Where I'm At

Basically, I know just the very basics. I've thought about building a keyboard many times and I have the technical means/knowhow to do such. I know there are very personal things like keystroke length, pressure, etc. that goes into it but I don't have enough experience typing on keyboards that aren't garbage to really know what I want. Advice on figuring that out would be really helpful.

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As far as things that I know that I need:

• Backlighting. The lighting in my space is not great and it really helps (for me, since I don't always have hands on the keyboard) to be able to quickly identify a key. I know this might deduct from the budget a lot, but I'm willing to absorb it because I consider this a must-have. Static color is fine, I don't need full programmable RGB

• 100% keyboard. I have the space and use all the keys for games, macros, etc. 6 years ago I got a giant grin on my face when I finally used the scroll lock key for what it's designed for.

• Quietness is more important than feel for me. As much as I'd love one of those crazy Model Ms that have the servos for a replica perfect typing feel, I often am on voice chat while doing things so that's a no go.

• I can't do the split ergo thing, as cool as it seems. My brain has been trained to touch type poorly, and there's no way I'm gonna be able to get away from that.

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Budget

If this is possible for $200 or less, that would be great. If someone knows of something prebuilt, or a possible combination of parts that could fit within this budget I'd be very grateful. I can go a little over by piecemealing parts, but sooner rather than later would really be preferred. I'm tired of having either cheap or half broken keyboards.

Thanks

Has anybody attempted to fix an USB-C connector?

The raffle form for this week is open now: https://www.jellykey.com/raffle

Some information:

• Character Sculptures Collection: Cat Knights, Night Hunter, Magician Klown, Octopian (10 keycaps per sculpture)

• Colorway: Vio Pink

• Price: $100

• Shipping fee: $12 per keycap (free shipping if you live in Vietnam)

• Keycap Compatibility: MX stem & meticulously crafted with multiple layers

• Shipping Commences: Starting from 10/25/24 (one month after the raffle conclusion)

Rule:

• Only one entry.

• You will be banned if you don't pay the invoice when you win.

Raffle:

• This form will open in 24 hours (closed on 09/25/24 at 11 PM GMT+7).

• The invoice will start after the form has closed (30-90 mins).

Payment:

• We only accept PAYPAL with raffle sales.

• Payment will be open 24 hours before closing. Unpaid invoices will be cancelled & keycaps will be raffled again.

Last week I sent this purple Qazimodo prototype to my good friend (chellekeebs on Instagram) and she took these amazing photos of it. Love how it looks with Lilac Dreams.

I was very close to not doing a purple case but I’m so glad I did!

More photos here

Co-workers Ripjaws keyboard died and since its not hotswap it cant be fixed easy.

https://c1.neweggimages.com/ProductImageCompressAll1280/23-828-011-V04.jpg

He is looking for a replacement but is really addicted to the macro keys on the left. Anyone have a non Keychron rec? (I am already sending him all the Keychron keebs that offer similar layouts)

Thanks/Cheers!

As someone who's looking to to get into the hobby, I'm curious to hear if there are any recommendations for budget friendly mechanical keyboards. I had/have a Corsair cherry red mechanical keyboard that I used probably around 10 years ago at this point when I was into gaming, but now I'd be looking for something a bit more refined, and possibly vintage as I quite enjoy using old tech. Any suggestions? I'm in Europe if that matters at all.

Here are Jelly Key’s unique event keycaps! We’re selling them through a Mini Groupbuy, which means it’s only happening for 2 days (closing on the 19th), and they’ll be delivered after 40 working days. All the photos you see are of the actual products. Our keycaps are individually molded and completely hand-cast with multiple layers of color—not 3D printed. Plus, we guarantee a one-on-one replacement for any errors caused by our artisan team.

And remember, we won’t be reopening any groupbuys, so hurry and pick out a fabulous cake or lantern for the Mid-Autumn Festival!

Currently got this one on my work laptop. Model M terminal board with internal converter. The only layout changes I made versus a normal 102-key are that RCtrl is is a Windows key, and the four keys along the right side of the numpad are =, -, +, and the normal Enter.

