I was initially excited about my Keychron V6 keyboard, I was looking forward to a thockier keyboard and wanted the customizability with qmk. The V6 seemed like a good match. But after unboxing it, I realized that the south-facing LEDs weren't ideal. I had just purchased Razer PBT keycaps, which I loved, but they didn't work at all with the LEDs and the escaping light underneath just blinded me.

I tried to make the setup work with custom keycaps from fkcaps (https://fkcaps.com/custom/5ELZPQ). While they were cool, they weren't the same as double-shot PBT keys. The setup wasn't ideal but I just stuck with it.

When I saw a YouTube video about building a keyboard with KiCad, I was inspired to try it myself. I used an ATmega32U, because I thought it would be easier to integrate, but it did have it's challenges: limited I/O meant I had to sacrifice the layout switch, and my matrix is best described as "tortuous". Despite a few errors on my PCB (a group of LEDs were not connected and I completely missed the holes for a stabilizer), the final PCB works amazingly well.

I've added a few photos below showcasing my setup before PCB assembly. You can see the light issues under the keys and how the laser etching from fkcaps isn't very durable.

EDIT: I've published the files to github in case anyone wants to have a look: V6 conversion

Well bite my shiny metal ass - how is there no wikipedia entry for "meh key"? They have alt key, control key, and even super key, but no meh key. I'm curious if the meh key came from a specific keyboard or what the origins are.

Qazimodo group buy is open through Monday, November 25th!

Qazimodo is an aluminum Vial-compatible QAZ-ish keyboard with an exploded right column of 3 keys, inspired by the Vault 35 HHKB and my friend who hates 40s.

Details:

• Aluminum case
• Top mounted
• 3 degree typing angle
• POM switch plate
• STM32F072-based hot-swap PCB

Kit contents:

• 1 case (top and bottom)
• 1 hot-swap PCB
• 1 POM plate
• Hardware (case screws and plate screws)
• 4 SKUF silicone feet

Vendor:

• Myself, purchases can be made at Quasi Keys

Price:

• $250 USD plus shipping (and import fees and taxes depending on location)

Group buy dates:

• Group buy will be open November 11 to 25.

ETA:

• Q2 2025

Links:

Group buy page

Instagram

Prototype photos

Sound test

GB channel available on the 40s Discord

I've got a couple of DIY boards with tactiles in them. One of them is gonna get solenoided.

The raffle form for this week is open now: https://www.jellykey.com/raffle

Some information:

• Character Sculptures Collection: Cat Knights, Night Hunter, Magician Klown, Octopian (10 keycaps per sculpture)

• Colorway: Turquoise Monster

• Price: $100

• Shipping fee: $12 per keycap (free shipping if you live in Vietnam)

• Keycap Compatibility: MX stem & meticulously crafted with multiple layers

• Shipping Commences: Starting from 20/12/24 (one month after the raffle conclusion)

Rule:

• Only one entry.

• You will be banned if you don't pay the invoice when you win.

Raffle:

• This form will open in 24 hours (closed on 11/20/24 at 11 PM GMT+7).

• The invoice will start after the form has closed (30-90 mins).

Payment:

• We only accept PAYPAL with raffle sales.

• Payment will be open 24 hours before closing. Unpaid invoices will be cancelled & keycaps will be raffled again.

All pictures of colourways this time view here.

This is a Mini Groupbuy, open for only 2 days and closing on November 19th. Products will be shipped after 40 business days. Don’t miss out – every Jelly Key Groupbuy is a one-time-only sale.

The elements of the drinks, ice creams, and desserts are individually handcrafted and assembled piece by piece. Even the water droplet effects on the glasses and syrup details are entirely handmade.

Prices start at $45 🧃🥤🧋🍰

Qazimodo group buy is now open!

Qazimodo is an aluminum Vial-compatible QAZ-ish keyboard with an exploded right column of 3 keys, inspired by the Vault 35 HHKB and my friend who hates 40s.

