|
Disharmony posted:How does the NK65EE compare to the Keychron aluminum? Is it weighty and sturdy despite the plasticky-looking build? Of those, I've only held the NK65EE, and I'd probably recommend it over the others. It's not going to be super heavy because it's made almost entirely of polycarbonate. However, it has a separate plate, and PCB. It's got all of the very standard features that most of the more expensive boards have -- aside from the weight. You'll be able to swap plates just fine with it because it's a very standard and popular layout and board. If you're looking for a good entry in the custom keeb world, with all the possible options and flexibility that comes with it, at an affordable price, the NK65EE is it.
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 00:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 19:01 |
|
|
Gearman posted:Of those, I've only held the NK65EE, and I'd probably recommend it over the others. Okay I'm almost sold but I have to also ask: would Millmaxing my Keychron K2 so I could hot swap the Boba (or any other switch) also a good option or there's some drawbacks to that?
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 01:44
|
|
|
I've got a KBP V60 (the discontinued original model) with Matias Quiet Click switches; the layout is great and the switches are outstanding, better than anything else I've touched (just some MXes of various colors that friends own). I am thinking about getting a bigger board, either TKL or something around that size, and figure I might as well use it as an opportunity to try new switches as well. I want to get as much tactility as possible with minimal noise, and the Quiet Clicks are great at that. (I type pretty hard and I think I need the tactile feedback to not aggressively bottom out the keys.) What else should I be looking at, from a switch perspective? I was looking at Topre Silent, and maybe something like this Realforce TKL; I'm also interested in the layout of this Leopold FC980C even though it's only available with non-silent switches. Any comments on these, or recommendations for other (bigger than 60%) boards with Topre Silent or other interesting switches?
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 02:18
|
|
|
Disharmony posted:Okay I'm almost sold but I have to also ask: would Millmaxing my Keychron K2 so I could hot swap the Boba (or any other switch) also a good option or there's some drawbacks to that? The only drawback is that I believe the Keychron PCB only has support for plate mount switches instead of PCB mount switches. What this means is that if you have any switches that have 5 legs (PCB mount) you'll need to clip off two of them for it to fit. It's not an uncommon thing to do and it won't really damage the switches, it's just very tedious, especially if you're trying out lots of different switches. The NK65EE supports PCB mount switches, so you don't need to do any clipping and can just drop in any kind of switch without any hassle.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 04:18
|
|
|
If you're looking into the nk65ee, I'd also recommend the kbd67lite at that price point. They may still be doing a group buy for that now that should ship in May.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 08:05
|
|
|
Disharmony posted:How does the NK65EE compare to the Keychron aluminum? Is it weighty and sturdy despite the plasticky-looking build? There's a big silicone sheet in the bottom of the case that gives it a decent heft. Makes the Gateron Black Ink on my spacebar sound nice too.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 14:41
|
|
|
When you mix switches on a board, the typical thing is to do the alphas/numbers/punctuation with a lighter switch and then your modifier keys, Enter key, etc. in a heavier one, right? I managed to snag a M0lly extra and now I need to figure out what I'll do with it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 14:55
|
|
|
All personal preference, but yeah, most people do like a heavy spacebar and enter. I have to say for gaming, I find heavier modifier keys to actually be quite annoying however.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 17:06
|
|
|
I actually put slightly lighter linears on the spacebar in my tactile keyboards.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2021 20:53
|
|
|
I put a super heavy clicky switch on caps. I find the click more useful than heavy in that case. Oddly enough, I originally had box reds on the whole board with Kailh Berry on the Windows key, but it ended up being too light for me, so I put the whole board as Kailh Berry, 70g actuation, 90g bottom out. It's weird, but I really like it. I kind of want to make the board I'm (finally) setting up for the work laptop dock that heavy too. Maybe I'll try Kailh Box Dark Yellow 70/80 for a small change.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 00:38
|
|
|
Are the desk mats that most keyboard companies sell any good? They seem pretty cheap for the price but do have any quality issues compared to ones from bigger companies like Corsair or steelseries?
