The Mechanical Keyboards Club

[Fluxmaven]

51 minutes ago, neurotix said:

No experience with Kailh Pro or recommendations for any other clicky switches though, Flux?

 

Like I said, I've mostly moved away from clicky switches. I've owned several clicky boards over the years and used to make my own combos by piecing together various housings and stems with custom weight springs. That was all back before the clone wars after the Cherry patents expired and the market was flooded with tons of switch options. 

 

The only clicky switches I currently have installed in boards are BOX Navy and modded Gateron Green. 

 

I was glancing over at the spare switches and I have Box pink, jade, and navy. I also have another heavy clicky Kailh switch that I forgot I had... I think they are Pro Heavy Navy which are a bit heavier than Box Navy.

 

Box Navy

 

 

Pro Heavy Navy

 

 

I started looking through my emails and it looks like I also ordered the Pro Heavy Plum switches which are tactile and have no idea where those are 

 

[neurotix]

Yeah, that's pretty cool that you built your own switches back in the day before anything besides Cherry was available.

 

What I'm wondering specifically is about the Kailh Pro Light Green clicky switch vs a Box Jade in terms of feel and weight. Like is a Pro Light Green just a Jade that's not box and rated for more lifetime key presses or something. In which case it would be a waste to save my junk food money for a few months to build a new board with Light Greens.

 

You mentioned Box Royals, this is another switch I am interested in and curious about. I believe they are Box Royal Purples or am I wrong? I read from some sources that the Box Purple are BOTH tactile and clicky. But I am unsure if this is true. If they are just tactile I am not interested, but if they are tactile and clicky it's something to consider.

 

Also wondering about clicky switches from any other manufacturer I'm unaware of.

[Fluxmaven]

I have no experience with Pro Light Green so no help there. They appear to be fairly different aside from both being clicky green switches though. Also funny enough the Jades are rated for more clicks.

 

Box Jade

 

Pro Light Green

 

Box Royals are really nice, but they are not clicky. Just very tactile. They do produce a nice thock sound which is maybe why people compare them to clickies since they are loud for tactiles.  As far as I know they are the only purple stem Box switch and are just called Box Royal. There is a Pro Purple which is also a tactile but it's a standard stem. 

 

I haven't been keeping up on all the new switches that are out there but I'm sure there are other brands making clicky switches even though they are the least popular. I'm always surprised how popular linears are but most boutique switches are linear or tactile. 

[neurotix]

The Pro Light Green are quite different, thanks for the charts. Do you know the actuation force in Gs between the two?

 

I think I will possibly save up and do a board with Pro Light Greens.

 

EDIT: I just needed to look at the graphs, duh, for actuation force. Looks like the actuation point is around 45g for both.

Edited February 16 by neurotix

[neurotix]

Decided to get this board:

 

Amazon.com: RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK100 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard, Bluetooth5.1/2.4G/Wired 96% Full Size 100-Key Hot Swappable Gaming Keyboard with 3 USB Ports, Blue Switch for Mac Windows, Classic : Video Games

WWW.AMAZON.COM

---

Buy RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK100 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard, Bluetooth5.1/2.4G/Wired 96% Full Size...

 

In case it doesn't show up, I'm getting the blue switch/classic keycaps version.

 

Will probably get it and check it out and leave it as is, I'm curious if it will have Outemu switches or Gaterons. In a few months I'll get Kailh Pro Light Green to go in it, and have to figure out what keycaps and o-rings I want.

 

EDIT: Got Kailh Pro Light Green switches from the Kailh website. They won't be here for a long time, but they only had 5 in stock so I figured waiting would be a bad idea.

Edited February 17 by neurotix

[neurotix]

Sorry for like triple posting but I did a mod to one of my boards. The E-element Z-88 with modded white switches. It is Doraemon themed so I did a keycap swap to a set that wasn't available years ago. The most tedious part was taking the WASD blue o-rings off of the old keycaps with a toothpick.

