as long as the key caps are compatible with cherry mx style stems, yes you can use them. however it's better to check if all keys in the layout of your board are supported by the sets.

you can try out oem and osa profiles imo.

shine-through key caps are relatively rare imo. you will have to research for them. this is because manufacturers usually focus on those that have higher demands first.

star75 is now available in qmk source tree, https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/ma...eyboards/star75

official via support is completed also, however for now it can be accessed through their web-UI only, https://usevia.app/



--

maybe some days they will release a separate set haha vendors like ikbc and varmilo did that before

This post has been edited by horns: Jul 27 2022, 11:13 PM

or, you can still put them on sale, and get new pcbs for the next project.

i only get boards with layouts that i can use to work rightaway, in the form factors of 60/65/75. i stopped getting tkl for a long time already, because there are too many keys that i very seldom or never touch.

ok haha

edit: it really depends on how you see things. i don't consider it a loss if you don't sell it, because pcbs and parts can be reused for different purposes.

This post has been edited by horns: Jul 30 2022, 12:58 PM

all this while, i aim to make builds that are:
1. relatively quiet;
2. have typing feels that are from normal switches; and
3. with clean key travels, and minimal vibrations.

silent switches is a no-go because of their inherited mushiness.

the generic formulas that i think work better to achieve the above are as follows:

parts
------
1. switch housing materials. use those that are with softer full nylon housings.
2. switch stem. stick to stems that have standard central pole length. extended/long poles make louder noises.
3. switch spring. lubed with krytox gpl 105 to 107.
4. switch well (bottom housing). stick to the ones with standard depth. for instance, switches from jwick/jwk have shallower wells. they will make louder noises in general.
5. switch film. soft films, like eva, ixpe, and poron, are better.
6. switch pad. in terms of feels, ixpe and poron.
7. plate. aluminum and pc work better.
8. plate foam. eva and poron work better.
9. case foam. i prefer to use poron, silicon, and cotton.
10. case. i usually use metal cases.
11. stabilizers. any tuned stabilizers will do. softer nylon should work better, but i think these long modifier keys and space bar should also sound differently, compared to normal keys.
12. plate-mounting style. gasket-mount works better.

for linear switches, cherry mx, gateron ks-3/x, and sp-star meteor are better candidates imo. by 'standard', i always use cherry mx with full nylon housing as reference.

mods
------
1. switch lube and techniques. to achieve muted effects, generously applied 205g0 works better. note that this is done to change original feels and sound purposely.
2. tape mod. i don't do tape mod for my builds.

again, this is based on my preferences, own tests, and side-by-side comparisons. note that presence of foam affects outcomes. i use them mainly to reduce vibrations. however, foams also affect key sound. hence, for case foams, it's better to use 1mm-to-2mm thin foams, as our builds are meant to reduce clack (high-frequency key sound, to make it relatively 'quieter').

about wireless security, i believe appropriate solutions are already in place. the key question is whether operating systems, and device manufacturers have implemented them accordingly or not. if either of them are not doing it right, it will not work imo.

i just stick to wired option.

as for optical mechanical switches, yes, they have eliminated debounce issues, with much longer shelf lives compared to mx style switches. however, there are reasons why they are not popular:
1. in real life, users don't feel the differences of the strengths of optical switches;
2. there is a general lack of choices;
3. optical sensors on pcb. optical switches need sensors to work. i believe such sensors have shelf lives, and replacement/repair might not be as simple as mx style switches. also, it's an additional cost to pcb makers.

although i like the advantages of optical switches, it needs more than those to be popular.

low-profile mechanical switches is another story. no one realized that mx style switches are popular because these clones were based on a standard, i.e. cherry mx switches. however, when it came to low-profile switches, every one made their own implementations, with different switch footprints. this breaks universal compatibility that is important to allow better user acceptance, and continuous growths in general. this is worse than romer-g.

This post has been edited by horns: Jul 30 2022, 10:52 PM

this is my latest build, currently with zt60 case, 'partial' gummy o-ring mount; the switch is jwick black with gazzew 65g long spring, stabilizers being fl-cmmk plate-mount.

this build doesn't have foams. i just use gasket o-ring to minimize vibrations, and to provide relatively soft typing feel.

it's working.



edit: 60% tray-mount is still good for many reasons. to me, the existing layouts usually cover sufficient keys that are used daily. this is a good thing, because there is nothing that you put on a build makes you feel wasted or unnecessary. also, parts are easy to get. they are rich with options, and they are relatively affordable, compared to other plate mounting options. even if they are from multiple vendors, compatibility is not an issue. these are all the obvious key benefits of generic 60%. as long as the pcbs have good firmware support that allows you to do what you want, qmk or not, you're basically good to go.

at stock configurations, tray-mount is really not optimal, in terms of typing feels. however, it doesn't stop people to think out of the box, and find ways to achieve outcomes that they want.

the next build should be jwk matcha. it's another linear with stock 68g long spring.

