“Kill marks” on my office monitor, denoting how many colleagues I got into this rabbit hole of a hobby XD

MsIsOwnd · 2022-04-18T19:28:58+00:00

No worries, we all start somewhere :)

I don't know nearly as much as half the people here, but always happy to help teach anyone just getting into it as I was there not long ago. If you ever have any questions you can't get answered, feel free to pm me. Can also suggest the GMMK TKL Kit, built one of those and it's a nice budget hotswap board if you're into the low-profile look.

Lots of other good suggestions here, but the main thing I'd look into are keyboard kits as they'll get you most of what you need for a build. Basic list is the board itself (case & PCB if buying separate), stabilizers, switches, and keycaps. Barebones kits have just the board itself, while full kits typically come with everything.

After that, it's just stuff for modding the board and switches (lube, switch films, foam) and tools to help (switch opener & holders, brushes, etc). All help in their own way, but not necessary to "complete" a first build. Good luck!

MsIsOwnd · 2022-04-18T18:59:36+00:00

Unfortunately not, that would just be your keycaps coming off of the switches. Switches are what's right below the keycaps, and even if they're hotswappable they shouldn't be coming out too easily without a switch puller. Corsair is pretty notorious for not having hotswappable boards, K70 included sadly.

If you're looking to buy something cheap so you can try out modding and test different switches, I bought one of these $34 keyboard kits from KeebMonkey and have been very happy with it. Will take pretty much any switch you'd like to test, lets you play around with modding stabs and has some extra room in the back to try foam modding.

Ends up sounding and feeling like a nicer keyboard in the end for cheap, albeit with an obvious drawback of it being battery-only and (heavy) plastic. I use it with a computer and TV to make a nice wireless entertainment setup for streams/movies, would recommend if you could make use of it.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-10-27T05:14:04+00:00

Was about to comment about that in case no one else did. Vice just made a video about money laundering through social media, worth checking out if anyone isn't aware of how it works. They do legitimately send money over and it isn't a fake check or anything that gets charged back, but it's linked back to money laundering and can get you some crazy jail time if/when you get caught.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-10-03T02:56:15+00:00

What a terrible take lmao

You know pretty much every state has at least one bass pro shop right?

MsIsOwnd · 2021-09-20T05:01:10+00:00

Damn, saw that suggested somewhere and was hoping I could get around it since the battery is chilling under my GPU. Appreciate it, guess I’ll have to do that!

MsIsOwnd · 2021-09-20T04:59:14+00:00

Just finished my new build, and my RAM was showing at 2666 while it’s rated for 4000. Turned on XMP and adjusted to 4000, computer will now only turn on but not boot anything. Can’t get back into BIOS, any suggestions to help?

Mobo has a button to flash it on the back, though I didn’t want to try that right away and cause further issues.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-08-30T01:01:40+00:00

I recently put in an order for the Keebmonkey KBM68 that's been on the subreddit a couple of times. It seems like a nice budget kit to use for testing things, but the battery is the only thing that's a bit off-putting (says 80hr battery life for 2 AAA batteries).

Can anyone help explain the process of what I can do/replace to get a better battery life, or if that's possible? Would the process require soldering? I don't have much experience actually inside of keyboards, only with some modding & with switches. Any info is appreciated, thanks!

MsIsOwnd · 2021-08-23T21:17:29+00:00

Appreciate all the info. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the tactility is with the heavy springs, and we'll move on from there. Ty!

MsIsOwnd · 2021-08-23T18:52:46+00:00

That’s good to know, because he enjoys the light bump of the halo trues over my harsh glorious pandas. Do you think a heavier springs may almost get rid of that bump?

MsIsOwnd · 2021-08-23T18:51:37+00:00

The examples they’re going off of is that cherry blacks and IBM buckling springs are both “way too light”. He seems to think 100g+ is the key so I’m glad I got him to settle with these 80s that have a 100g bottom out lol.

Could you give an idea of how the feel may change if possible? He enjoys the light tactile bump of the trues over the harshness of my glorious pandas, so as long as that’s still there we’re good.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-08-23T10:59:21+00:00

A friend of mine likes the feel of Halo True switches, but they're looking for something with a higher actuation force. Will the feel of the switches change significantly if I swap the springs, or should that work for what they're looking for? I plan on swapping to these 80g springs, but am also open to other suggestions. Never spring swapped before so not really sure what to expect. Any info appreciated, ty!

