Custom keyboards

[jolly coral]

so yeah, I can definitely see where the corners are cut to reach the sub $100 price point

however, the body is full aluminum, but definitely don't feel and sound like the way a aluminum keyboard should feel and sound like

so yeah, my second Epomaker keyboard (first was a RT100), and I can definitely see the difference of being on a more premium board

Would I recommend getting the Galaxy80? Yes, especially at the price point.

not to mention the 3 colors matches perfectly with the new Milky Y70s: blue, pink, and purple

and it's definitely the best budget board, like this review has found: https://youtu.be/s5vQomz0iwQ

[wide sparrow]

Did you replace the LED strips?

[jolly coral]

Replace LED strips?

[jolly coral]

I didn't replace any LEDs

I did break the ribbon cable connector from the PCB to the bottom LED module because I had butterfingers

[wide sparrow]

Ah... so the Hyte Keyboard is typically that bright?

[jolly coral]

Yes

The #⌨-keeb-tkl is lit AF

The first keyboard I've seen where the case lighting >>> PCB lighting

HYTE was extremely clever in utilizing a massive diffuser for the middle layer to really help spread the LEDs from the bottom module

[wide sparrow]

I would be interested in a 100% variant but tkl wouldn't work for me simply because I already feel I need more keys for War Thunder and I have a 100% keyboard

[jolly coral]

Hopefully enough people buy the #⌨-keeb-tkl to make a business proposition to make a 100% layout

And not the 95% either, I prefer having all my keys

I really should be writing my review for the Keeb after daily driving it for about a week now

One more thing on my to-do list

[jolly coral]

I was thinking about getting a set of Chinese Porcelain keycaps when Griffin wasn't working out, looks like Ducky is making one: https://www.xda-developers.com/ducky-year-of-the-dragon-keyboard/

[livid mason]

Oh, those look nice

[jolly coral]

ended up returning the Galaxy80 today

that PC top plate really bothered me, a lot

ended up order another Epomaker board, the Tide75: https://a.co/d/8ts8xTC

it has an FR4 top plate

still in the baby blue colorway

it was about $30 more than the Galaxy80

but has a few extra features like QMK/VIA programming and a knob

3rd Epomaker, hopefully this will be the one that finally impresses me

[jolly coral]

@livid forum, can I get a picture of your setup to get a better idea for keycaps recommendation?

[jolly coral]

I mean, it's pretty logical to get the Persona 3 caps from HYTE, no?

Otherwise, the light "wood" keycaps look quite good against a white board: #1071070910989209661 message

Lastly, seems like you've got the Kanagawa wave vibe going, these caps should work well too: https://a.co/d/7DoIstS

[livid forum]

The only reason I haven't is because they aren't stocked lately

[livid forum]

I do like these but the font on the keys is too jarring for me.

[jolly coral]

I mean, plenty of "Japanese Wave Keycaps" exists on Amazon, here's another one: https://a.co/d/2IPTapq

here's an XDA: https://a.co/d/hqGy4r3

previous listing without the mat: https://a.co/d/2FfEGdQ

[livid forum]

that bottom one looks awesome

is buying off amazon fine? not tryna get anything bad

ik the price isnt too high just wanna make sure

[jolly coral]

in my mind, these are temporary while you wait for the P3 caps to restock

don't get anything too crazy

[livid forum]

thats true

in their post about the desk mats returning they said stay tuned for an announcement on the keycap set

[jolly coral]

yup

[jolly coral]

but in general, I do like the "XVX" branded keycaps

[livid forum]

but i'm not sure how soon that will be

[livid forum]

they look nice and priced well yeah

[jolly coral]

they're the same people that make the Womier boards

[livid forum]

ah gotcha

[jolly coral]

I have quite a few sets from XVX now, and quality is definitely there

especially for the price point they're selling at

[livid forum]

good to know! thank you bro

[jolly coral]

no problem

[livid forum]

and its nice to have options

[jolly coral]

that's why I've brought you to this thread

good luck with picking caps

IMO, the best part of going with a custom board

decorate and redecorate more

[livid forum]

only thing is those are for a 60%

otherwise i would cop

[jolly coral]

the 108 set is here: https://a.co/d/eUfF4G1

both OEM and XDA profiles are available

I would personally take OEM as I don't really like the rounded shape of the XDA as much

[livid forum]

🫡

got oem

my switches are coming in today but i'll wait till tomorrow to put them both in together. thank you so much bro!

[jolly coral]

sounds like a plan

[livid forum]

i'll let you see how it comes out?

[jolly coral]

really hope those P3 caps will restock

[livid forum]

me too bro need them

[jolly coral]

looking forward to that

[livid forum]

bettt

[livid forum]

@jolly coral

[jolly coral]

Oh geez

That was a quick delivery from Amazon

[livid forum]

I really like them. The only complaint is right alt shift ctrl keys didnt fit right I had to use the symbol ones

And the right shift key nothing fits flush in so theres that gap you can see

Besides that, really nice!

[livid forum]

Prime lol

[jolly coral]

That is quite unfortunate

But keyboards have so many different sizes now

[livid forum]

Yeah that's true

[jolly coral]

Hard to find a perfect keycap set when you're not running a standard size like 100% or 80%

[livid forum]

Why is my 9 key inputing 1234567890~

wtf lol

[jolly coral]

Macro?

[livid forum]

Shouldn't be

Pin was bent might have been an interference cause of that

Yep fixed by reseating

Fixed by using old shift key, it kinda sticks out but prolly worth it

[livid forum]

fixed all my bent pins

[livid forum]

there was like 6 which isnt bad for first change of switches in my book

think it came out okay?

[jolly coral]

Works for me

[livid forum]

Yeah you can't really tell unless you stare lol

[jolly coral]

It came out perfect

Now wait for the announcement

And put in your order

[livid forum]

Probably tomorrow knowing my luck LMAO

but thank you bro!!!

