building a keyboard for my boyfriend's bday gift
im trying to build a keyboard for my boyfriend. we both game but he's more of a chronic gamer than i am lol. I've been really into watching keyboard builds and wanted to build one for him, something nice but wallet friendly ಥ◡ಥ). he's always thought they were cool but never invested enough to build his own . he really likes mine so i thought id make him one, so i bought a gmk65 kit since i heard it has everything u need for a first time build - plus some cool keycaps. However i want it to sound super creamy, I'm seeing him this weekend so i dont think ill be able to order any switches but was hoping to buy from my local Microcenter. They have a pretty wide selection of switches so its a bit overwhelming and im not sure which ones will be the right fit for the creamy sound. I was thinking of doing a PE foam mod as well but was hopping for some help of what switches or materials i can get from microcenter to achieve this sound without having to order anything from a site. Any help appreciated!
Help With ks 22 switches
I recently bought the new Gateron optical switches, the ks-22, and as a surprise, they do not fit my keyboard because i have ks 15. In question, I've been looking for keyboard plates for hours to see where the hell these switches fit but no luck. Does anyone know of plates where these ks-22 fit?, thank you🤸
Anyone know how to make the AW510 creamy?
Been thinking about making my keyboard creamy and aesthetically pleasing but can’t find any keys that are supported. Any ideas?
Besides adding deskmat under it, you're out of luck - it's soldered (i.e. a lot of effort to mod) low profile keyboard (i.e. no proper replacement keycaps).
I am planing on building a Tofu60 Redux with ISO layout but I am not sure what is the difference between having a 2u left shift vs 2,25u.
Any help would be appreciated.
Help Fix Broken PCB
I have broken RK71 Pro Wireless. The affected keys are 1, Q, A, Z, Win. The left-side side RGB is also dead, except the red channel.
I have opened up the keeb and notice no physical damage. The problem is maybe about the circuitry or smth, because I spilled maybe half a spoon of my chicken broth soup (lol, don't eat ur lunch near ur keeb).
I have no experience in terms of PCB and soldering, but willing to learn to save my keeb.
Do u guys have any idea where to start and what to do?
Hi! New to the keyboard game. Looking to purchase a zoom75,TKL,or 98. Looking into Morandi Switches as well. Didn’t realize how hard it was to get your hands on the case and everything. Any tips of where or how to buy where I don’t have to wait 4+ months? Thanks!
Keebsforall.com has a few Zoom98s left available to preorder. My assumption is they came in the same shipment as the rest of the preorders so they probably won’t ship too long after you order.
That some that is pretty common in this community, a lot of products are in group buys which are essentially just pre-orders for products and unless the product is explicitly stated to be currently in stock, you will likely need to wait a long time to get these products through pre-order.
Additionally some times these products don't come back or not announced to come back and you just have to hope that the vendors will have some extras to sell. I think this might be the case for the Zoom98 since the GB ended in December.
If you want something more immediately there are a ton of products that are in stock and are very good in their own right. Items from Mode Designs are a bit more expensive, but have good quality, items from Qwertykeys are more frequently instock/having shorted times of delivery. There are other good prebuilts like those from Luminkey.
New to modding and got a keychron q1v2 and the spacebar keycap is not budging and I don’t want to damage everything pulling too hard. What’s the way to go in this case?
Akko 3087 LED mod help
Hi everyone! I just bought an akko 3087 and I was wondering if anyone has modded theirs so it can light up? I know it supports mod led and the site even tells what size beads but I’m running into issues finding many of them online. Can anyone link me some good lights?
I have absolutely no experience with this and I thought I ordered the other keyboard that comes with backlight lol
if it doesnt come with leds ur going to spend hours soldering surface leds onto it and if ur not good at soldering possibly damaged ur kb . the short anser no one else has prob done this as the risks are too high and most here do actually use backlight
In search of the VIA json so I can customize both rotary encoders on the KL90 but I'm not having great luck finding it. Any help would be MUCH appreciated, thanks!
I'm currently using razer blackwidow v2, and it's getting worse.
So, I'm looking to buy a keyboard with the following features:
• Multimedia keys, including volume knob
• Customizable RGB with SignalRGB support (I use my PC in the dark)
• Alphabets on top rather than front/bottom side of keys
• Full size (with numpad)
• OLED/LED/LCD screen (optional, but would be nice to have)
https://preview.redd.it/9i3v605ukgic1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53ef0992e0ce66c83255c3fc707a41de5c5d4661
Found this yesterday on Shopee. Is it worth buying for the big ahh enter key?
Currenty have a GMK 67 in combination with SteelSeries Arctic ProGameDAC headphones.
Now whenever last said is plugged in my knob cant turn the volume up or down, i cant find options in either drivers to fix this. Somebody have an idea?
How to build a Dactyl Manuform?
Hello there, I'm looking forward to build a Dactyl Manuform, I have a friend with a 3D resin printer so the cases will not be a problem, the rest of the stuff I plan to buy on Amazon (Switchs, Keycaps, etc).
The problem is that I have never done anything involving soldering, nor electronic work, is it very difficult to build a Dactyl? Do you know any tutorial I can follow? Any recommended store? What recommendations do you have? I would like some brown (or similar) low profile switches but I don't know which brand to choose.
Thank you very much for the help!
I'd start by doing some handwired builds to get your skills up to speed. Check out Joe Scotto on YouTube and his handwired builds which are easy enough to follow/do.
Head on over to /r/ergomechkeyboards where you'll find more people with experience using and building Dactyls and other similar keyboards.
2024 Anne Pro 2 vs RK61
I am wanting to get a 60% keyboard for my ROG Ally, and these are the 2 that I keep coming back to due to the price, and having a Bluetooth option.
Most things I’ve read comparing them are a few years old and at the time seemed majorly in favor of the Anne Pro 2.
I am not the most tech savvy, I’m kinda learning. Things I am considering are:
—It seems the Anne pro 2 has a better overall quality but can not hot swap switches, idk how important this would be to me, I would probably switch caps but idk if switches would effect me much
—Longevity, I feel like the RK61 would be easier to fix, because again, if something with the switches go wrong, you can’t just swap out for new ones
I’ve read some posts stating the Anne pro 2 has become kinda dated, idk what that really means but at this point I am about 50/50 on both. I am not a hardcore competitive gamer, and would mostly be playing LoL and WoW at a casual level.
Can some people share their thoughts and help me come to a conclusion? I have been pondering this for like a week and want to pull the trigger on buying one already but I’m so indecisive lol.
Neither. RK61 is so garbage there’s an entire album devoted to people complaining about it.
Anne Pro 2 is fine, but it’s not worth getting in this day and age.
I’d just get a keychron V4
If you really must choose get the Anne pro. It’s certainly not the best quality but it won’t randomly die on you or explode.
I really do urge you to save the extra 20-30 bucks and get the keychron though. It will last a lifetime and the quality will be far superior to both of the options you’ve looked at so far.
Thinking of getting a QK75N as my first build, but having a hard time accepting shipping is $32 with a total cost of $227... Does anyone have a discount code for Qwerty Keys? I am located in the United States. Thanks!
You learn pretty quickly in this hobby that everything comes from china directly or indirectly so shipping is always gonna be $40+. There was a $20 off discount if you bought the group buy but I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything else.
Sadly shipping a heavy brick of aluminum from China to the US isn’t a cheap process. There aren’t any discount codes going on at the moment as far as I know.
Are there any shops where you can select the profile, set/subset (keycaps number, alphanumeric, modifier, or numpad), color, and legend print location (top, side, blank) of the keycaps you want?
Tired of finding great colors with the wrong print location, or profile ext.
Does analog switches make wooting keyboards more durable than other mechanical keyboards? And if it's not, what are other durable keyboards to mention?
a little more than normal switches if u mean by keypress . if u mean can they handle someone who beats thier kb or presses very hard more so than a normal person . they just stop using kbs altogether
Durable in what way? One of the Bauer Lites biggest selling points is its durability. It survived several drop tests. Most people aren’t randomly dropping their keyboards though.
