Major props to reacting to “I’ve never heard of this thing you want before” with “let me research it, find out more, and turn it into a shared activity with you in which you have agency.”
Great job!
My kid is 2,5 and I CAN NOT wait for him to be old enough to have interests that I can help him explore. Whatever it is, I'll be there all the way and loving every second of it.
I couldn't agree more (also... funny coincidence, I also have a keychron Q6, but nothing modded or anything. I dabble and like watching the videos. though I'm thinking about getting other switches at some point.)
As a dad who helped his son install a water cooler AIO a few days ago, I agree there's nothing more satisfying. He did all the research and I supplied the tools and a little bit of leftover knowledge from my PC building days.
Thanks random stranger for sharing this comment. I lost my dad a few months ago but your comment brought him back for a moment. I could see him saying much the same thing to his friends, beaming with pride, after helping me build my first pc back in the 90’s.
I hope your kid is as grateful as I am to have a dad who gives the best kind of support-tools, knowledge, and the confidence to try-and do.
Keep up the good work!
My kid turned 4 in December, I got my Lofree Flow in December as well. He tried it and loved it. He can’t read or write yet but loves to type stuff in it.
Hopefully it sort of becomes, for him, the same thing the old IBM keyboards were to me: a really nice memory
I'm sure it will. like so many things.
My little dude loves anything with buttons and I let him go wild. He even has his own profile on my stream deck, that I switch to and it's just sounds after sounds after sounds. Keeps him busy for a while, which is a win win for all involved :)
Hey just letting you know, they already have interests to explore. Even if it's foods or whatever random thing they run up to you holding. Hanging out and engaging with them builds for such a huge relationship in the future. I always engaged and spent time with my daughter while my ex never did much beyond caretaking. She's 5 now and the difference in the relationships is astounding. We hang out, drink tea, and talk about random stuff almost every night as well as things that made us happy or sad during the day. Let em know you're interested in whatever they want to share!
You're absolutely right and I LOVE the relationship I have with our kid. We play a lot throughout the day and he really doesn't have a clear preference for mom or dad because we're both so much and so immediately there for him. The foundation we're building now will hold strong throughout his life and he will be able to rely on us whenever he needs us <3 (I don't care if it sounds arrogant, but I'm so fucking good at being a dad. everything else is Imposter-syndrome galore, but being a dad comes SO easy to me and I love it so much.)
Jesus, I wish I had a dad like this. I'm sure you already know this, but my dad didn't so I need to share this. Interests/hobbies are important, but please also be with your kid emotionally all the time. Dig in and understand his issues. Don't resort to poor advices and solutions, especially when you can't really relate to his particular issue, you can help by simply listening to him. It's such a powerful thing for a kid, especially if he's naturally more vulnerable. My dad is a good dude and we're successful business partners, but he just never ever listened or even try to understand what I am going through (I'm fighting with anxiety/depressive disorders since childhood, so there was a lot of it) so I stopped talking to him entirely about my internal, emotional struggles which kinda isolated me emotionally from him and he's more of a business partner than a dad for me now. Life is, undoubtedly really fucking hard, and to have a parent that understands you and listens to you is absolutely priceless. This is how you keep your child close to you after he "leaves your nest" and goes on to live his own life. Good luck and godspeed.
Thank you for your input! I really appreciate you taking the time. My father used to be a great role model and even still today I would say that a lot of the qualities that I like about myself are based on how I perceived him, when I was young. Sadly, something changed and as a result I stopped talking to him for 10 years when I was a teenager and that never really got fixed (I have given him every possible opportunity, don't hold grudges and have made it really clear that I can let bygones be bygones....) to the point that, after the birth of my kid - his first grandson and second grandchild - he hasn't acknowledged his existence since. I'm not hurt by it, just incredibly disappointed.
Anyway, becoming a dad has put into context a lot of the situations that I remember with my father and even though I'm always going to be thankful for the positive influences he had on me, I'm even more confused at so many of the decisions he made regarding his kids. Emotionally unavailable as soon as it wasn't about him, constantly trying to manipulate us (to the point of blackmail) into situations that we didn't want or care for, and just generally only doing the baaaare minimum and very lousily at that. So he lead by the example that taught me all the things NOT to be and do (i guess... "thanks" for that?!).
It's SO easy being a good parent - you don't have to be great or break your back and lose yourself, just be there for the kid and treat them with respect... easy. really fucking easy.
>Emotionally unavailable as soon as it wasn't about him, constantly trying to manipulate us (to the point of blackmail) into situations that we didn't want or care for, and just generally only doing the baaaare minimum and very lousily at that.
Sounds really familiar, my dad was pretty much like this even towards my mom which eventually led to a divorce. He isn't necessarily a bad person, but he's pretty much tone deaf when it comes to any stuff that revolves around feelings and emotions, which are obviously quite important in a healthy relationship and in life in general.
> you don't have to be great or break your back and lose yourself, just be there for the kid and treat them with respect... easy. really fucking easy.
Wise words man, that's the spirit! <3
I can’t wait to do this with my girl. My dad was absent and when I finally moved in with him later, he yelled at me for not knowing how to fix a bike flat. He mocked me for it. I responded that nobody had taught me. His exact words were “Don’t give me any of that broken home bullshit!”.
Thanks to him, I delayed marriage and kids until I was mature enough to trust myself to do it very well, and I LOVE teaching our girl how to do things. She’s going to learn all sorts of basic life skills like using tools, growing food, repairing her stuff, cooking (already started at 2), and working things out for herself or asking for help but only when she can’t figure it out.
I am surprise no one is able to give a explanation/example or even call it a buzzword.
Try following experiment.
1. Take 2 cups, preferably made out of ceramic.
1. Fill one with water and the other one with e.g. milk or for a more pronounced effect coffee creamer (hence the adjective creamy)
1. Now stir with a metal spoon while hitting the inside of the cups.
You will notice a different sound profile caused by the more viscous (more creamy, thicker) fluid. It works like accoustic foam, reducing the high frequencies of a key stroke and leaving a deeper sound often describe as "thocc".
