heavy
>box jades for medium, though heavier than "normal"
>box white for a softer click and a lighter feel
>cherry (preferably) or gateron (cheaper) blue, for an inferior click but a much more mainstream and easy to find switch
what would a membrane be like on that list or where would you put it?

Well, first of all, a membrane keyboard doesn't click. As for weight, that's very hard to say as well, because rubber stiffens over time.
The easiest to access membrane keyboard I have right now is my X220, which as you can imagine is a good few years old (likely 4-7 years or so). It lighter than box jades. I would say it's still somewhat stiffer than whites or mx blues.

If you have any microcenter or whatever, go see if you can try out any keyboards. They're almost guaranteed to have some cherry blue ones. That's the "normal" weight. Box whites are almost the same, they just have a much more satisfying click since the mechanism is entirely different. Box jades use a thicker clickbar so the click is even more satisfying (and loud), but that comes at the cost of being heavier: you have to put in some force into the key. Navies are basically jades but with a heavier spring, and in my opinion much too heavy, but some people like heavier switches.

Ok thank you friend
seems like I have to go to a store.

Testing stuff in a store would be ideal, but if they don't have the switch type you want you could also buy a cheap switch tester to see how various switches compare to each other.

While you're there also check out linears (probably cherry red), and try to imagine those with a heavier or lighter spring. Maybe you'll like them.
There's probably gonna be brown switches as well so you can try those to see why people don't like them.
If you're really lucky, you might find a keyboard with cherry clears on display. If you do, then you can see what a proper tactile switch feels like.

But a switch tester never gives a good idea of what typing on them is like. When I tried out a switch tester after doing extensive reading about the different switches, I learned nothing new: I already had a good idea of what individual switches were like, and I still didn't know what typing on them would be like.

A switch tester allows you to compare individual switches and gives you some frame of reference as to what they feel like.
Your local store probably won't have much beyond the usual MX red/brown/blue on display, so you try those to get an idea of the difference in feel between a full board and a loose switch, which should give you at least some idea of what your desired switch might feel like in a full board.
It's better than guessing based on specs and force curves, at least.

>not using a low temperature soldering paste and just placing the pcb on a hot surface and fixing it up with a normal solder and a desoldering wick
everything is hard if you are a brainlet

I've managed to get my hands on pic related. It doesn't work and misses some exterior parts, so I see no point in restoring it. The keyboard is however nice and sexy and I'm thinking of taking the switches out and putting them back on a custom pcb with some microcontroller. The main drawback is that the cap set is, well, outdated. I tried to rearrange the keys in keyboard layout editor and reuse some useless keys like REPT, HERE IS and PAPER ADV as function key and modifiers, but still it feels like it's not enough. I'm afraid that the keyboard will be a pain to use, and mislabeled keys won't help for sure. What's your advice, /mkg/? Should I try, or is it a waste of time and effort?

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>It's better than guessing based on specs and force curves, at least.
And my point is it's not. I'm not that user by the way, I'm just arguing against switch testers. Whenever a switch sounds like something I might like, I order a set of 10, because then I can put them into a grid on a tester and "type" with at least one hand, and get a feel for how rapidly pressing keys in succession, rolling, or using my pinky feels like. Not the full typing experience but that would require at least 60-70 switches every time, which would drive up costs significantly, so it's a good compromise I find.

40% is very much usable with some practice, this is more like a 50%. The only drawback I can see relative to something like a Preonic is that keys like Paper Adv and Break are so out of the way they'd be really inconvenient to use as modifiers.
Anyway, if the idea of typing on a plank makes you personally puke, don't bother, but objectively it's entirely possible and will just require getting used to. You'll have to make sure you use a proper controller that's either qmk compatible or can use something at least partly as powerful: qmk was basically made for the plank so it has a bazillion features tailor made to make typing with less keys easier.

The point of making a custom PCB is that it allows to put keys wherever you want. I would put these two keys to the left and to the right of the space bar, and I considered moving the enter key down a row, to it's usual place, as well.
For the controller I would probably bite the bullet and learn myself to program some STM32 micro.