[jolly coral]

I didn't do anything but post some links

[livid forum]

Bro talking to me about it is enough

Seriously thank you my friend

[jolly coral]

If you like the Brown switches

[livid forum]

I think I do its hard to tell right away lol

[jolly coral]

I recommend potentially looking into the Banana switches

[livid forum]

It's quieter than my previous gateron banana switches

oh

LMAO

those came stock in this board hahahaa

i do like them also

[jolly coral]

Oh

Yeah, the Gateron or Keychron Banana

They're all pretty similar

[livid forum]

Its keychron bananas I guess but

[jolly coral]

I find them to be "good enough" for tactiles

[livid forum]

I do like them as I said just wanted a bit of a change

[jolly coral]

Completely understandable

[livid forum]

I really like that these are quieter a bit

Not trying to wake up the whole house at late hours

Also once I got the pins in once they should be good now right

Every switch works now

[jolly coral]

Really want to try these out: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804714915959.html

[livid forum]

Until I take them out obvi

[jolly coral]

At some point

Supposedly the "best" silent tactiles

[livid forum]

oooo

bit pricey

[jolly coral]

Exactly

[livid forum]

but as you say if they are the best then

[jolly coral]

And I haven't felt the need

[livid forum]

its understandable

totally get that

[jolly coral]

Pretty happy with my Bananas

So when I get tired

[livid forum]

yep im sure ill go back to them eventually also

its nice to have options, part of the reason i wanted to switch it up

[jolly coral]

The Boba U4s will be ordered

[livid forum]

yepyep

and switches arent terribly expensive usually which is dope

[jolly coral]

Depends on what you order

But seriously not that bad, especially when you're only ordering for a smaller board

I use 100% boards, so

💸💸💸

110 packs only

[livid forum]

Ah

Yeah I don't work on my pc so

Always 75% for me

I can't go without my arrow keys

[livid forum]

^^^ sorry i just get scared with stuff like this wanna make sure its okay

dont mean to reiterate but

[jolly coral]

Yes

Bent pins are normal

I usually bend them straight as I'm putting them in

[livid forum]

Phew thanks man

Only got my first pc 4 months ago so this is all very fresh to me

[jolly coral]

Congrats

Definitely feel free to reach out if anything comes up

[livid forum]

Cool thank you again man!

[lyric bane]

dude, this is beautiful

you okay if we give you a crazy shoutout?

[jolly coral]

I was surprised it hasn't happened yet

Feel free to grab any of the photos from either here or Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hyte/comments/1d7qm6r/circuit_keeb_tkl/

[livid forum]

that is soooooo beautiful bro

wow

[merry valley]

i finally got around to ordering a switch sample pack yesterday ... my gat browns are getting tired after 3 years of daily driving

[jolly coral]

Tide75 (replacement for the Galaxy80) arrived today:

interesting that the accessories box included an allen wrench:

quick look at the stock board before I swap the caps:

pretty plain design, but really at the $100 price point, can't complain

reattempt to put on the Cinnamoroll keycaps:

nope, top cover is too tight around the keycaps:

so that's what the allen wrench was for:

the top cover was aluminum, very nice

got some linear boxed green switches:

and the stabs are NOT lubed:

and the top plate is STEEL and not FR4 as the website has described

I was looking for a metal top plate, and now I have a metal top plate

key swap done:

Tide75, unlit:

best part, VIA booted right up and Epomaker's website had the .json file ready for download

I think after the #⌨-keeb-tkl, all the boards seems dim in comparison. Here are some pictures of the Tide75, lit:

Really not bad for Linears. The keyboard felt much better compared to the Galaxy80.

Glad I went through the trouble of returning and getting a new board

Finally I've found a board from Epomaker that doesn't suck

I was disappointed by the RT100 and returned the Galaxy80

seems like the Tide65 and Tide75 are solid keyboard that lack the flashiness of other more expensive boards, but at the $100ish price range

these board offers a solid aluminum case and a very satifying metal board typing experience

programming through VIA is just icing on the cake

The best part: colors. These will match well with the Milky series for the Y70:

the only thing I would change if I really were to use this board is the switches

I really don't understand why boards all ship with linears, but I would need tactiles switches

[livid mason]

I'm making a keeb for my dad for Father's Day

[jolly coral]

Tight timeline! Did you already get the parts?

[merry valley]

ok after fiddling around with this sample pack ... i am torn between the K silvers and the gat clears

which is really weird - i always thought reds were too mushy

i like the feel of the kailh box whites, but they are WAY too clacky

granted, when i am playing games i have my headset on, so i can't hear it ... but the wife might kill me lol

[livid mason]

Not yet

Dad gets out though, and he's gonna be out of the country for a few weeks, so I have time

I'm thinking plain black or Grey keeb with matching caps

And some nice tactiles

[jolly coral]

Stay away from ALL of the switches I've used for my wife's builds:

[jolly coral]

Guess you like them light and fast. I almost considered Kailh Copper but there wasn't enough feedback.

[jolly coral]

What size board? 100%?

[livid mason]

1800

[jolly coral]

Looking forward to the build

[tall cliff]

have anyone heard of Outemu Silent Peach V2 switches

[jolly coral]

Looks like pretty light linear switches with a normal travel distance

[tall cliff]

weren't they tactile as seller says

[jolly coral]

I like that there's 5-pin and a box stem:

[jolly coral]

That's the lemon switch

[tall cliff]

oh, i just copied from name on alie

and didnt notice it said peach

[jolly coral]

Name matters

[tall cliff]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[jolly coral]

Peach is linear

Lemon is tactile

Anyways, budget switches with a ton of plastic. You're going to get what you pay for.

[tall cliff]

most imporant is that they are green, tactile and silent

[jolly coral]

That's one way to pick switches 🤷‍♂️

[livid mason]

this switch kinda reminds me of bulbasaur, if only the stem was darker

[merry valley]

just replaced my f with a super clicky switch ... been playing a lot of cyberpunk lately out of boredom ... want to see if it makes any difference

[jolly coral]

Oooo, which clicky? Box whites?

[merry valley]

yup

is it bad that i am perusing orange wish for switches?

i think my next obsession task will be to find a new deck - but it HAS to be a proper full layout cause of work

[livid mason]

im thinking of instead of 1800, to just go with a 75% plus seperate numpad

[livid mason]

@jolly coral got my hands on 110 Glarses x Cherry MX Purples for my dad's build

And now I'm kinda jealous, I like these for a tactile

[jolly coral]

how on earth 👀

not going to ask how you've got them or how much you've paid for them

so have you made progress on deciding a board yet?

[tall cliff]

is that collab with that dude that is black and likes purple color

i think my brother watched him when he was interested in keyboards

and i think i remember when he wanted to collab with cherry for some switches

idr nowdays

[jolly coral]

yup

[tall cliff]

epic

[jolly coral]

I'll say

[livid mason]

I paid at cost

I had a friend who got 200 for his own collection, and ended up only using them for a 75% board, so I bought some of his extras

[jolly coral]

I like your friends

now for the keyboard and caps

[livid mason]

I have simple white on black caps

My dad isn't one for anything fancy

[jolly coral]

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-q6-qmk-custom-mechanical-keyboard?variant=40455208927321

[livid mason]

So I'm going for a sleek blackout board

My issue is finding a good budget base

[livid mason]

I would want thay for my.own personal build

[jolly coral]

there is this dark purple 100% that I've built on for my wife

[tall cliff]

so about keyboards

i found one pretty nice looking one imo

with blue switches

sadly brown arent available for it

its just 20 euro

[jolly coral]

here's the original build on the Q6: #1071070910989209661 message

[tall cliff]

also skeleton type keyboard or whatever its called

[tall cliff]

i like it more than framed ones as i use frames one rn

[jolly coral]

barebone

[tall cliff]

yes

[livid mason]

Such a pretty board

[tall cliff]

indeed

this purple looks cool

[jolly coral]

some simple gradient side print caps

completely rock solid (and affordable) base

[tall cliff]

also usb C

i would like black with green combo but this one is fine to me

[jolly coral]

purple, the color of royalty

anyways, that's just my thought on a keyboard that will give your dad the numpad, suite the Cherry Purples, and still remain "subtle"

[tall cliff]

are purple good

[jolly coral]

purple what? the Cherry Purple switches?

they're just impossible to find now

perfect for a special gift

[tall cliff]

normal person doesnt understand much in switches

[jolly coral]

just another 55gf silent tactile switch

[tall cliff]

i like silent tactiles

[livid mason]

Are they silent?

