this is a note on switch films. it's here because a lot of people are still not aware of the recent changes, and thought why i still apply switch films when obviously there is no switch top wobbles.

switch tops are often removed so that internals can be accessed for further tuning. at times, during the process, the sides of switch tops are stretched to a point that they are not able to secure themselves properly to the bottom housing anymore, causing switch top wobbles. when this happens, switch films are used to fix the issue.

previously, we only have acccess to vinyl or pc films. both do change the sound and feel, but not significantly. however these days there are many types of switch films, made of different materials and thicknesses. now, on top of their main purpose to minimize switch top wobbles, they have another function: changing the sound and feel of a switch, due to these new materials.

the selection of which films to go to depends on what you wanna achieve:
1. if you wanna fix switch top wobbles, and keep the sound profile as close to the original as possible, use pc-based films (hard films);
2. if you wanna fix the wobbles, and at the same time wanna further make switches to sound more clean, use silicon/eva/mdi-based films (soft films). they will absorb the vibrations generated during typing, and result in a relatively muted sound profile.

finally, mods are conditional and optional. if there is nothing wrong about your switches, and you're happy with its performance, then there is no need for you to do anything.

for the question on cn manufacturers' capacity to make boards with genuine cherry mx and sell them at below 300myr, yes, they have the capacity, because they have massive volume to get stuff at much cheaper costs.

as for the verification of the said seller, maybe ask the guy in the user comments to seek his opinions.

cherry mx is never a premium switch. they're mass produced for retail.

imo, after their mx switch patent expired, manufacturers took the opportunity and looked for cheaper clones to replace cherry mx. hence, retail markets are flooded with switches from outemu, kailh, and gateron.

optical switches are supposed to be relatively cheaper than mechanical. however, more efforts are required to fight general acceptance and compatibility, so that they can be populated further in the market.

for now, mx style mechanical switches are still the better choice in the long run.

it becomes common that pre-cut plate and case foams are included as part of a kit these days. the main point of having these foams is to fill up gaps between top plate and pcb, and between pcb and the case. these foams help absorb vibrations during typing, resulting in cleaner key sound, and at the same time, making the typing feel relatively 'solid'.

the effectiveness of the mod depends mainly on construction of a board. hence, you will notice that there are boards that don't show obvious improvements after the mods are applied. materials of which the foams are made most of the times do not contribute much. (there are differences, but not significant)

a note on the thickness of plate foam: the optimal thickness of a plate foam depends on top plate thickness,
1. for mx style switches, the combined thickness of plate and foam is 5mm. (so that switches can be installed properly) since the usual thickness of top plates is 1.5mm, the optimal thickness for plate foams is 3.5mm. if your plate is 4mm thick, then you need 1mm-thick foam.
2. if the foam is too thick, the switches might not be able to sit flush on the pcb; if it's too thin, there is no direct contact of foam between plate and pcb, resulting in less effective absorption of vibrations.
3. also, pre-cut foams are to offer convenience. in cases where you cannot find the suitable foam for your plate, you can always make it manually.

finally, the mod is reversible and optional, applied based on individual preferences. if you don't need it, don't apply it. it's ok to do that.

edit: lesson learned - use light-colored cases to check key alignment. the space bar is so off for this build.



This post has been edited by horns: Apr 24 2021, 12:07 PM

good news: the Korean group buy of ALEXI, hosted by geon, is live currently. if you missed out the previous Malaysian-only group buy of this 63-key ergo kit made by Hafiz, 10 additional slots are now available for a limited time.

for those who are interested in what affect keyboard sound, http://blacksimon.tv/science

it covers a lot of things. i mean, a lot. in general, the combination of all these makes the final keyboard sound and feel. some are significant contributors, some are not, depending on factors explained in the sheets.

these days, most people are oversimplifying things, giving false and subjective assumptions and all. imo it's better to get to know more about mkb science, so that you can differentiate better about which is which.

you might as well get a true mechanical keyboard. cheap and easy.

one of my old builds was driving me crazy with its wire ticking sound from space bar. desoldered everything, then applied epsi mod for all gmk screw-in stabs in the build.



i'm happy now

edit: we were so forgiving before the existence of c3 and jwk v2 stabilizers, when gmk was still the best option available

This post has been edited by horns: May 9 2021, 12:43 AM

for beginners who wish to learn and experiment stuff, one can start with a hot-swap tkl or full-size with standard layouts. since they are standard layouts, you don't run into issues during key cap selection later.

there are new alternatives that have better features than tecware phantom elite already, e.g. dareu a87 hot-swap
- 5-pin switch support;
- full nkro;
- 3.5mm silicone plate foam;
- detachable cable;
- detacthable high-profile case frame;
- non-rgb backlight;
- double-shot pbt caps;
- dareu custom linear or tactile switches;
- tkl, standard layout

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=642704922054

finally they're here. will test fit them later



for those who like a gk64-style 64-key 2u-shift single-layout pcb, with qmk-via support for cheap:



This post has been edited by horns: May 10 2021, 07:21 PM

yeah it's a new release, currently under pre-order stage.

their custom switches are attracting more attention than the new hot-swap prebuilt hehe

as long as you like it, there is no need to go back

revisisted kbd75v1 with lubed cherry mx retooled black and 62g springs.