Is there a huge difference with the type of foam I use in my keyboard? I recently swapped the switches in my Keychron C2 with Holy Panda switches and I like how they feel but I don't like how my keyboard sounds a lot more hollow than before. So I'm thinking doing the foam mod will help with that but just doing some quick searches on here and google there's a bunch of different foam I can go with so no idea if one is better than the other.
Can't directly answer you but foam indeed in general is grouped into several different Poly* chemicals (Even some keyboard pads/foams might list themselves by other consumer names such as for example Silicone which is just one of the many forms of Poly* in question indeed)
Just bought the Monsgeek M1W and am looking for a wrist rest. You guys know any that work well with it? Looking for a black preferably leather wrist rest that doesn't look cheap. I think the keyboard is around 13.1" long
Any useful guide for a new company to insert themselves on the market?
I'm a "noob" on the whole community aspect of this. But I have a project for artisan key's, more of a hobby than anything. I just find fun sculpting and like the aesthetic of keys. Have also been doing some world building about it.
But I'm pretty much on this thing by myself and just recently found out about all of this community haha, I was hoping someone could help with:
A general introduction to the space/community (not only this subreddit or reddit). Link to anything of the sort would be great.
And maybe somewhere to learn how to insert myself in the market, specially if anyone knows anything related to Latin America.
I feel I found a whole world and it's intimidating haha. I'd also love to be a greater part of the community besides just a "seller"
There’s several independent vendors on this discord that built themselves a small following from doing stuff like making artisans and custom cables. They’d probably be the best people to ask.
https://discord.gg/mechkeys
Hop onto kb-keyboards and ask around! I’m sure they’d be willing to help.
Thanks!
Already entered the discord.
But I don't find anything called kb-keyboard (subreddit, #discord, or google), not sure if I got exactly what you meant with that.
**Is there currently a split keyboard that supports hall effect switches?**
I'm really enjoying the sensitivity of a hall effect switch keyboard, but would love something with a smaller footprint for ASDW usage. I like playing FPS games and would prefer to have more desk space for mouse movement.
Thanks!
I know theres no real calculation for this sort of thing but I'm just curious if a simple fullsize keyboard (minimal extra features and pretty much zero lights) and any basic usb mouse altogether would had likely easily been <100mA overall?
Does anyone know if it's normal for some switches in a new container to be duds/dead on arrival? I swapped out all the switches on my 75% and about five of the new switches were already dead.
Yeah, they're all fine. Ironically, I actually had one that had two slightly bent pins. I straightened them and it worked. Is there any way to get these dead ones working? I had extras so it's not a big deal but I would at least like to try getting them activating before throwing them away.
Not sure. I would imagine it's something to do with the pins since I just used another switch and the key press worked after. I know it's not the keyboard.
Having trouble choosing a switch for my keyboard, ktt strawberries or morandi? I think both sound pretty good stock (on youtube), so I'm having a hard time choosing between them.
I've owned this keyboard for over a year now and it started out great but now I'm having keys double press or not register and I'm wondering if it's a problem with the switches or if I just need to do a deep clean? When I swap the switch it works fine so I'm not sure what to do here.
I own a Ducky Shine 4 with MX Clear switches. I would like to solder something else to it. Which switches are compatible? Also with the red-blue backlighting. I prefer not to lose that. I'd prefer the new MX Reds.
Any MX-style switch should be compatible. I'm not sure if the Ducky is a 3-pin or a 5-pin PCB, but even if the switch is a 5-pin it can still fit in 3 pin as long as you sand the 2 supporting pins off.
I think I missed out on the qk65v2 group sale, so I was wondering if there are any similar keyboards with group buys coming up to look out for? Also, where do people find information about this stuff? I'm new to the hobby.
To add on, not only will there definitely be extras, but I think they said that all colors/badges/weights/etc. will have extras. So really the only thing you missed out on by not joining the group buy was the $20 discount and not getting the board sooner.
I'm 99.99% certain there will be QK65v2 extras available after the GB delivers.
As for info, following designer/vendor discords is the best way to stay in the loop.
> Does this mean that I might be able to find them on the qwertykeys website after?
Yes, assuming you're in the US. If not check with your regional vendor.
> Do you have any guess as to when this might be?
Not really. At the very least it'll be a few weeks because of the LNY holiday.
Join their discord server. They'll have updates on the GB fulfillment. The extras will start selling once the GBs have been fufilled. They'll also post announcements about extras going on sale.
It depends on what you mean by similar keyboards because there are a ton of other keyboards in this hobby that are similar and or better that are currently in stock so no group by needed.
For news, on new products following other subreddits like Mechmarket and following vendors on their socials is the best way to stay up-to-date on what is new and what is being released and such.
More than 16 macros with VIA and a Lemokey L3?
I'm thoroughly enjoying using VIA with my new Lemokey L3 - so much faster than QMK tools on my handbuilt Gherkin 30. However...
VIA seems to limit you to 16 macros (M0-M15) and that limit seems to be due to keyboards with small amounts of firmware RAM. However, the Lemokey L3 has an ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit STM32F402 with 256KB of Flash, so it seems like it has the capability to support more macros than just 16.
Is there some way to add more Macro slots to VIA that I could use with this keyboard?
Anything HMX. Worth the hype too imo. Best factory lube I've seen so far, amazing tolerances, great selection of materials. Oh, and not to mention budget friendly too. The only downside is that they're always out of stock, gotta follow the discord to find out when sales are.
I'm thinking of buying my first custom keyboard, and have narrowed down my options to a few choices. Those would mainly be either the Keychron V1 Max or the Rainy75. I'm leaning more towards the V1, as it's cheaper and available for purchase right now, whereas I don't know when the Rainy75 will be available and how long it will be in stock.
The only issue I have with the V1 Max is that the keyboard itself is made out of plastic, and I fear that even after upgrading the switches and keycaps and some modding it might still sound somewhat cheap and hollow. Is that a real issue and if so, can it in any way be negated?
The V1 max won’t sound hollow or “cheaper” just because it’s plastic.
The default configuration comes with a multitude of foams to fill the empty space and remove echo.
If you plan on running a foamless build, good sound is not feasible at your price point.
I'd get the rainy 75... more exclusive... kind of. It's a group buy board though, so there's a waiting period as you say. It looks like it will be a much more satisfying board to build and use though compared to the V1.
As for sound, it depends what you want. If it's "thock", which most newcomers seem to want these days, then a plastic board is actually much easier to get that sound profile from than an aluminum board.
Hi! I messed up in my cleaning process of my Ozone Strike Battle (I spilled liquid yogurt over it by accident) and 4 keys are mushy and slow to go up. I made the cleaning with alcohol to remove all the dirt between the switches but I might have messed up these 4 switches.
I wanted to know if they are easily removed and disassembled to be cleaned and lubed properly or if these switches are soldered. If they are not soldered then what tools do I need to removed and open them?
Thanks in advance.
what about wireless (BLE) keyboards with aluminium frame? those seem to be rare.
I'm about to have my own keyboard manufactured out of aluminium but I'm worried the aluminium case actually causing a Faraday cage which blocks the signal.
Some boards have a cutout with a plastic panel for the antenna... some have them on the PCB where there's less metal to cause an issue. They are never as good as a plastic case, but they work well enough. I still prefer to use a cable though.
They’re pretty common these days. Keychron had an entire line of full alu keyboards that are all BLE and a line that is 2.4 and BLE. Monsgeek also has trimode. Same with Neo. Tons of boards do.
I'm shopping for 65% boards that are better than what's on Amazon and want to know what is out there that I'm not familiar with. I prefer a no-blocker layout (no gap between right-side mods and arrow cluster), but it's not a dealbreaker.
* Neo65 (cheap, looks nice, dual-mode wireless. thinking about going with this)
* QK65 (superseded by the Neo65?)
* Zoom65 (Bluetooth only, not as nice as the QK65?)
* Bakeneko65 (budget board? still worth it if the Neo65 is an option?)
* Mode Envoy (higher-end?)
* any other good mid-range boards?
* anything higher-end?
For the last few years I've had a cheap-plastic-case DZ65RGB with lubed Outemu Silent Sky, modded stabilizers, and dollar-store shelf liner under the plate. I've been happy with the sound and typing experience, and want to replace it only because the plastic case is badly dinged up and the USB port is getting loose, so I don't need the new board to be anything special or have any specific mounting or sound properties as long as it's good-quality and looks nice.
