Well I fell down the custom keyboard world.

[davetherave2]

Thanks I get it I think and fully understand how you'd remove not needed switches on a hot swap board but on a soldered device it would be more difficult so I was imagining them being left in place.

All good I think but happy to see any other stuff

For a soldered board assuming it supported ISO then you would have to desolder a couple of switches and then solder the switches in place to support ISO. But if you wanted to swap between the two layouts I would say for simplicity just go with one PCB set up for ISO and the other for ANSI. Then you also don't have to deal with swapping over stabs as well.

I think in general you either keep a PCB in one mode or the other when it comes to soldered boards. That is where the advantage of hotswap comes in and you can just take all the switches out, take the plate off and then alter the stabs and re-assemble.

 

[davetherave2]

Many thanks, appreciated. I wasn't planning on doing anything drastic, just that the thought came to me (mine is non swap) because I considered some different keycaps and wondered about the issue of caps covering multiple switches they weren't really designed to.

My next board will be hot swap regardless

Not a problem. Glad I could help.

 

[davetherave2]

This thread combined with the fact that a friend has just bought a Keychron Q3 barebone kit, are going to prove detrimental to my wallet!

It just seems so difficult to find anything in stock, nearly everything seems to be groupbuys or out of stock. I don't mind adding switches and keycaps, but I think I would prefer the case/PCB/plates etc already put together for a first effort.

Yes it can get fairly pricey but there are so many boards in the custom space to suit any budget.

I guess the question is what size keyboard are you looking for and what is your total budget?

Although a lot of the custom keebs are done via a group buy model. The vendors have been working on having more things in stock and although it has taken a while they are starting to get to that point.

Group Buys will still be a thing for the more premium/limited items as there isn't the market to have 100's or 1000's of the units there.

Overclockers does have some options but there are other UK vendors out there, who are now receiving a lot of the Group Buys ran last year including the Zoom65, Matrix 8XV3.0, QK60, Crin, Kage and have more on the way in the next month. So in stock extras will be making their way in the coming days/weeks.

 

[davetherave2]

Just finished lubing up some Gateron Milky Yellows... they come pre-lubed but this is my first venture in to the custom keyboard world so wanted to have a bash at hand lubing (and it seems some people don't think they're lubed enough). To be fair the felt pretty good stock, there's maybe a slight improvement now I've finished but nothing major, if I asked somebody else to compare they likely wouldn't feel the difference. I did over-lubed one of the first I did but that's a lesson for next time.

Also got some cheap(ish) keycaps as didn't want to splurge from the get go, they're doubleshot but don't state the material but I'm going to guess ABS. I have a Tester68 arriving tomorrow just to play around with while I decide on what I want to use on a daily basis. Ideally it'd be something that supported 2.4ghz wireless and bluetooth as I'm aiming to erradicate all peripheral cables from my desk; I'm using a USB Switch currently to switch between my work machine and personal machine but would like to move away from that. It does have it's downsides as it does reduce the amount of options massively and losing the switch means I'd need to use a different mic or a headset for the work machine (and potentially a camera down the line).

I don't plan on regularly purchasing new boards/keycaps/switches/etc. purely due to the cost, but I do hope to do so a few times a year

Yeah lubing is an art form and takes time. I feel I am getting better every time. I think the true test is that I have just built a board for a friend and they are amazed at how well the switches i did form them (Korbs) turned out and feel. So hopefully means I am doing a good job.

If you are looking at more wireless then Keychron do a few models, but also look at the Zoom series from Meletrix as they support wireless over bluetooth. You could also look at keyboards by Nuphy as they support those requirements.

 

[davetherave2]

Probably TKL or 75%. I currently have a Ducky Shine 5 that I've used for several years, it's full size and I would not miss the number pad. The Ducky has brown switches and I know I much prefer them over reds, so would look to stick with MX browns or similar, but realise you can get switch 'sample packs'. In terms of budget, I use my keyboard everyday for work as well as play, so happy to spend a bit. I'm thinking of ~£250 all in?

I mean there are a number of options available for you. If you aren't too fussed about ANSI vs ISO layout then the Monokei Standard is a great entry level TKL at £150 for everything I think it is an absolute steal if you are looking to get into the hobby. Obviously this isn't to discount the likes of what Keychron or even GMMK bring to the table in terms of their offerings either.

If you are looking at something more in the alu frame market then again you could look at the likes of the Zoom TKL Essential Edition, Freebird TKL/75, QK80, Jris75 are just a few that srping to mind (many of these are either in, just out of or about to start their group buy phases right now - so depends on how urgently the itch to upgrade is)

I am sure there is even more options out there on the market as the "budget premium" market has seemingly exploded over the past 6-12 months with a view to maybe having some units as a more "in stock" option rather than using Group Buys.

