A Geek Goes Flying

I’ve been using an ancient (2004?) Think Outside XTBT01 (a/k/a iGo Stowaway) Bluetooth pocket keyboard, and it does the job well enough. I like that it uses AAA batteries and won’t be eWaste when the battery chemistry eventually degrades past the point of usability. But. It’s kind of a cramped keyboard, the “Del” key being right next to the right arrow key f’s with my muscle memory, and it’s rare and expensive enough I think twice about taking it places where it might genuinely be useful. So. When I found the Rovinda Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard for $25 on Amazon, I decided to give it a spin. (I really wanted to try the  ROYAL KLUDGE F68 for the low profile mechanical switches, but the 12" length meant it wouldn’t fit in a Loungefly , and it would be otherwise pretty awkward to carry out and about in most circumstances.) I like it well enough. I need to re-learn how to type (using the home row this time, not whatever it is I’m doing now). It folds up nicely, it’s compact and...

  I wrote earlier about trying to find a mechanical keyboard setup for an iPad . After finally retrieving my iPad Pro 9.7 from the trunk of a car that’s been in the shop since June (sigh…), I can now attest: This solution rocks. MakerMade3D’s one-off (so far?) 3D-printed “bezel” holds the iPad perfectly (with one caveat, if the feet on the K2 aren’t flipped down, small or large, the setup will rock a little bit on a flat surface. Flip those down and it’s rock solid. The setup is a Keychron K2 with Kailh Box Navy switches, which are heavy … Pondering swapping them out for Boba U4  “silent tactile” switches. (Update: Ordered from Ali Express with a delivery date about 6 weeks out, no one had the RGB 62g in stock, but I may have a line on them through reddit…) Meanwhile, two three new contenders have come to my attention: NT68 The Epomaker NT86 seems to be the perfect iPad mechanical keyboard. I’m told they’ll be shipping in December, after the Kickstarter backers’ units have...

So the Etsy maker I’ve been talking to has started to prototype the Keychron K2 iPad stand. Test pieces came in the mail today. I’ll use it with my Kailh Box Navy swapped K2 , but that’s not a universal solution; I can imagine being relatively unpopular indoors at a Starbucks with the thicc clicc, or on an airliner, or ...  So I’m pondering “building” another K2, with tactile switches, as quiet as I can get ’em while still having that crisp tactile “bump.” After a related discussion on r/MK, I’m contemplating: Gazzew Boba U4 (aliexpress pearl top / clear top  ($68 for 90) |  mkultra  | theremingoat review ) Zeal Zilent ( zealpc.net  ($88.40/80)) Everglide Moyu Black a/k/a Dark Jade ( theremin goat review ) (though these don’t seem to be silent?) ( amazon  | kprepublic ($87/90)) Pricier than the Kailh Box switches I’ve been using to date, but might be worth checking out.

These just shipped. Should have them by the end of the week. Looking forward to seeing what’s what. From my brief experience with a keyswitch tester, I wasn’t sure I’d like them, and the Burnt Orange felt better. But those weren’t awesome. So, going to hot-swap to Kailh Box Royal switches. People seem to like them: The Kailh Box Royals are what I was expecting from a "tactile switch". ( pol-delta ) Box Royals are the fucking GOAT ( Past-Chest-6507 ) They really are. Best tactile switch straight out of the box besides Zealios. ( jrau ) these switches are something that I enjoy quite a lot. Very tactile :) ( WindmillArtGuy ) I use Box Navy and Jades Just got a board of Kailh Box Royal and they are fantastic. Have the tactility and the resistance that us box Navy folks love 😀 ( abdulqadirali ) Box Royals were just... alright. i found the dropoff way too sharp. the tactility was barely there. ( hammerbrotha ) I love Box Royals, almost close to Zealios crossed with Box Navy! ( Bi...

Tactile Build (K6 + Burnt Orange) For my second tactile mechanical “build,” I went with the Keychron K6  (hot swappable, aluminum frame, RGB) and the Kailh Box Burnt Orange switches (also available(?) from AliExpress ). My switch tester suggested that switch would feel better than the Box Royal; now that I have a full keyboard with the setup, I’m not sure about that. The RK71s with the Kailh Box Hako Royal Clear switches requires more force and feels more “crisp.” The Burnt Orange switches activate right at the top of the switch’s travel and have a bit of resistance, but I’d prefer a bit more. It might be worth getting another set of Hako Royal Clear switches (before they’re gone forever), as the set I have now is soldered into the RK71, and maybe a set of the Royals just to try them out. Edit: Doing a bit of digging (which maybe I should have done before I pulled the trigger, keyswitch tester experience notwithstanding). I endorse these opinions (except for the parts that are st...

