Since I’m new to split keyboards, where can I find a black TRRS cable that looks decent?
Short springs… What’s up with them?
I just saw a listing for Wuque short springs on Vala (CL635) and I recently bought some “Outemu” (not 100% sure that they are made by Outemu) Cream switches that, when I opened them had short springs in them.
The last time I was doing a lot of frankenswitching the fashion was multi-stage springs. What’s the goal with shorter springs and what can you expect when using them as opposed to multi-stage or even longer single-stage springs?
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Should I spend some cash on a GMK Red Honey set or do you think Honeywell looks better here
- Honeywell (shown here)
- Red Honey (don’t own. Same colors but red legends on both alphas and mods)
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voters
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Short springs!
Underrated, IMO. They’re the other end of things from slow-curve, shorter springs tend to be fast-curve - that is, in that 4mm or less of switch travel, there is a greater delta between the starting, actuation, and bottom-out weights vs normal and long springs.
They feel “bouncy” - in the most extreme cases they start light and finish heavy - like linears with Halo springs. Some of the most quiet switches I own aren’t silents, but fast-curve linears used gently. I def recommend checking them out if you’re curious. 
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Just like my opinion, man, but I don’t love the red legends on the Red Honey mods.
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Has anyone tried the V3 WS stabilizers? I’m in need of some stabilizers, and it appears I can get these next day delivery on Amazon. I’d rather buy some more Knight stabilizers but everyone is currently out of stock
I have tried them a few times now and in my opinion I’m not the biggest fan. I like the idea behind having silicone/TPU in the stem inserts to reduce rattle, but in execution they can end up feeling mushy/not the best. I have tried plenty hard to get them to feel exactly how I like stabs to feel, but have yet to do so maybe it’s just a me issue. I think they’re pretty decent stock without having TX/Staebies level of tolerances, but when you lube them to try and completely get rid of the rattle it just ends up feeling whatever.
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Thanks for the feedback! I’ll grab some Durock stabilizers with quick delivery. They take a bit of work but I can get them to my liking.
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Yah, while they’re not in fashion anymore, I’ve had good luck with Durock screw-ins.
answering my own question with research, here are some TRRS cable options:
- Kriscables: https://kriscables.com/product/custom-trrs-cable/
- keyhive is OOS on their cables, but maybe they will get back in stock: TRRS Cable — KeyHive
- Boardsource has two cheap options: TRRS Cable | Boardsource
- AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805472322668.html you can find the same photos on an amazon listing as well. Not sure whats going on there if its the same vendor or not.
I just ordered a temporary five dollar TRRS cable from Jeff Bezos for now until I can get a custom cable made. Hopefully it works better than the other cheap TRRS cable I got that doesn’t seem to work right at all. Either half of my split keyboard works with the USB cable, but the TRRS-only side lights up and the OLED works, but the keys don’t function.
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I’m wondering what people think about DCS vs DSA profile keycaps. Which do you prefer?
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Personal preference:
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DCS: love it. I think the typing feel is great, and they’re my favorite thing to pair with more mild switches since the thin caps bring out more of their character; if Cherry is your mom or dad, DCS is the fun aunt or uncle. Maybe underrated in the grand scheme of things but favored among enthusiasts.
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DSA: I love to look at it, but I find using it pretty awkward. The small-but-deep scoops with the uniform height is visually gorgeous, but my fingers hardly know what to do with it in terms of touch-typing. Now - if you aren’t a touch typist or if you learned on a flat keyboard, that may not matter at all. An advantage of the uniform row height is more layout flexibility. If you want to put a down arrow where your Esc key normally is, well, it’ll look like it belongs there.
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DSS: Very nearly the best of both worlds, IMO. Before MTNU, CXA, XVX, MDA - there was another sculpted spherical low-profile… and it’s actually pretty great, if a bit too hard to find examples of. If you aren’t familiar, DSS is basically DSA in height and top shape but with row sculpt like DCS. That is, it’s got the spherical scoops like DSA, but the varying height and angles between rows like DCS. I might prefer the look of MTNU, but for pure touch-typing ease mixed with retro spherical looks and an accessible key height, DSS is what’s up.
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I use a lot of non-sculpted keycaps. I don’t love DSA, but it is pretty, and you can get used to it without much trouble. I think I’d prefer R3 SA though, if I were looking for a retro-vibe non-sculted. I even like XDA a little more than DSA, and also the XVX low profile. My under the radar favorite for non-sculpted is the VSA from Vortex that I have on one of my hand-wires; it sort of splits the difference between XDA and DSA.
Isn’t DCS basically just SP’s take on a Cherry-like profile? I imagine it will have many of the same strengths and weaknesses.
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For me I heavily prefer DCS, but that said I am not a fan of uniform profile keycaps whatsoever so I’m probably not the best for advice here LOL! DSA isn’t bad from the few sets I have, also very easy to fill weird esoteric layouts with since all the keys are the same size & shape. I just prefer sculpted profiles cause it makes touch typing much easier for me.
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Pretty much, though it does have some distinctions vs most iterations of Cherry;
- Some angles are more aggressive
- More rounded corners, esp, vs Cherry
- Plastic is intentionally thin which changes sound
- Also means it’s light which changes the feel
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I’m not 100% sure but I think DCS came before Cherry profile also.
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That’s what I was wondering about as well.
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Okay, interesting. I’ve never tried it, but I already tend to find Cherry a bit thin and brittle sounding. Might not be for me, LOL.
It might not!
It may be worth trying some random individual caps from a grab bag on a few builds; depending on the setup they can actually have a well-rounded sound thanks to having more interior space.
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So the Bastion 60% 7u Hotswap PCB checks off pretty much all of the boxes for me (triple-split spacebars, split right shift, and QMK/VIA) at a reasonable price.
This feels like a dumb question, but why isn’t it compatible with most if not all 60% cases? According to the Cannon Keys Bastion compatibility chart, there are very few boards that match up with it.
Is it a daughterboard issue? Lack of mounting points for it in non-listed cases like the Brutal 60 or Tofu 2.0 60%? Or is it something else?