With the price of these approaching the high end gaming keyboard market or even below can we potentially see the likes of the bigger "gamer" brands starting to offer more customization. I mean Razer has done it with accessories but it is just one step away really from offer full hot swap.

Hope this helps or at least gives some inspiration to what is out there. I always find it useful to look at the various group buy reviews that are done by either BlackSimon (Twitch) or MechMerlin (Twitch/YouTube) as it gives you some insight into what they think of the products and give you pros and cons.

on another note I'll try and update with a few recent deliveries I have had and another couple of boards that I have built.

 

[davetherave2]

How much of a problem are hotswap PCBs which don't support screw in stabilisers? Looking at the Bakeneko 65 as a possible starter custom keyboard, but some of the keys only support clip in stabilisers. Some of the reviews I have looked at suggest it's a pain and that the keys will feel looser than screw in stabilisers?

Its not that the stabs will interfere with the switches but more the o-ring.

So I would suggest using TX Stabs (the newest version) - based on my understanding. Maybe worth hitting up MKUK Discord for more info on it.

There is a UK keeb store that now has a partnership with CannonKeys to provide them in the UK. (they did a pre-order/GB sale towards the end of last year) so should be having them as an in-stock option soon.

 

[davetherave2]

So a few things that have arrived of the past couple of weeks:

Artisans:

Keypora GB




Deft Pacamara by Della Key GB (LoL Worlds Edition)


Pyga Wooly by Della Key


GMK Maestro Della by Della Key



Two out of my three Matrix Labs 8XV3.0

Top (White Flash/Pink Coating/Brass Upgraded Weight/GMK Patisserie)
Bottom (Coffee/McFlurry/Brass Upgraded Weight/MW Demon Girl)




Have a third to build but still deciding on switches for that.

Hopefully will have 2 maybe 3 more boards finally arriving over the next couple of weeks including one board I got in on back in 2021.

 

[davetherave2]

Ordered some Krytox 205 and some Tribosys 3203 tonight, along with some brushes. Bought the Tribosys as I understand it's a good lube for tactiles, whereas the 205 is better for linears and stabilisers?

My keycaps are with UK customs so hopefully will arrive soon.

I've got some single switch samples on the way as well, so far ordered a sample of each of these:

DK Creamery - Cookies n’ Cream
KTT Mint
Aflion Shadow

I have used Cherry MX red in the past and now use Cherry MX brown. Definitely more of a tactile fan than linear, but any other good tactile recommendations, that don't need massive pressure to actuate would be appreciated.

Yes I use 205g0 for linears and then 205g2 for stabs (although can use g0 for stabs at a push)

Although I am not a tactile person you could try BBN Tactile, KNC Green Jackets, Neapolitans come to mind right now.

But the best thing to do is get a sample pack of say 10/20 switches of tactiles and then you can try out a range of them of different weights/materials

 

[davetherave2]

So finally got some pics of the various boards/artisans that I have, from a photography friend of mine who has done an outstanding job. (I have to drop off a few more for him to do for me. Will give him a break for a bit before I do drop off more items. )
So enjoy.

Keyboards, Artisans, trays oh my, oh my.

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@TangoEchoAlpha Glad you managed to find some more tactiles.

 

[davetherave2]

Did anyone else get in on the QK80 preorder? I couldn't resist as it seems like great value. I'm slightly regretting my choice of green though after seeing a brown version with Espresso keycaps....

For what it is the board is lovely and looks great, I probably would have jumped on it previously but am trying to be a little more selective now with purchases.

I have specific boards in mind now to round out my little collection.

The coffee colour was super nice for that QK80 but I am sure the green will be a banger of a colour as well. A deep green if I remember a bit like British Racing Green?

 

[davetherave2]

......

Just had a delivery I wasn't expecting it until tomorrow, so I still need to finish lubing my switches and am also out this evening seeing family, so not going to be able to start putting it together.

I expect I will have lots of questions tomorrow!

Nice. Can't wait to see it. The ZoomTKL was certainly on my list of units to try at some point but sadly the first version only supported ANSI plus I am trying to keep my collection relatively small if I can. Still waiting on 4 boards to hopefully arrive this month so that should be a fun build session at some point for me.

 

[davetherave2]

True I guess, but imagine looking in.... Most would think we'd lost our marbles

Yep I think some people think I have lost mine (I do as well when I see everything that I am still waiting for) - although I wonder if I had any in the first place.

The Zoom75 indeed looks like a lovely bit of kit and seems to have improved the design from earlier models, will be interesting to see all the builds in the coming months when they eventually arrive.

 

[davetherave2]

Managed to pluck up the courage and soldered my first Keeb this week. I have had my Mr Suit for almost a year and had been waiting for a streamer here to build it for me, but his lead time just kept extending.
So I bought myself a TS101 and thought I'd try it myself. Not sure what I was worried about, was super easy and occording to my bro whos been soldering for 30years, I did a good job.

