form factors and layouts are just preferences in mkb.

this iteration of 65% covers a lot of things, including different keyboard constructions; inclusion of plate/case foams; more case/plate options, to name some. it's a good thing, making these kits more complete of possible options.

just get the ones that you prefer the most, or wait until you found one.

mean while, polish the fundamentals and gain more first-hand experience on different combinations of parts. one problem with kits these days are their variations that are getting richer day by day. getting the right options can be tough if you do not have sufficient experience on parts. (a mid-tier kit can be costly if you took in their complete options)

oh. it might just be due to misaligned installation. my leopold (fc660m, fc750r) don't have such an issue. yes, use thinner caps might also help.

i just use the typical wire keycap puller that comes together with key cap sets. do it slowly and patiently, and you will not scratch anything.

it shouldn't be the cause tbh. you should take a closer look to see what's going on exactly.

usually i do this for actively used units after few months (subjective; depending on how dirty the plate/pcb surfaces are):
1. take out key caps and wash them with ultrasonic cleaner + warm water + dental cleanser tablet;
2. use brush to sweep weird stuff out of plate/pcb surfaces (do this out-door); use wet cloth to clean it up again;
3. use brush to sweep the internal of case;
4. reinstall everything.

the more frequent one are step 1 and 2 (subjective also; depending on how dirty they look)

for key caps, i wash and dry them before putting them back into their box/bag/tray.

er can also geh but dust will be collected inside the case lo

i never use vacuum cleaner because of its static charge that might hurt electronic components on pcb.

i bought mine from taobao, 2-liter capacity.



edit: you can use it for other purposes. so imo it's ok to get one. for a full-size key cap set (108 keys max), it needs more capacity to make them fully covered under water.

This post has been edited by horns: Nov 11 2020, 04:13 PM

the main difference is just convenience. you can just use wet cloth + warm soap water to wipe all the key caps manually.

three more new EnjoyPBT double-shot ABS key cap sets are out.



long-lasting printing technology; decent legends on modifier keys; 153-key, including 2u-left shift, and 1u-right shift; 250myr-ish each. it's 1.1mm thick at the bottom section of key cap walls. however, it's nice to type on imo.

the main reason i like them is still because they can match my preferred layouts.

i think that white-grey set was sold out. kbdfans previously had it.

yes saw that. i usually get full-size sets, and skip other options.

the thing is this: mkb modding as a hobby in general, covers more than just obtaining a mechanical keyboard. if you're interested in learning about mkb modding, which is the core of this hobby to have better typing experience with own boards, there are things that i think everyone should consider before purchase. the market is now filled with a huge pool of options, so huge that most beginners will get lost eventually. this is mainly because many things can be done to make a mkb closest to own expectations. all these can only be achieved if they have the right features to begin with. hence, to help beginners out, simple baselines were drawn in the hope to guide them to choose the right ones for themselves.

for instance, you wish to use better key cap sets, but your board uses romer-g switches. we all know it will not work, even if they have standard layouts.

as hot-swap kits for beginners, everglide gk6x series are suggested because they are not expensive, and the pcbs support 3-pin and 5-pin switches. additionally, it also allows you to try out different plate/case types. since it's a hot-swap, you can test and experience most reversible mods on it conveniently. hot-swap kits can also be used as a test and break-in unit, when you decide to make your own soldered custom builds. note that recent mid-tier kits also offer both hot-swap and solderable pcbs, and there are also pcb options that support qmk.

with good-quality hot-swap kits available now, personally i will use the following strat to kick start the learning process:

1. get a hot-swap kit, preferably with key features that i like (optional, but i will at least get the solderable pcb option also);
2. get 30 switches for each switch type, and try them out; 30 switches are good enough to cover the alphas and common modifier keys;
3. get a commercial soldered board with the desired switch type (based on first-hand tests); tbh, only few will give you better typing experience. most of them are similar to that stock hot-swap kit;
4. modify the hot-swap kit according to my expectations; compare it to its stock configuration and commercial board, along the way; during this period, you should experience with different parts, and observe their differences also.

