Got a package in from SP/PMK today. I had been curious about SA-P and when I saw that they were now selling convex SA-P short bars I figured I’d try 'em out (as I mentioned in another thread it appears that they have stopped selling SA convex short bars).
They seem very thick. I assume that’s offset somewhat by not having an internal structure (like MT3 or a second shot like regular SA) but it’s doubtlessly a very chunky keycap.
Side view; here you can see that the new UPKB spacers are around twice as thick as the OLKB washers - and about half the thickness of any of the o-rings.
More detail comparing the UPKB spacers and OLKB washers
While I do prefer the granular adjustment of the super-flat metal washers, I think the thicker dimension of the Nylon spacers makes sense both for the plastic material as well as for practicality and ease of use. (That fraction of a millimeter makes a difference when trying to pick up one of these.)
The radial dimensions are a little smaller, making them a little more challenging to install, but also less likely to lift-off with keycaps compared to the OLKBs. On rare occasion, I had those interact with stabilizer parts, sticking out just a little too much if they slid to the side - these new ones are just a little bit smaller around, meaning they’ll have less play as well as a slightly smaller radius - all of which I think will help make these useful for a wider range of stabs than the OLKBs are.
These new ones fit snugly, if not tightly over the Gateron stem. In comparison, the OLKBs simply drop and rest in-place, having some tolerance between them an the stem mount. The UPKBs stay in-place when I turn this Gateron upside-down, where the OLKBs would fall-off without any oil or moisture holding them there.
Here you can see a spacer blending-in reasonably well with this Clear stem; it doesn’t add any width, and simply raises the floor that caps stop against when seating.
So update on my Salvation, after I got it thrown together & started using it I realized it had few pretty noticeable scratches on the left side bezel. I tried dabbing some different sheen black paints on it to cover them up cause I really didn’t want to have to send it back, but those all stuck out worse than the scratches unfortunately. Thankfully Novelkeys is one of our communities best vendors & all it took was a quick email with pictures for them to offer to exchange it for one that has no blemishes on the outside. Sucks to have to send it back cause I really like the board a lot, but I have to praise NK for being such a great vendor to us!
Let us know how these are, I’m pretty intrigued by them but have a shit ton of TX stabs right now so don’t want to buy till I know they’re good. Especially at $22 a set.
I definitely will. I plan on installing them in my black Portico this weekend.
I loaded-up on TX stabs too, but if there’s one thing that gets my neurons activated more than innovation in switches it’s innovation in stabs. These are definitely distinct; the wire clips-in the bottom, and the stems rest on an interior surface rather than the PCB. They’re also captive in the housings - easy enough to remove if you want to, but they’re unlikely to just fall out even without the wire.
Also - I went ahead and put Sage on the Mojo, and I like it. A surprisingly good match if not a perfect one.
I do type more slowly on MDA…