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 00:49
|
|
|
CyberPingu posted:If you want to go full ergonomic split board, I have a wireless redox that runs off of watch batteries that I replace maybe one/twice a year That sounds pretty nice. I'm skimming the GitHub readme and it links to something called via. Unfortunately, the site, caniusevia.com, doesn't actually say what the hell via [i]is[/]. Can someone please explain it for me, the person who doesn't know poo poo about homemade keyboards? Edit: oh wait, it involves a bunch of soldering. Something I haven't done in like 15 years and for which I am not equipped. Never mind. hooah fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Mar 16, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 00:53
|
|
|
TacticalHoodie posted:Are the desk mats that most keyboard companies sell any good? They seem pretty cheap for the price but do have any quality issues compared to ones from bigger companies like Corsair or steelseries? Yeah the deskmats at just about any of the common keyboard vendors are just fine. Any of the deskmats listed here are great: https://thocstock.com/deskpads I think Corsair and Steelseries just like having higher margins on these sorts of items. Gearman fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Mar 16, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 01:45
|
|
|
Alarbus posted:I put a super heavy clicky switch on caps. I find the click more useful than heavy in that case. I do this as well with my lock keys and layer toggles. Anything that toggles state is clicky as is backspace so I know immediately if I hit them accidentally, and then my numbers and arrows are heavier tactiles compared to the rest.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 03:15
|
|
|
Apparently I accidentally posted in the PC Building thread that having a linear spacebar is more important to me than having a heavy spacebar, so I'm here to say the same thing
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 04:11
|
|
|
hooah posted:That sounds pretty nice. I'm skimming the GitHub readme and it links to something called via. Unfortunately, the site, caniusevia.com, doesn't actually say what the hell via [i]is[/]. Can someone please explain it for me, the person who doesn't know poo poo about homemade keyboards? Via is a QMK GUI for programming keyboards, like layout, key maps, LEDs, and so on. It makes using QMK so much easier instead of having to build a firmware and copy that over to the board. There’s some configuration work done by the PCB designer to make it work, hence the can I use via.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 06:23
|
|
|
Corsair throwing in their hat into the custom keyboard game. https://www.corsair.com/ca/en/Categ...p/CH-9194014-NA Cherry MX reds, 60% layout, swappable keycaps $149 CAD 
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 16:06
|
|
|
If it's built like some of their old stuff then it's probably worth it. Mouse lasted 7 years of daily use, headset lasted 4 or 5 and only died because the actual cable got damaged. Don't know about going 60% though.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 16:23
|
|
|
Disharmony posted:Okay I'm almost sold but I have to also ask: would Millmaxing my Keychron K2 so I could hot swap the Boba (or any other switch) also a good option or there's some drawbacks to that? you're gonna spend half the cost of the board on millmax sockets alone so I'd say at that point just wait for the hotswap K2 to come back in stock. hooah posted:That sounds pretty nice. I'm skimming the GitHub readme and it links to something called via. Unfortunately, the site, caniusevia.com, doesn't actually say what the hell via [i]is[/]. Can someone please explain it for me, the person who doesn't know poo poo about homemade keyboards? VIA's documentation is dogshit. But basically it's a software that allows you to reprogram your board on the fly, without having to deal with some of the clunkier steps of QMK such as compiling keymaps into a firmware that then has to be flashed to the board. Instead you get a nice, easy to use software where you click the key you want to program, and then select what you want that key to do instead. There's some knowledge required to use the more advanced features such as layers, and tapdance. That of course isn't at all documented =/ lordfrikk posted:I would like to get some ideas on a custom build: Full size is a tough ask in the custom scene. There's just not many. But you have a LOT of options in TKL and 75%. So many I don't even know where to begin. I would say start by just perusing the IC/GB areas of Geekhack and see what tickles your fancy. For a budget of $500, I think you're going to be fairly limited with MechMarket offerings. Most boards start out in group buy around that price and flip for double on /MM. Gun to my head, "just give me a name" I'd say Satisfaction 75 and UTD 360 / OTD 356 GnarlyCharlie4u fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Mar 16, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 16:23
|
|
|
Put together this today. I wanted a keyboard for the racing simulator. Compact, backlit, BT, 2.4GHZ. Hot swap for easy maintenance and tailoring. I grabbed an RK100. Threw some Glorious Pandas to try, and some Tai-Hao because the stock caps were the stupidest color considering it was BLUE BACKLIGHT ONLY and the caps weren't even shine through. Before:  After:  A blue shine through set matches the blue LEDs much better. Shame the Tai Hao didn't have a R5 PGDN. But they have blanks for every row in the kit so it's no big deal.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 19:53