to get even more experience about mkb, learn to solder and desolder, and start build custom kits. only custom kits offer different keyboard constructions that you should have experience with if you wanted to know their good and bad. alternatively, just replace the hot-swap pcb with solderable pcb. (that's how i build different reference builds. i use dz60 and yd60mq as solderable pcb option for gk64-like layouts, sometimes with split backspace. i only need to build barebones (pcb, stabs, plate, switches), as case and key caps can be reused. note that soldering and desoldering are simple and essential skills in this hobby. unless it's an irreversible damage, with it you will realize that everything is fixable in mkb.

using the above strat, you will spend way less than us old timers, but still gain a good amount of solid basics. (relatively; but still a lot will be saved) yes, some of the fundamentals are missed using this route, but you will pick them up sooner or later.

about krytox gpl 205g0, a lot of people are treating it as a standard, mainly due to influence from streamers, not own justifications. just remember that there are other krytox gpl options with different viscosity, and you might find these variants are more suitable to you. also, lubing techniques are also affecting the outcomes.

edit:

there are many ways to start this hobby. there is no right or wrong in most cases. the key that matters is to shape your first-hand experience based on your preferences. you can either start with boards that have good or bad typing experience. just keep in mind that most commercial boards do not represent tuned custom builds. the gaps between them are significant.


This post has been edited by horns: Nov 14 2020, 03:06 PM

here is a note on tx long springs.

their original lineup, which is labelled as S14mm now (S stands for short), are shorter springs than cherry mx stock, with larger diameters. not too long ago, tx released a new series of custom springs, called L16mm (L stands for long). these long springs have additional preloaded starting force, with a flatter force curve for key travels. this means higher starting force due to additional preload, with smaller force rate during travel. (both S14mm and L16mm are linear rated springs)

relatively speaking, S14mm is softer than L16mm.

in terms of typing feel, tx long springs are 'heavier' than short springs, even if they have the same bottom-out spring weight. when you use tx long springs 65g, it feels like you're typing on typical 67g linear rated springs. hence, if you aimed for the feel of 67g, you get tx long spring 65g; if you aimed for 65g, you get tx long spring 62g (i.e. always choose the next lower spring weight)

edit:

from this graph, you can see the differences of each custom spring, compared to a typical linear rated spring.

(source: https://www.spritdesigns.com/mx)

This post has been edited by horns: Nov 17 2020, 09:38 PM

to each his own. just get what you prefer and be happy with it.

nice

these days i just collect new parts to try out. one of the recent additions to my stabilizer collection is jwk v2 pcb-mount screw-in that has wire blockers. this one basically eliminates the annoying issue of wires being popped out of stabilizer housings.

as usual, tuning is still needed to get rid of other sound- and feel-related issues.

This post has been edited by horns: Nov 20 2020, 05:50 PM

functionally it's ok. so it's a perfect imperfection imo. well, it's an end game, so yeah redoing should be better.

wow. i cannot believe a new unit has this kind of things. well, at least it's fixable with minimal efforts

a proof that nothing can stop anyone who wanna build a perfect keyboard

afaik gmmk doesn't ship to Malaysia. (please confirm this with them) the kit at taobao has a north facing switch orientation, which might cause issues with thick cherry-profile key caps. its aluminum case might need foams installed to get rid of the milo-tin noises.

for switches, i suggest tuned jwk/durock/everglide linear. they are relatively better than tuned tealios v2 imo, price/performance wise.

that looks really nice

well, i just stuff them into my back pack compartment that have more cushions and go lol

you can get them at gateron's official store at taobao. that's the most reliable source, https://shop203821044.taobao.com/

keychron k8 hot-swap should support 5-pin/pcb-mount switches. however, it's up to you to verify this.

i think it's better to stick to metal plates. my favorites are still foamed aluminum and brass haha

well, good luck, and have a lot of fun

i don't wanna go into this route. yet. it takes time and efforts to do research, test, and all. even if it's just a simple design. furthermore, i like metal cases. it's not economically viable imo

yeah it's always about the journey, and outcomes of our ways of doing stuff to achieve what we want in our builds

well, it's a hobby. you stop when you wanna stop, and resume when you want to resume. for now, i really just collect parts, and make reference builds when i want to. i don't have the urge to chase after kits/caps anymore.

it's still fun for me to take my time to experiment with new parts and all, and fix whatever i have done wrongly in previous builds hahaha