They don't feel mushy like most silents

[tall cliff]

outemu lemon is what i'd want

[tall cliff]

lol

[jolly coral]

comes in a purple bag with the guy's face on it

[jolly coral]

no, just quiet

not special dampeners were used

the mushiness of most actual "silents" is from the dampening

I think the low noise level is use to the pre-lubing these switches came with

ultimately, aside from the color, you can still get the exact switch:

they're just Cherry MX Ergo Clears

[tall cliff]

so they just used differently colored plastic

[jolly coral]

I mean, isn't that what all special edition stuff is?

[tall cliff]

ig so

[jolly coral]

I mean, performance-wise, there's nothing different with my Strix 4090 EVA-02 edition from any other Strix 4090...

[tall cliff]

but it looks way cooler tho

[jolly coral]

if you like "anime" stuff

🤣

[tall cliff]

i wonder when eva-03 comes out

[jolly coral]

it would be either EVA-00 (Rei) or EVA-05 (Mari)

[tall cliff]

would like to see 05 then as it looks green to me

[jolly coral]

it's pink

[tall cliff]

why is this

[jolly coral]

well, the unit is green

but Mari's color is pink

[tall cliff]

i think it depends on unit color mostly

[jolly coral]

no, Mari eventually got EVA-08

[tall cliff]

well, didnt watch evangeleon myself

just curious what asus gonna do

any limited edition is good

[jolly coral]

we'll see

anyways, back to custom keyboards

can't wait to see what @livid mason comes up with, off to a great start with the Cherry Purple switches

[livid mason]

I warned my dad it'll be a longer project, because the hard part is finding a good case at a good budget

But the cherry purples so soon was HUGE

My friend recommended them because I was looking for tactiles, but I am a linear boi, so I was having trouble

[jolly coral]

55gf is definitely a great weight

and that force curve looks great

[tall cliff]

is it tactile force or work force

[jolly coral]

so both the tactile and bottom out force is around 55gf

[tall cliff]

seems normal for tactiles imo

[jolly coral]

not sure what "normal" is, but another popular tactile is the Holy Panda:

[tall cliff]

what about browns or blues

[jolly coral]

here's brown:

and blue is clicky

the tactile bump on the Purple are much greater than Brown

which is a desirable trait for tactiles

[tall cliff]

are you using specific site to compare?

[jolly coral]

no, just reading some review: https://www.theremingoat.com/blog/cherry-mx-purple-switch-review

how else am I going to learn about such a rare switch?

[tall cliff]

i thought there was maybe site for comparing switches

i would compare outemu lemon to it just to see difference

[jolly coral]

I mean, here's the force curve for the Outemu Lemons:

[tall cliff]

rewatched video about them again

[tall cliff]

they look pretty good for their price

[jolly coral]

and here's the curves for browns

the browns have longer travel after the tactile bump

and the browns tactile force is than the lemons

but the tactile bump is "bigger" than the Lemons

as the bump on the Lemon is only 0.5mm while the Brown is 1.0mm

after the strong bump, both switches have about the same bottom out force

[jolly coral]

I think you're just looking for Green switches

I think you'll be fine

I think the other major type of curve you'll see for tactiles are the top bumps, like the Banana:

[livid mason]

I just popped the purples into my keeb with a carbon fiber plate to see how they feel

Holy hell

I'm ordering some Ergo Clears for myself, and popping these out for my dad's keeb

[tall cliff]

carbon fiber plate sounds expensive

i mean not the sound but it seems like this thing is expensive

atleast from my knowledge of cf

[tall cliff]

you're right there but most greens i find are not tactile or just too expensive

[jolly coral]

It's one of the cheaper plates

The metal plates tend to be the highest priced

[jolly coral]

Sounds like a plan

[tall cliff]

still big fan of cf

maybe gotta make custom keyboard one day

i winder how expensive is it to build what i want

[livid mason]

carbon fiber creates a very firm typing experience with a harder bottom out

honestly, I am usually more privvy to Polycarbonate or POM

FR4 if im feeling for something a little more firm

but carbon fiber on these tactiles, because of the harder tactile bump, just feels super solid

compared to linears where it feels like a hard bottom out

this just feels like im taking another step down some stairs

[tall cliff]

i don't think i will understand much in that stuff anyway

[jolly coral]

No need to understand, you'll feel it

And this is why I've returned the Galaxy80 with the PC plate. It just felt too soft

I can see why Linear switches might like the PC plate, you're constantly bottoming out with linear switches

And the softer material absorbs some of that impact

[livid mason]

softer plates are nicer for linears imho, because the hard bottom outs start making my knuckles sore as i type, so I always look for boards with softer plate materials and solid gasket performance

simply because i am very heavy handed when i type

for this reason, i also prefer heavier spring weight

[jolly coral]

You sure you don't want to come over to my side? Tactiles and Clickies are calling your name 🤣

[livid mason]

i used to use tactiles regularly, but they dont feel as nice for gaming

now i keep a seperate keeb with tactiles for when im typing articles, while my main keeb is linear

and i hate the obnoxious sounds of clickies

[jolly coral]

Me too

[livid mason]

i've grown to have a visceral response to clickies because i have a friend who's keyboard we hear over comms on the regular when we play together

box jades are the bane of my existence

[jolly coral]

Good thing my wife has her own office all the way at the other end of the house

[jolly coral]

You and me both

[livid mason]

https://tenor.com/view/not-today-satan-nope-stay-away-preacher-pastor-gif-14450356

me when my friend tried to convince me to use box jades

for my dad's keyboard

i then bugged my other friend into customs, who hooked me up on the Cherry Purples

[jolly coral]

I like my top bump

[livid mason]

i like a good mid bump

top bumps can be nice with lighter spring weight tho

[jolly coral]

Yup, that's bananas

[livid mason]

i didnt wanna go cherry browns for him, because cherry browns have such a subtle bump, it's basically a linear

[jolly coral]

Closer to linear than clicky

(bananas)

[livid mason]

ill check them out

for my tactile board

[jolly coral]

The box royals are as close to Clickies as they come for tactiles

Huge mid bump

Heavy spring

[livid mason]

also, fam doesnt know I have a third keyboard

I have my Kokomi keyboard (Silent Linear)
and I have 2 identical Persona 3 keyboards now

one tactile, one linear

just because my family was already giving me hell for building a second keyboard. Didnt want them to know about the third

[jolly coral]

👀👀👀

I have a few now

[livid mason]

i want more

[jolly coral]

https://www.mmorpg.com/hardware-reviews/epomaker-tide75-review-2000131866

Apparently I'm not the only one impressed by the Tide75/Tide65

[livid mason]

ive been eyeing the ND75 from Chillkey because i really like the purple

[jolly coral]

Looks like the purple in the Tide75

ND75

I like that the Tide75 has both a knob and the extra "F13"

[livid mason]

ah, i use my Cyberblade as my knob, id actually rather have the display

[livid mason]

although the Tide75 looks really good

damn

now im honestly debating

[livid mason]

@jolly coral i ordered ergo clears for my tactile board loool

[jolly coral]

I thought you've already done that yesterday?