Another concern I've got is that symbols on the number keys don't match that of typical keyboard layouts. Most notably, parentheses. I don't know if I should leave them where they are and suffer from mistyping due to muscle memory or remap them to the usual layout and suffer from mislabeled keys.

Learn to touch type and then randomise the keycaps. Unironically: if the keycaps are obviously wrong you'll just ignore them but if they're almost correct but slightly off you might end up tripping up every now and then.
And yes, touch typing symbols isn't that hard. Pic related, I use it pretty often with no issues.

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>They're even less tactile than cherry browns
false, they are roughly equivalent

I want to make a XD84 keyboard but wire the thing myself and not use a PCB (expensive and gay). What controller can I use ? I want enough io for LEDs too and a couple wheels for volume and such.

Thanks

Raspberry pi

hmm yes

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my hhkb arrives in a couple days, what orders are you anons waiting on?

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First for Romer-G tactile.

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waiting on the school term to end so I can go on another round of keeb tourism

Sorry about that :( Had some boards get cocked while testing. For what it’s worth the next revision will probably change up the art so you’ll still have the early adopter cred. Also flux will be your Jesus!

At some point yes, right now there is so much shit on the docket it’s hard to say!

It takes a while to get used to a new layout user, but it’s worth it! You should see how comfy programming is on Gergo with the brackets where they are, it’s like sex.

Fatty clears we’re heavy for me. Downside is now I can never use a regular keyboard without pulling a muscle

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Finished my dactyl manuform build. Still using a spare caps and now waiting for my slave money to find a plain keycaps set.

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>Sorry about that :( Had some boards get cocked while testing.
As in you ran out of green PCBs because you cocked some boards, or as in you cocked up some orders by mixing them up during testing?
>Also flux will be your Jesus!
What did you mean by this, is flux better on black PCBs or just general soldering advice?

>Fatty clears we’re heavy for me. Downside is now I can never use a regular keyboard without pulling a muscle
How do people like you exist

cant you get that keyboard in Romer-g Linear

Romer-G (original) the tactile switch is fuckking terrible im not even a "feel" autist but its fucking obviouse that switch is a fuckload worse than a brown or blue.

Cocked up a board after a incident involving a left on soldering iron, a cat, and being distracted. :( As far as the flux comment that was aimed at the SSOP and TQFP packages, I’m convinced flux is some magic shit given by the gods. So just general advice

Honestly? I think I dropped enough acid to be on the same level as Tim Tyler (the guy that made a microswitch keyboard). It’s a weird flex

I like the Romer G tactile. Low travel, small bump at the top of the switch. It's very fast. I like it better than my MX Blues.

Alright, yeah, if you ran out of green PCBs there's little to blame you for. Gonna be soldering this thin soon, then waiting for the case, the improved trackball, and the wireless mod.
And speaking of flux, I have a flux pen a flux tub and a flux bar, and I never figured out how the fuck are you supposed to use the solid ones.

That’s kind of what I’m saying, and why the Unicomp is in the picture, I like pretty stiff switches or ones that at least don’t move around when you press them.

>typing this reply on my 660c

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here's a little story, I know this is the internet but this is real
>be digital nomad mememan, freelance webdev
>obviously bring my Filco Majestouch Minila Air along with my chinkpad so that I can work
>be in hostel lounge just reading a book or whatever
>across the room, there is this Art Hoe smashing her laptops keyboard, blowing air on it, cursing at it
>some fucking key does not work
bitch should've gotten a chinkpad heh
>think I could be nice for once in my life and go get my keyboard from room to offer it to her
>approach her table, with my keyboard in my hand, and tell her she can use it
>she goes all like oh man thanks this piece of shit doesn't work and need to do something [...]
>as soon as I look at her screen, see Linux Mint asking for a password to unlock a fully encrypted drive
>she goes like oh so how do I plug this in, you got the cable too?
obviously my expensive piece of shit bluetooth keyboard can't pair at this stage
>explain that she can't use it yet, while wondering wtf she's using mint with full disk encryption for
>actually get embarrassed I couldn't help
>awkwardly go back to reading my book
I knew I would regret buying a bluetooth keyboard but could never see this coming. I don't think I've ever felt autistic before because I never thought I was
anyway, thanks for getting me into mechanical keyboards, Jow Forums, so far so good