Details:

• Aluminum case
• Top mounted
• 3 degree typing angle
• POM switch plate
• STM32F072-based hot-swap PCB

Kit contents:

• 1 case (top and bottom)
• 1 hot-swap PCB
• 1 POM plate
• Hardware (case screws and plate screws)
• 4 SKUF silicone feet

Vendor:

• Myself, purchases can be made at Quasi Keys

Price:

• $250 USD plus shipping (and import fees and taxes depending on location)

Group buy dates:

• Group buy will be open November 11 to 25.

ETA:

• Q2 2025

Links:

Group buy page

Instagram

Prototype photos

Sound test

GB channel available on the 40s Discord

Due to some unique circumstances I am currently looking for a keyboard or barebones kit that offers a non-wireless board that is also hotswap.

It seems though, that most wired only boards tend to also be solder boards, and I don't have the equipment (or patience) to work with that.

Do you know if there's any boards out there that offer this sort of combo?

Join our group now: https://www.jellykey.com/artisan-keycaps/witching-hour

Here are Jelly Key’s Halloween keycaps, available in a 2-day Mini Groupbuy (closing Nov 1st) with delivery after 40 working days. Each keycap is hand-molded with multiple color layers, not 3D printed, and photos show the actual products. We offer a one-on-one replacement for any artisan errors, plus free shipping on orders of 6 keycaps. Note: the Groupbuy may close early if the order limit is reached. Prices start at $45

Hurry up! Wishing you all a spine-chilling and fun-filled Halloween night!

"When you're listening to music and you turn up the volume using the knob on your mechanical keyboard"

"DEEJAY"

I want to try split keyboard, but don't know how to choose. I can build it myself. So I'd rather want a cheap one.

Mom, can we have battleship?

We have battleship at home.

The battleship at home...

Okay, so technically this battleship is still in drydock, but I soldered 117 keys/buttons. I get to put the keycaps on early if I want!

I have an FC660C which I love, and really has been my endgame board. I have literally not bought another keyboard since picking this up however many years ago. (Well, technically not true, but the only thing I bought after that was an FC980C to use at work, and that was because I wanted something as nice as the 660C to use while I was there.)

However, it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in all the time I've owned it. I've taken most of the caps off and cleaned under them a couple times, and I've opened the bottom of the case once or twice, but I haven't done a full disassembly, haven't even considered lube, haven't pulled caps for the stabilizer keys, etc.

Some things are getting a little squeaky, and I really want to give it a deep clean. (and maybe a lube)

My fears are: Screwing up the stabilizers (I have fully disassembled a couple cherry MX boards before, but I'm not clear how different or more delicate this is likely to be, and it's been awhile), and screwing up/losing all (or any of) those little springs and the domes.

I've checked out a few videos over the years, but am still just a little nervous about doing it.

Can anyone who has done it convince me it's not that bad, or warn me away from trying? 😁

Bonus question: If I end up in there anyway, any recommended extra steps to take?

I mentioned in a previous post that I made a few design changes to the Qazimodo case and wanted to highlight those changes.

New vs old design photos here.

• Removed the visible seam between the top and bottom of the case. Now the bottom is inserted into the top. This helps a ton with alignment which was a bit of an issue with the first iteration and it helps smooth out the curve.
• USB port improvements. The first USB port was pretty small and didn’t work with some cables. It also didn’t flow smoothly with the curve.
• Doubled the number of bottom screws to help prevent pinging and make things more sturdy.

[GROUP-BUY OPEN] Dream Journey series – Harvest artisan keycaps

Hi @everyone . Only $49 for this wonderful keycap! The group buy will close on October 31, but we often close early to avoid exceeding our handmade production capacity. Remember, our group buys only happen once, so don’t miss out.

– Each keycap, no matter the size, comes in a handcrafted wooden box, and art toys ship in a large wooden box.

– We offer “random 6 keycaps” and “random 2 keycaps” options, like mystery boxes. With the random 6 option, you’ll get a $15 discount and free shipping.