[livid mason]

oh so i did tell you

loool

but im excited

those purples felt good

im thinking of picking up a Yunzii YZ98 for my dad

he doesnt want a metal keeb because he doesnt use a desk mat and shifts his keyboard often on his hardwood desk

[jolly coral]

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-v5-qmk-custom-mechanical-keyboard?variant=40293230870617

Barebone is $70

[livid mason]

oh damn, hell yeah

[jolly coral]

And no knob version is $60

And you're not looking for wireless, right?

[livid mason]

wireless is a plus, but not necessary

[jolly coral]

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-v5-max-qmk-via-wireless-custom-mechanical-keyboard?variant=40759400104025

$80 for the barebone

But no translucent case

I rather like my V6 with the translucent case

[livid mason]

no need for a translucent case for my dad, as he prefers something plain for his office desk

but this works great

[jolly coral]

#1071070910989209661 message

This is what the translucent case looks like

[livid mason]

while that is my speed, it isnt my dad's

[jolly coral]

It's very subtle

And will work fine for office

Here are the pictures from the original V6 build: #1071070910989209661 message

[livid mason]

oh that is subtle

I'll talk to him about it

see what he would prefer

[jolly coral]

Wired vs. wireless

Wired = translucent available

Wireless = carbon black only

Price difference is negligible

[livid mason]

ye, gonna talk to him once he comes back from his vacation

my budget for the case is roughly $100, so this is within budget and perfectly fine

[jolly coral]

Better yet

https://a.co/d/061fVMqk

V5 has US stock in Amazon

[livid mason]

oh damn, fully assembled too

[jolly coral]

Yeah, free throw away switches and caps

[livid mason]

yeah, def just gonna pick this up

[jolly coral]

Good shot of the subtle translucent:

Not sure what caps you're actually using

But I loved my V6 until my wife took it

And I'm probably a good representative of your dad

👴

You might want to run the V6 by him: https://a.co/d/0evJhD3p

I honestly can't stand the 96%/1800 layout

Since I do a lot of spreadsheet stuff

I need my 6 buttons above the arrow keys

[livid mason]

Womier WoB ISA profile caps.

Despite all the options i offered him, all the different styles, he preferred WoB caps with white accents

[jolly coral]

I mean, I was even complaining about the Keeb missing the gap between the number row and the function row

[livid mason]

he said he wanted either full or 1800

his desk is nice and large, but he is used to a full, so i might just go with the V6

I have enough Cherry Purples for it anyways

he did like my 1800 keyboards though

[jolly coral]

I would do V6 just to be safe

[livid mason]

will do

[jolly coral]

Or just run both layouts by him

Sounds like he's almost back

While you're checking wireless/wired

[livid mason]

good idea

he has access to his phone and we have been contacting back and forth. I was originally supposed to go with him on the vacation, but i didnt have enough vacation time to take the full week off. He will be back next Thursday, and we plan to get together on Friday

[jolly coral]

Anyways

Have you thought about getting him some aviators?

[jolly coral]

I think aviators will round out the package perfectly

Nothing crazy, just something like a carbon black to match the board: https://a.co/d/00r6eOjS

[livid mason]

i already have black/gray Aviator cable from my friend who hooked me up with the Cherry Purples

[jolly coral]

Nevermind then

I like your friend

[livid mason]

it was this one
https://a.co/d/0a8XAW4C

he is the one who got me into custom keebs

[jolly coral]

Nice cables

[livid mason]

ye, i asked him if he had any extra cables, and i bought it from him at-cost

the thing that sucks is that he is a 75% guy, so i couldnt bug him for an extra keeb again to just buy it off of him lool

[jolly coral]

ended up ordering my first "premium" keeb after an extensive chat with someone that saw my Circuit Keeb TKL: https://modedesigns.com/products/loop-tkl

I'll be excited to find out just how different a "premium" keeb will type and feel

ended up going with a pretty distinctive purple keycap set: https://drop.com/buy/drop-dcx-amethyst-keycap-set

to round out the purple theme, got some Akko Lavender switches: https://a.co/d/0bvKYVlc

55gf tactile force with a top bump:

really hoping this will convince my wife to come to the Tactile side

[livid mason]

Less about experience as a whole, more about feature set and nice-to-haves

While I personally like premium keebs and all the little extras they can come with, some people might say the cost isn't worth it for them

Imho value plateaus after about $200

[jolly coral]

I'm on the camp of not worth it either, but I'm open minded and willing to find out

And I'm definitely onboard with the $200 bar

[jolly coral]

I liked the baby blue Tide 75 so much that I've ended up ordering the pink Tide 75 as well:

got the perfect set of keycaps that I wanted to throw on this keyboard to make a pair with the Cinnamoroll Tide 75:

for some reason the top cover wasn't as tight over the keycaps so I didn't need to remove the top cover to swap the keycaps

After finishing the first two row, I recorded a short video of the difference in sound profile from just a change in keycap profile (from OEM to XOA):

keycap swap complete:

Hello Kitty and Friends Tide 75, unlit:

Hello Kitty and Friends Tide 75, lit:

second Tide 75, and still highly recommend this keyboard

the pink version ended up costing about $20 less than the blue version for some reason, but both were very nicely priced at around $100

[livid mason]

It's so cute

[tall cliff]

very

[desert dock]

👀

[jolly coral]

Oh geez, talk about an actual thocky keyboard, full wood case! https://kbd.news/Akko-MU01-Mountain-Seclusion-review-2390.html

Can't decide between "Joy of Life": https://en.akkogear.com/product/mu01-joy-of-life-mechanical-keyboard/

Or the Mountain Seclusion: https://en.akkogear.com/product/mu01-mountain-seclusion-mechanical-keyboard/

Haha

I just got it

MU01 = 木

But dang, looks like actually a solid walnut case

[tall cliff]

how is bottom part of custom keyboards called

[jolly coral]

Case

[tall cliff]

the main part, like case or something

i think i can make wooden case myself

i am kinda good at making something out of wood

[jolly coral]

Forget deciding. Just bought both to get free shipping:

I think I have an idea of who to gift these to

Anyways, Amazon guy just stopped by:

So much faster ordering US stock switches

[livid mason]

mind letting me know what you think of the Gamakay switches?