Yes, it’s mechanical. Choc V1 20g Nocturnal switches, and I use it daily at work typing for a living. 26-key Unibody ʻākohekohe

Montreal Mechanical Keyboard Meetup memorabilia. The silhouette is the Olympic Tower.

Made some design updates based on feedback I received from a couple fellow keyboard designers and I just received the first two prototypes this week. Super happy with how they turned out.

More photos here.

Hi! New to all of this, but I've been following the community for a while and wanted to finally get my hands on a board after having figured out what (I think) I like. Still have some questions concerning multiple-language use case. I read through some of the posts on here but couldn't find a lot so I thought I will just ask...

So far, following one comment, I guess it would be best to go with anANSI layout and learn how to use US International layout, since the (Keychron) Keyboard I currently eyeball is also difficult to get as ISO fully assembled in the color option I want, ordering from Europe. I need this to run on Linux and I guess there's no way around getting into key mapping.

1. I do work with several langues, so I would need at minimum Latin and Cyrillic alphabet, additionally some characters of Nordic, Slavic, Germanic and Romanic languages, so basically a lot of diacritics, but also a few extra characters such as ø, ß, ł. However, from what I read US International might not work with for instance Czech, which is a huge problem for me (š, č, ž, ů etc.). Anyone on here with experience and/or solutions regarding this?

2. For those of you owning and using a Keychron on Linux, is keymapping a no-brainer? (I hope my biggest issue with this will just be using a Chromium-based Browser xD) --> If Keychron isn't advised, any ideas on other Keyboards supporting key mapping, preferably manufactured in and shipped from Europe. (metal body, 80%, wired, media knob, possibly macros, price point less important)

3. Also looking for recommendations on where to buy aesthetically pleasing Latin/Cyrillic Keycaps! Preferably Europe-based Vendors and no sketchy and cheap (possibly toxic) chinese products.

Thanks a lot!

My Keychron Q11 showed up recently and I've been super happy with it. Main reason was that my Noppoo Choc Mini finally lost a switch and I don't have any on hand (nor a soldering iron ...yet) but it turns out I actually really wanted the pair of rotary encoders on this and didn't even realise.

Specifically, I've got it bound to Ctrl-PgUp/PgDown so I can scroll through my tabs with it and close them with a click binding to Ctrl-W and that's working out really well.

Anyone else use the knobs like that? I've got the other one set to volume and the vendor had zoom as a suggestion but I wonder what else people do with these?

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Bonus newb Q: On the product page they demonstrate binding Ctrl-+ zooming to the encoder via a macro but neither macro13 nor the {KC_LCTL,KC-W} type syntax would let me click "Confirm" when trying to associate it to the knob in Via (eg. it wouldn't let me follow their example). Luckily it was happy with the alternative of LCTL(KC_W) that I stumbled on somewhere but now I wonder how to properly associate a macro to a knob?

Join our groupbuy: https://www.jellykey.com/artisan-keycaps/coral-oasis

In this Groupbuy, we’ve got keycaps in these sizes: 1u, 2u backspace, 2.25u enter/left-shift, 2.75u right-shift, and 6.25u spacebar. You can choose from SA, Droplet, Naked (great for Cherry profile), and art toy.

Because it’s cast as a solid piece, the transparency effect is going to look amazing on a keyboard with LEDs. But that’s not all—you’ll feel like you’re looking into a vibrant coral reef aquarium, full of life, especially under UV light.

The Groupbuy closes on September 12th, but we might close early if we hit our limit. We want to deliver on time with the best quality, so don’t wait; the designs in our Groupbuy are sold only once, and there will be no re-releases.

• Each keycap, no matter the size, comes in a handcrafted wooden box. Every art toy is also shipped in a large wooden box.
• The Art Toy x32 and X77 are only available in one option: 1u with a naked profile, and you can choose from four colors.
• Our keycaps are genuinely handmade using resin casting and multi-layer coloring. These are real, not 3D renders or printed products.
• We also offer a one-on-one replacement if there's a defect caused by our artisan team. Don't hesitate to contact us for help.--

I picked up a Ducky One Mini at a flea market yesterday, and after cleaning it extensively it seems to be working pretty well for the most part. I'm using it for writing and coding, so not having dedicated arrow keys will take some getting used to, but other than that it seems neat enough for the price I paid.