 

I need my E-element Z-88 keycaps changed to Glacier Doraemon in the spreadsheet.

 

I'll let the pictures explain the rest.

 

 

 

Edited February 20 by neurotix

[neurotix]

Here's the Royal Kludge RK100 with blue switches.

 

 

I did zoom in on the side casing of a switch using my phone, and it's marked RK. I think these could possibly be rebranded Gateron blues. They feel almost the same as my OCN ducky with blue switches.

 

Anyway, if anyone's interested I will be doing a keyboard project soon. I can take photos to share, or not, since activity here is low. The idea has been to do a full custom build for cheap.

 

Royal Kludge RK100 98% board ($65 with coupon)

XVX retro keycaps ($17)

ThreeBulls blue O-Rings ($7)

Kailh Pro Light Green switches ($37)

 

That's $126 total excluding tax and shipping.

 

I may open this board up, clip and lube stabs, pack it with crafter's foam, but probably not plastidip it like I did my Keychron K8 Pro. If people are interested in this project, let me know and I'll document what I do with photos.

[Supercrumpet]

On 01/01/2024 at 14:20, neurotix said:

Here's some more high-quality photos of the Keynovo IF98. You can also get this board in solid white and solid black instead of translucent blue like ours.

 

 

 

Blue lighting as it matches it:

 

 

The top has this:

 

 

The bottom has this:

 

 

Sound test:

 

 

 

Looks like a fun board! Honestly the colored translucent case looks better than I would have expected with lighting. Great layout too.

 

On 08/01/2024 at 19:16, pioneerisloud said:

Please update my submission on the list to ALSO include now a Rosewill Neon K85 with Kailh Blue switches.

 

It's not the MX Blues board I was hoping for to be honest, but for the $30 price tag on newegg, I have to say this is quite a nice board.  I feel like actual Cherry MX Blue switches are more clicky and that tactile "bump" is more pronounced.  This Kailh Blue switch board is a lot more tame than MX Blues I feel like?  It's a lot better than the MX Browns I had before, that's for sure though (my MX Blues Redragon is a 60% and I can't use 60% boards daily driver).

 

Added!

 

On 19/02/2024 at 20:05, neurotix said:

Sorry for like triple posting but I did a mod to one of my boards. The E-element Z-88 with modded white switches. It is Doraemon themed so I did a keycap swap to a set that wasn't available years ago. The most tedious part was taking the WASD blue o-rings off of the old keycaps with a toothpick.

 

I need my E-element Z-88 keycaps changed to Glacier Doraemon in the spreadsheet.

 

I'll let the pictures explain the rest.

 

 

 

 

Also looks good with the blue lighting. Stickers aren't my style, but it's a cool theme, and the blue/white isn't too common I feel but it looks refreshing.

 

On 24/02/2024 at 15:03, neurotix said:

Here's the Royal Kludge RK100 with blue switches.

 

 

I did zoom in on the side casing of a switch using my phone, and it's marked RK. I think these could possibly be rebranded Gateron blues. They feel almost the same as my OCN ducky with blue switches.

 

Anyway, if anyone's interested I will be doing a keyboard project soon. I can take photos to share, or not, since activity here is low. The idea has been to do a full custom build for cheap.

 

Royal Kludge RK100 98% board ($65 with coupon)

XVX retro keycaps ($17)

ThreeBulls blue O-Rings ($7)

Kailh Pro Light Green switches ($37)

 

That's $126 total excluding tax and shipping.

 

I may open this board up, clip and lube stabs, pack it with crafter's foam, but probably not plastidip it like I did my Keychron K8 Pro. If people are interested in this project, let me know and I'll document what I do with photos.

 

Go for it if it wouldn't be to much trouble, I'm always a fan of documenting stuff (contrary to my habits of always forgetting to do so for my own stuff).