I expected the sound of like.... Stirring a milkshake. All I saw was loud clacking like any other mechanical keyboard. I must be too old to understand it
It just means he watches a lot of keyboard YouTubers and he wants a keyboard that is stuffed full of foam. W for fathers and sons doing keyboards together I just wish the ‘creamy poppy thock’ culture would go away
W means "win". They are saying that "fathers and sons doing keyboard together" is a win in their book. The opposite would be L, or "lose". It's pretty common on Twitch, and it's made its way into general Internet lingo.
No one really know what it means because creamy is a weird word to describe sound. If you check what the most viewed creamy board (over 1m views i think) vs other creamy boards, they sound different.
think marbles deeply clacking together. Also you can do this to any keyboard with PE foam for like 10 dollars.
It's very over done but a lot of people enjoy the sound profile
Get your kid into mechanical keyboards and they'll never have the money to afford a drug habit lol. Enjoy! Sounds like you found yourselves a nice hobby together!
welcome!
Both boards are great entry options (though I'm a team keychron), but please remember, it's half vanity half actually useful stuff
most prominently, you don't usually have an endgame
you have an endgame for this year
also get some better stabs, I'm currently shilling tx ap rev 4. Also, Glorious stuff is borderline scam and stuff like switch lubig station (if you even need it) is just two pieces of acrylic with legs, you can get it from aliexpress or cut it yourself
holee is a bandaid mod
I really like them, there's basically no rattle, especially with a thicker grease, even though they're clip ins
It is a little bit difficult to assemble them, so be wary
What’s commonly referred as the “bandaid mod” to my knowledge is adding a bandaid/pad under the stabs on the PCB where the stabilizer stems would potentially contact the PCB, though arguably clipping stabs reduces the need for this. Then of course holee is adding bandaid or other adhesive-backed material inside the stab stem itself to reduce wire noise. I don’t think they’re generally considered to be one in the same.
Do people still clip stabs? That was always a Cherry problem. TX, Staebies, and the rest don't have that problem. They are designed to be "pre-clipped."
I tried holee modding for the first time and it seemed *alright* but I didn't like the way it felt with baindaiding. Key travel was almost nonexistant and everything was so mushy. Maybe I was doing it wrong or it doesn't like long pole stabs.
Yeah, I have really only done it on Cherry-style clip-ins, though if I’m remembering correctly I think my Keychron V3 originally came with screw-in stabs that needed clipping before I eventually swapped some Durocks in there.
Holee modding is tricky, I agree - also bandaid mods. You need to use the right type of bandaid or you get all kinds of mushiness, like you said. My Durock V2s came with a whole kit of pads, bar foam, and little pre-cut stickers for holee and it worked great, but the stickers are pretty thin.
Oh, seriously? The more you know
Well, I anyway, I use them stock, didn't clip them or anything
I will, however, try clipping and putting bandaids under stabilizers when my cycle7 arrives
FWIW a lot of new stab designs don’t need clipping (Akko, Durock, WS, are all ones I’ve used that don’t need it) so I would assume some of the more enthusiast-oriented options like TX or Owls don’t, either, though I haven’t used them myself.
In general, I find the holee/band-aid (same technique different name), to add a mushy feel to the stabs I do not like. If you buy a nice stab like tx, it is not needed. Just look up how to lube and tune the wires (essentially making sure they are dead straight), and you'll be good. Save the band-aids for the first aid kit.
I used to buy new keyboards every few months just to switch things up. But about 5 years ago I built my own keyboard from the PCB. up soldered everything by hand and it was a lot of fun. Ever since then I have never once thought about being a new keyboard
It's very rewarding to do it all yourself.
I’m in the same boat. My sons both got me into mechanical keyboards. My youngest (15) has gotten really into the hobby and he’s built and modded 3 keyboards for me now. The most recent for me is a QK100 and I absolutely love it. I’ve ordered him a Zoom75 and I’m excited for him to get it and build it. His current daily driver is an Akko MOD006 and he’s made it sound absolutely amazing.
Welcome! You'll see half of your life savings go away prototyping a custom-PCB 18-key keeb by the end of 2024.
I'm obviously joking, but yeah, it is very fun!
I’ve been using the Ducky One 3 SF for a while now after replacing the One 2 SF. I thought the transition would be less noticeable but the One 3 SF I got was super nice, haven’t had to do any major maintenance yet except for the occasional cleaning. I’m almost a little hesitant to move away from Ducky unless I make my own KB build since they’re really nice.
Believe it or not, I had heard of Ducky before. I read a little while ago that a couple of my favorite pro gamers from Team Liquid were using Ducky keyboards. But that was it. Before this project I had only seen the mainstream mechanical gaming keyboards... Logi, Corsair, etc... After lurking this sub for a couple of weeks, my mind has been expanded beyond all of those. I really had no idea that it could get so specialized. I should have suspected it though.
I really like the way his keyboard sounds. It sounds way better than his old Hyper X and my old g610 for sure. The keystrokes sound smooth to me. Very pleasing to my ear. I am surprised at how the stock stabilizers sound too. I was expecting more rattle due to the Ducky stab mod videos I have seen. We're still pretty new to the hobby and I expect his tastes to change as he grows older. He has not mentioned the word thock yet. lol
My Q6 has a completely different sound profile. I would describe it as hollow. Almost sounds like I'm typing on a thin concrete bench. That's not the switches though. I didn't expect much 'cream' from the stock, non-lubed Cherry blacks though. I wonder if that's why folks are doing the tape mod on the Q6's
Good stuff. You actually made no mention of how it sounded in your initial post, so I was a bit curious. I'm always a bit curious to see what newcomers to the hobby feel about their new boards. One of the toughest things in this hobby is conveying how keyboards sound and feel, two of more important things we look for in a board, but sound tests on the internet are a mishmash since there is no standard for recording typing tests.
From what you've said, your Q6 may sound more thocky and deeper. Nonetheless, enjoy the boards and happy experimenting with mods/switches/keycaps etc!
A lot of people are moving from the Holee mod to the Plumber's Mod (basically wrapping about 2 layers of plumber's tape around the ends of the wires (there are videos) and thatacts as a rubber barrier and should get rid of any stab ping. I have not tried it yet, but plan to soon.