However, the alternative graphic button (on the right side of the space bar) is completely unresponsive. Pressing it just makes no difference at all. I used a tool that maps keyboard presses in Linux (xev), and it showed nothing when Alt Gr was pressed (just like the Fn button), so it seems no signal is being sent from the keyboard to the computer.

It could be that this is due to some setting made by the previous owner, or maybe there's something else going on. Maybe I need to update the firmware. Maybe it's broken. I have no idea.

The back-light behind some of the numerical keys is also disabled or broken, but it doesn't bother me much as I'm not a big fan of back-light anyway.

But if anyone has any suggestions what to try for the alternative graphic key it would be much appreciated! For now I have re-routed right super (Windows button) to be read as Alt Gr, but it's not very convenient when writing Latex and using a lot of curly brackets. :)

Original post here.

I've found a fix for the key 'sticking' issue I posted about a couple of weeks ago.

It turns out that on the problematic switches, the 'south' plastic wall (highlighted in picture) had caved inwards. This was either due to poor QC or, more likely, damage I caused when trying to foolishly force the switches into my PCB.

I believe that when I was inserting the switches into the PCB the pressure applied to the East and West sides of the switch exacerbated the flex and caused the South side of the switch's stem to 'catch' on the problematic wall.

That would explain why the switches didn't malfunction until they were in the PCB and why a problematic switch would be more noticeable on the left half of my keyboard than the right half (I believe that the PCB grid holes are slightly smaller on the left half).

I've taken a few of the troublesome switches, taken a plastic spudger, and applied pressure to 'reverse' the bend and it's solved the issue every time!

I haven't owned a mechanical keyboard in years, but I found this while thrifting the other day. Cleaned it up, everything seems to work fine.

The only thing that irks me is the spacebar. It sort of teeter totters and only works when I press in the center. Are there supposed to be three switches under it?

!picture of keyboard without spacebar

Also, is there any way to swap the alt/windows keys at the hardware/firmware level? I prefer the macOS layout and would like to avoid juggling configuration software on each device I own.

Hello,

My apologies if I use the wrong terminology, I'm pretty new to this. This week I installed Gazzew U4T switches into the Sofle V2 keyboard I put together. I used Cherry MX Blues in it before and had no issues.

Some of my switches, as I press them, feel as if they get 'caught' on the tactile bump. There's a great deal of resistance at the level of travel the bump begins. I either have to apply more pressure or change the angle of the pressure my fingers exerts to 'uncatch' it and depress it.

The odd thing is that it doesn't appear to be an issue with the individual switches but rather the position they sit i.e. I can replace a switch working as expected with a 'catching' switch and the previously working switch now catches and vice versa.

It appears the respective gaps on the PCB are too tight and it 'chokes' the switch.

Has anyone encountered this? Does anyone know of a solution? Would lubing my switches solve the problem?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18681689

RP2040, KMK, Laser cut and painted Masonite, and DIY dye-sub (I checked by sawing some keycaps in half... it's kinda crappy, but it's real dye-sub) keycaps. "Mid height" Outemu black, "JWK" low profile keycaps from Aliexpress.

Hi there,

I'm a dev and use basic mechanical keyboards (tkl corsair quick fire). For a while now I'm operating in qwerty us layout but I reversed the numbers with the special characters because I use them more often than numbers. Any of you know where I could find this? CherryMX keycaps.

I don't want to go on the more dvoraky dev layouts because I think more than I type during my day.

Thanks a lot ❤️

In the digital age, where everything is just a touch away, the world of gaming has become incredibly diverse and captivating. Yet, amidst the myriad of choices, Tetris still holds a special place in the hearts of many. We at Jelly Key understand this. We grew up with Tetris, and the childhood memories of this classic puzzle game remain vivid. That’s why, with all due respect, Jelly Key has recreated Tetris in the most authentic way possible, from visuals to the overall feel...

