BTW those TG3 boards might be a prime candidate for DSA 2077:
or G20 Semiotic.
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I am really starting to lean towards just keeping it as is & cleaning the scuffs off the case the best I can. I actually donât think Iâll need to convert it. It didnât come with a cord, but it has a PS2 port on the back so I can buy a male to male PS2 cable then run that from the board to my active PS2 to USB cable which will get it working. Then I can add my Hatsu USB to USB controller converter to get at least TMK compatibility. Although I will admit QMK or VIA compatibility would be far preferable.
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I agree. That is the best solution. It really doesnât need much work beyond cable compatibility. QMK would be nice, but you could see if TMK is enough.
That top-right row would be perfect for artisans, for somebody who uses those. [I wouldnât put artisans on a vintage board]. Or, a token G20 semiotic row. But the stock keycaps there are fairly useful, too.
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I think you nailed it as to why mine is so clean, mustâve been a newer one that never got put into service before wherever these came from closed. I kinda feel a little bad now seeing Iâm the only one who got such a clean one that I know of so far. The nice thing is that these caps should clean up pretty well for you guys & vint/early pretool MX blacks can survive an atom bomb (Iâve harvested & salvaged MX blacks in much much worse shape that still turned out good) so weâll all get some good things from this deal!
Something like that will be pretty necessary. The thing speaks AT, but its factory firmware layout is odd to say the least.
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I got one of those MMD HE plates that dropped just recently. They have an online configurator that seems quite decent and easy to use. Threw in some Akko Astrolink and put it into my Monon60 R2. I still donât like HE and donât understand the fuss, but maybe itâs just not my cup of tea.
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So, I found out because I completely forgot about it in the stack of papers on my desk. Turns out they send you a nastygram saying theyâre going to Close Your Fedex Account (and probably make it a PITA to open a new one).
I will also note that the Fedex site is bloody awful to navigate and makes the simple act of paying a bill a hunting expedition for the right link. âAccounts and paymentsâ takes me to a useless page where I can set the ânicknameâ for my address and thatâs it. Turns out you just have to go to the URL in the original invoice and type everything in by hand.
I am always amazed at companies that make it HARD to pay them money like this.
4 Likes
Gateron Longjing Tea
After actually typing on these for a week, I would say that these are MX Browns+ without the scratch.
They come stock with some relatively powerful 22mm 1 or 2-stage springs. So I am instead using 60 G 14mm TX springs to tone them down to MX Brown levels.
With the Brown-like springs, it is easier to make comparisons with MX Brown. They definitely lack the scratch. The factory-lubing is fairly generous, but somewhat inconsistent. You can feel the slight butteryness when pressing a key, but it is nothing outrageous. Just not as consistent as hand-lubing.
They already have a fairly muted sound, in stock form. Itâs kind of low-pitched and cloppy. With the lubed 60 G 14mm springs, though, they are even quieter. Hardly getting any ringing or pinging from them, or air whooshing sounds. Just a muted wet thud. Itâs more civilized than a lot of light-tactiles.
But what about the most important thing? The push-feel. They definitely have a Cherry-ish bump. It starts and actuates lower than youâd expect. Even with the 14mm springs, it requires more force at the top than you might expect. Iâd say the bump is a little larger than an MX Brown. And more definite. You can almost âhangâ them like a Zealio V2, but the bump is not pronounced enough to encourage that. They bottom-out fairly softly by modern standards.
Typing on them reminded me most of light Ergo Clears. Basically an MX Brown with a somewhat larger tactile notch. The big difference with real Ergo Clears is the upstroke. Although you can definitely feel when the upstroke starts to clear the âbump,â it doesnât catch or âhangâ on the upstroke nearly as much as real Ergo Clears do. Itâs a much smoother transition.
Thereâs a number of things marketed as âbetter Ergo Clearsâ or âbetter Browns,â but in a number of ways, these are. Theyâre smoother, less-scratchy, more consistent, less wobble. They have a more restrained sound profile. On the downside, the factory lube is somewhat uneven, and the stock springs may be overpowered.