 

Sorry for the much belated replies as always. Hopefully it's not too much of a surprise coming from me.

[tictoc]

Not sure if anyone here would be interested, but about half of the the new Model F boards from Model F Labs are on sale.  I snagged an F77, and I'll post up pics when it arrives.  Shipping time also seems to be way down from what it was before.  Some recent orders I know of have gotten their boards in a few weeks.  https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/store/

 

Edited February 27 by tictoc
Added link

[Fluxmaven]

4 hours ago, tictoc said:

Not sure if anyone here would be interested, but about half of the the new Model F boards from Model F Labs are on sale.  I snagged an F77, and I'll post up pics when it arrives.  Shipping time also seems to be way down from what it was before.  Some recent orders I know of have gotten their boards in a few weeks.  https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/store/

 

 

Did you get the Solenoid with it? I remember when this project first came around. I wouldn't mind having one but I really don't need another keyboard lol

[Supercrumpet]

13 hours ago, tictoc said:

Not sure if anyone here would be interested, but about half of the the new Model F boards from Model F Labs are on sale.  I snagged an F77, and I'll post up pics when it arrives.  Shipping time also seems to be way down from what it was before.  Some recent orders I know of have gotten their boards in a few weeks.  https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/store/

 

 

Very cool, curious about their stuff. I don't think I've heard of them before. Curious indeed about your feedback, but I'll put them on my mental radar for sure.

[tictoc]

13 hours ago, Fluxmaven said:

 

Did you get the Solenoid with it? I remember when this project first came around. I wouldn't mind having one but I really don't need another keyboard lol

I ordered the solenoid, but I will likely not use it. I also ordered both the original style and the ultra compact case. I'll post up my thoughts once I get the board.

[neurotix]

Yeah checking this out too but since I'm doing a custom build soon, if I do decide I want one I'll have to wait a few months then ask

 

Thanks.

 

EDIT: sticker shock. Yeah for those prices I'd rather get a Realforce. Still pretty neat though.

Edited February 27 by neurotix

[The Pook]

I'm officially sleeping with the enemy

 

I bought a Keychron K8 Pro with Gateron Reds 

 

[Fluxmaven]

2 hours ago, The Pook said:

I'm officially sleeping with the enemy

 

I bought a Keychron K8 Pro with Gateron Reds 

 

 

Did you at least get a hot swappable version so you can correct your mistake in switch selection? 

[The Pook]

1 hour ago, Fluxmaven said:

 

Did you at least get a hot swappable version so you can correct your mistake in switch selection? 

 

 

It was cheaper with Reds so I saved a buck since I'm going to swap the switches out anyway, but I still feel dirty. 

Edited March 2 by The Pook

[neurotix]

Warning: long post and massive image dump incoming

 

Here's my detailed documentation of building and modding the Royal Kludge RK100. My comments will be below each image.

 

Parts used:

 

Royal Kludge RK100

XVX retro PBT keycaps

ThreeBulls blue O-Rings

Kailh Pro Light Green switches

 

 

So this is what we're starting with. The RK100 in the Classic color scheme with ABS keycaps and RK blue switches (yes they make their own switches and you can get them on AliExpress)

 

 

Sorry this one is sideways. I can't find it in my phone to fix it. Anyway, taking keycaps off and yeet them into a bag.

 

Keycaps all pulled.

 

 

The new keycaps. I am used to buying sets that cost twice as much and are PBT with dye sub characters or whatever. Those usually come in trays, already pre sorted to put on. So these will have to be sorted.

 

 

O-rings.

 

 

Switches direct from Kailh.

 

 

Switches almost out.

 

 

Here's the board. We could just put our new switches and keycaps on, but no, this is EHW so we won't just do that. We want to clip and lube stabilizers, and we're going to crack it open and check the inside out.

 

 

The stabilizer for Enter. I was able to just pull them off the top plate very easily and didn't need to remove screws or detach the PCB. Turns out, it's already lubed and it's not like a Cherry stab so there's no prongs to clip. These really should be replaced by Cherry stabs. Maybe in the future.