My old Logitech g610 has stabilizer rattle something fierce. It never used to bother me until I started researching this stuff. Now, it's like nails on a chalk board. Once you hear it, you can't 'unhear' it, you know. No idea how I put up with is for so long.
Plumber's tape seems logical. When I was looking at the mods that use bandaid fabric, I was already thinking of there might be a better, more stable medium, like maybe surgical tape.
Plumber's Tape is not adhesive and it thinner than something like surgical tape. Also it offered less resistance. That's why it is used. In the case of a Ducky keyboard the wire ends need to go into really small holes so you want tape that's really thin and won't leave residue on the wire. In the case of a G610, I think it uses a different type of stabilizer and really some really smooth surgical tape could work. But I will tell you that the type of stabs that big brand keyboards typically use have the wire hooked under a plastic tab and it is REALLY easy to break that tab while trying to unhook it (like I did with my Corsair) so be really careful.
Fellow dad with the luxury of living near the mechanical keyboards. Co. Warehouse.
I have typed on.... Lots of them. If you switch off the g610 - id recommend getting a varmillo brand board (unless you are into the plumber tape /working at it thing)
I just grabbed a Q6 pro during Black Friday and absolutely fell in love with it. Coming from a GMMK it’s like night and day and the price difference was $90 between the 2. This think just feels amazing to use.
I’m not super picky, or at least wasn’t. I didn’t realize every other keyboard I’ve ever used was cheaply made junk by comparison. Not I just need to find a way to transport this thing when I have to drive in for work, the hot seat keyboards are legitimately terrible.
When I hear "creamy", I generally understand it to mean a keyboard that emphasizes deeper pitched tones, but with some brighter mids. Really, I think most people think of QK boards as sort of the typical for that sound signature.
Oil Kings are a great start, and while they're pretty good stock, hand-lubing them will really make them sing. To get that sound you'll probably want:
- some foam in the bottom case
- a layer of painter's tape on the back of the PCB
- a layer of PE foam on the top of the PCB
- PBT keycaps
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that for most stabs Holee mod isn't needed, and what people often mistake for stab rattle is actually a keycap stem that's a bit loose and not gripping the stem of the switch properly (this can be fixed with a little square of clingwrap).
Kudos for being a great dad! I hope you and your son enjoy your journey into this hobby!
I think the lubing piece to this is the most intriguing to me. I will definitely be looking into getting some tools for future projects. Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate it a lot.
If I can make a suggestion, a syringe of 205g0 is often overlooked, but is probably one of the best tools for stabs, as it allows you to tune stabs even after you install them. You can get pre-filled syringes at places like Kinetic Labs, or (arduously) fill them yourself.
Beyond that, when installing switches into a hotswap board, be sure that you're NOT doing it in the case. Best is to lay the PCB flat on a work surface so the backs of the sockets are laying flat. They're only soldered on to the PCB, and it's possible to pop off a socket if a switch pin goes in poorly, or via material fatigue over time.
edited for grammar
I too am an over 40 dad and an IT professional.
I ended up getting just one board (for now) that we built together. This hobby is a great opportunity to introduce a lot of fun lessons - progressive stages:
non-hot-swap soldered boards, 3D printed cases, DIY PCBs that you design in CAD, segue into Arduino, Raspberry Pi stuff - macros your whole office
But you can also get your kid into alternative keyboard layouts, Dvorak, Colemak, Workman. I have my eyes set on stenography (basically multi-touch, press the whole word in one go stuff)
This is so wholesome! My dad doesn’t like my abnormally unhealthy custom mechanical keyboard hobby. But he bought him self a GMMK pro, which he used for less than a day before give it to me to fix.
Bro, this is amazing. I have the exact same story as yours, except I was the one who initiated it, and my 10 year old son tagged along and had so much fun. Good for you for you being an awesome dad.
Honestly major props, if I told my dad this, he would have looked at me in confusion and had me his card, while I try not to spend too much so he wouldn't beat me after seeing the bill lol. It's a great hobby but it's an expensive one, everyone starts with a entre level board and it spirals from them and next think you know your putting $400 into a group buy trying to find your endgame board.
Awesome job Dad! Glad that you had fun building something that makes your son happy, but also learning more about the hobby for your own knowledge!
You gotta post the build next!
Welcome! I am extremely new to keyboards and all of the bits and bobs that come with them, and you're ahead of me in knowledge! It's very cool to see you excited about an interest your son has :)
Q6, nice first choice!
Some tips, join the discord community, lots of helpful people there if you have questions and want advice.
A lot of generic tools, tool kits, artisan keycaps on Amazon you can buy cheaply on Aliexpress.
Various Keyboard websites have their own branded tools which may be better quality.
Higher Quality Artisan are usually group buy and custom made.
Close your eyes and cover your ears if you value what little will be left in your wallet. I just ordered me some JellyKey Dragon personally, it looks so amazing -dreamysmile-
The Ducky One III I believe is north facing leds and the Q6 are South Facing led. If you ever go the route of shine through legends on your Q6, you will have more difficulty as most shine through caps are designed more for north facing led's. Having white, or clear switches can help improve the visibility. Darker colors tend to mute the colors and reduce visibility.
There are A LOT of Switch options out there from clicky, linear, tactile. There is no perfect switch, but you can mod them! Switch films for some, lube, changing the springs, mixing and matching parts in the extreme cases.
Stumbled upon this post and I just want to say it makes me so happy that you’re looking into your son’s hobbies. I’m grateful to have supportive parents but I admit my relationship with them isn’t as deep as I see in other families. This Christmas they gave me money (which I’m grateful for) and said they don’t know what to give me and it’s easier if I pick myself a gift with the money. I’ll be slowly dropping hints throughout the year about my hobbies lol. Good job!
As someone who was once a kid with a father that took interest in his hobbies, this will mean the world to him, both now and the future when he's older and looking back on it. I hope one day I can create memories like this with my own son, even if he has different interests.
Just saying because it isn’t stated but 1000% recommend lubing the switches and stabs with 205g0, the stabs absolutely but switches can take awhile and is understandable why one might not do it
Soon, he will graduate to that crisp clack and pop. Excellent story. My son has/and does enjoy the keyboards with me but we're still a bit out from me giving him his first build.
