/mkg/ Mechanical keyboards

Want to get into custom mechanical, but I want to take baby steps first
What is a nice keyboard with hot swap terminals that work with kailh box switches? Doesn't have to be full-sized

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Supposedly those Outemu CIY boards work with Box switches. Can't verify it myself, but I'm sure someone in here can.

What have you got on the way, friend?

Not really chinks boards are shit.
My first board was a chinkboard mecha since i thought the brand was just that, and overpriced logo you paid for
and the keyboard not terrible, but some keys got stuck, the software was shit, shitty chinks switches and small things like that
I returned it and got a $150 coolermaster keyboard with cherries instead and i am very happy with it, definitelly worth it to pay $100 extra for quality BUT not worth ever to pay more than $200 at that point you are a retard on par with apples users overpaying for overpriced garbage

Can verify they're fine

How fucked is it to make a full size keyboard with extra keys that I can program macros to?

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>get scammed by paying exorbitant prices to western companies
>chinks come and do you a favour by exposing western companies by providing much cheaper alternatives
>reeee, why did I buy overpriced trash? fucking chinks!

You should be thanking them

Btw, FUCK Cherry. I hope chinese clones kill them off.

it's called a ctrl key, use it pleb

Thanks frens. Will look into it

You probably had Outemu shit switches.

Kailh BOX and Gaterons are just fine, if not better than ch*Rry.

>tfw chinks haven't cloned SSKs yet
>tfw SSKs are still overpriced
>tfw can sell them for triple what I paid for them

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call me when chinks are making cheap AEKs

they are already making cheap AEKs

kbdfans has some pcbs with hotswap sockets
most massdrop made boards have them as well
some spacers/screws to connect/seperate the plate from the case (making my own case out of an alu sheet), some diodes and some other tools
I could've gotten both locally but it saves me like $20
also one of these desoldering guns

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>tfw sold a Kworld C430 for 30 bucks i found for 15 brand new
>tfw realized that it was a hot swap literally minutes before delivering it
>tfw it was the last one

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Thanks for the kbdfans suggestion. I went through their selection and they have this R2 KBD67 that has a hot swap upgrade for only 5$ more.

I think I will go with this, thanks fren

>place second order, 5 days later tracking number still not in system
>first order hasn't updated in 25 days
release me from this suffering pls

Send them a complaint or something. Don't be such a beta.

I really like the HHKB Jp's layout, it's just so cute. But it seems like there are no aftermarket cases for it, would it be possible to make something that looks like GON's cases for it? Or is that impossible due to the Topre board taking up too much space?

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Just bought the Dygma Raise.

Should be here in June.

Why did I buy this again?

why do we seriously have a general for keyboards?

maybe we should have a general for my peepee :)

The HHKB uses case mount switches. Making a custom case would be either too expensive or very time consuming

Cheap and decent for the price. I got the Zorro Black ones.

If you are thinking to go mechanical, don't! Really, it will give you a small increase in performance, but it will ruin your ability to type on a regular keyboard. You will hate the mushy feel of membranes. So, don't.

>poor build quality
>no warranty or customer support guaranteed
>poor quality shipping and packaging
>knock off switches
>low quality plastic
>low quality stabilizers
>low quality firmware/software

what would be a nice, cheap starter board to practice soldering on before I move onto the big boys I have planned for my endgame?

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Lol, I enjoy mechanical and all, but to be honest there isn't a keyboard I have found more enjoyable to type on than the classic Thinkpad keyboard.

Numpad board probably. It'll be the cheapest option

There are cheaper ways to practice soldering than building a keyboard, honestly.
Although keyboards are really simple to solder anyway, if you've got a somewhat decent iron, watch a few tutorials and aren't a complete retard there's very little chance you'll fuck it up.

I just bought the GMMK

Did I fall for a meme?

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Jokes on you
I love my membranes so much I can't even use a mechanical keyboard

Depends. Did you buy the bare board with a set of switches and aftermarket keycaps, or did you buy the whole thing?

how do i git gud at desoldering switches?

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is it good?

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Use a solder sucker or desoldering pump.

i actually use a solder sucker but almost always end up beating the shit our of the legs and some paste always get up pretty deep in the hole

Guys i'm a total fucking pleb with razer blackwidow but lately i've been trying to get into mech keyboards cause i want my keyboard to make fat thock sounds when i press keys on it.
What's a good site that offers global shipping where i can purchase high quality keyboards?
Is there a good starter keyboard for a pleb/beginner like me?