In this collection:

• 4 designs
• keycap sizes: 1u / 2.25u / 6.25u
• profiles: Cherry, SA
• price: $49
• payment: PP / CC

Our Groupbuy will close on the 18th of this month, but please remember that we might close it earlier if we reach our production capacity. Every piece is entirely handcrafted and assembled with care, piece by piece. We’ve never reopened a previous Groupbuy, so don’t miss out on this fantastic product!

Many years ago, I was using typing trainer website that had a handful of public domain books available to train on as part of the end-of-course materials. I thought this was really neat, but I ran out of content pretty quickly and lamented the fact that there was nothing else available. Why couldn't you just choose any of the books that were in the public domain? The framework was already there, surely it wouldn't be difficult to implement? I was perplexed by such an obvious oversight and missed opportunity.

Well, today I stumbled upon the exact thing I had wanted to have back then and just wanted to share.

Hi! I'm relatively new to mechanical keyboards and I need some help.

I need a 60% that will allow to toggle between two mode, one for writing and one for cursor movement with arrows (possibly on IJKL).

From what I found most of the 60% use the Fn button for arrows, but you have to keep it pressed, which will not work for me... I need to actually toggle the alternative layout. Some 60% have a "Fn lock" to support this, but it's hard to tell by just looking at their specs...

Do you know any model with a similar feature?

Hi Everyone,

This is HiexaKey. We are glad to meet you here. Today, we will introduce the first custom keyboard of the brand new G series: Hiexa G60.

I am sure everyone has childhood memories, some of which you still feel nostalgic for until today. One of the essential parts of mine is my passion and love for video games, especially handheld console games. However, for some reason, I've never been able to have a handheld game console of my own when I was a child. Now, I can combine it with the keyboard, which is also a way to make up for the regret of my childhood!

Render Gallery

Design

Front design---Combining the classic elements and the double L-shaped bars is a decoration and part of the structure, practical as well as elegant and aesthetic. There are WK, WKL, and HHKB layout options.

Side design---It adopts an upper, middle, and lower splicing method and combines it with geometric protrusions for visual features. The RGB strips are embellishments, and you can adjust the colors and brightness of RGB lighting for different atmospheres. The side of the bottom case shell utilizes cutting techniques to create a three-dimensional visual effect!

Back design---It combines game and handheld game console styles, with multiple CNC parts matching each other to make the overall style more complete!

Structure

• Ball Catch Structure---We have adopted a suitable ball catch for the keyboard case, which can be symmetrically distributed on the shell.

• Quick-release Button---We have added a convenient quick-release button to the bottom case. By pressing it, you can now quickly and easily release the ball catch system with one hand.

• Limit Stopper---It prevents scratches caused by the case's disassembly and assembly and serves as a limit for the keyboard inner.

• Magnetic Connector---It is the same as the Hiexa V series, which can simplify the assembly process.

• Brass Internal Weight---It integrates two batteries(Tri-mode) inside to make the interior flat for a better typing sound. Although the internal cannot be seen after assembly, we still designed patterns to make the overall design more perfect!

New Mounting

The G60 adopts the new spring buffer structure. Through continuous testing, we finally found the appropriate spring data. With the support of a spring, the buffer of FR4, and the silicone socks, we have obtained the spring structure we need.

Typing Sound

• Wired HS PCB
• Tri-mode HS PCB----wired, Bluetooth 5.0, and 2.4G mode.
• Support QMK/VIA
• Support multiple layouts
• Include 4400MHA capacity battery(Tri-mode only)
• Foam----PORON plate foam + IXPE foam + EPDM case foam and PET insulating foam.
• Plate----POM, FR4, ALU

Color Option and Finish

Glitter Spray-coated Case: Sand-blue, Wine Red+milky, Orange-black, Purple-white, Pink-white, Black-colorful, Red-blue, White-dark purple, White-turquoise

Anodized Case: Silver

Note: The Weight of silver is make by alu not brass,due to need to keep the color same as the case.