Now I'm waiting for Sonnet restock and I'll get a solder board for that, its far more satisfying than HS, but I know there are pitfalls like desoldering for chaging switches (i'll just get more boards).

It isn't as scary as people think it is. I was the same when I did my first board (back in late 2021) and I had the added headache of getting the wrong sized solder so had to be extra patient due to it being a touch thicker than standard.

It is a very satisfying feeling when you have done it and everything works.

Desoldering is relatively simple. You can either get the expensive desolder guns or if you are doing it very occasionally pick up a SS-02 pump for less than £20 (again I thought this would be a nightmare but I had to do this recently due to a dodgy pcb after a firmware flash) and again as long as you take your time it isn't as difficult as it seems at first.

 

[davetherave2]

I'm coming to the conclusion that if you're a tactile lover, then linears just don't cut it. I splashed out on some Oil Kings and don't get me wrong, they're nice and all, sound good, and are truly super smooth, albeit more wobbly than I expected, but they still feel super light to my (terrible) typing technique.

So a question to linear lovers- can you reccommend any available/in-stock linears with a satisfying heavy feel?

I think it maybe more that you are probably missing the tactile bump which you don't get with a linear switch, so you are expecting that little bit of extra feedback from the switch.

If you are happy with the oil kings and it is just that they feel too light then you might want to try spring swapping them with say 75g, 80g or 90g+ springs.

Personally I have been very happy with a 63/67g spring (double stage) in my switches that feels like the sweet spot for me

But in other news I finally received a couple of boards today my CruelWorld CW88's finally arrived and they are simply stunning. The anno is so clean and they just feel so nice. Will try and add some of my potato style photo's later (they simply don't do the boards justice)

 

[davetherave2]

CW88 (Pink WK & Lilac WKL)

 

[davetherave2]

There will be extras available for both units (zoom75 and QK80) so there is always a chance to get one after the GB's fulfill.

Black caps should look fine on a grey board.

 

[davetherave2]

Well has been a while since I posted, but have been lurking have loved seeing some of the updates that have been occurring.

Well I have had a number of things arrive over the last couple of weeks including artisans, plates, switches and key sets.

But here is some eye candy for you of some custom plates via LaserBoost for the Phoenix and CW's (the SS plates need to be cleaned, I have to get some solvent to remove the protective film residue off them but the copper plate for the Phoenix is just simply gorgeous.

(Plates - Phoenix SS, 2x CW 88's SS, Phoenix Copper, 2x CW 88's Alu)

Phoenix dry build for plate fitting with nixies (stock for now)

Phoenix dry build with ePBT DuO again test build just for looks.

Now some colour matching (as will be getting some alu plates coated to finish the themes off)
CW 88 - Pink

Matrix 8XV3.0 Tiffany

CW 88- Lilac (didn't have a lilac swab so used grey to help for colour balance)

Then bonus image of one of the many artisans

 

[davetherave2]

Lovely! When you say Nixies, you mean original or "New"?

New Nixies, I plan to spring swap, lube, dye the top housings and then possibly film if they need it.

 

[davetherave2]

The market has certainly cooled off and maybe we have gone from one extreme to the other in the "second hand market" where we now have plenty of options in stock and with GMK now pushing out like 4 sets a week it seems they are finally catching up on all those backlogged sets.

So all those speculative flippers are now finding market conditions have changed and having to take a loss if they can't hold onto stock and wait it out.

The number of deals that have been on over the past few months have been insane and I suspect we may see this continue in the short term while vendors look to shore up finances and not get into the kinds of strife that certain vendors have gone through recently.

But from my perspective I have been a busy bee sorting out some new keyboard builds and on top of that getting a few more artisans added to the collection.

Metakey Tenet 70
Hades switches (lubed)
Alu Plate
pbtfans Rim (temp set until I get either GMK Terror Below or GMK Orange Boi)

Artisans
Della Key Mecha series

Raykey Soda Nero

Now just waiting for some plates to get cerakoted and then I can finally build my CW's and my last Matrix 3.0 - hopefully in time for the J-02 and Magic 3 to arrive in late September/October time.

Still debating on the Cycle7 at the minute for myself as it seems a fantastic little board for the money and a great "starter" board into the more custom realm compared to the keychrons and the GMMK's of the world. It is certainly a board that is seemingly punch way above it's price point by all accounts.

 

[davetherave2]

I bought my son an Epomaker GK75, but the RGB software is an absolute killer. He's not happy lol, so can anyone recommend a board with better customisation options? Are Duckys any good or does he need to stick to Corsair icue if he wants all the fancy lighting patterns?

When you say customization are we purely talking about lighting effects or other customization such as layers, actual keyboard mods etc?

Also what is the kind of budget we are talking here?