This post has been edited by horns: Jul 31 2022, 03:50 PM

my usable max limit is around 72g, so 68g is still ok. for comforts, i usually just stick to 67g.

about gazzew's long springs, it's kind of unique.

normal long springs are linear rated springs, hence you can expect heavier starting force, with flatter force curve during key travels towards bottom. it usually gives a sense of solidness when you rest your fingers on the keys, compared to normal linear rated springs with the same bottom-out weight. gazzew's long springs are different in that they have multiple zones. it's like progressive springs at both ends. while they still have a heavier starting force, they give a 'softer', non-linear force curve during key travels.

the kickback force is ok.

in reality, i think not many can spot the differences, except for the part that gazzew's long springs are 'softer' during key travels.

pening :/

these days getting custom springs are not the same as before. there are new spring types, some of which, like gazzew's, combine different types to become one, so as to produce different feels. hence it's better to understand basic types first (including standard linear rated, long, multi-stage, progressive, complex), and then adjust bottom-out spring weights accordingly for yourself.

there are also differences in spring material, spring diameter, wire thickness, and length, and each vendor has their own formulas for different spring types. the good news is that characteristics about basic types are still the same, so you can make informed justifications during spring selection based on those characteristics.

tbh, now you cannot judge if a custom switch is heavy just by bottom-out spring weight only, because some of them include special springs too. for instance, jwk epsilon's stock spring weight is 68g. it sounds heavy, but the stock spring is a 2-stage progressive lol

ok nice

yes, i posted the links to the iron and replacement tips before. no i don't go for hakko tips, because stock tips already perform nicely.

i believe the suggestions were for irons that use the old-style tips.

finally, after roughly a week of daily use, the freshly lubed effects are gone for this one with sp-star meteor white.

it's louder now. this build was meant to investigate key chattering/stuck keys. so far, nothing happened yet.

edit: if this was not reported by a trusted source, i really suspect that this was some kind of ill-fated campaigns that were conducted to smear the reputation of sp-star.

This post has been edited by horns: Aug 2 2022, 12:37 PM

this is mw65.q, with silver top, blue bottom, flex-cut pc plate, and 1.2mm flex-cut hotswap pcb.

it's still work in progress (currently with gateron x v1, lubed with 205g0, tx stabilizers)



its gasket mount implementation is poron gasket strips, so it's relatively softer than kbd67lite.

edit: the overall build quality is not bad tbh. the whole kit is cheaper than the metal case only of kbd67 lite.

This post has been edited by horns: Aug 3 2022, 11:01 AM

ayoyo :/

about tip size, i use 2.4d. i didn't try below that because i thought they might not be able to supply sufficient heat to melt the joints during desoldering. (for my gj907 soldering iron, it's the stock 3.2d)

yes i believe staebies and tx have relatively tighter tolerance. it's a good thing in general, as an option. for builds that need looser tolerance, we can still use everglide v2/c3.

personally for pcb-mount stabilizers, i don't like clip-in. it can be a potential problem if you have keycaps with tight stem holes, and you're not patient enough. (i just pulled out the tx stabs for backspace last night, when i swapped the key set hehe)

edit: also, don't do soldering/desoldering at night lah; shits usually will happen.

This post has been edited by horns: Aug 3 2022, 01:06 PM

ok this might be the reason why you have issues with desoldering.

yes i did use the stopper, but i suspect it's because my installation was not proper, and it's not secure enough to stay there permanently. fixed.

another no-foam build, featuring minimally-tuned jwk matcha (lubed springs and stems only; no switch film)



with partial gummy o-ring friction mount, i can minimize vibrations to an acceptable level for myself.

tecware that we know, which makes pc parts and mkbs, is from philippines. tecware in belgium is another business entity that sells printers.

one of the affordable hotswap boards for beginners who wanna learn modifications is fl.cmmk.esports mk870. they have some revision updates after the initial run.

i think this board covers almost everything.

1. layout: tkl, standard layout.
2. switch support: 3-pin and 5-pin.
3. switch orientation: there are 2 variants, north facing (upper led), and south facing (lower led). to avoid inteference of cherry profile keycaps, it's better to choose south facing.
4. stock plate foam (silicon) is included. there are sellers who include case foams, and ixpe switch sheets as addon also.
5. stabilizers: plate-mount from fl.cmmk. they are good stabilizers.
6. connection support: wired only (detachable), and wireless (wired, bt, 2.4g)
7. barebone option: yes. basically you can just get your own switches and key caps, and make your own board.
8. assembly: it's fairly simple to do teardown.

foams are optional. they are included, so that you can choose not to use them, and find out the differences.

to me, the queasiness due to new kit/part releases at increasingly rapid rates since few years ago is real. since then, i have decided to do my own stuff, and stopped catching up, to prevent total loss of interest.

luckily i do that.

by the way, i think the better outer diameter of gummy o-rings for a 60% to do gummy o-ring friction mount is 200mm. (the minimal is 165mm; this was what i found out from hints on the internet. however i think the minimal should be 170mm) for thickness, i just stick to 3.5mm. (at taobao, these o-rings are measured based on outer diameter x thickness)

i have tested it to most common generic 60% tray-mount cases that can be found at taobao, including 5-degree, tofu, mojo60, xr60, zt60, and a60.

also, jwick black + gazzew's long spring 65g is a good combo imo.

This post has been edited by horns: Aug 6 2022, 11:17 AM