Interesting. Do you know any that are Bluetooth as well? After this project I'm thinking of getting a nice small MKB for the TV and it would be useful if it had arrow keys. I was only looking at 65% boards because I thought they were the smallest that had them.

Thanks guys. The Filco Minila Air looks ideal. Either that or I'll try to get one of those replacement controllers that have Bluetooth and DIY convert a custom kit into Bluetooth.

This post has been edited by niakulah: May 5 2020, 11:31 AM

Oh dang, they had a group buy for C3 stabs. I might have saved a few bucks instead of buying it direct

I had similar issues with my keyboard being too tall. I learned to type with my wrists straight and now I'm ok with it. There are many articles about this such as this one:
http://www.healthycomputing.com/office/setup/keyboard/

Maybe you can give it a try for a few days, see if you can adapt to it. Probably healthier in the long run too. BTW, I just measured the board I'm using now and it's the same height as your Keychron, 3.5cm to top of keycap.

Yeah, you don't really need one if you have managed to adapt to it. As the article says:

5. Don't use wrist rests or armrests while typing-only while resting.
If your workstation has wrist rests or armrests, be sure to use them only while taking breaks. Never use wrist rests or armrests while typing. A wrist rest should be used to rest the heel of your palm, not your wrist itself.

An uncharacteristically fast delivery by J&T. God that's a huge roll. Enough to do at least 20 full size keyboards.

So there's no way I'm going to get any work done with that thing staring me in the face...I gotta know if it will work. The perks/perils of WFH...



Moment of truth...aaand it's a bit tight


I can compress it down with my fingers so that the switch is all the way in the PCB, but I couldn't photograph it that way without an assistant. Here's a pic with a clamp.


The clamp is not as strong as my fingers so it can't get it all the way in. If I choose to proceed, I'll be fighting the foam for at least the first couple of switches. The foam will eventually conform, but I'm still slightly scared that after I solder the first switch, the force of the foam will break my solder joints or something.

Haven't tried it yet. Need to figure out how to do that without screwing up my iron with melted plastic. Oh, also, I'm supposed to be working

Success! Heated it with an iron with an old shirt over the foam, then while it was hot, put it underneath a flat piece of wood and sat on it. Did that 4 times and got it to about 3.7mm.


With minimal pressure.


Snug like a bug in a rug.

Foam all done.


Testing inserting into the case. Had to trim the sides a bit. Standoff holes a bit tight but not an issue.


Side view


Testing stabs work as intended. Tested all holes ok.


Now waiting for my bloody films. Then I can spring swap, lube, film, and solder.

Thanks. I just hope I get them soon. Aliexpress, you know la...

I'm seriously tempted not to wait though. These switches are quite tight. Almost no wobble. Or maybe it's because I haven't opened them up and lubed them yet...

Or maybe I should spend more time working....hahaha

Thanks! Yeah I figured it was something like that.

Folks on Reddit already complaining the colours they want are sold out.

Tecware phantom elite. Or top up a bit more for IKBC F87.

Cherry brown is tactile. Gateron yellow is linear.

Which one do you like better? You like the brown but also like the slightly heavier feel of the yellow? Try to put the yellow's springs in the brown. The yellow actually comes with a special slow spring. AFAIK it is the only switch that comes with a slow spring.

Or maybe you can buy a tester?
#Aliexpress MYR 59.50 | clicky linear tactile switch tester cherry zealio gateron box switch tester with transparent keycap
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dWZY8vn

Probably because Cherry black does not use slow springs like the yellow.

I have that tester I linked too, it has zealios in all 4 weights. Super tactile bump right at the top. I convinced myself not to like it because it is so damned expensive.

You mean a prebuilt keyboard that uses holy pandas? Doesn't exist. You can probably find modded keyboards for sale though. Try places like r/Mechmarket
A quick search and here is one from 3 days ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comment...das_artisans_w/

Just replying to myself, found this on KPrepublic's Taobao shop. About a third of the price of a Minila Air!
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0d....id=616774673138

Not buying it any time soon la. Future project. Still waiting on my damn switch films.

No no no...Dierya
It's talking about the conversation you will have with your wife after the battery kong while trying to search for something to watch on Netflix on your smart TV.


Wife: Battery Die r?
Me: Ya

I'm bored waiting for my films to arrive, so I was re-reading this thread.

If I had to foam another board, I might try to buy one of these first:
1. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32952585534...3c00FXUr6A&mp=1 15 mm variant
2. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32988097044...3c00FXUr6A&mp=1 Set 1 comes with a 15mmx15mm square
3. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/40004699001...3c00FXUr6A&mp=1 14mmx2mm oval punch

My plate's holes are exactly 15mmx15mm. Switch bottoms taper slightly so they won't be 15mm once it passes the thickness of the plate. This plus the fact that the foam has a little give makes me think that actually a 14x14 square would be ideal, then the foam would really 'hug' the switch.

Yay Cherry browns! I get accidental actuations even on browns, especially on the sides where I have a habit of resting my hands. That's why on my current daily driver I spring swapped all the mods to 80g.

On my next project (still waiting for my freaking films!!!!), I plan to spring swap all to 67g, also Cherry browns.

But after watching that video, and with my personal experience on the quality of C3 stabs, I now have a strong desire to try out C3 tangerines....

This post has been edited by niakulah: May 20 2020, 11:06 AM