 

 

The board opened up. Look at this one layer of chintzy, cheap, thin foam. That won't do much to dampen noise or add weight.

 

 

Underneath the foam. Battery and pcb for the USB ports. I use it wired so if the battery fails, no problem for me (though I'll have to remove it and replace it with a weight).

 

 

Thin crafter's foam used for art. We used the existing foam as a template and drew areas to be cut out with a razor.

 

 

It works and fits! Hurrah!

 

 

I put the black foam over the crafter's foam.

 

 

Starting to populate the board with switches. Also, I had to press down *really* hard on the top plate because of the added foam to get the screws back into it.

 

 

Done. Even though they call them Pro Light Green they're a forest green. *Shrug*

 

 

Sorry, didn't get any intermediate shots. Keycaps and o-rings on. My fiancee helped here with organizing the keycaps and putting them on. Big thanks as it made getting the keycaps and o-rings on go much faster.

 

 

Done.

 

As for my thoughts on it: it was a fun project. However, I am unhappy with the board, particularly the switches. I suppose the light green doesn't mean a color, the light part may actually refer to the sound of the switch. They feel nice to type on but are pretty quiet compared to all the box clicky switches. I think these would be good if you wanted to use clicky switches in an office or something. These feel pretty good and have good spring tension, they actuate at 45g. However the click bar must be super thin.

 

The keycaps and look though, I love it. Definitely keeping the rest of the keycaps and if I want to I can make it more green in the future.

 

Overall not bad for $126. Maybe in the future I'll change the switches to Box Heavy Pale Blue.

 

Finally, a demonstration video.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my post and documentation of building this board. Thanks for reading.

 

~neuro

Edited March 2 by neurotix

[Supercrumpet]

On 02/03/2024 at 14:54, neurotix said:

Warning: long post and massive image dump incoming

 

Here's my detailed documentation of building and modding the Royal Kludge RK100. My comments will be below each image.

 

Parts used:

 

Royal Kludge RK100

XVX retro PBT keycaps

ThreeBulls blue O-Rings

Kailh Pro Light Green switches

 

 

So this is what we're starting with. The RK100 in the Classic color scheme with ABS keycaps and RK blue switches (yes they make their own switches and you can get them on AliExpress)

 

 

Sorry this one is sideways. I can't find it in my phone to fix it. Anyway, taking keycaps off and yeet them into a bag.

 

Keycaps all pulled.

 

 

The new keycaps. I am used to buying sets that cost twice as much and are PBT with dye sub characters or whatever. Those usually come in trays, already pre sorted to put on. So these will have to be sorted.

 

 

O-rings.

 

 

Switches direct from Kailh.

 

 

Switches almost out.

 

 

Here's the board. We could just put our new switches and keycaps on, but no, this is EHW so we won't just do that. We want to clip and lube stabilizers, and we're going to crack it open and check the inside out.

 

 

The stabilizer for Enter. I was able to just pull them off the top plate very easily and didn't need to remove screws or detach the PCB. Turns out, it's already lubed and it's not like a Cherry stab so there's no prongs to clip. These really should be replaced by Cherry stabs. Maybe in the future.

 

 

The board opened up. Look at this one layer of chintzy, cheap, thin foam. That won't do much to dampen noise or add weight.

 

 

Underneath the foam. Battery and pcb for the USB ports. I use it wired so if the battery fails, no problem for me (though I'll have to remove it and replace it with a weight).

 

 

Thin crafter's foam used for art. We used the existing foam as a template and drew areas to be cut out with a razor.

 

 

It works and fits! Hurrah!

 

 

I put the black foam over the crafter's foam.

 

 

Starting to populate the board with switches. Also, I had to press down *really* hard on the top plate because of the added foam to get the screws back into it.

