What did you learn today?

Once a switch leaf is bent throw it out, it will never be just right again.

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Not today but over the weekend - soldered a controller in, blocking access to solder in two switches on a macropad. Turned my Sweet 16 into a Sweet 14 unless I want to unsolder/resolder the controller. Learned to pay more attention to the order of buildingā€¦

Other than that, successful first attempt soldering something together. Sweet 16 is a great way to learn. (So I guess that could also be what I learned - how to build a macropad!)

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Today I learned that when I have extra money I have zero impulse control for group buys :sob: :sob: :sob:

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Irresponsible spending club, what what! :upside_down_face: Seriously though I feel your statement.

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I learned that not all 60% plates are the same thanks to that damn DZ60 hotswap layout with arrow keys. I now have two 2U right shift carbon Fiber plates that are useless to me and Iā€™m unable to complete a build until new ones arrive.

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Iā€™m constantly battling film crunch when actuating switches with aggressively protruding stem legs. Problem solved.

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Interesting! I noticed that TXā€™s revised design is something like that.

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Aha! Thanks for the info. I guess I learned two things today :nerd_face:

TIL to solder! Feels like this has taken a while - researching tools, ordering them, learning, and finally trying it. And realizing Iā€™m totally a beginner at this. I had some great joints and some pretty bad joints. Definitely glad I used the practice kit first, and not any of my keyboards pcbs. I need a LOT more practice. Learned a lot tho trying it for real. Starting to get a feel for it.

Shout out to @CosmicKira for the video series in this post:

Soldering Video Series From PACE

I learned so much from these. Still a couple to finish on the repair/damage video list. But it was awesome. That narrationā€¦ The diagramsā€¦ The intro beatsā€¦ I feel so educated.

I was actually better at soldering than desoldering. I had a solder sucker for this and the snap back was so sharp I had trouble keeping it in place while trying to heat the spot. It was a disaster. Anyone have advice for desoldering cleanly? Do I just need more practice? I suppose I could invest in one of those high end extractors, but that seems a like a lot to spend on. (Need to save that for more boards lol)

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I donā€™t know what sucker u have but the engineer SS-02 really is worth the money.
As for technique, just make sure the solder-tip is steady,. Not the whole world if the sucker jump around.

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@skepp Thatā€™s the one I got. I only managed to cleanly desolder 1 out of 4 attempts. Soā€¦ I probably just need more practice. Thanks for the second opinion. It helps.

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The Engineer SS-02 is a really top tier manual solder sucker, but for my money you canā€™t beat one of these desoldering irons. They do run hot, so i wouldnā€™t recommend these for anyone who is not fairly experienced at soldering/desoldering. Although for me it has worked perfectly on boards Iā€™ve soldered with leaded solder (have to work quick here tho to avoid PCB damage) & prebuilt boards using lead free solder. The only complaint Iā€™d have with it, is that it blows through tips fairly quick. Theyā€™re replaceable & cheap though so a fair trade off for the price/performance of the iron IMHO.

That said I still do plan on getting a good desoldering gun sooner than later since I do a fair of desoldering. Despite the high prices on the guns, they are undeniably the fastest, easiest, & safest way to desolder TBH.

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Yeah. It makes [sense] the manual method would probably still require some technique and skill. I just need to ā€˜suck it upā€™ and put in the practice time. Lol

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My silicone nosel have got a slit in it so I put the tip in the slit and the rest straight on top of the solder, works well 8/10 times. :upside_down_face: (excuse my English)

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Brilliant tip! Thanks. Does that affect the vacuum action at all? Or it still works fine?

It probably affects the vacuum, but not by much Iā€™d guess. The slit occurred by ware and tear / accident but I use it to my advantage.

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I can type competently but my pinky likes to flirt with the caps lock keyā€¦ Today I learned I donā€™t have to deal with this insubordination any longer and removed the switch leaf in that key. I am looking at you next [Ins]! :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I hope you donā€™t have a qmk/via compatible keyboard. :crazy_face:

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More expensive than removing a switch leaf and probably not as elegant looking since no keycap, but this exists an an option too

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lol no just a Leopold now. I didnā€™t like the dip switch options. I am patiently waiting for an 1800 style to come up for group buy.