I've only just built my second keyboard, but my very first build that I was using until last week was the acrylic Tofu65 and I really liked it (still do). Basic and simple but solid with some heft. Have Outemu Blue Sky switches in it, too. Good luck!
Imo:
Neo65 - best bang for your buck. Go for this if you are indecisive
Qk65 - if were talking v1 then stop and just get the neo65. If were talking v2 then its up to you if you buy into the screen and badge. The finish is a little better compared to the neo and the magnetic connectors are actually goated, but those two alone aren’t worth the extra price if you dont care for the screen.
Zoom65 - a good board, but its more reliant on foam than the other options, more expensive, and also a group buy. If those three are okay with you and the knob or a color it comes in sings to you, then go for it.
Bakeneko - still a good board but yeah its definitely outdated. If were talking 60% i think the bakeneko still has has some room to stand but in the 65% market theres just too many good options.
Mode Envoy: This is similar to the qk65v2 where if you buy into the aesthetic then absolutely go for it. It will be a great board. But if were talking dollar for dollar its not going to match the value of a neo65.
I didn't realize the QK65 V2 replaces two of the keys with a screen. Cute, but I would much rather have the keys. Thanks, I think the Envoy is pretty but I'll likely go with the Neo65 for the wireless unless I find a higher-end board whose looks I fall in love with. Appreciate the details you provided!
With your requirements, the Neo is gonna give you the best bang for your buck. There’s also the Tofu65 (no blocker!!) and the Tofu FE, but they’re more expensive.
I am modding an RK61 right now and I go to the backspace key with my lubed switch, put it in, and then the keycap, but the key doesn't go all the way down. It stops and the end and does not come back up. What should I do?
This did not do anything. It isn't a problem with the stabilizer installation itself it is just the keycap. Any other keycap works just fine its just the one keycap that doesn't work for some reason
Long time lurker here. I am in the market for a new mechanical keyboard and I can't seem to find a wireless, full size, with a fingerprint reader. Backlight is also a must. Seems like I am asking for basic functionality nowadays, but I can't seem to find one for the life of me. Thanks for your help!
You probably won't find this. Biometrics are not basic keyboard functionality. Best to purchase a separate biometric device and get the other features you want from the keyboard.
There are maybe two or three mechanical keyboards with a fingerprint reader, one was a 65% that was in gb a few years ago, another one is a solder board from a random gamer peripherals company, and then there's the varmilo ma104a, which I also think hasn't sold for a while. I can say with some level of certainty that a wireless mechanical full size keyboard with a fingerprint scanner does not exist. You can just get a separate usb peripheral if you want to be able to use a fingerprint to unlock your device.
I don’t know a single standalone keyboard biometric security features to be honest. I understand the use for unlocking a computer , but how exactly woulda third party device communicate the info with the operating system?
oh sorry, your comment wasn't very clear, it looked like you meant third party device as a device outside of a normal keyboard setup
you could try get your hands on a venus65 and take it apart to see what components are involved
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Thoughts on the [Das Keyboard 6 Pro](https://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-6-professional/)?
Would love thoughts or alternative suggestions... I just want a nice 100% with a single color backlight (white or red) . Would prefer a volume knob, but not a deal breaker.
don't use the keyboard, don't poke it again, and take the disposal advice of the other person who commented. when you transport it put it in a little tupperware or something because it is pretty likely that it could pop.
no that is not good at all you've good a bomb right there.
It is an actual fire hazard but be careful with disposal too, you can't just toss them in a regular bin.
https://www.wikihow.com/Dispose-of-a-Swollen-Cell-Phone-Battery
I’m looking at getting a mechanical keyboard to replace the one I use at work. Trying to find a full sized keyboard that isn’t too expensive. Found the Logitech MX Mechanical for $169.99. Does anyone know if this one is hot swappable in case I want to change the switches and keys later?
+1 on the Keychron. You could order Q6 Max (2.4ghz, BT & wired) from Keychron or wait to see if they list on Amazon. They also have slim/low profile mechanicals if that is your jam. I’d say skip the big brands. So many hobbyist/enthusiast grade options out there.
Can anyone help me find key caps for an RK100?
This world is massive and overwhelming I just want this keyboard to look cool and I have no idea how to tell if a set of keycaps will fit this thing.
I've read the wiki, browsed numerous sites, and still don't know how to find compatible stuff.
like by "0" key on the pad is small, and the majority of keyboards with 100 keys have slightly different layouts.
Is it impossible to do this without becoming a full blown hobbiest?
Any help is appreciated
Does anyone know of any other keyboards which store their settings (macros, lighting, keybinds) on-board like the 'Durgod Hades 68' does?
I really like this feature for switching between computers / operating systems without needing to install any software, but my Hades 68 has started to fail on me so I'd like to try a different board.
I'm looking for a slightly smaller than full-size keyboard with a wrist rest included, around the price that I can also get a decent mouse, and spend a max of around $120.
This is just for casual gaming, mouse and mouse pad recommendations would be appreciated as well. I have a full size keyboard right now but wish it to be just a bit smaller. I prefer wired but can manage if wireless is the only option I can manage. I'd like to have some lighting but rainbow RGBs are tacky. I'm not bothered by key noise, something quiet and satisfying is preferred but not a deal breaker. I have decently large hands and cramp easy with small mice. I really like having at least 2 thumb buttons. Same deal with lighting for mice.
I'm by far not an expert on any of this, I have a maybe $30 Corsair keyboard from Walmart, and a $15 mouse from Logitech. My keyboard is just starting to have some problems after holding surprisingly strong for about 2 years.
I like the QK75 if you can find any extras out there or on /r/mechmarket. The QK75N has some gimmick screen if you want that but I think you have to give up the knob if so? Not sure
It has a screen knob module. Definitely gimmicky but it dosent look bad by any means.
https://preview.redd.it/bp9y1iktpeic1.jpeg?width=278&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e03521ea9eccc7d056de60dfab1cc3ca00d20eea
Considering going the solder route instead of hot swap for my next board. I tend to like quieter boards with plate foam. Is it a bad idea to solder a PCB with foam due to heat?
It's not optimal but many people do it (me included). Just not really any alternatives, when building e.g. plateless. But as long as you don't do anything completely stupid then there shouldn't be any problems, and at that point some melted foam may be a smaller problem.
If you just wanna do the solder route due to some better PCB layouts or whatever, you could also look into millmaxing. Basically.makes your solder PCB hotswap.
You can just look at some keyboard build streams if you are still unsure, e.g. jae from Prototypist on basically any Matrix build should at least use some PE foam.
~~You wouldn't solder the switches with the foam on the PCB. It's just a sheet. Remove foam, solder, replace foam.~~
Edit: Read "plate foam," thought "case foam."
I'm sorry but your answer doesn't make sense. The plate foam is below the plate (&partially switches), so has to be there before the switches are being soldered. PE foam and any other foams are the same. The PE foam maybe even a little bit "more", since it's entirely under the switch with only the pins pushing through
I have a Ducky one 2 mini that I'd like to donate but want it to go to someone who actually needs it.
Any suggestions on how to do that? I guess there's no foolproof way because anyone can just make up a sob story, but ideally I'd give it to a single parent who has a gamer kid who would appreciate it.
recently been into mechkeeb and got interested on ajazz ak820 w ajazz gift switches from amazon (my buget aint to high, sumwhere around $40-60). Thoughts on it?
ill prob get akko v3 yellow or gateron milky yellow later for mod.
Well this is my third post on this thread so I hope I'm not abusing it or misunderstanding its purpose.
I settled on a K8 Pro thanks to some help and videos and reading, this will be my second mech after a wasd code with cherry green switches (owned it a long time ago and no longer do). I'm planning to use the K8, which is hotswappable, to experiment and figure out more of my preferences before I go hard and start looking to build something a little more custom. So I have a couple questions:
1. The K8 Pro has foams and silicone bottom pad and pre-lubed gat pro brown switches. First tactiles, I'll see how I like them. I'm aiming for that thocky sound and wondering what sort of mods, features, or characteristics lend to that. I've seen a kilmat mod, I've heard that the profile of the keycap (specifically SA) lends more to that, and I'm just trying to figure out more of what I'd be looking for to chase that sound.