I try to put the sucker next to the point I'm trying to desolder, then pull the iron out and tilt the sucker into position and press the button as soon as the sucker is all the way down. Takes some practice to get the timing down.
Also I usually push on the switch pin with the soldering iron to check if it moves freely, because that means all the solder is properly melted and you have a smaller chance of leaving a bunch still stuck in the hole.

Just get a model M from ebay

>84 layout
>4.0 bluetooth
>Cherry sw
Should i?

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If you're made of cash then get a hakko desoldering gun. A hakko FR300 makes desoldering things an absolute breeze.

>Cherry

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I dont think i can expect more for 70$

you can expect it to be hotswap. at least get a hotswap keyboard. there are plenty for under 70 if you want chink shit.
amazon.com/Element-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-Switch/dp/B01FXF7HFC
Also BT is an awful meme, if you want wireless stick to 2.4ghz

What can i get for 150? any recommendation?

Just get any hotswap keyboard with your favorite switch. The outemu ones like on the e-element will work fine with most switches, or you can get the QSMEN ones like on the GMMK, or a kailh hotswap socket like on the KBDfans stuff. Just pick whatever you think looks cute. If you have enough autism you can buy hotswap sockets yourself like the above mentioned ones or holtites and convert your non hotswap keyboard into one. Just be warned not all PCBs can support a hotswap mod.

I bought a Corsair K70 with brown keycaps. It's not very pleasant to use.

I kinda preferred my $12 membrane keyboard.

hot af ngl

Anyone got an Ergodox?

Sure, but it's sitting unused now.

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Why?

Using a more comfortable board now.

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user, it hurts to look at that.

Yea it finally got delivered, its amazing!

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Leopold, cherry brown switches

How'd I do, guys?

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Good thing I care about typing comfortably more than I care about the board looking pretty.

Does it actually type comfortably compared to a flat one? It looks a bit uncomfortable desu

(srs question)

Yes. I've been using an ergodox for years before switching to it, and now I can't imagine going back to a flat board.

just got that gmmk tkl so i could try out some different switches. really liking jades so far with a navy for the space bar. waiting for keycaps from alliexpress sucks ass.

so far i really like it. have any questions?

this is the font i'm always looking for, but for dsa caps. can't find shit ever

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great price for the features but the sound is awful compared to heavier boards. I recommend shaving out the plastic ribs on the inside of the case, stuffing in some dense rubber or mass loaded vinyl, and using silent switches

gboards.ca, skip the meme boards

Easiest way I've found is to just lie your iron across both contacts and apply pressure from the other side until it pops out. Some crap will get left in there, but when you go to socket your switches just heat the pads up and apply pressure again. It's not pretty, but it's efficant and doesn't use a shitload of time.

Or do as the other user said and rock that hakko shit.

Does it support QMK? No? Trash it.

Used to, but I've long since desoldered it and replaced it with a Gergo. Feel kind of bad for the guy, but it's just too fuckin' massive and the thumb cluster is fucked. Pic related is my latest project, a fuckin' 20%

DMfag knows whats up, shit's cozy but huge af.

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My chinesium keyboard (ET ROBOT RGB because shiny) came with Huano switches which are ostensibly Outemu blue's so far as I can tell. The only stuff I can really find on Huano is handful of people talking about their switches in computer mice.

Anyway these Huano blues have pins on them of matching width. The Kailh Box Thick Clicks I picked up have a slightly wider Negative pin and I've found they won't just drop in. It takes a couple swipes of some 180 grit sandpaper on each edge before they'll fit proper. This might also be removing enough meat to keep them from making proper contact in other hotswap boards. Meaning if I pulled them to use elsewhere they'd probably need to either be soldered or I'd have to install Huano/Outemu sockets into the board (which would senselessly go back to the original problem of other switches not fitting the board). I won't know for sure until I go to do a full build.

That said I'm pretty happy with the ET ROBOT. Stock switches emit a pretty high pitched click. I might've gone overboard with the Navy Thick Clicks. They produce a much deeper, satisfying click but with the thicker click spring and heavy main spring they're some tough buggers to actuate. Just to get a feel I've only swapped out the arrow keys so far since I hardly use those.

I'm also glad I over-ordered on the Thick Clicks because test-fitting the first one mushed the Positive pin enough to make it useless. On the bright side I got to satisfy curiosity by taking it apart and seeing the guts. Pic related. Missing from the image is the Negative which fucked off into the abyss until the vacuum cleaner finds it. Completely insane how much detail is in the moulds for these things to make all these tiny parts come together.