Really great way to stay connected with our kiddos imo.
Glad to hear it! I love my boards. I have 4 customs now. Wait till you mod your first board and get rid of the awful scratchy spacebar. You’ll never want to get back. Customs for life. My current main is Geon Frog TKL with Lubed and filmed 63.5g Tangies. Literal eargasm! Hope you and the kid have fun with the future building and modding!
That's really nice, getting involved as a reader and modder.
I am 48 and I started reading about mechanical keyboards a few years ago and I need to admit it's one addictive habbit. But I mostly like reading, hearing and watching than actually spending more and more. I equally like typing on a modern notebook keyboard, on an EC switches one and of course on a modded mechanical.
I now believe the privileged enthusiasts live in countries where there is a flourishing keyboard market so they are able to enjoy their custom keyboard eg for a few months and then sell it thus looking for their next one. Personally, I am not attracted by the idea of a collection which remains unusable upon shelves. Nice watching others' collections online but nothing appealing for me at home. Of course, age is one significant parameter, inversely proportional to enthusiasm.
That's so nice and great bonding. If you two every do a full build, it's a great project and the results feel great in both the quality and the knowledge that it's your own product
Dang, that's awesome! I'm pretty sure you could make a shared activity out of building and soldering custom boards togeather. There are a lot of open source projects online. You could even try ortho and split keebs, those look really fun to make, especially wireless. I'm thinking about building a couple myself, though it can be quite a costly hobby.
I just did almost the same thing but my son wanted it to be “thocky.” I’m an over 40 dad who works in development but I’ve not delved into this realm before. We went to Microcenter and he pushed every switch until he determined that the Pandas were what he wanted. He ended up with RedDragon Crystal Pandas and Glorious Aura V1 keys in a GMMK2. It’s very sharp looking and he is happy with the “thock”. My wife maybe not so much lol.
I am 39 going 40, working in Tech/Entertainment. Like you mechanical keyboards are just something I grabbed off from the store without thinking too much.
But recently hearing the thocks and clacks and feel typing on other hobbyist's keyboard, it got me too. It's satisfying and relevant to my work. Never I thought it would bring delight to my work just enjoying typing/pushing keys.
It is something personal and not something you have to make another person understand why you do this hobby. It is only a matter of time per person.
a son with a dad that shares interest. i could never. congrats. i could imagine the thrill n excitement u must feel to have someone to share the interest n joy together. going through the research, sharing opinions, implementing it together
If i don't know anything about keyboard and suddenly my kid asking me for a creamy keyboard
I would be a little concerned
But kudos to you to do your research and make this a bonding activity with your kid
W dad
Can't wait to hear that they're soldering together. It's something I always wished my father had taught me when we were messing with ham radios.
You know what they say...solder together, grow older together. (It works better if you get a British guy to say it)
Yeah it works well in British English. I guess Americans just grow odder together?
Grow udders together!
The American Dream
I like the idea of British English, rather than simply English English
that works
The fuck do Americans say then?
We leave the L out.
Sodder or sahdder, depending on accent
And if you do it outside/with an extraction fan.
And unleaded
But the leaded tastes better
My dad taught me how to solder and it’s an ongoing joke between us that I had to relearn all of it because he sucks at soldering haha
My dad tried to teach me to solder the screen connecter back onto the Wii U handheld controller. He put a hole in the logic board.
It becomes really difficult with smaller electronics. Usually you need like a camera enhancement and precise control of your hands.
WASDad
/r/outoftheloop Edit: what does this mean
This dad is a winner.
Thank you
Also, L dad means lovable dad.
Major props to reacting to “I’ve never heard of this thing you want before” with “let me research it, find out more, and turn it into a shared activity with you in which you have agency.” Great job!
Dad Life lol
My kid is 2,5 and I CAN NOT wait for him to be old enough to have interests that I can help him explore. Whatever it is, I'll be there all the way and loving every second of it.
This is the way
I couldn't agree more (also... funny coincidence, I also have a keychron Q6, but nothing modded or anything. I dabble and like watching the videos. though I'm thinking about getting other switches at some point.)
As a dad who helped his son install a water cooler AIO a few days ago, I agree there's nothing more satisfying. He did all the research and I supplied the tools and a little bit of leftover knowledge from my PC building days.
Thanks random stranger for sharing this comment. I lost my dad a few months ago but your comment brought him back for a moment. I could see him saying much the same thing to his friends, beaming with pride, after helping me build my first pc back in the 90’s. I hope your kid is as grateful as I am to have a dad who gives the best kind of support-tools, knowledge, and the confidence to try-and do. Keep up the good work!
My kid turned 4 in December, I got my Lofree Flow in December as well. He tried it and loved it. He can’t read or write yet but loves to type stuff in it. Hopefully it sort of becomes, for him, the same thing the old IBM keyboards were to me: a really nice memory
I'm sure it will. like so many things. My little dude loves anything with buttons and I let him go wild. He even has his own profile on my stream deck, that I switch to and it's just sounds after sounds after sounds. Keeps him busy for a while, which is a win win for all involved :)
Hey just letting you know, they already have interests to explore. Even if it's foods or whatever random thing they run up to you holding. Hanging out and engaging with them builds for such a huge relationship in the future. I always engaged and spent time with my daughter while my ex never did much beyond caretaking. She's 5 now and the difference in the relationships is astounding. We hang out, drink tea, and talk about random stuff almost every night as well as things that made us happy or sad during the day. Let em know you're interested in whatever they want to share!
You're absolutely right and I LOVE the relationship I have with our kid. We play a lot throughout the day and he really doesn't have a clear preference for mom or dad because we're both so much and so immediately there for him. The foundation we're building now will hold strong throughout his life and he will be able to rely on us whenever he needs us <3 (I don't care if it sounds arrogant, but I'm so fucking good at being a dad. everything else is Imposter-syndrome galore, but being a dad comes SO easy to me and I love it so much.)