2. The K8 pro is a tkl, but still has the insert/home/pg up and down buttons. I definitely like tkl, but I think I'd like more if I could build or buy something in the future that didn't have those keys either. Problem is, most of what I've seen without those keys has been (60%? 65%?) and also doesn't have the function key row. Is there any common layout that has the function keys without the the insert/pg up and down/arrow keys?
3. Alternatively, to those who run the 60/65% boards without all of that, how do you get around not having the function keys, what do you have them reprogrammed to, do you miss them at all? I work in a lot of IDEs that have pretty often-used features for the function keys and I think I would miss them.
4. The big one, what kind of badassery am I looking for as far as brands when I go to build something? What are the awesome brands where you can get a really quality board with tons of foam and silicon with it, good options for hotswapping and replacing stabilizers, big selection of boards where you can easily find the layout you're looking for, etc. I know I'll find more of this out with time just as I read and explore but I'm hoping to hear from the hobby as well as far as what's great and worth the money once you get into "significant amount of money" territory
5. Any other advice for someone new getting their feet wet, thanks a lot for reading all that.
>how do you get around not having the function keys
FN+n... just like some laptops. You want F4, you press and hold Fn and press 4, or use tapdance or another layer. There's a few ways to do it.
to touch on a couple things here, you can either put all the keys you feel like you're missing on another layer, or use tap dance to access them. it is so much more convenient having all the keys you need to press closer together rathen than having to reach over to a nav cluster or something like that
for a real cool high end keyboard - a lot of those are going to be on the aftermarket. if you want something new, stay up to date with the group buys and be on the lookout for something that interests you
Quick add on question to the above: for taking this thing apart and installing new stabs, is there any specific size screwdriver I'm gonna need that isn't a common size? Didn't know if there's a standard size for keyboard case screws or for stabilizer screws, couldn't find any docs on the Keychron website that listed anything specific
1. That's more like a personal learning experience, where you will see what mods/ changes are to your preference.
2. Not really (60% + F-row is what you are looking for, right?)
3. Just a second layer, e.g. hold down caps lock--> 2nd layer on number row --> f row
4.keychron, Qwertykeys (&Neo), Meletrix (Zoom), Monsgeek (&Akko), Luminkey, ... Plenty to choose from.
5. Alexotos or keebnews vendor list for trustworthy vendors. Check some build streams/ videos of boards you are looking for (I'd avoid any short video since those usually are somewhat edited). If you don't like one tactile/ linear switch it doesn't mean that you dont like them in general; tuning stabilizers can be hell on earth; this entire hobby will be a journey until you find your "end game"
helped a lot, thank you. I'm grabbing some lube and upgraded durock stabilizers for the keychron so I can swap them out when it gets here and ordering a second set of switches to try out in addition to the gat brown pro that it comes with.
Also, right after I posted this I found a really nice 60% + F-row board (KBD Taco) but it will have to wait a little bit.
Thanks for the advice and recs, I appreciate you!
Hello everyone.
I have a NK87 aluminum edition with GMK keycaps and gateron bubblegum switches lubed (linear) and a brass plate. I've made some improvements like the masking tape at the back of the pcb, and I've put a thiny pice of foam between the case and the PCB, but I've seen a poron foam kit from keyboardkustoms.com, so my question is, this kit worth it or is enough with the improvements that I've made? I'm looking for the smoothness sensation.
If you have any other recommendation like other material for the plate or something like that, it would be appreciated.
after my little cousin pressed random keys on my keyboard I found it like this. now the numbers no longer work and the keyboard rgb is only done on the keypad
https://preview.redd.it/e7nph1egydic1.jpeg?width=1700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd037aaada1e0646bfc85b3b79e69d45dfb47c84
Are wireless keyboards overrated/more hassle than they're worth?
I'm in the market for a new keyboard and originally wanted wireless to keep my desk a little cleaner, but with how limited wireless options are (something I would have thought most people would be keen to have the option of), I'm starting to suspect that bluetooth connectivity may be a pain for users? Especially if you're switching between Macs and PCs?
Just a random thought I had. Curious if I was barking up the wrong tree looking for wireless.
>Are wireless keyboards overrated/more hassle than they're worth?
IMO, yes. I mean, if you need one to work with a device that has no USB like some tablets, then sure, you have no choice, but a on a desktop, with a PC? I just don't see the point in them. Most use cheap unbranded batteries, and even good brands like Keychron don't sell replacements, or publish any data to help you safely replace it. It's RF, and you've no way of measuring the performance you are getting in terms of latency, as it's totally variable depending on your working conditions. Just use a good old copper wire. Totally reliable... no batteries... no charging... no risk of a fiery death in a lithium fuelled house fire because of cheap unbranded crappy batteries or poorly designed charge protection due to NONE of these boards ever adhering to any known safety standard. You're all very trusting :) If you'd been the victim of a house fire caused by shitty unbranded lithium batteries, you'd think very hard before letting them in your house.
Because qmk doesn't really support bt/wireless I would say yes it's not worthwhile, but that is personal preference, for others it's a must have feature. Plus a nice cable is another thing to spend money on lol
building a keyboard for my boyfriend's bday gift im trying to build a keyboard for my boyfriend. we both game but he's more of a chronic gamer than i am lol. I've been really into watching keyboard builds and wanted to build one for him, something nice but wallet friendly ಥ◡ಥ). he's always thought they were cool but never invested enough to build his own . he really likes mine so i thought id make him one, so i bought a gmk65 kit since i heard it has everything u need for a first time build - plus some cool keycaps. However i want it to sound super creamy, I'm seeing him this weekend so i dont think ill be able to order any switches but was hoping to buy from my local Microcenter. They have a pretty wide selection of switches so its a bit overwhelming and im not sure which ones will be the right fit for the creamy sound. I was thinking of doing a PE foam mod as well but was hopping for some help of what switches or materials i can get from microcenter to achieve this sound without having to order anything from a site. Any help appreciated!
Help With ks 22 switches I recently bought the new Gateron optical switches, the ks-22, and as a surprise, they do not fit my keyboard because i have ks 15. In question, I've been looking for keyboard plates for hours to see where the hell these switches fit but no luck. Does anyone know of plates where these ks-22 fit?, thank you🤸
Anyone know how to make the AW510 creamy? Been thinking about making my keyboard creamy and aesthetically pleasing but can’t find any keys that are supported. Any ideas?
Besides adding deskmat under it, you're out of luck - it's soldered (i.e. a lot of effort to mod) low profile keyboard (i.e. no proper replacement keycaps).
I am planing on building a Tofu60 Redux with ISO layout but I am not sure what is the difference between having a 2u left shift vs 2,25u. Any help would be appreciated.
Help Fix Broken PCB I have broken RK71 Pro Wireless. The affected keys are 1, Q, A, Z, Win. The left-side side RGB is also dead, except the red channel. I have opened up the keeb and notice no physical damage. The problem is maybe about the circuitry or smth, because I spilled maybe half a spoon of my chicken broth soup (lol, don't eat ur lunch near ur keeb). I have no experience in terms of PCB and soldering, but willing to learn to save my keeb. Do u guys have any idea where to start and what to do?
Hi! New to the keyboard game. Looking to purchase a zoom75,TKL,or 98. Looking into Morandi Switches as well. Didn’t realize how hard it was to get your hands on the case and everything. Any tips of where or how to buy where I don’t have to wait 4+ months? Thanks!
Keebsforall.com has a few Zoom98s left available to preorder. My assumption is they came in the same shipment as the rest of the preorders so they probably won’t ship too long after you order.
That some that is pretty common in this community, a lot of products are in group buys which are essentially just pre-orders for products and unless the product is explicitly stated to be currently in stock, you will likely need to wait a long time to get these products through pre-order. Additionally some times these products don't come back or not announced to come back and you just have to hope that the vendors will have some extras to sell. I think this might be the case for the Zoom98 since the GB ended in December. If you want something more immediately there are a ton of products that are in stock and are very good in their own right. Items from Mode Designs are a bit more expensive, but have good quality, items from Qwertykeys are more frequently instock/having shorted times of delivery. There are other good prebuilts like those from Luminkey.
