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diff --git a/content/posts/keyboard-fun/index.md b/content/posts/keyboard-fun/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6ea8c87 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/keyboard-fun/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,86 @@ +--- +title: "Keyboard Fun" +date: 2021-12-12T14:10:00+03:00 +draft: false +categories: [keyboard] +tags: [keyboard] +url: /posts/keyboard-fun/ +author: "Christoph Cullmann" +resources: + - name: "featured-image-preview" + src: "images/xtrfy-varmilo-moonlight.jpg" +--- + +## Keyboards? + +In the recent past, I started to get more interested in the qualify of the keyboards I use at work and home. +I always hated to use very cheap low-profile boards, but otherwise I more or less always worked with what came stock with my PC in the good old times ;) + +## TKL boards + +A longer time ago I bought some Xtrfy K4 TKL White Edition keyboard, my first keyboard that had no numbers block. +I liked it a lot and the red switches were ok for my taste. +Thought I didn't like the keycaps, they feel cheap. + +Some weeks ago, I bought the Varmilo Moonlight VA88M, a TKL keyboard with nicer keycaps (both in material and design). +I now used it at home for some weeks and the brown switches are fine, keycaps are fantastic, Cherry profile PBT keycaps are really nifty. + +But.... +The ping... +Especially in the middle of the keyboard, each and every key pings. +Actually you can get the ping even if you just tap a bit on the backside of the board itself, seems to be no sole switch issue :/ + +## Removing the ping? + +All reviews I read didn't tell a thing about any ugly ping with the stock Varmilo board. +Thought most reviews naturally did look at the ANSI variant, but I bought the ISO one, given I like the German layout. +Perhaps they just altered something in the more recent fabrication, who knows. + +I did take some look at the internals of the keyboard to see if some more dampening or taping could help. + +See the disassembly and later playing around with stuff and tape below. + +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/varmilo-moonlight-disass-1.jpg"></center> +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/varmilo-moonlight-disass-2.jpg"></center> +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/varmilo-moonlight-disass-3.jpg"></center> +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/varmilo-moonlight-disass-4.jpg"></center> + +Short answer: it didn't help. You can even stuff the lower parts totally with "anything", given you screw all things together later it will still ping. +Even alone the upper plate does ping if you tick it without any extra parts. +I found no way to stabilize it in a way that removes that. + +Btw., hint for anyone trying this: Yes, there is some stupid screw below some white seal at the bottom ;) +Unlike the one screw that is missing on the top, there is one... + +For flexing the case open, even if you are too dumb to remove all screws, my nice old BahnCard and credit cards did help a lot ;=) + +## The solution? + +Now, given I just use one PC, I had one keyboard that has no ugly sounds and is ok, and one keyboard that has really fantastic keycaps and is borked. + +Solution? Create one out of both. + +Given the red switches and the typing on the Xtrfy board was nice, why not just use the Varmilo keycaps for it? + +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/xtrfy-varmilo-moonlight-transfer-1.jpg"></center> +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/xtrfy-varmilo-moonlight-transfer-2.jpg"></center> +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/xtrfy-varmilo-moonlight-transfer-3.jpg"></center> + +Varmilo was nice enough to include a keycaps puller anyways, already used for the total disassembly above. + +## End result + +<center><img width=700 src="/posts/keyboard-fun/images/xtrfy-varmilo-moonlight.jpg"></center> + +I think the final "product" looks nice. +The RGB back-lighting still works, thought the new keycaps are not shine-through. + +In addition I have now a full shine-through ABS keycaps set as backup parts for more keyboard modding. +And some more or less useless Varmilo baseboard. +But who knows, if I spill too much coffee or whatever in my board, I can still re-build the Varmilo board to have something that works (and pings). + +Naturally that was not the way I meant to use the new keyboard, but good enough ;) +And I must confess, a bit modding around on the keyboards was fun! + +For any people interested in keyboards: I think both boards mentioned above are ok. +Perhaps I just was unlucky with my Varmilo board and other builds of it don't ping at all, like the most reviews tell. |