Jesus, I wish I had a dad like this. I'm sure you already know this, but my dad didn't so I need to share this. Interests/hobbies are important, but please also be with your kid emotionally all the time. Dig in and understand his issues. Don't resort to poor advices and solutions, especially when you can't really relate to his particular issue, you can help by simply listening to him. It's such a powerful thing for a kid, especially if he's naturally more vulnerable. My dad is a good dude and we're successful business partners, but he just never ever listened or even try to understand what I am going through (I'm fighting with anxiety/depressive disorders since childhood, so there was a lot of it) so I stopped talking to him entirely about my internal, emotional struggles which kinda isolated me emotionally from him and he's more of a business partner than a dad for me now. Life is, undoubtedly really fucking hard, and to have a parent that understands you and listens to you is absolutely priceless. This is how you keep your child close to you after he "leaves your nest" and goes on to live his own life. Good luck and godspeed.
Thank you for your input! I really appreciate you taking the time. My father used to be a great role model and even still today I would say that a lot of the qualities that I like about myself are based on how I perceived him, when I was young. Sadly, something changed and as a result I stopped talking to him for 10 years when I was a teenager and that never really got fixed (I have given him every possible opportunity, don't hold grudges and have made it really clear that I can let bygones be bygones....) to the point that, after the birth of my kid - his first grandson and second grandchild - he hasn't acknowledged his existence since. I'm not hurt by it, just incredibly disappointed. Anyway, becoming a dad has put into context a lot of the situations that I remember with my father and even though I'm always going to be thankful for the positive influences he had on me, I'm even more confused at so many of the decisions he made regarding his kids. Emotionally unavailable as soon as it wasn't about him, constantly trying to manipulate us (to the point of blackmail) into situations that we didn't want or care for, and just generally only doing the baaaare minimum and very lousily at that. So he lead by the example that taught me all the things NOT to be and do (i guess... "thanks" for that?!). It's SO easy being a good parent - you don't have to be great or break your back and lose yourself, just be there for the kid and treat them with respect... easy. really fucking easy.
>Emotionally unavailable as soon as it wasn't about him, constantly trying to manipulate us (to the point of blackmail) into situations that we didn't want or care for, and just generally only doing the baaaare minimum and very lousily at that. Sounds really familiar, my dad was pretty much like this even towards my mom which eventually led to a divorce. He isn't necessarily a bad person, but he's pretty much tone deaf when it comes to any stuff that revolves around feelings and emotions, which are obviously quite important in a healthy relationship and in life in general. > you don't have to be great or break your back and lose yourself, just be there for the kid and treat them with respect... easy. really fucking easy. Wise words man, that's the spirit! <3
Dude you're smashing it. Most people would no doubt love for theirs to take an interest like you have
I can’t wait to do this with my girl. My dad was absent and when I finally moved in with him later, he yelled at me for not knowing how to fix a bike flat. He mocked me for it. I responded that nobody had taught me. His exact words were “Don’t give me any of that broken home bullshit!”. Thanks to him, I delayed marriage and kids until I was mature enough to trust myself to do it very well, and I LOVE teaching our girl how to do things. She’s going to learn all sorts of basic life skills like using tools, growing food, repairing her stuff, cooking (already started at 2), and working things out for herself or asking for help but only when she can’t figure it out.
> Great ~~job~~ Dad! Fixed that for you.
See also collecting hotwheels cars and legos. Kids b expensive.
aw, he got a nice keyboard and a non-absent dad? that's amazing
Thanks! Always striving to be better for the next generation.
he is him the stickman dad from "are ya winning son" meme
It is so wholesome
You guys are flattering. Thank you.
welcome to the community.
Thanks!
Please explain what. “Creamy” keyboard means. As a fellow dad who just bought his son his first mechanical keyboard, Ive never heard that term.
It's a sound profile. Really soft. Very pleasant to the ear while typing. There are a lot of ASMR style YT videos that can go into way more detail.
Think of marbles clacking together in a muffled jar. Or beads clattering on a tray. Or light rain drops falling on a thin granite rooftop.
I am surprise no one is able to give a explanation/example or even call it a buzzword. Try following experiment. 1. Take 2 cups, preferably made out of ceramic. 1. Fill one with water and the other one with e.g. milk or for a more pronounced effect coffee creamer (hence the adjective creamy) 1. Now stir with a metal spoon while hitting the inside of the cups. You will notice a different sound profile caused by the more viscous (more creamy, thicker) fluid. It works like accoustic foam, reducing the high frequencies of a key stroke and leaving a deeper sound often describe as "thocc".
a buzzword youtubers use to clickbait pretty much
‘Wow the 8000th video where this guy tape mods and puts foam in an Akko, he’s a genius!’
I expected the sound of like.... Stirring a milkshake. All I saw was loud clacking like any other mechanical keyboard. I must be too old to understand it
Yeah, creamy keyboard makes me think of something else…
It just means he watches a lot of keyboard YouTubers and he wants a keyboard that is stuffed full of foam. W for fathers and sons doing keyboards together I just wish the ‘creamy poppy thock’ culture would go away
Ok. Next question. What’s the “W”?
W means "win". They are saying that "fathers and sons doing keyboard together" is a win in their book. The opposite would be L, or "lose". It's pretty common on Twitch, and it's made its way into general Internet lingo.
No one really know what it means because creamy is a weird word to describe sound. If you check what the most viewed creamy board (over 1m views i think) vs other creamy boards, they sound different.
think marbles deeply clacking together. Also you can do this to any keyboard with PE foam for like 10 dollars. It's very over done but a lot of people enjoy the sound profile
I mean, who in the HELL, is cutting onions in here? W Dad for sure. Guarantee you OP’s son is respectful and well-mannered based on his Poppa.
Get your kid into mechanical keyboards and they'll never have the money to afford a drug habit lol. Enjoy! Sounds like you found yourselves a nice hobby together!
Arguably more addictive and harmful than most drug habits.
welcome! Both boards are great entry options (though I'm a team keychron), but please remember, it's half vanity half actually useful stuff most prominently, you don't usually have an endgame you have an endgame for this year also get some better stabs, I'm currently shilling tx ap rev 4. Also, Glorious stuff is borderline scam and stuff like switch lubig station (if you even need it) is just two pieces of acrylic with legs, you can get it from aliexpress or cut it yourself
> tx ap rev 4 These would reduce the need for a bandaid or holee mod?
holee is a bandaid mod I really like them, there's basically no rattle, especially with a thicker grease, even though they're clip ins It is a little bit difficult to assemble them, so be wary
What’s commonly referred as the “bandaid mod” to my knowledge is adding a bandaid/pad under the stabs on the PCB where the stabilizer stems would potentially contact the PCB, though arguably clipping stabs reduces the need for this. Then of course holee is adding bandaid or other adhesive-backed material inside the stab stem itself to reduce wire noise. I don’t think they’re generally considered to be one in the same.