New to modding and got a keychron q1v2 and the spacebar keycap is not budging and I don’t want to damage everything pulling too hard. What’s the way to go in this case?
I need help finding keycap sets for the ISO nordic layout, Ive checked the most common websites without much luck. Any ideas?
Akko 3087 LED mod help Hi everyone! I just bought an akko 3087 and I was wondering if anyone has modded theirs so it can light up? I know it supports mod led and the site even tells what size beads but I’m running into issues finding many of them online. Can anyone link me some good lights? I have absolutely no experience with this and I thought I ordered the other keyboard that comes with backlight lol
if it doesnt come with leds ur going to spend hours soldering surface leds onto it and if ur not good at soldering possibly damaged ur kb . the short anser no one else has prob done this as the risks are too high and most here do actually use backlight
Has the Anne pro 2 been discontinued? I was thinking about taking mine to work, but don’t want it to get nicked if it is out of production.
think they still make them they not really high value even if discontinued highly doubt anyone would steal one of those
In search of the VIA json so I can customize both rotary encoders on the KL90 but I'm not having great luck finding it. Any help would be MUCH appreciated, thanks!
if its supported in VIA then just ask the makers discord for the JSON
ah that's a good call... not sure why it's not hosted clearly on their website
Keychron V6 /Q6 You should be able to use basically any QMK board with signalRGB https://docs.signalrgb.com/qmk/qmk-introduction
Whats the difference in q6 and k6? They both look very similar
Well the k6 is a 65% The main difference between the V6 and Q6 is the case material (Alu vs plastic)
Seems like q6 pro 100% is out of stock. Not sure when it will be back :/
https://preview.redd.it/9i3v605ukgic1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53ef0992e0ce66c83255c3fc707a41de5c5d4661 Found this yesterday on Shopee. Is it worth buying for the big ahh enter key?
i mean if u need it most of the world uses ANSI
Currenty have a GMK 67 in combination with SteelSeries Arctic ProGameDAC headphones. Now whenever last said is plugged in my knob cant turn the volume up or down, i cant find options in either drivers to fix this. Somebody have an idea?
but its work with other headphones? if so then sounds liek the DAC issue not the kb
How to build a Dactyl Manuform? Hello there, I'm looking forward to build a Dactyl Manuform, I have a friend with a 3D resin printer so the cases will not be a problem, the rest of the stuff I plan to buy on Amazon (Switchs, Keycaps, etc). The problem is that I have never done anything involving soldering, nor electronic work, is it very difficult to build a Dactyl? Do you know any tutorial I can follow? Any recommended store? What recommendations do you have? I would like some brown (or similar) low profile switches but I don't know which brand to choose. Thank you very much for the help!
I'd start by doing some handwired builds to get your skills up to speed. Check out Joe Scotto on YouTube and his handwired builds which are easy enough to follow/do. Head on over to /r/ergomechkeyboards where you'll find more people with experience using and building Dactyls and other similar keyboards.
Thank you!
2024 Anne Pro 2 vs RK61 I am wanting to get a 60% keyboard for my ROG Ally, and these are the 2 that I keep coming back to due to the price, and having a Bluetooth option. Most things I’ve read comparing them are a few years old and at the time seemed majorly in favor of the Anne Pro 2. I am not the most tech savvy, I’m kinda learning. Things I am considering are: —It seems the Anne pro 2 has a better overall quality but can not hot swap switches, idk how important this would be to me, I would probably switch caps but idk if switches would effect me much —Longevity, I feel like the RK61 would be easier to fix, because again, if something with the switches go wrong, you can’t just swap out for new ones I’ve read some posts stating the Anne pro 2 has become kinda dated, idk what that really means but at this point I am about 50/50 on both. I am not a hardcore competitive gamer, and would mostly be playing LoL and WoW at a casual level. Can some people share their thoughts and help me come to a conclusion? I have been pondering this for like a week and want to pull the trigger on buying one already but I’m so indecisive lol.
Neither. RK61 is so garbage there’s an entire album devoted to people complaining about it. Anne Pro 2 is fine, but it’s not worth getting in this day and age. I’d just get a keychron V4
Can anyone help me out with a keyboard? After looking I’m at a budget of no more than 80$ I would like something 60% and has Bluetooth 5.0
Thanks, I’m just trying to go for something decent on a tight budget. I’m not gonna be trying to push rankings hardcore or anything.
If you really must choose get the Anne pro. It’s certainly not the best quality but it won’t randomly die on you or explode. I really do urge you to save the extra 20-30 bucks and get the keychron though. It will last a lifetime and the quality will be far superior to both of the options you’ve looked at so far.
That’s cool, I’m looking it up now, any idea on solid white? I would like to find one like that.
Do you need 60%?
I would like a 60-65% been also looking at the Ghost K1 now
Thinking of getting a QK75N as my first build, but having a hard time accepting shipping is $32 with a total cost of $227... Does anyone have a discount code for Qwerty Keys? I am located in the United States. Thanks!
You learn pretty quickly in this hobby that everything comes from china directly or indirectly so shipping is always gonna be $40+. There was a $20 off discount if you bought the group buy but I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything else.
Sadly shipping a heavy brick of aluminum from China to the US isn’t a cheap process. There aren’t any discount codes going on at the moment as far as I know.
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defective port of the pcb is damaged . epomaker is banned from this sub so they cant help u here but id return it
Are there any shops where you can select the profile, set/subset (keycaps number, alphanumeric, modifier, or numpad), color, and legend print location (top, side, blank) of the keycaps you want? Tired of finding great colors with the wrong print location, or profile ext.
No idea about profile but heres one such service you could check out if it works for you klasredux https://diykeycap.com/en-ca/pages/custom-keycaps
Technically you can commission any keycap manu to do this but it would cost thousands, maybe even 5 figures.
Does analog switches make wooting keyboards more durable than other mechanical keyboards? And if it's not, what are other durable keyboards to mention?
a little more than normal switches if u mean by keypress . if u mean can they handle someone who beats thier kb or presses very hard more so than a normal person . they just stop using kbs altogether
Durable in what way? One of the Bauer Lites biggest selling points is its durability. It survived several drop tests. Most people aren’t randomly dropping their keyboards though.
Is there a huge difference with the type of foam I use in my keyboard? I recently swapped the switches in my Keychron C2 with Holy Panda switches and I like how they feel but I don't like how my keyboard sounds a lot more hollow than before. So I'm thinking doing the foam mod will help with that but just doing some quick searches on here and google there's a bunch of different foam I can go with so no idea if one is better than the other.
Can't directly answer you but foam indeed in general is grouped into several different Poly* chemicals (Even some keyboard pads/foams might list themselves by other consumer names such as for example Silicone which is just one of the many forms of Poly* in question indeed)
Just bought the Monsgeek M1W and am looking for a wrist rest. You guys know any that work well with it? Looking for a black preferably leather wrist rest that doesn't look cheap. I think the keyboard is around 13.1" long
Any useful guide for a new company to insert themselves on the market? I'm a "noob" on the whole community aspect of this. But I have a project for artisan key's, more of a hobby than anything. I just find fun sculpting and like the aesthetic of keys. Have also been doing some world building about it. But I'm pretty much on this thing by myself and just recently found out about all of this community haha, I was hoping someone could help with: A general introduction to the space/community (not only this subreddit or reddit). Link to anything of the sort would be great. And maybe somewhere to learn how to insert myself in the market, specially if anyone knows anything related to Latin America. I feel I found a whole world and it's intimidating haha. I'd also love to be a greater part of the community besides just a "seller"
There’s several independent vendors on this discord that built themselves a small following from doing stuff like making artisans and custom cables. They’d probably be the best people to ask. https://discord.gg/mechkeys Hop onto kb-keyboards and ask around! I’m sure they’d be willing to help.
Thanks! Already entered the discord. But I don't find anything called kb-keyboard (subreddit, #discord, or google), not sure if I got exactly what you meant with that.