[jolly coral]

Putting them on my red Q3 tonight, I'll be sure to record a typing test and thoughts

[livid mason]

nice

ye, i havent used em, and after feeling these Cherry Ergo Clears, I've become more curious on tactiles

[jolly coral]

Got them for the next #⌨-keeb-tkl build that I'm working on

But I ended deciding on the Outemu Panda instead

Because I think the Mars are going to be just slightly too heavy

In the meantime, plenty of videos on the Mars: https://youtu.be/7DnHaYaLJu8

[jolly coral]

@tight parcel

Why only ASUS keyboard?

Because of AURA sync?

[tight parcel]

Yeah my whole build is based around aura sync. It's the reason why I got rid of my og y70 touchscreen case. Besides the fact that nexus kept force closing every time I changed the audio on my tv bc it reset the video signal for my tv. And all my pc peripherals are all Asus rog as well except my mouse now

[jolly coral]

but something like a cheap Keychron (K-series) won't need sync

you program through VIA

[tall cliff]

even monitor?

[tight parcel]

I need the keyboard backlit

[jolly coral]

what size keyboard do you use?

and what type of switches?

[tight parcel]

No I run 2x 4k tvs as monitors

[jolly coral]

those new caps will work well with a black board

so let me pull up a Keychron for you

[tall cliff]

better than rog monitor imo

[tight parcel]

Full size and Asus's own rx switches

[jolly coral]

so 100%, and ASUS which color?

[tight parcel]

No I want the pg48uq monitor

[tight parcel]

I think reds

[tall cliff]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[jolly coral]

which color for the RX switches?

so no click or tactile, just straight linear?

[tight parcel]

No mine are clicky

[jolly coral]

https://a.co/d/05cMgInX

$115

it can be cheaper if you don't want wireless

https://a.co/d/0h2q1aA2

$80 for the V6 wired

[tight parcel]

Is it Aura sync compatible?

[jolly coral]

and a translucent case

[jolly coral]

no, it uses VIA

it's a web app

you don't run it in the background

[tight parcel]

I do want to get rid of my claymore ii keyboard

[jolly coral]

program the keyboard's onboard memory

[tall cliff]

should i even bother getting mechanical keyboard

[jolly coral]

and done

[tight parcel]

It doesn't have a palm rest though and that's a major deciding factor for me

My hands start to hurt after like 5 minutes if I don't use a palm rest with my keyboard

[jolly coral]

what material do you like?

[tight parcel]

Not plastic that's for sure

[jolly coral]

I personally prefer the Silicone one

[tight parcel]

Or wood

No hard material

[jolly coral]

wood is hard

resin is the hardest

[tight parcel]

Yeah I think the claymore ii comes with a silicone one

[jolly coral]

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-silicone-palm-rest?variant=41233330962521

that's the great thing about going with a Keychron

[tight parcel]

Eww white

[jolly coral]

they have a bunch of accessories

[jolly coral]

that's just the example keyboard

[tight parcel]

The 80's called and they want their white keyboard back

[jolly coral]

yup

but I think the V6 wired will work well for you

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-v6-qmk-custom-mechanical-keyboard?variant=40320325419097

you can order a barebone from Keychron directly and save some money

grab the palm rest

and a new set of switches

you're going to be using the new SilverWolf caps anyways

so no need to get Keychron's ugly caps

[tight parcel]

Yeah I might do that especially bc I'll be using the silver wolf keycaps

[jolly coral]

this is slightly better than the Amazon listing

because it's the version with the knob

as for switches, do you like having clicky switches?

or do you prefer having something more quiet, but still have the tactile feel?

[tight parcel]

Yeah I do like the clicky switches. The clickier the better

[jolly coral]

light, medium, or heavy?

[tight parcel]

Heavy clickiness

[jolly coral]

box navy

https://www.keychron.com/products/kailh-box-switch-set

your Keychron order awaits:

[tight parcel]

That's going beyond my knowledge range

I don't know how to install switches

[jolly coral]

it's plug and play

these are "hot-swappable" keyboards

so you take the switch

and plug it into the each of the 108 holes

and then you put keycaps on the switch

that's it

no soldering

no mess

crazy easy

(and quite satisfying, TBH)

[tight parcel]

If I had the money to buy that, my ram upgrade, and pre-order the silverwolf y70 I'd definitely do it but I only have enough for the silverwolf y70 and ram upgrade. Keyboard will have to wait until August paycheck

[jolly coral]

well

I would order the keycaps along with the Y70

those tends to sell out quite quickly

but when you're ready to purchase a keyboard that can use those caps

[tight parcel]

Doesn't that bundle come with the keycaps?

[jolly coral]

just hit me up here

[jolly coral]

no

2 separate bundles

Bundle 1: Y70, 6 fan grills, and keychain

Bundle 2: Caps, Mat, and keychain

[tight parcel]

Then no need to get new keyboard. I've lived this long without custom keycaps that I had to buy separately

Asus also offered Asuka eva keycaps made for my rx switches and I never bought them either

[jolly coral]

I literally bought a pair of ASUS boards just to use the EVA-02 caps

and then I got smarter

[tight parcel]

I kept my claymore ii keyboard sorta in original condition

[jolly coral]

the ASUS boards were 1) not hot-swappable, 2) not compatible with the rest of the world

worst decision, but lesson learned

[tight parcel]

I had to replace numbpad a couple of times

Yeah but I never minded it bc all I really cared about is if it worked and that it lit up so I could type in the dark

[jolly coral]

well

custom keyboards have gotten a lot more accessible now

scroll up and see some of the "cheaper" stuff that I've been building

[tight parcel]

Yeah but just like your Gundam model kits just not something that's for me

The only reason I will be upgrading my claymore ii is bc the volume knob is sticking really badly and I don't know how to clean that

[jolly coral]

with the hot-swap, you just pull it out

and put in a new one

there's practical reasons to go with a "custom"

[tight parcel]

Yeah but like I said it'll have to wait until August paycheck. I'll have to order the keycaps then too

[tall cliff]

i wonder if there is any way to add volume knob to normal hot swap mechanical keyboard

just because my current hp one has volume buttons and it is very useful

[tight parcel]

I'm still trying to sell my old mobo as well

[tall cliff]

and the new one i was planning to get doesn't have any

which is disappointing, but what else i expected for 20 euro

[tight parcel]

Tbh the volume knob isn't that important to me though bc I never use it bc I control the volume via either my ht receiver or headset

[jolly coral]

no

[tall cliff]

ehhh

[jolly coral]

well

depends

so for Keychron

they use VIA

so you technically could go in an edit the .json file

[tight parcel]

What is VIA? I've never heard of it before

[jolly coral]

and reprogram a button to be a rotary

[tall cliff]

i guess ill have to get used to using windows volume panel again

[jolly coral]

https://www.caniusevia.com/

[tight parcel]

I definitely don't know how to edit json files

[jolly coral]

it just an open source keyboard programming software

no installation

completely web-based

[tight parcel]

Yeah then no on that software

[jolly coral]

no registration

free

[tight parcel]

I don't know how to program

And am too old now too learn

[jolly coral]

no

it's all GUI

you just click and change

I was just talking to @tall cliff if he wanted to reprogram a VIA compatible keyboard

[tight parcel]

Oh ok.