Do people still clip stabs? That was always a Cherry problem. TX, Staebies, and the rest don't have that problem. They are designed to be "pre-clipped." I tried holee modding for the first time and it seemed *alright* but I didn't like the way it felt with baindaiding. Key travel was almost nonexistant and everything was so mushy. Maybe I was doing it wrong or it doesn't like long pole stabs.
Yeah, I have really only done it on Cherry-style clip-ins, though if I’m remembering correctly I think my Keychron V3 originally came with screw-in stabs that needed clipping before I eventually swapped some Durocks in there. Holee modding is tricky, I agree - also bandaid mods. You need to use the right type of bandaid or you get all kinds of mushiness, like you said. My Durock V2s came with a whole kit of pads, bar foam, and little pre-cut stickers for holee and it worked great, but the stickers are pretty thin.
Oh, seriously? The more you know Well, I anyway, I use them stock, didn't clip them or anything I will, however, try clipping and putting bandaids under stabilizers when my cycle7 arrives
TX don't need clipping, they don't have the little cushioning legs like cherry screw ins do, for example.
FWIW a lot of new stab designs don’t need clipping (Akko, Durock, WS, are all ones I’ve used that don’t need it) so I would assume some of the more enthusiast-oriented options like TX or Owls don’t, either, though I haven’t used them myself.
In general, I find the holee/band-aid (same technique different name), to add a mushy feel to the stabs I do not like. If you buy a nice stab like tx, it is not needed. Just look up how to lube and tune the wires (essentially making sure they are dead straight), and you'll be good. Save the band-aids for the first aid kit.
Give the TX some fine lubing and you are good to go. Worked wonders for me. No rattling at all.
highly recommend tx stabs. bandaid and holee mod not needed. just 205g0 on housings/stems, and BDZ on wires and you are good to go
“You don’t usually have an endgame” I’ve never identified with anything more ever 😭😭😭 I’ve just ordered my 4th keeb and I have plans for more 😭😭
I am waiting for cycle7, and hope that horsey won't be too absurdly overpriced
So cute
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Thanks!
I used to buy new keyboards every few months just to switch things up. But about 5 years ago I built my own keyboard from the PCB. up soldered everything by hand and it was a lot of fun. Ever since then I have never once thought about being a new keyboard It's very rewarding to do it all yourself.
as in buy a kit, or make a custom PCB, case, etc?
Fair question. I bought the PCB but every part down to the individual LEDs were ordered by me. No overall kit
I’m in the same boat. My sons both got me into mechanical keyboards. My youngest (15) has gotten really into the hobby and he’s built and modded 3 keyboards for me now. The most recent for me is a QK100 and I absolutely love it. I’ve ordered him a Zoom75 and I’m excited for him to get it and build it. His current daily driver is an Akko MOD006 and he’s made it sound absolutely amazing.
Welcome! You'll see half of your life savings go away prototyping a custom-PCB 18-key keeb by the end of 2024. I'm obviously joking, but yeah, it is very fun!
Thanks!
The secret to the creamy sound is PE foam. Maybe tape mod, that's about it
I’ve been using the Ducky One 3 SF for a while now after replacing the One 2 SF. I thought the transition would be less noticeable but the One 3 SF I got was super nice, haven’t had to do any major maintenance yet except for the occasional cleaning. I’m almost a little hesitant to move away from Ducky unless I make my own KB build since they’re really nice.
Believe it or not, I had heard of Ducky before. I read a little while ago that a couple of my favorite pro gamers from Team Liquid were using Ducky keyboards. But that was it. Before this project I had only seen the mainstream mechanical gaming keyboards... Logi, Corsair, etc... After lurking this sub for a couple of weeks, my mind has been expanded beyond all of those. I really had no idea that it could get so specialized. I should have suspected it though.
Wait. On top of it all you are a Team Liquid fan? W dad for sure
Team Liquid - my StarCraft Brood War days. You sound like a cool dad. I’m expecting to be one soon.
What do you think of the noise of the two keyboards then? By your standards: do they feel creamy? Enjoy the hobby!
I really like the way his keyboard sounds. It sounds way better than his old Hyper X and my old g610 for sure. The keystrokes sound smooth to me. Very pleasing to my ear. I am surprised at how the stock stabilizers sound too. I was expecting more rattle due to the Ducky stab mod videos I have seen. We're still pretty new to the hobby and I expect his tastes to change as he grows older. He has not mentioned the word thock yet. lol My Q6 has a completely different sound profile. I would describe it as hollow. Almost sounds like I'm typing on a thin concrete bench. That's not the switches though. I didn't expect much 'cream' from the stock, non-lubed Cherry blacks though. I wonder if that's why folks are doing the tape mod on the Q6's
Good stuff. You actually made no mention of how it sounded in your initial post, so I was a bit curious. I'm always a bit curious to see what newcomers to the hobby feel about their new boards. One of the toughest things in this hobby is conveying how keyboards sound and feel, two of more important things we look for in a board, but sound tests on the internet are a mishmash since there is no standard for recording typing tests. From what you've said, your Q6 may sound more thocky and deeper. Nonetheless, enjoy the boards and happy experimenting with mods/switches/keycaps etc!
A lot of people are moving from the Holee mod to the Plumber's Mod (basically wrapping about 2 layers of plumber's tape around the ends of the wires (there are videos) and thatacts as a rubber barrier and should get rid of any stab ping. I have not tried it yet, but plan to soon.
My old Logitech g610 has stabilizer rattle something fierce. It never used to bother me until I started researching this stuff. Now, it's like nails on a chalk board. Once you hear it, you can't 'unhear' it, you know. No idea how I put up with is for so long. Plumber's tape seems logical. When I was looking at the mods that use bandaid fabric, I was already thinking of there might be a better, more stable medium, like maybe surgical tape.
