Great to know. I'm not too fond of RGB and white backlit is good enough. So my choice was the MG68 with Gateron reds.

Also, hot-swappable boards is for another day.

nevermind it's worth the wait. you should just grab a pack or two from the seller from garage sale first, and sell off the ones that you have at mechmarket, if you don't need them anymore.

there is this carbon fiber plate that supports pcb-mount stabilizers in my collection of plates. i have decided to use it for my typical 64-key build.

this build was done so that i could check out the new batch of ym60mq by ymdk (that supports 16 led, instead of 12 led in the first batch), its compatibility with via (withmy home-brewed json for yd60mq r2), and the presence of a 'bug' in 64-key layout in the first batch.



for now, this board is all-black. (well, almost)

findings:
1. yd60mq r2 works fine with via; it actually has the same layout supports, so the 'bug' of up-arrow in 64-key layout still present. (need to cut off the left side leg if you used 5-pin switches, because there is no hole for it on pcb)
2. the openings of cherry mx nylon switch top for stems has less tolerance, so the switches have relatively less stem wobbles now, compared to stock milky top of gateron black;
3. tx 65g springs are somewhat lighter than stock springs from gateron yellow; it's shorter and 'fatter'. i like it.

note that the reduced tolerance of cherry switch top contributes to the scratchiness of stock cherry mx. it's a give-and-take situation, i.e. stem wobbles vs. scratchiness. gateron uses switch tops that are more forgiving (with larger opening for stems), hence it's giving a sense of relatively smoother key travels, but with more aggressive stem wobbles.

This post has been edited by horns: May 27 2020, 10:23 AM

Just received my wireless 60% mech kb (Maibenben/Royal Kludge). Swap out the abs caps with PBTs and it works out just as great. Rm97 for outemu red switch.

Side by side with my ikbc tkl.



This post has been edited by Jay Chua CC: May 27 2020, 08:52 PM

maybe it's time for you to play with custom kits also

custom kits? aiks, not much mudget to spend on those yet.
btw roughly how much would it cost to bulid a 60% aluminium board with blue cherry switches? does it differ much than a d decent pre-built?

Anyone know of any black nylon switch bottom with SMD support? Preferably in a tactile switch and with a clear top.

Closest I could find are NK Blueberries with a cream POM housing and the various Invyr/BSUN Panda housings, but no black.

the total cost depends on parts that you wanna use, and commission/tuning service fees if you need help.

for a 60% aluminum build with cherry mx blue, it should be around 500 to 550 myr. (doesn't include key caps, commission fees, and shipping)

i think black nylon with smd support should be rare. this is because to maximize smd led effects most people will use bright-colored housings.

Wow, need to some serious funds there.

Btw, any thoughts on the epomaker gk68xs? looks quite promising,

does it differ much?

it differ VERY much depends on how u tune it.
having a custom, building it from ground up so u can tune everything without disassembling a built board is somewhat a satisfaction to some.

i dont have much custom let alone mahal one, just 2 GK61, but with it, i can learn bit by bit what customizing is all about.
i start small coz wallet is thin, but by starting its making my wallet thinner

it's the parts that influence budget. you can take away aluminum case (use plastic case), and use gateron switches. the total cost will be different. if you're ok with flexes, you can even get rid of top plate and make it a plateless build hehe

for gk68xs i guess it depends on which package that you're getting. it should be ok, based on my experience with gk61/gk64. i'm just not sure if there will be additional rattles caused by the modular space bar unit.

yes, the differences are real.

.. and you're right, gk6x helps a lot, and it's always better to start small, e.g., buy parts slowly, at our own pace. even now, for reference builds, i normally just build bare bones only (switches, pcb, plate, stabilizers), never full builds.

https://www.lazada.com.my/products/gk61s-gk...3EaArtfEALw_wcB

This consider together with top plate ady right?

just check out on the gk61s too, at least the price is still in the ok range for me.

Certain TTC switches come with black bottom for SMD support (one big gaping hole underneath), but the top housing does not support normal LEDs as there are no holes due to the bottom housing
SMD support.

Thanks!

Found TTC Silent Red.....at the same aliexpress shop that I bought my films from....

Damn Covid

yep, hence the reason i also start with that.
price is still in the ok range.

have fun spending.

+1

is it possible to convert solder switch to hot plug switch ?

Never attempted it, but you can use mill max and holtite sockets. AFAIK normal boards cannot use the Kailh hotswap sockets that most people think of when they hear hot swap.

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10....82&on_comment=1

how well do these screw-in stabs perform compared to GMK ones?