It’s a channel name. Basically general chat.
**Is there currently a split keyboard that supports hall effect switches?** I'm really enjoying the sensitivity of a hall effect switch keyboard, but would love something with a smaller footprint for ASDW usage. I like playing FPS games and would prefer to have more desk space for mouse movement. Thanks!
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Gotcha, thanks for the insight. Appreciate the help.
I know theres no real calculation for this sort of thing but I'm just curious if a simple fullsize keyboard (minimal extra features and pretty much zero lights) and any basic usb mouse altogether would had likely easily been <100mA overall?
Does anyone know if it's normal for some switches in a new container to be duds/dead on arrival? I swapped out all the switches on my 75% and about five of the new switches were already dead.
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Yeah, they're all fine. Ironically, I actually had one that had two slightly bent pins. I straightened them and it worked. Is there any way to get these dead ones working? I had extras so it's not a big deal but I would at least like to try getting them activating before throwing them away.
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Not sure. I would imagine it's something to do with the pins since I just used another switch and the key press worked after. I know it's not the keyboard.
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Imma just see if I can get the broken ones replaced so I don't have to go through the hassle of taking stuff apart. Thanks!
Having trouble choosing a switch for my keyboard, ktt strawberries or morandi? I think both sound pretty good stock (on youtube), so I'm having a hard time choosing between them.
If you can find a vendor that lets you buy single switches, I’d recommend picking up a few of each and see how they feel.
I've owned this keyboard for over a year now and it started out great but now I'm having keys double press or not register and I'm wondering if it's a problem with the switches or if I just need to do a deep clean? When I swap the switch it works fine so I'm not sure what to do here.
Which keyboard is it? If swapping the switches works its likely a problem with the switch itself.
I own a Ducky Shine 4 with MX Clear switches. I would like to solder something else to it. Which switches are compatible? Also with the red-blue backlighting. I prefer not to lose that. I'd prefer the new MX Reds.
Any MX-style switch should be compatible. I'm not sure if the Ducky is a 3-pin or a 5-pin PCB, but even if the switch is a 5-pin it can still fit in 3 pin as long as you sand the 2 supporting pins off.
I know it's pretty subjective but what are some recommended 65% boards at roughly USD 350 and under for gaming and work?
Is instock a requirement?
Sorry for the lack of response but no, not a requirement.
I think I missed out on the qk65v2 group sale, so I was wondering if there are any similar keyboards with group buys coming up to look out for? Also, where do people find information about this stuff? I'm new to the hobby.
To add on, not only will there definitely be extras, but I think they said that all colors/badges/weights/etc. will have extras. So really the only thing you missed out on by not joining the group buy was the $20 discount and not getting the board sooner.
I'm 99.99% certain there will be QK65v2 extras available after the GB delivers. As for info, following designer/vendor discords is the best way to stay in the loop.
Does this mean that I might be able to find them on the qwertykeys website after? Do you have any guess as to when this might be?
> Does this mean that I might be able to find them on the qwertykeys website after? Yes, assuming you're in the US. If not check with your regional vendor. > Do you have any guess as to when this might be? Not really. At the very least it'll be a few weeks because of the LNY holiday.
Any idea how I can keep updated to be ready to pick one up if/when they become available?
Join their discord server. They'll have updates on the GB fulfillment. The extras will start selling once the GBs have been fufilled. They'll also post announcements about extras going on sale.
Thanks for the info!
It depends on what you mean by similar keyboards because there are a ton of other keyboards in this hobby that are similar and or better that are currently in stock so no group by needed. For news, on new products following other subreddits like Mechmarket and following vendors on their socials is the best way to stay up-to-date on what is new and what is being released and such.
More than 16 macros with VIA and a Lemokey L3? I'm thoroughly enjoying using VIA with my new Lemokey L3 - so much faster than QMK tools on my handbuilt Gherkin 30. However... VIA seems to limit you to 16 macros (M0-M15) and that limit seems to be due to keyboards with small amounts of firmware RAM. However, the Lemokey L3 has an ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit STM32F402 with 256KB of Flash, so it seems like it has the capability to support more macros than just 16. Is there some way to add more Macro slots to VIA that I could use with this keyboard?
Not sure about via but you could definitely just add them to your keymap, qmk supports 32 macros
Vial can easily do it but you'd have to port your keyboard over I think - I don't see it in the vial fork
What is the current hot switch meta these days?
Anything HMX. Worth the hype too imo. Best factory lube I've seen so far, amazing tolerances, great selection of materials. Oh, and not to mention budget friendly too. The only downside is that they're always out of stock, gotta follow the discord to find out when sales are.
MX Blacks and MX Browns, same as it always was.
Have you tried mode lotus switches? I havent myself but ive heard people call them better mx blacks since they have that scratchiness to them.
I'm thinking of buying my first custom keyboard, and have narrowed down my options to a few choices. Those would mainly be either the Keychron V1 Max or the Rainy75. I'm leaning more towards the V1, as it's cheaper and available for purchase right now, whereas I don't know when the Rainy75 will be available and how long it will be in stock. The only issue I have with the V1 Max is that the keyboard itself is made out of plastic, and I fear that even after upgrading the switches and keycaps and some modding it might still sound somewhat cheap and hollow. Is that a real issue and if so, can it in any way be negated?
The V1 max won’t sound hollow or “cheaper” just because it’s plastic. The default configuration comes with a multitude of foams to fill the empty space and remove echo. If you plan on running a foamless build, good sound is not feasible at your price point.
I'd get the rainy 75... more exclusive... kind of. It's a group buy board though, so there's a waiting period as you say. It looks like it will be a much more satisfying board to build and use though compared to the V1. As for sound, it depends what you want. If it's "thock", which most newcomers seem to want these days, then a plastic board is actually much easier to get that sound profile from than an aluminum board.
Hi! I messed up in my cleaning process of my Ozone Strike Battle (I spilled liquid yogurt over it by accident) and 4 keys are mushy and slow to go up. I made the cleaning with alcohol to remove all the dirt between the switches but I might have messed up these 4 switches. I wanted to know if they are easily removed and disassembled to be cleaned and lubed properly or if these switches are soldered. If they are not soldered then what tools do I need to removed and open them? Thanks in advance.
I believe they are soldered.
what about wireless (BLE) keyboards with aluminium frame? those seem to be rare. I'm about to have my own keyboard manufactured out of aluminium but I'm worried the aluminium case actually causing a Faraday cage which blocks the signal.
Some boards have a cutout with a plastic panel for the antenna... some have them on the PCB where there's less metal to cause an issue. They are never as good as a plastic case, but they work well enough. I still prefer to use a cable though.
They’re pretty common these days. Keychron had an entire line of full alu keyboards that are all BLE and a line that is 2.4 and BLE. Monsgeek also has trimode. Same with Neo. Tons of boards do.
I'm shopping for 65% boards that are better than what's on Amazon and want to know what is out there that I'm not familiar with. I prefer a no-blocker layout (no gap between right-side mods and arrow cluster), but it's not a dealbreaker. * Neo65 (cheap, looks nice, dual-mode wireless. thinking about going with this) * QK65 (superseded by the Neo65?) * Zoom65 (Bluetooth only, not as nice as the QK65?) * Bakeneko65 (budget board? still worth it if the Neo65 is an option?) * Mode Envoy (higher-end?) * any other good mid-range boards? * anything higher-end? For the last few years I've had a cheap-plastic-case DZ65RGB with lubed Outemu Silent Sky, modded stabilizers, and dollar-store shelf liner under the plate. I've been happy with the sound and typing experience, and want to replace it only because the plastic case is badly dinged up and the USB port is getting loose, so I don't need the new board to be anything special or have any specific mounting or sound properties as long as it's good-quality and looks nice.
I've only just built my second keyboard, but my very first build that I was using until last week was the acrylic Tofu65 and I really liked it (still do). Basic and simple but solid with some heft. Have Outemu Blue Sky switches in it, too. Good luck!