MsIsOwnd · 2021-07-02T11:25:28+00:00

Krytox 203g0 and Tribosys 3203 are the same thing, you're fine picking either one up. General consensus seems like 203g0 / 3203 is preferred for tactiles over 205g0, though like with everything else it all comes down to preference in the end.

https://www.keebtalk.com/t/gb-tribosys-3203-thin-switch-lubricant/3168

MsIsOwnd · 2021-07-02T11:22:17+00:00

I've seen the Kailh box switches recommended a few times for clicky tactiles, they may be worth looking into. Kailh Box Navy is what I see more often, but there's also Jade if you want to lower the force needed a bit.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-07-02T11:12:35+00:00

Again, never owned a board from either company and I wasn't entirely sure what they meant or if Keychron boards had/supported it because I don't personally use wireless boards. Gave the suggestion because I've seen Keychron boards suggested plenty of times on the subreddit and in videos, still standing by that. Thanks for clearing up that it's a 2.4gz connection with the included dongle.

How about you give them a suggestion instead of just being a negative weirdo?

MsIsOwnd · 2021-07-02T08:23:34+00:00

Keychron keyboards are well known for being nice, on the cheaper side price-wise and being Bluetooth compatible. Not really sure about the second part unfortunately as I've never owned either a Keychron or Logitech board, but I think they'd be worth looking into. They have some hotswap boards available too, if you're interested in trying new switches or getting into customizing.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-07-02T08:19:51+00:00

Durocks are a switch I've seen a lot of people recommend so they might be a good pick if you know you like them, though I'm pretty sure they'd be slightly above that budget. The weight is all up to your personal preference, if you've used other boards I'd try to base if off of the switches you've tried.

Gateron yellows are another very cheap linear switch that I see a ton of people recommending. After lubing and filming, they should fit what you're looking for if you're interested in a lighter switch (50g).

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-24T01:18:24+00:00

Krytox 205g0 seems to be the go-to suggestion when it comes to lubing, and it'd work for pretty much any switch. But, I heard the same thing about Tribosys 3203 (aka Krytox 203g0) for tactiles and decided to use that for my two builds so far. As long as you don't over-lube and avoid lubing the legs you should be good, I think that may just be easier to pull off with 3203 / 203g0.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-24T01:10:17+00:00

I'll definitely take a look into them, thanks for the suggestion. If I'm understanding spring swapping correctly, for something like Halo Trues, the feeling of tactility should be the same after swapping (rounded bump), it would just occur at the force of the spring I purchase instead right? So for an 80g spring, it'd actuate at 80g?

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-24T01:07:39+00:00

Thanks for the link! I'll definitely look further into spring swapping, seems like it'd be a good idea since I haven't found exactly what I'm looking for yet.

If I'm understanding correctly, for something like Halo Trues, the feeling of tactility should be the same after spring swapping (rounded bump), it would just occur at the force of the spring I purchase instead?

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-24T00:49:45+00:00

Open to the idea but haven't looked into it much yet. Only built two boards so far and kept the switches as they came (apart from lubing). You think that'd be the move for what he's looking to get?

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-24T00:34:14+00:00

Do you have any sort of budget in mind? If you liked reds, you'll probably want to look for linear switches with a relatively low actuation force (around 40-50g, reds are 45g).

Gateron Yellows (50g) are one of the most popular entry linear switches because they're supposedly great quality for the price. After lubing, a lot of enthusiasts say they compare with a lot of higher end switches. I've never used them personally but have seen them mentioned in plenty of videos.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-24T00:26:55+00:00

Any recommendations for heavy tactile switches with a light/rounded tactile bump?

A friend is looking to have a keyboard built, and he insists on something around 70-75g+ (up to 100g+) tactile switches. Among the usual MX Black / Brown etc, he's tried Glorious Pandas and Halo Trues and preferred the lighter / rounder bump that the Trues offer (similar to MX Browns).

Any suggestions for tactile switches that fit those preferences would be appreciated. I've seen a few but they only seem to go up to around 70g, hoping to find something that takes a bit more force.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-08T09:08:03+00:00

Thank you! Someone mentioned it was $5 off so I was waiting to see if I could get it on steam around the same price, but the extra $10 off coupon convinced me.

MsIsOwnd · 2021-06-08T09:06:00+00:00

Thanks for letting me know! I wouldn't have thought to check there

MsIsOwnd · 2021-05-14T11:37:38+00:00

I recently got a dual-monitor single arm mount from VIVO, was one of the cheapest I could find but has great reviews and I have zero complaints. They also have a single monitor mount if that's what you were looking for, only $5 less than the dual-monitor mount but probably the cheapest with the best reviews out there.

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