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here's a little story, I know this is the internet but this is reall
>be me, infiltrate a big IT corporation just to get access to the canteen
>They security credentials consisted in scanning a QR code and you were in
>go one night and install an overlay to sniff those codes
>its just a link with an username no password
>be eating for free two months and i met a nice looking woman
>get access to her pussy and she starts telling me stories about her husband working in the main department
>be in a hotel show her my laptop with her nudes we took together
>went to sleep
>she panics and steals my laptop i let her go because its actually a backdoor laptop
> the password was 1234
> laptop stooped sending GSM signals two weeks later

Novelkeys isn't getting restocked on QMX clips for another month or so, so I decided to see how bad the shipping from Germany was. Looking forward to see how well they quiet down my tactile greys, as the demos seem impressive for clears.

Everyone here is boring and does the same color scheme/arrangement. I'll show you what a real adult looks like.

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>i'm an adult

Dis-fucking-gusting

your L key looks mouldy
why the clear V?
If you are female, okay i believe when you say you are an adult. Its gay but you look like you're happy with what you have
If you are male, you need to grow the fuck up, d i s g u s t i n g

>Art Hoe
Judging people on look alone - certified autistic

1. My PS/2 keyboard randomly disconnects for no apparent reason. The keyboard itself is in good condition, perhaps the port is faulty. Is it possible it's a software problem or something?

2. Recommend me a good new keyboard under $50. The additional numeral keys on the far right are not necessary. I just want a no-frills fully functional USB keyboard that feels good. Preferably standard black colours.

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Thanks
L for I Love Emilia and her gem
clear V is where the layer 4 purple led is. I turn it on for a few seconds then I get disgusted by led. They're freebies when I bought from mechanicalkeyboards. They matched my theme. Thanks

Any suggestions for keyboards around 100-150 eur range? I don't care about lightning or some keyboard color schema and preferably no gaming brands

>L for I Love Emilia and her gem
user what the FUCK are you doing
i say this out of concern for a disturbed individual

Anything Leopold

Best chinkboard right here

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who prints wasd lettering on the arrow keys? what are you doing, chinks?

Any global brands you can name that you think might exist in store? Dont really want to order.

This is what true love looks like. I hope you find yours someday.

dude i used to have a headwaifu but it never got this bad
you need to stop now before it's too late

How are the blue Outemu switches?

You get what you pay for

It probably changes layout settings. Don't touch them until you find a manual online

You may havea chance of finding Cooler Master boards in local stores, and maaaaybe Ducky if you're lucky.
Other than that it's probably all gonna be Corsair and Razer, which are worse in comparison.

So they suck?

There's also arrows on the wasd keys. I really wish they didn't do that, but for the price who really cares.

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its cus those boards have an option to switch the wasd inputs w the arrow key inputs

which is hilarious*

You are just telling me that you never truly loved her. I'm done with you. Filthy seasonal waifu normie.

guess that makes sense if you played some old legacy/flash games that used the arrow keys for movement

nah, they're pretty good

I'm planning to buy a set of better keycaps, however, there are very few good ones that are both pbt and backlit. I need the backlight as it's pretty dark in my room and the red looks really good anyway. Any recommendations?

aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=pbt keycaps translucent

is there anyone out there making steel or titanium keycaps

id even settle for iron

i think, like other things, i will have to do it myself.

Yes. They are prohibitively expensive if what you want is a full set though.

and no i dont want the chinese zinc ones tht seem to be the only metal keycaps being made rn