[jolly coral]

otherwise, it's just click and go

anyways, when you get your next paycheck

[tight parcel]

Yeah I'd just want to set the color scheme

[jolly coral]

hopefully the SW keycaps won't sell out

[tight parcel]

Hopefully they won't

[jolly coral]

let me go grab a VIA keyboard

how it starts:

and what the key programming looks like:

[tight parcel]

That's how I flash my pixel 8 pro

[jolly coral]

and there's the lighting menu

[tight parcel]

Seems easy enough

[jolly coral]

crazy easy

[tight parcel]

Well I won't need to order the keyboard until October-December bc that's when I'll be getting the case and keycaps delivered

[tall cliff]

gotta consider

[jolly coral]

exactly

but good to plan

so you can save up in time

anyways, when you're ready to order your custom keyboard

just hit me up

I'll be happy to help

[tight parcel]

Yeah. The keyboard and switches don't seem that expensive.

[tight parcel]

I definitely will

[jolly coral]

alright, Mars switches are in the Q3 now, let's start with the typing test: https://youtu.be/To6wA1WGQhk

unfortunately, the 115ish WPM run I didn't have the microphone setting right

but the sound profile was recorded

and for you, @tight parcel, I've recorded the entire process of me doing the switch swap: https://youtu.be/_rIdVN3CsvU

like I've said, the process is extremely straightforward

review of the Mars switches:

while browsing for switches for my next build, I came across these GamaKay Mars tactile switches on Amazon

prices were pretty good and the stats looks fine:

slightly heavier tactile force at 65gf compared to the Keychron Bananas at 57gf:

the biggest attraction to me for the Mars switches are the light guides:

The Q3 has side printed caps, and here's how they looked with the Banana switches without the light guide:

here's a couple of picture of the Mars switches without caps:

and here's the after pictures with the Mars switches:

there's definitely a noticible difference in the "clarity" of the light

it's slightly difficult to see with the phone camera photo

but the side print is shining through a lot more evenly

the Banana switches originally has a clear top housing

so the PCB LEDs ends up spreading a lot more

the light guide helps focus the LEDs to the exact location of the side print shine through location

the result is a much better looking side print shine through effect

as for the typing experience

there wasn't much difference between the two switches:

I was slightly faster with the lighter Banana switches

but I was making slightly less mistakes with the Mars switches because it took a little bit more force to trigger the typing

the Mars switches had a lower bump compared to the top bump of the Banana switches

resulting in less accidental triggers

both switches were well lubed and didn't make a lot of sound

the typing test sound profile is purely from the PBT Cherry profile keycaps bottoming out against an aluminum plate

overall, I can't say I recommend one switch over the other

Banana switches are very good, especially given the price you get from Keychron

[jolly coral]

as hinted at earlier, new project is here

just missing the actual switches that I've decided to go with

[jolly coral]

Dang, that was intense:

I was not prepared for how long building from scratch took

Still need to do the sound test, but I'll post more photos in a bit

[jolly coral]

okay, finally finished the video for the typing test: https://youtu.be/IhwmP_FhADk

wasn't super awake by the time I got to do the typing test

but at least I remember to turn on the microphone during the recording and got done with the typing test in a single attempt

ended up taking a little over 1 hour for the entire build, so I did a 4x speed up video of the entire build process: https://youtu.be/ADyFlLOMDWs

review of the Mode Loop with Akko V3 Lavender Purple switches and Drop DCX Amethyst keycaps:

as I've mentioned a couple days ago, I ended up ordering a "premium" keyboard from Mode, and the box arrived today:

quite 3 items in the box:

the nice zipper semi-hard case had all the stuff from the kit:

including the bare case:

it just so happened that the keycaps from Drop also arrived today:

switches were the first to arrive for this build:

unboxing the semi-hard case, I found both plates, CF and Aluminum:

so many small baggies full of parts:

ack, I hate installing stabs, this was the part of the build that took forever:

it was very interesting that Mode included so many different options for the gasket mount:

threw on the switches:

and then the keycaps:

my Mode Loop build was completed:

one more picture of the back of the keyboard with the pretty Rose colored weight:

funny that I've just literally finished updating my Q3, so the entire typing and setup experience is still fresh on my mind

overall, the Mode Loop is very nice keyboard, but I'm not really sure if it's worth the premium over the Q3

I think the only advantage I see with the Mode Loop is the fact that I have so many options to choose from

so for someone who knows exactly what they want to build with, Mode will sell you individiual parts to "customize" your keyboard to your liking

otherwise, it was quite annoying having to assemble the entire keyboard myself

I felt so backwards that I ended up having to do more before I can even begin to play with my new keyboard

maybe I should take a KBBQ attitude towards the premium keyboard market

overall, a very similar switch to the Keychron Banana switch:

Tactile force of 55gf is just tad lighter than the Banana switches

however, I mostly bought the switches because of the keycap color and matching the entire purple themed build

my first of DCX keycaps, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed

the sound is deeper and more on the thock spectrum of sound profile

and the overall typing experience is basically the same as the Q3: well dampened, gasket mounted, aluminum case keyboard

thus goes back to the consideration: is it really worth it to pay more for $200 keyboard?

I would say no for most of the situations

although it's nice for keyboard junkies like myself to have so many options to choose from

however, I think the average consumer will be easily overwhelmed by all the options

the fact that the keyboard came with 4 sets of gasket mounts for the middle stack is prime example of "too many options"

final question, will I do this again?

probably not

I'm having a really hard time justifying the purchase given just how good the equivalent Keychron is

the design is pretty, I guess?

