NightFox (Input Club + mtt3o WhiteFox Vera in black)
- TTC Ace linears
- AE Staebies
- MT3 Darkness
- PE foam & force-break mod
- Modded plate from “TrueFox” —> “Aria” layout
Early impressions - let’s do bullet points about it:
Bad news first:
- Case screws are dainty, not metric
- Stabs are cheap, plate-mount
- No warranty, de-soldering required
- Salvaged switches not fully functional; only good for springs & small parts
Middlin’:
- Supports LEDs, but doesn’t come with any, and only single-color
- North-facing is good if you want to add LEDs and have backlit legends, but not so good if you want to use Cherry profile keycaps and the like. Not really a “negative” because some prefer North-facing, and even if not, it’s easy enough to overcome with short travel switches or spacing shims - but it is a potential reason someone might choose a different chassis
What I like:
- Lots of layout options on the PCB
- Supports better stabs including screw-in (having an either/or option is rare even today)
- USBC
- Edge-mount; it’s a tray, but the “standoffs” are evenly spaced around the outer edge
- Easy enough to remap
- Actually protective carrying case
- Open-source everything
- Feet aren’t adjustable, but use a standard available in various sizes
Waxing about this thing in 2023
As a $40-ish rescue project, this was fun - and I have to say I enjoy the final product more than I expected to when I started. 10 years ago when the first iteration of this keyboard was designed, the hobby was indeed in a very different place. As such, this chassis lacks many features now considered standard.
That said, there’s still a good keyboard buried in there - it just takes a little effort to squeeze it out. I did this one in a leisurely setting (literally on a plank of wood in my lap on the couch) over about 8 hours. If you skipped experimenting with modding the plate and subsequently fiddling with stabs, I bet it could be done a lot faster.
Straight out of the box it sounds and feels rough. This isn’t really a surprise - I’m pretty sure every pre-built (or pre-assembled kit) from 7-ish years ago feels rough. These days even ultra-budget keyboards like CIYs and RedDragons have features like isolation mounting and layout customization, making this one seem pretty quaint in a lot of ways - especially considering the MSRP. In [current year] there’s no reason to spend that on a keyboard like this - but for $30 plus shipping, that’s a little different.
I think I’d actually considered buying one of these the last time I saw them on sale and balked at the weird layout - this time I actually just didn’t notice until after I ordered - so I was stoked to find out the PCB supports all kinds of options. The included plate is set to a particular layout, but it’s soft enough to modify with flush cutters and the plate files are available for download.
So - while the chassis lacks many modern considerations that are genuinely standard these days, the PCB is thoughtfully designed and remains pretty darn versatile. I made a quick-and-dirty mod to the plate so I could use my preferred layout - that made the backspace stabs a lot harder to dial-in - but once I got those sorted I really started to enjoy this keyboard. There’s something satisfying to me about a solid, simple tool that does a simple job well - I’d say this build falls into that category at this point.
If you’re wanting to polish a turd into diamond, this may present a challenge - there’s definitely a tuning ceiling here thanks to the slim design and basic mounting - but it may also be higher than it first seems. Use the provided plate files to have a POM replacement made, add a little tape and foam to some strategic places, upgrade some components - you might be surprised how enjoyable it becomes.
I love my fancy keebs, but I also really appreciate one that’s nice to use without being precious - like a trusty wrench. This is a keeb I don’t have to think twice about tossing into a bag, using in static-y winter weather, or typing on 'til the cows come home. There’s a good chance it’s going to last as long as I need it to - but if it doesn’t, I’m not out “keyboard money”.