|
|
|
hooah posted:That sounds pretty nice. I'm skimming the GitHub readme and it links to something called via. Unfortunately, the site, caniusevia.com, doesn't actually say what the hell via [i]is[/]. Can someone please explain it for me, the person who doesn't know poo poo about homemade keyboards? How do you feel about low profile keycaps and a lack of a num row? The group buy for this thing just went live: https://lowprokb.ca/products/corne-ish-zen-2?variant=37694331977892 edit: I'm finding myself tempted by this thing, even though I don't like the lacking a numrow. Something about the design is appealing. .Z. fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Mar 16, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 20:38
|
|
hooah posted:That sounds pretty nice. I'm skimming the GitHub readme and it links to something called via. Unfortunately, the site, caniusevia.com, doesn't actually say what the hell via [i]is[/]. Can someone please explain it for me, the person who doesn't know poo poo about homemade keyboards? Fair. I got the site I bought mine from to assemble it for me. If you live in the EU (they might ship elsewhere I dunno) check out https://falba.tech/
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2021 20:44
|
|
|
Re: the discussion on Hall effect switches last week, I thought this seemed interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpKBC1tWXws e: nvm, it's just some very basic stuff, I thought he'd go into more details but I guess that'll be in the actual keyboard review. TheFluff fucked around with this message at 15:32 on Mar 17, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2021 15:27
|
|
|
I'm looking at putting together my first keyboard. I'm looking at the gk64x here: https://smile.amazon.com/swappable-...084&sr=8-6&th=1 Does anyone have experience with this kit? If so, is it a good first hot swappable keyboard? I have a few mech keyboards with cherry blues and I'm currently typing on a model m. I'm new to the hot swappable keyboards though. I was thinking about getting kailh navy or jade switches to go with this board from novelkeys: https://novelkeys.xyz/products/novelkeys-x-kailh-box-thick-clicks Would they work with that board? I know I need to get keycaps too but I haven't decided which ones to get yet.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2021 20:32
|
|
|
mariooncrack posted:I'm looking at putting together my first keyboard. I'm looking at the gk64x here: I have a GK61X with the option to go split spacebar with box navies and some cheap keycaps I threw together for fun. Turned out to be a decent build. The hot swap is decent. Sounds good, spacebar is a little thocky that's about it. Was a real easy build.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 00:37
|
|
|
mariooncrack posted:I'm looking at putting together my first keyboard. I'm looking at the gk64x here: If it’s your first board I’d get a sampler of navy and jade (and some others). Jade especially, it’s a LOT of click. Cheaper than committing to an entire board worth of switches
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 01:21
|
|
|
Opioid posted:If it’s your first board I’d get a sampler of navy and jade (and some others). Jade especially, it’s a LOT of click. Cheaper than committing to an entire board worth of switches This is also a good idea. I have a board full of Jades and a board full of Navies and I like them both. Good to get a sampler to see which is a better feel for you.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 02:09
|
|
|
Opioid posted:If it’s your first board I’d get a sampler of navy and jade (and some others). Jade especially, it’s a LOT of click. Cheaper than committing to an entire board worth of switches Nulldevice posted:This is also a good idea. I have a board full of Jades and a board full of Navies and I like them both. Good to get a sampler to see which is a better feel for you. That's a good idea. Found a Kailh Box Switch tester for $20 and I'm going to pick that up first. I was curios about some other switches too. Opioid, what do you mean when you say Jade is a lot of click? Like it's loud? mariooncrack fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Mar 18, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 15:54
|
|
|
All of the clicky box switches are pretty loud but I wouldn't say they're extreme in that regard. However both jades and navies are extremely tactile, in the sense that they have a very sharp break in the force curve. You press them, they go down maybe a millimeter and then they just stop and absolutely nothing happens until you press hard enough and then suddenly all resistance gives way. Some people really love this, others don't. If you're used to Cherry switches and their very mushy tactility I imagine it can be quite a jarring transition. Jades and navies have the same click bar so in theory the tactile break should be the same in both of them, but navies have a heavier weighting (stiffer return spring) so they're heavier to type on, but for some reason the tactile break feels a little bit mushier on them than on the jades. YMMV. For me personally navies are too heavy, they get exhausting pretty quickly. For typing I'd prefer jades but since I also do quite a bit of gaming I've decided to keep the box whites that came with this board instead (same weighting as jades but a thinner click bar, so the tactile break is softer). For comparison here's force curves for MX blues and box jades. TheFluff fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Mar 18, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 16:24
