That is a great looking build!
3 Likes
Love this. Could almost be what a Soviet keyboard would look like if they didn’t wet the bed in 1991. Needs more Hammer and Sickle.
1 Like
Oh look!
Another KBD67L configuration! 
Trying a couple new things today;
- Sarokeys Strawberry Wine long-pole linears
- NK_ Cherry Blossom (still on $15 clearance as of posting)
- Bredworks FR4 plate in red
- TX V3 stabs w/ spacers from UGKB
- “Rosy Brown” case from R4; really more of a faded purple - like Farmer Thanos on a sunny day or something
A little easier to spy the red plate from this angle;
Not that it’s obvious, but it almost matches the switch stems! 
I’d originally tried all this with the flamingo-pink case (to also match the switches) and it was a bit too much for me, but this barely-purple one really ties it together, I think.
Thoughts on the Strawberry Wine switches
No recording just yet because I’m in a loud print shop at the moment, but happy to share some first impressions of the Strawberry Wines;
In short - they are loud, clacky, and smooth.
They have a competent factory lube application, and a medium weight fast curve that’s pretty close to my sweet spot - I find them quite usable, even satisfying for typing.
Sound-wise these produce harsh clacks, relatively speaking - though it’s totally possible to type gently on them - so I suppose it’s more accurate to say that these can be loud and harsh, depending on your typing style.
The person who gifted these to me describes them as “very clicky-clacky with a side of bubble” - and as esoteric descriptions go I tend to agree. At least in this build, there’s both low and high-frequency elements to that clack - so it manages to be sharp with some deep in there, too.
There’s a trace amount of swish and/or spring wiggle, which I’d say is par for the course on decent factory lubed switches. These are miles more clean than any stock Cherry, for example - but not quite as clean as something like Morandis or Hyacinths.
While these aren’t the most unique switch around, they do sport very solid performance and a lovely color scheme - so they’re easy to recommend if you like the long-pole linear style.
5 Likes
Back to the Mode65 now that it has been rebuilt. Went with Tofu switches and so far am loving the sound and feel of the board. Isolated top mount configuration. Topped with GMK Space Cadet. White case with silver mirrored back and bottom.
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stock HHKB Pro Hybrid Type-S as usual. at home my IBM 327X-75 Data Entry keyboard is on my desk
3 Likes
Not the best photo of this Ikki68 Aurora R2, but you get the idea. It’s got:
- Aflion Thunder Shadow heavy tactiles (Milktooth has them on sale at the moment)
- Cerakeys R1 white blanks
- 1.2mm flex-cut PCB (yep, like a series of rope-bridges)
- Polycarbonate plate
- TX stabs for 1.2mm PCBs in white, V3 I think
- All gasket chips used, silicone pads - all case padding used
- “IKKI” badge featuring solar system graphic in matte white
Not the best recording either - but at least gives the impression of how D E E P this thing sounds:
More photos, thoughts:
On the whole, I really like this configuration so far - but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t full of caveats. Let’s get the bad out of the way first:
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If those keys look wonky and kinda all over the place, it’s because they are. It’s less that the stems are crooked (though a few are), and more that they sort of splay-out towards the bottom, allowing them to teeter on the stem despite having a very tight grip in most cases. I’m sure at least some of this has been addressed in R2, but I can’t speak to that personally.
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If the color looks different from row-to-row, you’re not crazy. It’s minor, but the white glaze appears to wander from slightly warm to slightly cool across the set.
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The other minor inconsistency with the keys is that they aren’t always exactly the right width, which in most builds really isn’t going to matter - but in the Aurora with is super-tight bezel tolerance, the Caps Lock key scrapes the sides. (Something similar happens with MT3 on this keyboard)
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On this PCB, some of the switches are upside-down or sideways compared to the rest of the South-facing ones; not a big deal, but some switches fit loosely enough in the sockets / pin holes so as to not sit straight under the Pipe key.
That’s about all the not-good stuff I can find to say about the keeb, though - I bought this keyboard for myself after building one for a friend and not wanting to let it go. 
For me, all the caveats are easily outweighed by how interesting the thing is, and how much I enjoy using it.
If you like a typing experience that’s all about low-frequency vibes, this is a configuration for you. Screws aside, the hardest part of this entire keyboard are its caps, and after that the switches. Everything else is either soft or flexible in comparison - meaning that even though these caps have more in common with teeth than other keys, there’s not a hint of harshness to be found here.