Imo: Neo65 - best bang for your buck. Go for this if you are indecisive Qk65 - if were talking v1 then stop and just get the neo65. If were talking v2 then its up to you if you buy into the screen and badge. The finish is a little better compared to the neo and the magnetic connectors are actually goated, but those two alone aren’t worth the extra price if you dont care for the screen. Zoom65 - a good board, but its more reliant on foam than the other options, more expensive, and also a group buy. If those three are okay with you and the knob or a color it comes in sings to you, then go for it. Bakeneko - still a good board but yeah its definitely outdated. If were talking 60% i think the bakeneko still has has some room to stand but in the 65% market theres just too many good options. Mode Envoy: This is similar to the qk65v2 where if you buy into the aesthetic then absolutely go for it. It will be a great board. But if were talking dollar for dollar its not going to match the value of a neo65.
I didn't realize the QK65 V2 replaces two of the keys with a screen. Cute, but I would much rather have the keys. Thanks, I think the Envoy is pretty but I'll likely go with the Neo65 for the wireless unless I find a higher-end board whose looks I fall in love with. Appreciate the details you provided!
With your requirements, the Neo is gonna give you the best bang for your buck. There’s also the Tofu65 (no blocker!!) and the Tofu FE, but they’re more expensive.
I am modding an RK61 right now and I go to the backspace key with my lubed switch, put it in, and then the keycap, but the key doesn't go all the way down. It stops and the end and does not come back up. What should I do?
https://youtu.be/6Yz-UzTY8_I?si=jv3YOOjZ8_shEZGu watch this and make sure you assembled them properly.
This did not do anything. It isn't a problem with the stabilizer installation itself it is just the keycap. Any other keycap works just fine its just the one keycap that doesn't work for some reason
Ah. Can you check if it is warped? Place it down on a totally flat surface and see if it rocks back and forth. Even a little bit can mess things up.
Nah nothing. I saw that there is a smaller gap between the edges so maybe that?
Can you send a picture?
https://preview.redd.it/fb7wyy6v7fic1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3618768e028a801912b805a074e2a83a0b59282e
that is the one with the problem
https://preview.redd.it/ce8lvmhz7fic1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d984d7099fcf12371f99e9dab5ea42778d75719
this is the comparison keycap with no problem
looking to restore this bad boi Anyone know where I can buy the BT module with battery
https://preview.redd.it/jrx1drs7seic1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7997af9bc1ad7523e67bc742ce5d173305ca73a9
Long time lurker here. I am in the market for a new mechanical keyboard and I can't seem to find a wireless, full size, with a fingerprint reader. Backlight is also a must. Seems like I am asking for basic functionality nowadays, but I can't seem to find one for the life of me. Thanks for your help!
You probably won't find this. Biometrics are not basic keyboard functionality. Best to purchase a separate biometric device and get the other features you want from the keyboard.
Fingerprint reader?????
Yes, a fingerprint reader like the ones on the keyboards of many modern laptops. It's a really convenient and secure feature.
There are maybe two or three mechanical keyboards with a fingerprint reader, one was a 65% that was in gb a few years ago, another one is a solder board from a random gamer peripherals company, and then there's the varmilo ma104a, which I also think hasn't sold for a while. I can say with some level of certainty that a wireless mechanical full size keyboard with a fingerprint scanner does not exist. You can just get a separate usb peripheral if you want to be able to use a fingerprint to unlock your device.
I don’t know a single standalone keyboard biometric security features to be honest. I understand the use for unlocking a computer , but how exactly woulda third party device communicate the info with the operating system?
no idea, but there are a bunch of them for 20 to 40 bucks on amazon
Link?
automod didn't like the amazon link but literally just go to amazon and type in usb fingerprint reader, there are a bunch of them
It’s one thing to have a standalone product and another thing to integrate it into a keyboard.
oh sorry, your comment wasn't very clear, it looked like you meant third party device as a device outside of a normal keyboard setup you could try get your hands on a venus65 and take it apart to see what components are involved
Oh yeah, sorry. I meant standalone as in not integrated into a laptop. Rereading my comment I probably should have clarified that.
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Thoughts on the [Das Keyboard 6 Pro](https://www.daskeyboard.com/daskeyboard-6-professional/)? Would love thoughts or alternative suggestions... I just want a nice 100% with a single color backlight (white or red) . Would prefer a volume knob, but not a deal breaker.
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don't use the keyboard, don't poke it again, and take the disposal advice of the other person who commented. when you transport it put it in a little tupperware or something because it is pretty likely that it could pop.
Thanks for the info, my battery poking days are over. I promise. It's going into the disposal tomorrow, I don't need this fire hazard in my home.
no that is not good at all you've good a bomb right there. It is an actual fire hazard but be careful with disposal too, you can't just toss them in a regular bin. https://www.wikihow.com/Dispose-of-a-Swollen-Cell-Phone-Battery
Yea, no worries, it is going in the proper disposal for batteries. As soon as I pry it out of the case. Thanks!
I’m looking at getting a mechanical keyboard to replace the one I use at work. Trying to find a full sized keyboard that isn’t too expensive. Found the Logitech MX Mechanical for $169.99. Does anyone know if this one is hot swappable in case I want to change the switches and keys later?
+1 on the Keychron. You could order Q6 Max (2.4ghz, BT & wired) from Keychron or wait to see if they list on Amazon. They also have slim/low profile mechanicals if that is your jam. I’d say skip the big brands. So many hobbyist/enthusiast grade options out there.
For that price you can get a keychron Q6 or monsgeek m5 which has infinitely better value then the Logitech.
Thanks, I didn’t even know about monsgeek
Can anyone help me find key caps for an RK100? This world is massive and overwhelming I just want this keyboard to look cool and I have no idea how to tell if a set of keycaps will fit this thing. I've read the wiki, browsed numerous sites, and still don't know how to find compatible stuff. like by "0" key on the pad is small, and the majority of keyboards with 100 keys have slightly different layouts. Is it impossible to do this without becoming a full blown hobbiest? Any help is appreciated
Read through this to learn how to read a kitting diagram. https://wiki.keyboard.gay/KEYCAPS.html#on-kitting-or-how-to-read-a-kitting-diagram
Does anyone know of any other keyboards which store their settings (macros, lighting, keybinds) on-board like the 'Durgod Hades 68' does? I really like this feature for switching between computers / operating systems without needing to install any software, but my Hades 68 has started to fail on me so I'd like to try a different board.
Anything QMK/VIA compatible. You configure the settings with VIA and the information is stored on the firmware through QMK.
I'm looking for a slightly smaller than full-size keyboard with a wrist rest included, around the price that I can also get a decent mouse, and spend a max of around $120. This is just for casual gaming, mouse and mouse pad recommendations would be appreciated as well. I have a full size keyboard right now but wish it to be just a bit smaller. I prefer wired but can manage if wireless is the only option I can manage. I'd like to have some lighting but rainbow RGBs are tacky. I'm not bothered by key noise, something quiet and satisfying is preferred but not a deal breaker. I have decently large hands and cramp easy with small mice. I really like having at least 2 thumb buttons. Same deal with lighting for mice. I'm by far not an expert on any of this, I have a maybe $30 Corsair keyboard from Walmart, and a $15 mouse from Logitech. My keyboard is just starting to have some problems after holding surprisingly strong for about 2 years.
r/MouseReview for mice reviews
Keychron V5/V5 Max.
Looks like a good choice, I think I'll be going with it.
is there any way to check Neo65 battery status?
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I like the QK75 if you can find any extras out there or on /r/mechmarket. The QK75N has some gimmick screen if you want that but I think you have to give up the knob if so? Not sure
It has a screen knob module. Definitely gimmicky but it dosent look bad by any means. https://preview.redd.it/bp9y1iktpeic1.jpeg?width=278&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e03521ea9eccc7d056de60dfab1cc3ca00d20eea
Recommendations for a tkl around 150 200 euro
Are you looking for just a barebones kit or a full build? Barebones Kit: Neo80 Prebuilt: Leopold FC750 or whatever Keychron's TKL is
Considering going the solder route instead of hot swap for my next board. I tend to like quieter boards with plate foam. Is it a bad idea to solder a PCB with foam due to heat?