previously it had no case foam so its feel and sound was not that clean. i have installed its stock case foam, on top of another layer of anti-slip mat. it has a cleaner typing feel and sound now



the good thing about kbd75v1 is that they already have VIA support. i just upgraded its firmware to the latest to have it enabled.

this mod was one of my earliest attempts to fix ticking sound. tape material wise, i used thin electrical tape. however, as you pointed out, it has mixed results.

there is some other mods with the same concept, i.e. mods that are related to wire tips:
1. heat shrink mod;
2. stick band-aid (i use compressed 0.5mm eva foam) on the top part of wire tips;
3. coats a thin layer of plastics from hot-glue gun on wire tips.

from my tests, most of them have mixed results. i didn't use no. 3

so far, epsi mod (again, i use compressed 0.5mm eva foam) produces relatively consistent results imo. (tested with cherry, gmk, c3, jwk v1 and v2 stabs; on top of the mod, i also lube the modded areas)

afaik it's an entity that sells thin pbt double-shot oem profile key cap sets to locals.i believe there are people who engaged them before at mymkb fb group. maybe you can ask there for better answers

here's the list of good-quality 63/37 eutectic solder wires that will make your life easier when building and maintaining own builds (e.g., switches, leds, diodes, resistors). these brands and models produce good outcomes, based on my tests and experiments. my reference solder wire is kester with the stated specs below.

1. kester flux 245 core 58 0.6mm (flux % 2.2). it's the most expensive, with lesser flux remnants after work. still, it's better to clean it up with 99% IPA.



2. mechanic hx-t100 0.6mm (flux % 1-3). this one leaves excess of flux sometimes. (however it might be due to the way i handle it, e.g., feeding speed)



3. white monkey (白猴) 0.6mm (flux % 2.2). this one s not pretty in terms of packaging. basically it's just a green sticker with solder wire composition values stamped in red ink. however, it's one of the most recommended solder wires in mkb community in China. (sources: zf, bilibili, baidu)



they all have differences in smell and amount of smoke. none of them are pleasant. i don't go smell them so i have no comment. usually i use 0.6mm thick solder wires, because i'm used to it for switches and led. now i try to get used to 0.8mm also, for switch soldering. tbh, for this hobby, there is no need to get like the whole spool of 500g to 1kg. (unless you use them for other purposes that can consume them. solder wires do expire. while still usable, they're relatively not as good as new ones) 20g to 50g are sufficient for a few 60% builds. in this regard, mechanic and white monkey do come with smaller SKUs. just get a new one when they're finished.

yes, there are other alternatives, and some are more expensive options. however, for mkb modding, you don't need to go that far. also, you can choose for models that have less flux (like kester core 50, i.e. flux % 1.1) it's up to you.

yes, it will solidify quickly, and they will form shiny and smooth solder joints.

it's relatively easier to melt and desolder 63/37 solder joints imo. just touch the joint for 1 to 2 seconds with hot iron (like 320c), then press the button of the desoldering pump. i use hakko sppon 20g.

if you're comfortable with 60/40, it's ok to use it also. i suggest 63/37 because it's beginner-friendly, e.g., it melts and flows nicely, so that soldering and desoldering can be done within 3 seconds per joint, even for a beginner.

edit:

this is my recent build with kester 63/37 solder wires, after IPA cleanup.



This post has been edited by horns: May 19 2021, 08:15 PM

all thanks to tips given by GRexer and quovadis123. in a nutshell, the key thing is still 'practice makes perfect'.

other than soldering and desoldering, there are still things that we will learn prior to, during, and after these processes. that's why i always suggest good and experienced builders for those who want their kits built. only experienced builders are capable of taking care of these details (because most of them are conditional, based on things like keyboard constructions)

the outcomes include another level of satisfactions

i got mine from taobao. it's an expired stock, but still very usable imo. yes, mechanic and white monkey do have excess of flux sometimes, compared to kester. however after cleanup, they are the same in terms of outcomes.

This post has been edited by horns: May 20 2021, 12:53 PM

maybe you can cut the end off, take a picture on which wire goes where, and repair it?

you can ask at mymkb fb group to see if sifus who make cables can help out also

here are basic tips on how to maintain bits/tips of your soldering iron, so that they can perform as good as new, as long as possible. (for hobbyist usage, this might means years) i wonder why most people tend to forget to explain this to beginners.

when the tip is new, heat it up to 300 to 350c, tin the tip entirely (the part of tip that is used to conduct heat), and let it turned on for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn it off to cool down for like 10 minutes. then, turn it on again, tin and clean the excess with copper mesh/wet sponge. tin it again, so that you can start using it.

after that:
1. tin and clean the tip, then tin and coat a layer of solder on the tip, after the work is done. normally, i just reduce the temperature of iron to 250c, then tin-clean-tin-coat a layer of solder on the tip, so that solder will cover the entire tip. once this is done, you can turn it off.
2. the next time you start your work, heat the iron up to 250c, then tin and clean the tip, getting rid of the excess solder. finally, set the iron to desired temperature, tin the tip, and start your work.

DO NOT let the iron turned on for a long period of time without tinning. before you turn it off, clean and tin the tip first.

that's basically what i do to maintain the performance of the tips. so far, they are still shiny, and perform nicely.