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Is dvorak a meme?

topre.

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youtube.com/watch?v=bAyIMnTqGB8

Not as much of a meme as workman or steno tho

Actually the second one showed up shortly after the post.

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Brief glances at typeracer's top typists for any given hour the bulk of them are qwerty. Original dvorak studies were done by Dvorak himself and so others cried "muh bias." Modern dvorak adherents cry "muh market failure" with qwerty already being so established as to prevent change. I can't say I've given dvorak more than a couple weeks chance without any rigorous training during that time and I probably wouldn't give it another go. I think the record holder on typeracer is/was a qwerty user.

Workman seems like a total meme. Steno seems awesome for literary applications but without standardization and every user having their own personal dictionaries you can't just hop on your friend's machine or on a public machine and immediately start using steno. Your config will work for you but nobody else. If the hardware were cheap and if Plover/Open Steno could be implemented at the hardware level I could see it being worthwhile. You'd be looking at an NKO keyboard with a few megs of internal storage to hold your dictionary of steno "macros."

I'd be more tempted to start learning steno than to try using dvorak again. If only because stenography is a small field and it'd be another fallback job if I ever needed a change.

Yeah steno is pretty dope, I'm slowly getting there and once you get fingerspelling down and start working on your dict it's pretty cozy.

Funny you should mention onboard steno, I'm actually working on that for Georgi. The idea is to have some flash accessed over I2C (not as fast as SPI, but that only matter for the initial transfer). That way you can just bodge it in as a module instead on onboard. Seeing as there's a bigass I2C interconnect between halves, it's a workable and backwards compatible solution.

Oh, and then you can use it with other boards!

When is someone going to make a new plastic that takes the best of ABS ease of manufacture and PBT's durability?

My box pinks have arrived, they're pretty crisp and not overly tactile so it feels good for gaming. I'm planning on putting them into this custom layout but so far making the plate/case is hard to do by hand.

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>mfw tried a $30 mem-chanical (membrane) keyboard in a shop and it's 2x better then any mechanical keyboard I ever fucking used
I can't believe I've been using this shit technology for so fucking long

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Where can I find a Ducky ONE Full-Size in the shithole that is Bulgaria?

>Ducky ONE
Ducky one is NOT a raised profile keyboard and therefore hideous and forbidden. Count yourself lucky that you aren't able to ruin your life with that abomination.

I've taken the plunge anons. I've placed the orders for all the parts I'll need for my first handwired keyboard build. Couple hundred dollars in. I'm nervous.

Good luck.

I've settle for an ergo build as my next keyboard.

It's fine as long as you are realizing and accepting the fact that you are doing it for hobby purposes and that higher end factory mechs vs handwired mechs are same as mp3 vs flac arguments, humans aren't able to tell any difference
so basically you are paying extra for mental benefits only, there are no physical advantages

>get a MagicForce 68 with gateron browns on sale for 47 bucks
>get double shot pbt cherry keycaps for 38 bucks

I think it's the equivalent of covering an ugly hoe with makeup but it feels great.

Make it hot swappable. Get decent stabilizers.

Just a reminder that putting o rings on your switches is the same as putting a rubber band around your balls while you jack off.

Never tried any of them, so I'm not sure if your suggesting I should try both.

Where the fuck are all the Cherry MX clears keyboards at?

>It's fine as long as you are realizing and accepting the fact that you are doing it for hobby purposes
Oh without a doubt. That's one of the main reasons I did it. I like building and tinkering, probably from being playing with Legos and assembling a lot of Ikea furniture as a kid. I've also done some vidya mods, including an UltraHDMI installation, and I made my own computer desk too.

The second reason is that I always liked how many options there are with mechanical keyboards. From switches, to layouts, to cases, to keycap profiles and materials, to colors, to stuff like lighting and macros, there's lots of ways to customize a keyboard and really make it your own. So making it myself is taking this to the next level of personalization.

That's too bad. I suppose my only option is to go full custom if I want a similar layout?

What's the preferred (linear) meme switch nowadays?

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user that's my dream layout. Wanna share your plans?

Healios

Memes aside though, has anybody tried those memey POM based linears? There were a few different ones on massdrop over the last couple of months I think. I know one set was criticised for being very wobbly and just poor in general, but I don't know about the other one(s).

It's called POM

Where's all the cool POM keycaps?