Tested spring swaps for a linear is0GR build.
Halo True 100g, 70g standard from SP Star Melon Soda, TX 67g short, and CK Long (20mm) 63.5g swapped into a CJ (60g stock, full travel)
Winner is: TX 67g short!
Will probably desolder the tactile I have in the PC plate and solder in the CJ tonight.
Also accidentally got a new PB on monkey type lmao
First board soldered, except for the MCU. I realized that while there was probably nothing wrong with “rolling my own” with the connection between the switches and the diodes, it would have made more sense to figure out how to make the KiCAD footprints do it via normal traces instead of big oversized pads with holes (probably just figuring out how to modify the source footprints to use through-hole instead of SMD diodes). It should still work fine, but it complicated soldering. I also don’t think I quite appreciated how permanent this is. Until I’m willing to unsolder 85 switches, this plate and PCB are very much a happy little family now. Still, that all went more or less how I expected. A primitive design, inexpertly implemented, but within my skills and no surprises so far.
What will definitely need some more work is the case. I only printed the back, so only about 5 hours, but I can already see it needs to have a few things re-thought. Apart from the USB opening being several mm too high (oops!), I’m either going to have to abandon fuzzy skin or learn some new slicer tricks. To keep it, I need to remove it from everywhere except non-mating external-facing surfaces, and figure out an angle that removes the ~2.2mm “pinstripes” between the fuzzy waves on the angled top. Fuzzy doesn’t work at all on perfectly flat tops, and I just learned there are limits to what it can do on shallow angles.
On the plus side it looks like I do indeed have just enough room in the design to make everything fit, and the captive nuts are less fiddly than the last design where I tried them. I don’t want to wire up the RP2040 until I have a better feel for where it will rest and how much slack it’ll need, so more CAD is next in the offing.
I have probably just committed heresy by defiling a MINT condition Kinesis Model 130, but… I swapped the guts from my Kinesis Advantage 2 with black hyperglides and a Stapelberg controller with a USB C panel jack into the Model 130 and it all fit perfectly. Well except for the fact that I lost the use of the function key row, but I never used it in my keymap anyway, so really no downside for me.
I regret nothing because now I can actually use this gorgeous piece of history as my daily driver with its original doubleshot keycaps.
Built my Neo Ergo today. Green with the copper weight. Went with Smoothies for the switch and NicePBT Classic Beige for the caps. Overall, really liking how it looks and sounds. Acrylic wrist rest.
A very controversial keyboard.
The strangest sound here)
This is probably all due to the structure of the case.
The quickly removable TOP top cover causes strange sounds.
Internal space and mounting method without plate. It also causes a strange sound, namely that one side, the left, has one sound, and the other right has a completely different sound)
But at the same time very beautiful)
Very convenient layout (also supports a large number of layouts)
Convenient tilt angle.
Large heavy body.
Many colors to choose from.
Spring swapped some Gateron Cream Sodas today and threw them in my tester.
Honestly, pretty killer switch. Sound is great. 63g was a little too heavy, but 18mm TX 55g springs feel almost perfect. I am wondering if I shouldn’t have gone 57g 18mm TX…
I will likely spend the week with them, but I might almost prefer them to the Nixies I made a while back. Nixies have a little more air-y, clack but these are more a muted “thonk”/thock.
Finished this guy up today, but my build process could use some refinement, particularly on the case. Inside, the thing consists of a non-zero percentage of structural hot glue, due to an earlier incident involving too much faith that super glue meant to hold nuts in place wouldn’t get on to the threads of the placeholder screws.
Spent my Saturday evening lubing 108 Cherry Blacks.
I hit the rails, leaves and springs with a light coating of 205G0, just enough to kill any ping. I kind of like the scratchiness, so no lube on the stem at all.
Why are the microcontroller headers one pin short at the top?
And what switches are you using?
Printed a wrist rest last night.
Then I pulled out some keebs to see how it looks with them lol I don’t think it clashes with my builds, but kind of want to try printing it in black. Maybe a taller one for the taller cases like the Salvation,Klippe,Fjell…
Files here 60% Wrist Rest by skwrl - Thingiverse
Meant to be printed upside down on a smooth plate. Ideally would have printed it in one piece but bed size constraints.
I printed a jig and cut up adhesive silicone into 1" x4mm strips. The backside of the wrist rest has silicone bumpers bc I noticed the front corners of my Tofu Redux loosing some anodization from my wooden wrist rest rubbing against it.
Prints off the X1C’s PEI smooth plate are so buttery smooth I can’t stop touching it lol
The MCU pins you see are another column, the PCB is reversible for the other side 
Switches are Choc Sunsets, I recently gave the Twilight a shot. Like the lower weight, but I dont like silent linears on MX either and had the same feeling on the chocs. Just bottoming out into nothing feels just wrong to me. I see if I can get some tactiles if they are out, until then I also really want to get some clicky chocs.
What are your thoughts on the Sunsets? I have Red Pros that I lubed and taped the rails on a board, but found that I should’ve went tactile for low-pro.
I was thinking browns, but love the looks of these…
Best chocs ever (at least now) imho. I started with Pinks, hated the weight and im completely in love with these. I never really used browns, only got to test them on a tester. Absolutely no comparison to the sunsets, imho the choc browns are even more a meme than the regular browns.
They are a bit more expensive, but worth every cent for me.
https://www.keebtalk.com/t/what-did-you-get-in-the-mail-today-part-2/20502/473?u=neprawda
I did the assembly.
On new stabilizers.
Immediately assembled as:
Stock, dry and stock curved wire.
Stock, dry and smooth hand straightened wire.
Lubricant but stock crooked wire.
There is already, as I wrote earlier, another variation (clone)
I made a video.
And here I’ll write that stabilizers offer little new.
They need to be thoroughly lubricated. Because they are too noisy and shake out of the box.
Body and stem, tolerances, like cherry stabilizers. I absolutely don’t like this on Spacebar.
Because pressing the Spacebar is too deflected up or down. I want a clear, even, straight, smooth press.
Thanks for the heads up! Hmm, sounds like something I probably wouldn’t like much either. I always felt durock stabs were a bit too loose on the tolerances. I was thinking that tongue inside the wire pocket might help keep things tightened up throughout the key press. Glad I didn’t buy any durock V3s when I ordered my KKB Vibrato set from Divinikey the other day. I had a few sets in my cart, but figured I’d save the money & wait since I’m fairly well stocked on stabs right now. Will definitely check your video out too!