Mocking up a holder for the Keychron K2   I’ve long been on a quest to find a decent keyboard to use with an iPad. A decade or so ago I tried the ZAGGmate case and then the ZAGGkeys Solo ; more recently, the Logitech K480 , a BrydgeAir , keyboard covers like the Logitech Canvas  or Focus  (used with an iPad Mini, they’re great for what they are, but the form factor precludes using them for much real work). I’ve even used an older version of the Handheld Scientific Bluetooth Keyboard Adapter to hook up my old Razer (before I modified it ) - not *quite* as messy as using an Apple Extended Keyboard II with an iPad , but close. But what I’m really looking for is a mechanical keyboard I can use with a 9.7” Pro, conveniently. (The less said anout the abominations that look like vintage typewriters, the better.) I could use the Keychron K2 - it’s almost the perfect size, and Bluetooth. But then I need a stand  to prop up the iPad - one more thing to tote around and keep...

So apparently I’m building a Royal Kludge RK71  (stock: White, RGB lighting, brown switches; found one in condition “Good - Acceptable” for pennies), with Kailh Hako Royal Clear switches. (Discontinued and on sale.) Found the switch tester I picked up a while ago, and it was - kind of as expected - between Box Royal switches and the Hako Royal Clear, and the Royal Clears felt just a little bit better. Night and day compared to the Box Browns  (and I’ve tried, and hated, “regular” brown switches from Cherry, Gateron, Outemu, etc). A full keyboard with the tactile switches should be interesting, the form factor is good for this application (and it has a Mac layout built in as a layer, with Command/Option legends on the meta keys). This board is soldered, not hot swap, so the soldering station gets a chance to continue to pay for itself. At least now I have experience and confidence ! Other peoples’ videos: Royal Kludge RK71 v2 Review How to Disassemble a Royal Kludge RK71 Up...

Fin . File this project under “finished.” It started off as desoldering / soldering practice on a disposable board. Now I really like typing on it. Not as much as on a board with Navy switches, but enough to keep it and use it. Keyboard Switches: Mostly Kailh Box White switches (surplus from a GK705 that’s now setup with Pale Blue switches), with two surplus Kailh Box Navy and one Kailh Box Blue switch I had handy. The CapsLock, F9, F10, and ScrLk keys were installed with embedded LEDs so I left them as-is; they’re still the stock Razer Orange switches Keycaps: Mostly OEM, but having lost the F8 keycap I swapped in: A  Nuclear Cherry MX Keycap  and, for the hell of it, a  Red PBT Doubleshot Cherry MX Keycap  for the Esc key. (And, of course, shortly after ordering those, found multiple sellers on eBay and elsewhere parting out these keyboards, and ordered a replacement F8 key for about $7 shipped.) The two wasd keycaps (left) and an OEM keycap from a GMMK keyboar...

Last summer, I  picked up  a used Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac ($49 on eBay), which shipped equipped with Cherry MX Blue switches. (Side note, I have no idea how old this board is, but the PCB has a 2009 date on it...) The Blue switches never connected with me, and it’s been collecting dust for a while. But I like the board generally - it’s got a handy built-in USB hub, the key layout is Mac-standard by default (don’t have to remap anything in software), etc. So, I’m going to swap it to Kailh Box Navy switches ( Novel Keys or KBDfans ). Why? This: I don’t have the switches yet (they’re ordered, but haven’t shipped; the Navy switch in the above video is left over from another swap), but figured I’d get ahead of the game and strip out the Blues. I found this tear-down guide , which was handy. With the cheap tools I got (delivered on Friday), especially the thin plastic pointed 5" long spudger(?), I was able to gently pry up the “hooks” and, contrary to that guide,...

I have an old Razer BlackWidow Tournament Stealth Edition keyboard I picked up about 6 years when I was temporarily afflicted with an open office. The Razer brand orange switches were never quite to my taste, so it’s mostly been collecting dust. (I also lost the F8 key cap a while back.) Perfect sacrificial lamb while I learn how to desolder, solder, etc. (I'm waiting on some Kailh Box Navy switches to arrive and then I plan to modify a Das Keyboard Model S Professional For Mac - which I actually  do  care about). I had a set of Kailh Box White switches left over from a GMMK I swapped to Pale Blue; several of them went into a numeric keypad that was my first attempt at replacing soldered switches . With almost enough to swap everything on this board (especially since some of the orange switches have built in LEDs and would be sticking around), figured, more practice is never a bad thing. I  almost  got it perfect the first time, but borked pads at the space bar a...