|
|
|
Yeah, the box whites are really nice, and probably cheaper than a bunch of jades/navies.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 16:44
|
|
|
GnarlyCharlie4u posted:Full size is a tough ask in the custom scene. There's just not many. But you have a LOT of options in TKL and 75%. So many I don't even know where to begin. Thank you for the reply, I appreciate it! Satisfaction 75 looks pretty good though the rotary and OLED screen are not something I want on a keyboard. Do you know how much was it for when the GB was open? I couldn't find anything on UTD 360 except imgur albums and reddit posts and researching the OTD 356 it looks more like a myth rather than something I could buy in the foreseeable future, though it seems like just the thing I'd want when it comes to build quality.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 16:47
|
|
|
lordfrikk posted:Thank you for the reply, I appreciate it! Kind of a good thing that you don't like the Sat 75, tbh, because it is a very hyped board and pretty much impossible to get. At this point, your only real option is to buy one on Mechmarket for $1k+. Their original price in the GB was $435. The UTD is a really interesting option, and, full disclosure, I have one coming sometime in May. The UTD is a clone of the OTD 356 CL. The OTD boards were really well designed and, in most cases, were designed to be used with a specific switch type (C for 'Clicky', 'L' for Linear denoted in the name) and for very consistent feel and acoustics across the whole board. Most boards nowadays aren't really made with that kind of detail in mind. I haven't personally used one, but a lot of people that are pretty deep in the hobby regard them as some of the best boards ever made, despite being made over a decade ago. The designers of the UTD are very upfront about it being a clone, and tried to keep it as close to the OTD 356 CL as possible, while still being recognizable as a clone. Most of the markings on the UTD still say 'OTD' but there is an etched logo on the inside that says 'UTD' to show that it is a UTD and not an authentic OTD. Otherwise, the board is nearly identical, aside from slightly different brass quality on the weight, and the bottom interior bezels are a little bit bigger on the UTD. Some people in the hobby are really against clones, some people are fine with them. Personally, I'm very excited about UTD -- and the upcoming UTD Mini -- because 1.) The boards haven't been made for years, and the designer hasn't been heard from in many years as well, so the UTD isn't really taking any money out of the designer's pocket 2.) The UTD is clearly marked as a UTD and not a 1:1 copy. 3.) An authentic OTD sells for $5k+ if you can even find someone willing to sell one. Most owners of them really do not want to give them up. If you're interested in what an OTD 356 CL sounds like, there's a great typing test video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz_1h8yH7Ds Notice how you don't really hear the 'pop' on the spacebar like most other boards. The board, plate, and PCB were all designed to make every key as consistent to each other as possible. The UTD sounds and feels nearly identical. Very important: the UTD / OTD 356 CL does NOT come with a Winkey or Function Key. That design will not change. So if that's a deal breaker, you'll want to look elsewhere. Thankfully, there's someone organizing a group buy to bring UTDs to folks outside of China. Cost is $350 with an expected delivery date of August. You can find more info on his Reddit post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/m6hlk4/gb_utd_360c_with_a_north_america_vendor_now/
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 17:14
|
|
|
mariooncrack posted:That's a good idea. Found a Kailh Box Switch tester for $20 and I'm going to pick that up first. I was curios about some other switches too. Way better summary than I could write above. I got a sampler pack thinking I might like clicky but changed my mind after trying. I ended up going Zilents for the board and used the Box Jade for my Esc key and I still dislike when I have to push Esc.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 17:16
|
|
|
The gf needs a new keeb. something between 65% and 75%, but preferably shorter than a tkl for ergonomics. I was considering a keychron k2, but my roommate has one, and I found the case to be a bit too tall, forcing one to bend the wrists. Also the gateron browns it had installed felt squishy—when i first felt them, i figured they were cherry reds, and I was shocked to discover an ostensibly ‘tactile’ switch. She types very fast and hard for grad school, and doesn’t want to bother her zoom classmates with noisy blue switches. she doesn’t need anything fancy: wireless, backlighting, etc are totally optional. but are there any prebuilt boards under 150 that come with nicer tactile switches than gateron/cherry browns?