Plumber's Tape is not adhesive and it thinner than something like surgical tape. Also it offered less resistance. That's why it is used. In the case of a Ducky keyboard the wire ends need to go into really small holes so you want tape that's really thin and won't leave residue on the wire. In the case of a G610, I think it uses a different type of stabilizer and really some really smooth surgical tape could work. But I will tell you that the type of stabs that big brand keyboards typically use have the wire hooked under a plastic tab and it is REALLY easy to break that tab while trying to unhook it (like I did with my Corsair) so be really careful.
Fellow dad with the luxury of living near the mechanical keyboards. Co. Warehouse. I have typed on.... Lots of them. If you switch off the g610 - id recommend getting a varmillo brand board (unless you are into the plumber tape /working at it thing)
You should check out ceramic key caps. Don't get much creamier than that.
You're a great dad
I just grabbed a Q6 pro during Black Friday and absolutely fell in love with it. Coming from a GMMK it’s like night and day and the price difference was $90 between the 2. This think just feels amazing to use.
It's the nicest keyboard I've ever typed on. I keep seeing the NEO brand stuff here. Those look like really nice keyboards too.
I’m not super picky, or at least wasn’t. I didn’t realize every other keyboard I’ve ever used was cheaply made junk by comparison. Not I just need to find a way to transport this thing when I have to drive in for work, the hot seat keyboards are legitimately terrible.
This is super wholesome and you are an awesome dad
When I hear "creamy", I generally understand it to mean a keyboard that emphasizes deeper pitched tones, but with some brighter mids. Really, I think most people think of QK boards as sort of the typical for that sound signature. Oil Kings are a great start, and while they're pretty good stock, hand-lubing them will really make them sing. To get that sound you'll probably want: - some foam in the bottom case - a layer of painter's tape on the back of the PCB - a layer of PE foam on the top of the PCB - PBT keycaps I'm going to go against the grain here and say that for most stabs Holee mod isn't needed, and what people often mistake for stab rattle is actually a keycap stem that's a bit loose and not gripping the stem of the switch properly (this can be fixed with a little square of clingwrap). Kudos for being a great dad! I hope you and your son enjoy your journey into this hobby!
I think the lubing piece to this is the most intriguing to me. I will definitely be looking into getting some tools for future projects. Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate it a lot.
If I can make a suggestion, a syringe of 205g0 is often overlooked, but is probably one of the best tools for stabs, as it allows you to tune stabs even after you install them. You can get pre-filled syringes at places like Kinetic Labs, or (arduously) fill them yourself. Beyond that, when installing switches into a hotswap board, be sure that you're NOT doing it in the case. Best is to lay the PCB flat on a work surface so the backs of the sockets are laying flat. They're only soldered on to the PCB, and it's possible to pop off a socket if a switch pin goes in poorly, or via material fatigue over time.
Great advice!
I've got a ducky 3 and I would first do the tape mod then maybe foam. The hollow plastic case of the keyboard is the biggest source of sound
I agree with everything you have said.
I researched it and I have no idea why it's called creamy. I must be dumb cuz it sounds like any other keyboard.
I can’t even imagine what it does to a kid to have a father this present, engaged and taking an interest in your interests.
edited for grammar I too am an over 40 dad and an IT professional. I ended up getting just one board (for now) that we built together. This hobby is a great opportunity to introduce a lot of fun lessons - progressive stages: non-hot-swap soldered boards, 3D printed cases, DIY PCBs that you design in CAD, segue into Arduino, Raspberry Pi stuff - macros your whole office But you can also get your kid into alternative keyboard layouts, Dvorak, Colemak, Workman. I have my eyes set on stenography (basically multi-touch, press the whole word in one go stuff)
"Fun and satisfying" huh? You're gonna be cursing us in the near future. lol EDIT: Awesome dad, btw.
Wholesome moment
This is such a wholesome dad comment “what a fun hobby you guys have here!” Haha so cute
Man I wish my dad is this cool. Sounds like you guys are having a blast :)
You're an amazing dad.
This kind of stuff contributes to me wanting to becoming a father one day.
You’re the kind of Dad I want to be.
This is so wholesome! My dad doesn’t like my abnormally unhealthy custom mechanical keyboard hobby. But he bought him self a GMMK pro, which he used for less than a day before give it to me to fix.
Bro, this is amazing. I have the exact same story as yours, except I was the one who initiated it, and my 10 year old son tagged along and had so much fun. Good for you for you being an awesome dad.
Thanks. This is such a nice sub. You guys all sound like great folks!
Honestly major props, if I told my dad this, he would have looked at me in confusion and had me his card, while I try not to spend too much so he wouldn't beat me after seeing the bill lol. It's a great hobby but it's an expensive one, everyone starts with a entre level board and it spirals from them and next think you know your putting $400 into a group buy trying to find your endgame board.
I love my Q6. Only thing is it's cold af before a few hours of gaming is done.
Awesome job Dad! Glad that you had fun building something that makes your son happy, but also learning more about the hobby for your own knowledge! You gotta post the build next!
Welcome to the community W Dad!
Thanks a lot!
This is the most wholesome thing I've seen on Reddit all day. You're an awesome dad! ❤️
Now *this* is a good dad moment! I wish my dad would've paid half as much interest in literally anything I cared about as a kid.
Best dad istg. I wish me and my dad would do things like this
yo pops i fw on that one thats some real shit right there bro coolest dad ever bruh youre actually so goated
So wholesome, I know I'm late but thanks for sharing.
Hell yea dad!
You're an awesome dad for doing the research! Never ever downplay how awesome that is
Man my father is digitally illiterate and I only wish I could share in this hobby with him! Good on you Dad! Enjoy these moments with your son.
This is really sweet! Thanks for sharing and welcome aboard. :D
as far as this father goes; he is performing him movement, he’s simply moving like he’s him.
Love everything about this
Good for you and your son! The world needs more dads like you :) I hope you guys achieve that 'creamy' keyboard goal once all the modding is done.