I don't stare at my keyboard when I'm on the computer, so intricate details like the recessed top and side colored pieces is really not appreciated by me as much

Unless a premium keyboard really catches my eyes (especially for a unique color)

for the premium pricing over the "entry premium" Keychron keyboard, I'm a cheapskate and will prefer getting some nicer keycaps and switches with the money I've saved from not paying for a premium keyboard

[jolly coral]

alright, my wife test drove the Mode Loop for the whole day today. Good news: I'm getting a new Mode Loop! Bad news: I'm going to have to do a bunch of parts swapping

as it turns out, my wife just absolutely cannot stand using anything other than a 100% layout

additionally, she really wants the knob

both of the K10 keyboards (top right) were ordered without the knob

which leaves the white Q6 used for Griffin open for salvage

Griffin was such a bust due to the terrible Awekeys keycaps

even after tuning and retuning multiple times, keys would still randomly pop off as the stems keep getting loose after usage

current plan is to take the copper plate off Griffin and put in into the purple Q6 that my wife currently use as daily driver

my wife was sold on the Akko Purple tactile switches and the Drop DCX purple keycaps

so the purple Q6 will now get the copper plate, purple tactiles, and DCX purple keycaps

the Grffin white Q6 will get the stock FR4 plate, box jades, and the light wood color keycaps

the two K10s will get switches swapped so the white K10 will get the box pink switches and the black K10 will get the keychron banana switches

the black K10 will return being my 100% workhorse keyboard

plans for my new Mode Loop? it's going to become my "test bench"

I ended up ordering the FR4, POM, and PC plates as well as the gold weight, rim, and top decorative bar

for now, I think I'm going to keep the CF plate that's currently installed, but swap out the rose colored decorative pieces

more videos coming as I go through the parts swapping

[jolly coral]

was just surfing this morning on YouTube and came across this video from Hipyo from 3 months ago, at exactly 12:34: https://youtu.be/yQqJafC7xv0?t=754

"But we don't talk about these anymore"

as I was decomissioning the Griffin last night, the $500 lesson that I've learned (so you don't have to)

anyways, finished one build last night and at least I won't be killed since my wife has A keyboard now while I try to finish the rebuild on several keyboards

I'll process the videos in a bit

[jolly coral]

alright, finally got around to process all the videos from the last couple days of keyboard swapping

I finished the White Q6 rebuild yesterday: https://youtu.be/bhqbjJAEfMA

I had to first pull off those awful gold keycaps from Awekeys:

once again, I sincerely hope nobody else makes the same mistake as me and pay Awekeys

proceed to remove all the V2 White Owl switches and installed the original FR4 plate:

tried out a couple of Box Jade switches and they sounded awful

FR4 plate made the clicky switches less clicky

I then tried to use the steel plate from the Purple Q6 to no success

apparently Keychron's Q series and Q-max series have different plates!

the mounting holes were completely changed

so I ended up wasting a bunch of time trying to sort out the plate issue

I really wanted to use a softer plate for the "thock" tactile Purple Q6, and the FR4 from the White Q6 won't fit

so I ended up ordering a PC plate from Keychron and paid for DHL shipping

the Purple Q6 will get done next Monday

anyways, sorted out all the current purple keycaps that I've accumulated for my wife:

and installed the light colored PBT "wood" keycaps onto the White Q6:

and here's the typing test of a loud and unabashful White Q6 with clicky switches: https://youtu.be/3x2maz08lkU

I was so exhausted after the rebuild, typing speed went down quite a bit

but otherwise, clicky switches are great to type on, if you don't mind the "symphony" of sounds from the switch, keycaps, and plate

today, I've did a quick switch swap to get back my Black V6: https://youtu.be/qpcsNueBr4U

I actually remembered to record a video of the keyboard before the switch swap: https://youtu.be/iPx-pIPdsFQ

similar to Box Jades, Box Pink are even higher pitched

against a plastic case of the V6, the sound is extremely amplified

result is an anti-social keyboard that click and clacks like nobody's business

here's the keyboard again, with a much more reasonable set of Keychron Banana switches: https://youtu.be/8aIeFA0UBwQ

it's really nice to hear the exact same keyboard twice with only the switches changed

shows the changes to the sound profile caused by the switches

as I've mentioned before, Keychron's Banana switches are a wonderful set of tactile switches with a top (early) bump

after getting past the initial hump, the actuation is very quiet, light, and smooth

almost like linears

with the Banana switches, the Black V6 is a much more reasonable keyboard to use as the workhorse

anyways, some progress photos from the switch swap:

still quite a few keyboard remain to be done at this point:

1. White K10 Pro - repaint part of the case and throw on some light purple keycaps over the Box Pink switches.
2. Purple Q6 - install the new PC plate that is coming and throw on the DCX Amethyst keycaps over the Akko Purple switches.
3. Mode Loop - swap out all the rose decorative pieces for gold ones and throw on the Red Samurai keycaps over a new set of Outemu Panda switches

[jolly coral]

finally, there's still this new #⌨-keeb-tkl modification that I'm planning to complete

both the White K10 Pro and the Keeb TKL builds will be weather dependent since I have spray paint

and weather has not been all that cooperative the last few days (rain + wind)

I probably should get an indoor spray booth, but I really don't want to deal with the spray paint fumes

anyways, more to come

[jolly coral]

current state of my keyboard rebuilds:

a bunch of stuff came in

and I took apart my second #⌨-keeb-tkl

and started spray painting a bunch of parts:

was doing mostly primers today so nothing exciting, yet

hopefully when the fun colors get sprayed tomorrow, the pictures will be just slightly more exciting

[grizzled light]

You got a second one?

[jolly coral]

yeah...

had too much fun making the Circuit Keeb

decided to do another one to see if it will turn out just as well

[warm sonnet]

What theme are you going for with the second one?

[jolly coral]

just finished the middle plate:

[warm sonnet]

Looks fruity

[tall cliff]

im hungry

[jolly coral]

Dang, that came out well, even from just the initial spray

That metal plate is still giving me a lot of trouble

Even with primer, paint just doesn't want to sit down well

I did a full alcohol wipe too

But there's just too much grease everywhere

Maybe I should try washing the plate next time

Because straight isopropyl wipe is not enough

Anyways, waiting for paint to dry

[tall cliff]

looks good

[jolly coral]

Pretty good match to the vinyl

[merry valley]

i need a deck that magically repels cat hair ... spent an hour this afternoon pulling caps and attacking with canned air, a foundation brush, and a toothbrush.

got about 70% of it lol

[merry valley]

try non-chlorinated brake cleaner. if that doesn't take it off, nothing short of a nuclear explosion will

[jolly coral]

I think a mild soap wash will be sufficient

[merry valley]

i know a lot of car guys that swear by it lol

[jolly coral]

I'm a car guy

And this grease is nowhere near the level of brake cleaner worthy

[merry valley]

when i built the printer stand/bookshelf, i spent way too much time prepping the black iron pipe to spray

[jolly coral]

80% of painting is prep work

[jolly coral]

been doing quite a bit of work with the Cherrylicious Keeb TKL and I haven't been posting as much as I should

here's the update on everything since the paint and partial vinyl

here's what the plate and the top bracket looked like after drying:

very pretty purple/red/gold color shifting paint color

I didn't quite like the initial placement of the vinyl for the back case, so I ended up moving some of the previously applied vinyls and added a few more cherries to make it more "cherrylicious"

finished applying cherries to the top case as well:

stacked nicely with the middle layer's HYTE logo

ended up having to manually typeset the characters on the roller:

and the other side:

[tall cliff]

cooooooool

[jolly coral]

had some fun with this:

here's the Cherrylicious Keeb TKL without switches or keycaps:

for the switches, I ended up going with the Outemu Panda switches:

they're reasonable knock-offs of the Holy Panda switches and probably slightly higher quality than the typical junk from Outemu found in dirt cheap keyboards

got a nice early bump and a medium tactile force of 65g

[tall cliff]

i should really buy a mechanical keyboard after all upgrades

to finally try out actual mechanical switches

[jolly coral]

looks amazing on the keyboard:

for keycaps, I got some "Sumgsn" Burgundy Cherry Profile keycaps from Amazon: https://a.co/d/0fz4XUD9

these keycaps are pretty cool in that the burgundy paint has small flakes in them

and I love anything with flakes

and keycaps installed (and packed away the original HYTE keycaps):

Cherrylicious Keeb TKL, unlit:

Cherrylicious Keeb TKL, pink light:

Cherrylicious Keeb TKL, pink light + ambient lighting:

took one final picture of the default RGB puke setting:

anyways, I actually remembered to click record while I was doing all this stuff

here's the 2x timelapse of the teardown of the #⌨-keeb-tkl: https://youtu.be/icDcv98oP1Q

I was much smoother this time (and didn't rip the ribbon cable)

I ended up doing a 16x timelapse for the vinyl application process: https://youtu.be/lUYxIb7ZVRo

as always, the vinyl application process is a test of patience

took a little over 5 hours to weed and apply all the vinyls that went into the build

reassembling took a little bit longer than the teardown, so I did a 4x timelapse for the build/rebuild process: https://youtu.be/If0s051tDMI

last and not least, here's the typing test of the Cherrylicious Keeb TKL: https://youtu.be/eJ0ZuqugGT4

the keyboard was at the wrong angle so I wasn't able to type as fast

but the Outemu Panda switches were great

sound profile is pretty normal for tactile switches with cherry profile keycaps on metal plate

[winged patrol]

How and where

[livid mason]

Update: Cherry Ergo Clears feel and sound scratchier than Cherry Purples once hand-lubed

And Cherry purples were already scratchy

[jolly coral]

just finished making a few "things" tonight:

way too tired to be processing the build videos and write up the build process here

hopefully I'll find some time tomorrow

[jolly coral]

Time to pull out the sandpaper? https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/of0pub/cant_we_just_sand_down_the_tactile_bump_on_the/

[tall cliff]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1meziEMdsk not custom but still an intresting keyboard

the russian layout didnt change from it but english layout on russian keyboards changed

also this one has big russian letters and small english ones while modern do the opposite

[jolly coral]

sigh Google/FB ads got me https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/products/ducky-year-of-the-dragon-2024

That entire keyboard is just inspirational

[tall cliff]

very

[livid mason]

damn that's pretty

and it comes with Cherry Purples

looks like they went into mass production on the Purples

[tall cliff]

when Cherry Greens

[winged patrol]

I wanna make an custom keyboard too

Most unique one

Just for me

But I lack everything to make that happen

Atleast rn

[tall cliff]

money?

[winged patrol]

Yes that's one of thing I lack rn

[tall cliff]

same there

[jolly coral]

Oh geez, didn't even notice

I was so busy looking for the "purchase now" button on the website

[tall cliff]

very attractive button

[jolly coral]

Hard to find on that website

[tall cliff]

agreed

[jolly coral]

alright, finally got all the media stuff process this morning

continuing the whole keyboard parts round-robin, the next was the Purple Q6 rebuild

since my wife really didn't like the way the DCX keycaps sounded against a metal board, I ordered a new PC plate from Keychron for the Purple Q6:

need to install the standoffs myself:

everything mounted super easily since the Q6 is such a simple keyboard relative to a wireless capable keyboard:

ended up pulling the DCX keycaps and the Akko Lavender Purple switches from the Mode Loop:

got an extra tray of the Akko Lavender Purple switches so I've got enough to build a 100% keyboard:

the switches matches the Purple Q6 perfectly

and it was the perfect platform for these Amethyst keycaps:

Drop didn't give enough keycaps for the 4 extra keys above the numpad, so I ended up pulling some purple pudding keycaps from another set

Keychron Purple Q6, lit:

much more subtle lighting and fits the "minimalist' aesthetics

huge contrast from my usual builds

the Purple Q6 4x timelapse video: https://youtu.be/Lq0cxHVRrvo

and the Purple Q6 typing test: https://youtu.be/2lfgMOvBZ64

typing experience was exactly the same as the Mode Loop version: #1071070910989209661 message

except the sound profile changed slightly due to the PC plate

the high-pitch click sound from the DCX keycaps bottoming out against the metal plate is now gone

and the sound profile is a much more pleasant click sound instead

most important part is that my wife test drove the Purple Q6 all day yesterday and she enjoyed the experience

so a success!

and now I've inherited the Mode Loop that my wife didn't want (score!), I've ordered some more goodies from Mode to make the Loop "mine":

I really like how I was able to order basically every single piece of the Loop after the initial purchase

[jolly coral]

to me, that's already worth the $$$ premium that I've paid for this "premium" keeb

anyways, got 3 more plates (FR4, POM, and PC) and new weight, ring, and accent piece

so my Loop can now serve as a testing platform for all the various combination of keycaps/switches/plate

got the new gold colored parts to replace the original rose colored parts:

the swap was super easy

for switches, I've got another set of Outemu Panda (right):

crazy how these switches came from a different seller an the "red" is different from the ones ordered for Cherrrylicious Keeb TKL

that's Outemu quality for you

got the switches installed in the Loop:

for keycaps, I ordered the Red Samurai set of mintcaps:

5 trays worth of keycaps to choose from various color combination

totally worth the higher cost

the color combination that I've finally decided on:

Mode Loop Elderberry/Gold build:

the Mode Loop rebuild 4x timelapse: https://youtu.be/uViT86EG9CQ

and the Mode Loop typing test: https://youtu.be/SGRHAhjYATM

since pretty much the same combination as the Cherrylicious Keeb TKL, the sound profile was very similar

the sound is a bit lower because of the CF plate vs. the metal plate on the Keeb

the typing experience is really nice, good tactile feedback and the price of these Outemu is amazing

[tall cliff]

how much

[jolly coral]

$18 for 110

[tall cliff]

thats very good price

[jolly coral]

so $0.16 a piece

much more reasonably priced switches than what I'm going to share in a second

next was the new cheapo numpad I've picked up:

I ordered 2 of these Epomaker EK21's from Amazon and ended up returning the second one