Specification

• Typing angle: 7°
• Front height: 19.2mm
• Front length and width: 298.6*116.5mm
• Structure
• Support PCB stabilizers

Content List

• CNC Case x 1
• L-shaped bars x 2
• Brass Weight x 1
• Brass Internal Weight x 1
• Plate x 1
• HS PCB x 1
• IXPE Foam x 1
• 3.5mm Poron Foam x 1
• EPDM Foam x 1
• PET Insulation Sheet x 1
• Footpads x 1
• 2200mAh Battery x 2 ( Only for the tri-mode）
• 2.4GHz Receiver x 1
• Silicone pack x 1
• Extra Screws pack x 1
• Carry case X 1

Price

Around USD219

Sale Method

Limited in stock and Group Buy

IC Form

Please fill out the IC form to share your thoughts with us. It means a lot to us. Thanks.

Discord

We welcome you to join our server for faster updates and discussion.

Thank you so much for your time.

Best Regards

HiexaKey

Hello fabulous fellow keeb enthusiasts! I have this really cool custom split ergo keyboard called a Dark Matter, and I think only 10 or so were made. I love typing on it, but I'm getting double inputs and the LEDs on the left side only work intermittently. Do you have any suggestions on how I could try to fix those issues? Do you think I need to resolder both PCBs entirely, just certain key switches, and/or all the LEDs? Reseating its teensy controllers did not fix the issue, for example.

Unfortunately the person who made these is not providing support for them so I'm on my own on this one.

Here's a reddit post I made 5 years ago when I first ran into these issues:

https://old.reddit.com/r/AtomComputer/comments/9rc2ep/leds_and_doubleiinputting/

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer, thanks so much!

Keebtalk post.

Just finished my latest homebuilt board. 3-D printed case, masonite plates, box navy switches, Akko SA-L keycaps.

For this one, instead of manually hand wiring the entire matrix, I designed that part in KiCAD and sent it off to JLCPCB (minimum order quantity also means I have four more of them with no particular need). I still manually wired it to the raspberry pi pico though. There’s also a new and really user-friendly tool called “Pog” for the Python based KMK firmware. That was really nice.

after years of lurking, i finally managed to build my first split keyboard.

I randomly got recommended Hipyo Tech on YouTube one day and since have been watching his videos. I haven't got a clue about mechanical keyboards, but I have strong tastes in terms of aesthetics. Long story short, I kept checking shit out and stumbled across a keyboard he hasn't reviewed yet and I think I'm in love. But I don't know if it's any good or is even Linux compatible. So… is the ATK V75X a decent purchase? Or does it suck?

https://www.atk.store/products/atk-vxe-v75-x-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

The look I'm interested in, is the all matte black oka Gunmetal. I don't have the foggiest about the difference between the switches.

I have had wrist pain for a while now, probably stemming from years of PC gaming without actually trying to make it ergonomic, but so far I haven't found any great solutions. Alice boards have been a half measure, the Azeron is fine if it addresses specific problems you have but it didn't solve any of my problems (and tenting it makes it really, really tall), and Razer's Tartarus is just really poorly laid out. I don't have any issues with the standard keyboard layout other than CTRL being a bit of a pain, I just want it to be farther over and tented. Stumbled on the Irispad, which is just the left side of an Iris but for pretty cheap (about $110 USD) and it has been great. I wish it came by default with tenting legs or that there were some entire cases with a fixed tenting angle other than the aluminum case (which is both expensive and not the right angle for me), but I can probably work something out eventually. Or if any of you have any 3D print files or know where to find some, let me know. Overall, I'm pretty pleased.

Disclaimer: Glorious sent me these keycaps for free in exchange for me posting something somewhere about them, so I am doing that here. Having said that, they are... fine. They don't really match my aesthetic as most of my setup is white or lavender and they are missing some important options like 1U modifiers or smaller spacebars for split boards. There's also no wider ALT key for the right side of my QK75. All of these are things I have grumbled about to them before, so it's unfortunate to see they have not addressed that. I also think the black may just be dyed on? The underside is white, not black, so maybe it was easier to get white legends by dying it black instead? I am not much of a keycap collector, so I don't know what's normal for this. Anyway, if this is your aesthetic and you don't need some of the unusual sizes, it's probably a good value, but I'll probably get something else eventually.