– Art toy X32 & X77: Choose between a keycap-style base for giant switches or a flat base for display. Both versions feature more realistic wheels than standard keycaps. Let us know if you prefer the flat base; otherwise, it defaults to keycap-style.

– Our keycaps are handmade with resin casting and multi-layer coloring, not 3D printed.

– We offer one-on-one replacements for defects caused by our team. Contact us for help.

Join groupbuy now: https://www.jellykey.com/artisan-keycaps/dream-journey-series-harvest--

Just opened my board with Gateron yellows pre lubed. The blue ones aren't lubed. I found similar marks all over the keyboard. Can these marks be dangerous and how do I deal with them?

They seem to be under the transparent plastic sheet on which the switches are mounted. I think it has foam underneath.

Hi there,

I plan on building me a 40% for the first time (already have an ergodash but it's soldered and wanted to try hotswap and a different format).

I've ordered plate, case, pcb and switches on ali epxress.
(will reuse my current key caps for now)

The description of each item doesn't say if it comes with some hardware. (it just says 2u stab for the space key)

If it's not included, where can I find the correct hardware.
I am not sure what length for the screws and stadoffs do I need.
I would appreciate if anybody with such experience could help me a bit with that.

Thank you in advance.

I ended up picking up a bluetooth mechanical keyboard around 7 years ago. I've just dug it up again and I've realised that the bottom left "Ctrl" key is not working. What are my options for fixing it? I can easily take off the key caps and access the switches, but is there anything that can be done? Is there any chance reseating the switch will fix it?Thanks

Where I'm At

Basically, I know just the very basics. I've thought about building a keyboard many times and I have the technical means/knowhow to do such. I know there are very personal things like keystroke length, pressure, etc. that goes into it but I don't have enough experience typing on keyboards that aren't garbage to really know what I want. Advice on figuring that out would be really helpful.

As far as things that I know that I need:

• Backlighting. The lighting in my space is not great and it really helps (for me, since I don't always have hands on the keyboard) to be able to quickly identify a key. I know this might deduct from the budget a lot, but I'm willing to absorb it because I consider this a must-have. Static color is fine, I don't need full programmable RGB

• 100% keyboard. I have the space and use all the keys for games, macros, etc. 6 years ago I got a giant grin on my face when I finally used the scroll lock key for what it's designed for.

• Quietness is more important than feel for me. As much as I'd love one of those crazy Model Ms that have the servos for a replica perfect typing feel, I often am on voice chat while doing things so that's a no go.

• I can't do the split ergo thing, as cool as it seems. My brain has been trained to touch type poorly, and there's no way I'm gonna be able to get away from that.

Budget

If this is possible for $200 or less, that would be great. If someone knows of something prebuilt, or a possible combination of parts that could fit within this budget I'd be very grateful. I can go a little over by piecemealing parts, but sooner rather than later would really be preferred. I'm tired of having either cheap or half broken keyboards.

Thanks

Has anybody attempted to fix an USB-C connector?

The raffle form for this week is open now: https://www.jellykey.com/raffle

Some information:

• Character Sculptures Collection: Cat Knights, Night Hunter, Magician Klown, Octopian (10 keycaps per sculpture)

• Colorway: Vio Pink

• Price: $100

• Shipping fee: $12 per keycap (free shipping if you live in Vietnam)

• Keycap Compatibility: MX stem & meticulously crafted with multiple layers

• Shipping Commences: Starting from 10/25/24 (one month after the raffle conclusion)

Rule:

• Only one entry.

• You will be banned if you don't pay the invoice when you win.

Raffle:

• This form will open in 24 hours (closed on 09/25/24 at 11 PM GMT+7).

• The invoice will start after the form has closed (30-90 mins).

Payment:

• We only accept PAYPAL with raffle sales.

• Payment will be open 24 hours before closing. Unpaid invoices will be cancelled & keycaps will be raffled again.