Itâs a more refined âteaâ than classic Browns [of all manufacturers], and a more elegant office switch. Its stability and less-outlandish housing sounds might make it more straightlaced and less âfunâ than Browns proper. It might do the job of Browns better than Browns do, but the new MX2A offer some competition in this department. MX2A are smoother, straighter, and easier to operate than MX1A, while retaining much of the classic MX housing properties. So itâs up to personal preference. Both switches can be tuned via springs and lubrication, so it is ultimately up to what you are aiming for.
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I see you accidentally bought springs that are way too light⌠
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Prussian Blue finally came. And itâs very pretty.
I hate GMK trays so much.
I have no idea what Iâll be putting it on, but itâs another set where the color looks incredibly different under different lighting. Canât wait to put it on a board one day and take some photos in daylight.
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Big mailday today, i guess.
- Some 45g EC domes for a project that ended up not working. I wanted to replicate a build from Morbid42 but it doesnât work with these domes.
- 9 Wingtree Switches on the left side. I bought a full set of the MX-Brown-Like tactiles and it came with a bunch of samples, including a few with âHituneâ nameplate.
- BSUN switches that were made for âColorfulâ and were supposed to have a Nameplate of it, but they came with BSUN nameplate. I think those were POM stem, PC top, PA bottom. Long pole linears that are pretty decent, but nothing special.
- Something rare again. COX GN08. Some of the very first custom Gaterons. Bright orange top and silent yellow stem linears. Surprisingly good for what they are.
- A set of Gateron Usagi Stems that came with a few assembled switches. I thought these were just mythical urban legend type of switches. I remember buying them when the GB happened and then cancelling 2 years later because of zero updates. But it seems like somewhere in the last 5 years or so they finally got released after all. They were supposed to be the first UHMWPE stem gaterons. They donât feel like UHMWPE stems in hand.
- BSUN carbon black. No idea where they came from. They are from one of those sellers who are selling truckloads of switches âat a lossâ. They seem new but also old at the same time. They arenât that good.
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Lovely blue. I expected it to be closer to the artwork on the packaging with a bit more green to it, but itâs still very nice looking.
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I think Gateron really did their first few custom switches as best as they could. The Tangies were incredibly good & I really liked the Merlots as well (they were a little later in Gatâs custom switch timeline though).
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So I learned the other day why this is a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamerism_(color)
TLDR, our eyes âbucketâ color with 3 types of receptors, but light is a continuous spectrum, light sources matter a lot, and reflection is trickier because of absorption.
This lead me down various WP rabbit holes until I discovered THIS, which is incredibly off topic but so cool I had to share: a blue-green thatâs more saturated than normally possible, via shooting lasers (safely!) into peopleâs eyes to activate only our âgreenâ (M) receptors.
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Got my latest order from Divinikey in today! Got a batch of 108 Gateron Konsus, a pack of 60A silicone PCBsnaps, a pack of 60A FKM PCBsnaps, & a pack of 70A FKM Keysnaps (No ideal WTF FKM is, but feels a little stouter than silicone in hand). The Konsus feel great in hand, probably could benefit from hand lubing but the stock lube is fine also, the springs + leaves are nice & quiet, & it is a much tighter feeling switch vs Snow Rabbits (I think they used old ass molds on the Snow Rabbits TBH). These seem to be basically what I wanted Snow Rabbits to be, a RBO Smoothie. Then the PCBsnaps & KEYsnaps are super interesting now that I have them in hand to check out. They look like they can make almost any board into a friction fit mount & also should make running plateless builds super simple! My HS PCB on my Spyder is acting up so Iâll be tearing that apart later to see whatâs up with it. Since Iâll have it apart I plan on testing a few different setups with the PCBsnaps, then I might try the KEYsnaps on something too if I have the time. Will let you guys know how they go!
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Havenât bought a keyboard in a bit so I treated myself to a âLil BAE from @mujimanic at sneakbox in stainless steel. Option for ANSI, BAE or ISO +1
He had some in stock last week with machine marks still on them, which I love.
Iâm a happy camper. Nothing better feeling than steel in my opinion Plus, I actually have a need for this!
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