Unless something very different comes along I don't think I'll be moving on from this keyboard.

Ryeworks M0110 hotswap keyboard with solenoid, PCB and FR4 plate both with flex cuts, Kailh box pro deep sea whale tactile(what a mouth full), staebies stabilizers and cherry profile double shot pbt keycaps.

The amount of flex, the tactiles with the solenoid, the layout, everything is exactly as I would want. I keep looking and browsing different keyboards, switches, stabilizers and keycaps but I'm just not seeing anything I feel like buying and trying.

I was using one with high profile, dark colored abs keycaps but just wasn't satisfied, tried a light color one with higher contrast caps and it was a huge improvement. I then went to a split left shift and having a function key on that side made it perfect for me.

I guess I solved my desire, which should be a good thing right?

Hi friends! I'm looking for a new set of keycaps. I want a PBT shine through cap with an SA profile or variation of the same (MSA, KSA, etc.). Maybe something with a bit of a heavier thunk.

This was an actual typing test using the QAZ keys over on the right side which is less horrible than I imagined it would be. I probably got lucky, though, because there weren't many Q's or Z's in my test.

Thomas Baart (of splitkb.com fame) dives into group buys:

> Group buys are still used as a business model, but its popularity is dwindling quickly. Why is that, and is that justified?

Interesting read!

Edit: thanks everyone, I’ve installed them and everything is fine!

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Hey community!

I got some switches with bent contacts. I can easily bend them back into shape, but I’m afraid of them possibly snapping off inside the keyboard and running it. Am I overthinking it?

The backstory is I’be got a 3x 10 unit Outemu switch bags in the mail from AliExpress to try different varieties. They were not packed well so some of them came with bent contacts. So I’m also gauging whether buying a full set would be worth it.

I am wanting a macro pad for work, but we are not allowed to install software on them and even the websites we have access to is limited. I don't want to have to use my personal computer or take the pad home whenever I want to make a more complex macro and am wondering if there are any where the keys can be configured using a configuration file stored onboard?

Group buy open now: https://www.jellykey.com/artisan-keycaps/dragons-of-eden-ethereal-runes/

• 5 designs
• Keycap sizes: 1u / 1.25u / 1.5u / 1.75u / 2u / 2.25u / 2.75u / 6.25u
• Profiles: Cherry, Droplet & SA / Art toys x77
• Price: $55
• Payment: PP / CC

This group-buy will close on 23/6/2024. Please remember that we only run group buys once, and they will not be reopened. Orders of over six keycaps will enjoy free shipping.

• Each keycap, regardless of size, comes with a handmade wooden box. Additionally, every x77 art toy is shipped in its larger x77 wooden box.
• This collection features profiles like Cherry, SA R3, and Droplet, all compatible with LED backlighting.
• Our keycaps are authentically handcrafted using resin casting and multilayer colouring. They are natural products, not 3D renders or outputs from a 3D printer.
• Plus, Jelly Key offers a one-on-one replacement for any faults attributable to our artisan team. Feel free to reach out to me if you need help.

All pictures of colourways this time are viewed here.

Thank you for joining us.

... someone linked this in a Discord server and it's just too horrible not to repost.

Would have turned the switches the other way around tho.

Time+3D printer+laser engraver=keeb

I had these cheap clone keycaps lying around, and I've been wanting to try a southpaw, as well as a no-stabs board that can accommodate sculpted keycap profiles, so here we are. Had to make a few compromises on layout to fit the keycaps I had on hand, but it's feeling pretty usable so far. Outemu dustproof green for MOAR CLICKY.

I rock a 60% which I love, but I’m learning blender and coding, lack of numpad has gotten frustrating.

Anyone got any macro pad suggestions either available now or in GB/IC?

Preferably a hot swap! Open to different sizes and formats. Was tempted by the Piketea standing desk mounted macro pad, but they appear to be sold out.