 

 

Done. Even though they call them Pro Light Green they're a forest green. *Shrug*

 

 

Sorry, didn't get any intermediate shots. Keycaps and o-rings on. My fiancee helped here with organizing the keycaps and putting them on. Big thanks as it made getting the keycaps and o-rings on go much faster.

 

 

Done.

 

As for my thoughts on it: it was a fun project. However, I am unhappy with the board, particularly the switches. I suppose the light green doesn't mean a color, the light part may actually refer to the sound of the switch. They feel nice to type on but are pretty quiet compared to all the box clicky switches. I think these would be good if you wanted to use clicky switches in an office or something. These feel pretty good and have good spring tension, they actuate at 45g. However the click bar must be super thin.

 

The keycaps and look though, I love it. Definitely keeping the rest of the keycaps and if I want to I can make it more green in the future.

 

Overall not bad for $126. Maybe in the future I'll change the switches to Box Heavy Pale Blue.

 

Finally, a demonstration video.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my post and documentation of building this board. Thanks for reading.

 

~neuro

 

Thanks for the long post! Added to the sheet.

 

It was interesting to see that about the stabilizers. Also I agree, a very "light" sounding click, really makes the sound of the spacebar stand out a lot. I like the cap set too, it's not my style but there's something satisfying about those relaxed colors.

[The Pook]

4 minutes ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

Thanks for the long post! Added to the sheet.

 

It was interesting to see that about the stabilizers. Also I agree, a very "light" sounding click, really makes the sound of the spacebar stand out a lot. I like the cap set too, it's not my style but there's something satisfying about those relaxed colors.

 

didn't know you were still updating it, but you can add my new keyboard too if stockies are allowed. 

 

Keychron K8 Pro, Gateron Red switches, stock PBT keycaps. Unmodified for now, still deciding on switches and keycaps 

[Sir Beregond]

15 hours ago, The Pook said:

Gateron Red switches

Gateron Red switches

Gateron Red switches

Gateron Red switches

Gateron Red switches

Gateron Red switches

Gateron Red switches

 

Hey now wait a minute....

[neurotix]

16 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

didn't know you were still updating it, but you can add my new keyboard too if stockies are allowed. 

 

Keychron K8 Pro, Gateron Red switches, stock PBT keycaps. Unmodified for now, still deciding on switches and keycaps 

 

Let us know what you end up going with for switches and keycaps. I also have the K8 Pro with Box Navy and Japanese art keycaps (that I'm considering changing to purple to match the purple plastidip on the board)

 

I think you knew that already though since I think I recommended the Keychron K8 Pro to you.

[Supercrumpet]

16 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

didn't know you were still updating it, but you can add my new keyboard too if stockies are allowed. 

 

Keychron K8 Pro, Gateron Red switches, stock PBT keycaps. Unmodified for now, still deciding on switches and keycaps 

 

Yep, still updating it. Just very sporadically lol. Added yours, all boards welcome.

[The Pook]

1 hour ago, Sir Beregond said:

 

Hey now wait a minute....

 

I have a valid reason, I promise! 

 

On 02/03/2024 at 09:46, The Pook said:

I'm officially sleeping with the enemy

 

I bought a Keychron K8 Pro with Gateron Reds 

 

 

On 02/03/2024 at 13:59, The Pook said:

It was cheaper with Reds so I saved a buck since I'm going to swap the switches out anyway, but I still feel dirty. 

 

“Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” - Sun Pook Tzu

 

I'm literally a warrior now. 

[neurotix]

What switches are you considering, Pook?

[The Pook]

15 minutes ago, neurotix said:

What switches are you considering, Pook?

 

I was planning on U4Tx but a buddy of mine convinced me to wait. He's got a mountain of switches so I'm gonna visit him one of these days and raid his stash and see if anything else interests me more. 

 

He's one of those linear-freaks () so I know he really just wants to try and tempt me to change teams, but we'll see.