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 17:30
|
|
|
Head Bee Guy posted:The gf needs a new keeb. something between 65% and 75%, but preferably shorter than a tkl for ergonomics. I was considering a keychron k2, but my roommate has one, and I found the case to be a bit too tall, forcing one to bend the wrists. Also the gateron browns it had installed felt squishy—when i first felt them, i figured they were cherry reds, and I was shocked to discover an ostensibly ‘tactile’ switch. Matias Mini Quiet Pro? The switches are called "quiet click" which is bizarre because they're tactile and have no clicker element at all. They're Alps clones, so quite nice and sharp tactility (although not Kailh box level), but they're dampened so they're reasonably quiet. I used a board with these switches in an open office setting for two years and nobody minded (it was probably quieter than most low profile scissor switch boards, honestly). It's an excellent typists' board, probably the second best I've used after the Apple Extended Keyboard (which is very loud, very big, very old and very expensive). Given what you said about a tall case though maybe you'd really want a low profile board, but I have never tried any low profile tactile switches and I'm not sure if there even are any really good ones. TheFluff fucked around with this message at 19:18 on Mar 18, 2021 |
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 19:08
|
|
|
I just got a Matias Quiet Pro for my partner, I'd just add that they have sharp tactility in contrast to Cherry switches, but not in the grand scheme of things, if that's a thing that matters. They feel much closer to browns than something like zealios to me. Definitely reasonably quiet though!
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 19:15
|
|
|
I'd probably see if you can get something like a GMMK Mini or GMMK TKL barebones, and then going and getting some Boba U4 Silent switches. Excellent tactility, but very quiet.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 19:29
|
|
|
Gearman posted:Kind of a good thing that you don't like the Sat 75, tbh, because it is a very hyped board and pretty much impossible to get. At this point, your only real option is to buy one on Mechmarket for $1k+. Their original price in the GB was $435. Thank you very much for the write-up! The UTD 356 does sound pretty much perfect (especially loving the sound) except for the Windows key missing but I could probably get over that. But I'm not based in the US so the GB is a no go for me. I have someone in China who could buy it for me there, though. Is it buyable in China or is it only manufactured there via the GB?
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 19:36
|
|
|
lordfrikk posted:Thank you very much for the write-up! Yep, if you have a friend in China, or use a service like Wegobuy, or use something like Taobao Direct, you can order one right now and it'll ship some time in May. The Taobao link is here for it: https://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=610016432295&spm=1101.1101.N.N.c035378 The silver is 'Apple Silver' and the black is about as dark as you'd expect for an anodized black. The link is to the shop that has run multiple Group Buys for the UTD already, so it's a pretty safe bet that you're actually going to get one if you order from there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 20:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 19:01 |
|
|
Who has the best software? Ideally, I'd like to be able to remap almost any key.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2021 20:27
|
|