Back in November, I started modifying keyboards by swapping in different switches , in hotswap boards. Great as far as it goes, but limiting. Decided to get back into soldering (used to do it a lot when I was a kid, with a Radio Shack iron and no training). Have a cheap ($19) numeric keypad that came with awful mushy "MX Blue clone" switches (I think they're Outemus but my middle age eyes can’t read the branding). Decided to make it my sacrificial lamb for practicing desoldering and soldering, with decent equipment and supplies this time: Hakka FX888D-23BY soldering station Engineer SS-02 solder sucker Kester 44 Solder Wire , 63/37 0.031-in Silicon repair mat , to protect my work surface ( cough  the kitchen table cough ) Hakko CHP-170 Micro Cutter Solder wick (I need to work on my technique; video tutorials suggest this should be easier than using the desoldering pump, but my experience has been exactly the opposite) A beefier keyswitch puller than the chintzy met...

Shuffled things around a bit. Took the Kailh Box Pale Blue switches out of the GMMK and swapped in a new set of Box Navy switches. Jury’s still out on that combo. It’s objectively a better keyboard than the GK705 (heavier metal construction, black with a metal trim ring, matte keycaps with a bit of texture, just overall feels more solid), but I’m just not sure I like the Navy switches in this as much as I do in the Keychron K2. Can’t put my finger on it. Whipped up a quick JSON file for Karabiner that maps the meta keys in the bottom row to something sensible for the Mac (a lot left to do in that set of complex modifications, but what’s there works for now). Anyway. Stripped the Box White (and a ... Box Blue?) switches out of the GK705 and moved the Pale Blue switches over (except for the PtrSc/ScrLk/Pause keys that I never use, which stayed on White switches, and the space bar, which got a left over Navy switch, ‘cause I might have bent a couple of pins :/). The GK705 is a lighte...

I picked up the “ HEXGEARS GK705 104 Keys Waterproof Kailh BOX Switch Mechanical Keyboard Hot Swap LOL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard ” from AliExpress to see what a cheap hot swap mechanical keyboard would be like. I opted for the white backlight and Kailh Box White switches, which are essentially the Kailh Pale Blue switches (thinner click bar) with a lighter spring. The keyboard itself is about $60; with shipping it came to about $77. For a full-sized hot swappable keyboard that ships with Kailh switches, that’s a heck of a deal. The AliExpress website kinda sucks; tracking the order was a PITA, and required this weird verification process that tended to be hit-or-miss. I was stoked when the package got handed off to USPS and I could track it through their system. AliExpress initially said the keyboard would arrive sometime around April 10th (I ordered it on February 24th), but it was ultimately delivered on March 15th, just shy of three weeks.   I hooked it up to an old MacBook I...

For my “ balcony iMac ‡ ,” I’ve been using a Das Keyboard Model 3 Pro with Cherry MX Blue switches. It’s ... okay. The keys are very light and I find I really prefer a stiffer feel. Right now my daily driver is a Keychron K8 with Kailh Box Jade switches ; I also have a Keychron K2 with Kailh Box Navy switches . For this “build” (mod? swap?) I wanted a full sized keyboard, and to try a slightly quieter, lighter, but stiffer than the Cherry Blue, switch. (Apartment living. Didn’t necessarily want to be blasting my neighbors with “thick clicks” at 2 am.) I started with a Glorious GMMK full-sized I got “used - like new” (can also order it directly from the source ), and hot swapped the Gateron Brown switches it came with (blech) for Kailh Box Pale Blue switches . My understanding of the various switches is (spec sheets linked; take with the usual grain of salt): Box White : Thinner click bar, lighter spring. Box Pale Blue : Thinner click bar, heavier spring. Box Jade : Thick click bar (g...

Yes, you can do some of this through the OS X / macOS built-in Control Panel (Keyboard -> Modifier Keys... and swap the Command and Option keys), but that doesn’t address the Windows keyboard “menu” key or things like media keys. For that we need to remap the keys using Karabiner (13.x for Catalina or Big Sur; 12.x for Sierra through Catalina; 11.x for El Capitan, 10.x for Mavericks through El Capitan; if you’re still using a “cat” operating system, you might be SOL). I’m preparing for a “build” of a full-size Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard (GMMK) I’m going to swap to Kailh Box Pale Blue switches (though I was tempted by the speed with which I could get Kailh Box Jade switches; I like them well enough in another keyboard I’m using them in ). (I don’t really consider swapping one hot switch for another “building” a keyboard; I wish I had the time and wallet to dive as deep into this stuff as the folks who’ve built some of the amazing creations I’ve lusted after on r/Mechani...