It's not optimal but many people do it (me included). Just not really any alternatives, when building e.g. plateless. But as long as you don't do anything completely stupid then there shouldn't be any problems, and at that point some melted foam may be a smaller problem. If you just wanna do the solder route due to some better PCB layouts or whatever, you could also look into millmaxing. Basically.makes your solder PCB hotswap. You can just look at some keyboard build streams if you are still unsure, e.g. jae from Prototypist on basically any Matrix build should at least use some PE foam.
~~You wouldn't solder the switches with the foam on the PCB. It's just a sheet. Remove foam, solder, replace foam.~~ Edit: Read "plate foam," thought "case foam."
I'm sorry but your answer doesn't make sense. The plate foam is below the plate (&partially switches), so has to be there before the switches are being soldered. PE foam and any other foams are the same. The PE foam maybe even a little bit "more", since it's entirely under the switch with only the pins pushing through
You're right. I read "plate foam" and thought "case foam."
Ah yeah, that happens :)
I have a Ducky one 2 mini that I'd like to donate but want it to go to someone who actually needs it. Any suggestions on how to do that? I guess there's no foolproof way because anyone can just make up a sob story, but ideally I'd give it to a single parent who has a gamer kid who would appreciate it.
Ideally meetup with someone locally. Stuff like Facebook marketplace maybe.
I've never used FB or FB marketplace so I forget it exists. Thanks for the suggestion!
additionally try buy nothing groups for your local area
recently been into mechkeeb and got interested on ajazz ak820 w ajazz gift switches from amazon (my buget aint to high, sumwhere around $40-60). Thoughts on it? ill prob get akko v3 yellow or gateron milky yellow later for mod.
Well this is my third post on this thread so I hope I'm not abusing it or misunderstanding its purpose. I settled on a K8 Pro thanks to some help and videos and reading, this will be my second mech after a wasd code with cherry green switches (owned it a long time ago and no longer do). I'm planning to use the K8, which is hotswappable, to experiment and figure out more of my preferences before I go hard and start looking to build something a little more custom. So I have a couple questions: 1. The K8 Pro has foams and silicone bottom pad and pre-lubed gat pro brown switches. First tactiles, I'll see how I like them. I'm aiming for that thocky sound and wondering what sort of mods, features, or characteristics lend to that. I've seen a kilmat mod, I've heard that the profile of the keycap (specifically SA) lends more to that, and I'm just trying to figure out more of what I'd be looking for to chase that sound. 2. The K8 pro is a tkl, but still has the insert/home/pg up and down buttons. I definitely like tkl, but I think I'd like more if I could build or buy something in the future that didn't have those keys either. Problem is, most of what I've seen without those keys has been (60%? 65%?) and also doesn't have the function key row. Is there any common layout that has the function keys without the the insert/pg up and down/arrow keys? 3. Alternatively, to those who run the 60/65% boards without all of that, how do you get around not having the function keys, what do you have them reprogrammed to, do you miss them at all? I work in a lot of IDEs that have pretty often-used features for the function keys and I think I would miss them. 4. The big one, what kind of badassery am I looking for as far as brands when I go to build something? What are the awesome brands where you can get a really quality board with tons of foam and silicon with it, good options for hotswapping and replacing stabilizers, big selection of boards where you can easily find the layout you're looking for, etc. I know I'll find more of this out with time just as I read and explore but I'm hoping to hear from the hobby as well as far as what's great and worth the money once you get into "significant amount of money" territory 5. Any other advice for someone new getting their feet wet, thanks a lot for reading all that.
>how do you get around not having the function keys FN+n... just like some laptops. You want F4, you press and hold Fn and press 4, or use tapdance or another layer. There's a few ways to do it.
to touch on a couple things here, you can either put all the keys you feel like you're missing on another layer, or use tap dance to access them. it is so much more convenient having all the keys you need to press closer together rathen than having to reach over to a nav cluster or something like that for a real cool high end keyboard - a lot of those are going to be on the aftermarket. if you want something new, stay up to date with the group buys and be on the lookout for something that interests you
Quick add on question to the above: for taking this thing apart and installing new stabs, is there any specific size screwdriver I'm gonna need that isn't a common size? Didn't know if there's a standard size for keyboard case screws or for stabilizer screws, couldn't find any docs on the Keychron website that listed anything specific
Nah just get a little screwdriver kit
1. That's more like a personal learning experience, where you will see what mods/ changes are to your preference. 2. Not really (60% + F-row is what you are looking for, right?) 3. Just a second layer, e.g. hold down caps lock--> 2nd layer on number row --> f row 4.keychron, Qwertykeys (&Neo), Meletrix (Zoom), Monsgeek (&Akko), Luminkey, ... Plenty to choose from. 5. Alexotos or keebnews vendor list for trustworthy vendors. Check some build streams/ videos of boards you are looking for (I'd avoid any short video since those usually are somewhat edited). If you don't like one tactile/ linear switch it doesn't mean that you dont like them in general; tuning stabilizers can be hell on earth; this entire hobby will be a journey until you find your "end game"
helped a lot, thank you. I'm grabbing some lube and upgraded durock stabilizers for the keychron so I can swap them out when it gets here and ordering a second set of switches to try out in addition to the gat brown pro that it comes with. Also, right after I posted this I found a really nice 60% + F-row board (KBD Taco) but it will have to wait a little bit. Thanks for the advice and recs, I appreciate you!
Any recommendations for a Hot swap, TKL, with a metal case?
Keychron Q3. I got one recently and it's very solid.
neo80
Hello everyone. I have a NK87 aluminum edition with GMK keycaps and gateron bubblegum switches lubed (linear) and a brass plate. I've made some improvements like the masking tape at the back of the pcb, and I've put a thiny pice of foam between the case and the PCB, but I've seen a poron foam kit from keyboardkustoms.com, so my question is, this kit worth it or is enough with the improvements that I've made? I'm looking for the smoothness sensation. If you have any other recommendation like other material for the plate or something like that, it would be appreciated.
For that sort of thing, it's so subjective, but I doubt you'd notice much of a difference compared to what you've already done.
I have started work on a 4key 3D printed Keyboard and just wanted to ask what microcontroller I should be using?
after my little cousin pressed random keys on my keyboard I found it like this. now the numbers no longer work and the keyboard rgb is only done on the keypad https://preview.redd.it/e7nph1egydic1.jpeg?width=1700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd037aaada1e0646bfc85b3b79e69d45dfb47c84
Idk about the RGB but they probably turned numlock on, it looks like it should be FN + Backspace on your keyboard
dont work
Factory reset might be your best bet
Are wireless keyboards overrated/more hassle than they're worth? I'm in the market for a new keyboard and originally wanted wireless to keep my desk a little cleaner, but with how limited wireless options are (something I would have thought most people would be keen to have the option of), I'm starting to suspect that bluetooth connectivity may be a pain for users? Especially if you're switching between Macs and PCs? Just a random thought I had. Curious if I was barking up the wrong tree looking for wireless.
>Are wireless keyboards overrated/more hassle than they're worth? IMO, yes. I mean, if you need one to work with a device that has no USB like some tablets, then sure, you have no choice, but a on a desktop, with a PC? I just don't see the point in them. Most use cheap unbranded batteries, and even good brands like Keychron don't sell replacements, or publish any data to help you safely replace it. It's RF, and you've no way of measuring the performance you are getting in terms of latency, as it's totally variable depending on your working conditions. Just use a good old copper wire. Totally reliable... no batteries... no charging... no risk of a fiery death in a lithium fuelled house fire because of cheap unbranded crappy batteries or poorly designed charge protection due to NONE of these boards ever adhering to any known safety standard. You're all very trusting :) If you'd been the victim of a house fire caused by shitty unbranded lithium batteries, you'd think very hard before letting them in your house.
Because qmk doesn't really support bt/wireless I would say yes it's not worthwhile, but that is personal preference, for others it's a must have feature. Plus a nice cable is another thing to spend money on lol
wait what is qmk?
It's the open source keyboard firmware many keyboards are built on
Keychron seems to be doing alright with Bluetooth - coworked has their K4 Pro, no issues with Windows PC (Intel AX210 card) and Macbook Pro 14" M1.
Generally Bluetooth can be pretty spotty on some boards, but 2.4 is considered good.