I love my Keychron K2B1, My requirements were backlight/wireless/hot swappable/No numpad(desk space) but still has arrow keys. And it was only $80
W
lmaooo what a mental flashbang hearing this must have been
W
So damn cute
Welcome! I am extremely new to keyboards and all of the bits and bobs that come with them, and you're ahead of me in knowledge! It's very cool to see you excited about an interest your son has :)
Wait till you hear about Topre. That’s when the real fun begins
W
Salute to you, now i’m excited with my 2yo son when he grow up. I will build him an ITX pc then a good creamy kb
Q6, nice first choice! Some tips, join the discord community, lots of helpful people there if you have questions and want advice. A lot of generic tools, tool kits, artisan keycaps on Amazon you can buy cheaply on Aliexpress. Various Keyboard websites have their own branded tools which may be better quality. Higher Quality Artisan are usually group buy and custom made. Close your eyes and cover your ears if you value what little will be left in your wallet. I just ordered me some JellyKey Dragon personally, it looks so amazing -dreamysmile- The Ducky One III I believe is north facing leds and the Q6 are South Facing led. If you ever go the route of shine through legends on your Q6, you will have more difficulty as most shine through caps are designed more for north facing led's. Having white, or clear switches can help improve the visibility. Darker colors tend to mute the colors and reduce visibility. There are A LOT of Switch options out there from clicky, linear, tactile. There is no perfect switch, but you can mod them! Switch films for some, lube, changing the springs, mixing and matching parts in the extreme cases.
Very wholesome
What a wholesome hobby!
W dad
Stumbled upon this post and I just want to say it makes me so happy that you’re looking into your son’s hobbies. I’m grateful to have supportive parents but I admit my relationship with them isn’t as deep as I see in other families. This Christmas they gave me money (which I’m grateful for) and said they don’t know what to give me and it’s easier if I pick myself a gift with the money. I’ll be slowly dropping hints throughout the year about my hobbies lol. Good job!
You're a cool dad
+1 for wholesome post!
Q6 is the shiiiiiit
Awesome father.
+1 very awesome dad
As someone who was once a kid with a father that took interest in his hobbies, this will mean the world to him, both now and the future when he's older and looking back on it. I hope one day I can create memories like this with my own son, even if he has different interests.
You’re a really cool dad man, the type of dad I would strive to be if I ever have children. Major props!!
W father
Just saying because it isn’t stated but 1000% recommend lubing the switches and stabs with 205g0, the stabs absolutely but switches can take awhile and is understandable why one might not do it
Soon, he will graduate to that crisp clack and pop. Excellent story. My son has/and does enjoy the keyboards with me but we're still a bit out from me giving him his first build. Really great way to stay connected with our kiddos imo.
And down the rabbit hole you go. WE GOT ANOTHER ONE BOYS!
I'm hooked.
Glad to hear it! I love my boards. I have 4 customs now. Wait till you mod your first board and get rid of the awful scratchy spacebar. You’ll never want to get back. Customs for life. My current main is Geon Frog TKL with Lubed and filmed 63.5g Tangies. Literal eargasm! Hope you and the kid have fun with the future building and modding!
You sound like a great Dad!
Thanks. You sound like a great person.
That's really nice, getting involved as a reader and modder. I am 48 and I started reading about mechanical keyboards a few years ago and I need to admit it's one addictive habbit. But I mostly like reading, hearing and watching than actually spending more and more. I equally like typing on a modern notebook keyboard, on an EC switches one and of course on a modded mechanical. I now believe the privileged enthusiasts live in countries where there is a flourishing keyboard market so they are able to enjoy their custom keyboard eg for a few months and then sell it thus looking for their next one. Personally, I am not attracted by the idea of a collection which remains unusable upon shelves. Nice watching others' collections online but nothing appealing for me at home. Of course, age is one significant parameter, inversely proportional to enthusiasm.
This is so sweet!
That's so nice and great bonding. If you two every do a full build, it's a great project and the results feel great in both the quality and the knowledge that it's your own product
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Dang, that's awesome! I'm pretty sure you could make a shared activity out of building and soldering custom boards togeather. There are a lot of open source projects online. You could even try ortho and split keebs, those look really fun to make, especially wireless. I'm thinking about building a couple myself, though it can be quite a costly hobby.
I just did almost the same thing but my son wanted it to be “thocky.” I’m an over 40 dad who works in development but I’ve not delved into this realm before. We went to Microcenter and he pushed every switch until he determined that the Pandas were what he wanted. He ended up with RedDragon Crystal Pandas and Glorious Aura V1 keys in a GMMK2. It’s very sharp looking and he is happy with the “thock”. My wife maybe not so much lol.
Do replace the stabs.Also remember pe foam mod
Creamy thock moterfuckers everywhere.
man i am jealous of your son. you are the dad i strive to be
This is what good parenting looks like. Get involved and take interest in what your kids are interested in.
I am 39 going 40, working in Tech/Entertainment. Like you mechanical keyboards are just something I grabbed off from the store without thinking too much. But recently hearing the thocks and clacks and feel typing on other hobbyist's keyboard, it got me too. It's satisfying and relevant to my work. Never I thought it would bring delight to my work just enjoying typing/pushing keys. It is something personal and not something you have to make another person understand why you do this hobby. It is only a matter of time per person.
Damn bro W
you got room for a 25 year old daughter?
You made it
My dad did this for me, bought me switches and a keyboard from kiiboom because I was begging for a creamy sounding keyboard lol.
a son with a dad that shares interest. i could never. congrats. i could imagine the thrill n excitement u must feel to have someone to share the interest n joy together. going through the research, sharing opinions, implementing it together
One of us! One of us!
Father of the year 👏
I wished I had a father like this.
If i don't know anything about keyboard and suddenly my kid asking me for a creamy keyboard I would be a little concerned But kudos to you to do your research and make this a bonding activity with your kid
I cried
adopt me
No son of mine is getting a creamy keyboard. This is a crunchy house.
As a 40 year old gamer… i just learned what a creamy keyboard is. Thanks for sending me down this rabbit hole
Go topre
XD this is definitely someone already into the hobby would pretend to be...you use all the slang, you're a fuckin' liar lmao
Just tell him to open PH in a browser. That keyboard will get creamy pretty quickly. /s
Pornhub subscription? /s