Unsurprisingly, it goes a little farther than just not being harsh - this is like a love letter to dampening - even sans silent switches. I’m pretty sure at least half the mass (and / or volume) of this keyboard is silicone - and this keyboard is quite hefty for not having a metal case. The literal stoneware keycaps help keep the overall feel from being too soft, providing a hard and glassy surface for the fingers - but since everything underneath is so soft and bouncy it keeps any potential edge away.
The switches are heavy long-pole tactiles, which usually means loud and sharp sound - but these have rounded pole-bottoms and buttery factory lube, so it’s more of a muted, subdued, almost wet “knock” as opposed to a dry, sharp “clack” I usually expect from long pole tactiles. Pair that with the rest of this build, and you get a pretty unusual typing experience. The bump is wide and round, which I think pairs well with the general wide-wavelength theme going on here. These don’t even thock… they thonk - or even womp.
Back to the Cerakeys, specifically how they are to use, I think it’s a mostly-positive mixed-bag. I don’t like the inconsistent grip the stems have - I really had to go to town with the PTFE tape for the space bar - and I don’t like the inconsistent positioning some have - but that’s about it for negatives I actually care about. Personally, I love their unique sound and feel. In a cool room they’re cold to the touch until your fingers warm them up. In a fairly unique way, these are premium caps that don’t seem delicate.
Yes, I’m sure if you drop them from high enough onto a concrete floor they’ll shatter - but I don’t think there’s anything even my fingers could do to these, even over the course of years. I feel like I need to wear silk gloves when I go to use a GMK set I don’t want to shine - but these? I don’t even need to wash my hands.
Here’s one more bad picture where you can almost make out the badge:
On the one hand, shiny white caps really show any dark colored dust that might fall on them - but on the other hand, this ceramic is super easy to clean without fear of damage. When all the plastic and silicone in this board is dry and yellow beyond salvaging, these caps will endure.
I can’t recommend R1 Cerakeys to everyone, or even most people - but I can recommend them enthusiastically to folks who are interested in their unique qualities even in the face of the above mentioned caveats. There’s nothing else like hardened ceramic keycaps, and I think they’re really neat.
As for the Aurora itself - again mixed feelings. I think it’s a fantastic keyboard, but I always have to include an asterisk or two when I talk about it. If those clearance and PCB asterisks aren’t dealbreakers, then it does have a great deal to love.
12 Likes
I wanted to try some ceramic caps but I wondered what the fit is like. Kinda what I figured.
Is there a newer version with improvements?
1 Like
I have these set aside to go into my Kei when it arrives.
Have you had a chance to try out the Sarokeys BCPs, and if so, how do those compare?
Yes - from what I understand they’re currently on version 2 of their production technique. I’d link the page but their site appears to be down at the moment >.>
I got a sample of one in the Oddvent calendar, so kinda.
I’ll say as an overall impression: they are reasonably similar, moreso than I expected reading the specs - but they aren’t the same. They’re close enough that I think referencing the franken in the name makes sense - but I might not have used the name 1:1 for the sake of expectation management. Details:
Compared in like conditions with the homemade BCPs you sent me, the Sarokeys one:
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Has a more loud, sharp bottom-out sound - stands out across the whole spectrum but is most different with gentle presses: being delicate with the franken makes for pretty quiet typing, but not as much with the Sarokeys
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Has a more sharp bottom-out feel, too - more about why down the list
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Has less “swish” / grain in the travel; the characteristic “Cherry feel” (and sound) to the travel is mostly absent
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Does have a similar tone and character to the bottom-out sound; not the same but similar enough that I think the BCP name isn’t unreasonable even if I might not have used it verbatim
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Seems more wobbly but probably isn’t; I think the actual play is about the same, but it’s more apparent in the Sarokeys switch because of the harder housing plastic - it’s easier to hear and feel the collisions associated with wobble
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Feels more smooth to me; a little closer to “skate” than “butter” and has less texture in the travel
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Has a more “clean” bottom-out; this isn’t objectively good or bad, here’s what I mean:
Pressing the switch very slowly, I can only feel a single contact event at the end of travel in the Sarokeys. In the franken, however, there’s more of a stepped contact event where I can feel the stem and tube floor first make contact and then also feel it sort of jostle into place as it continues downward a fraction of a mm before settling.
A slow press on the franken feels like a gentle crunch - say through delicate pie crust - and a typing speed press feels like a clack, but with the edge taken-off. The Sarokeys is just a discrete clack. -
Has a lighter spring weight; I put this last because I’m sure folks customize their Pies
Most of these differences are pretty subtle; I think the most meaningful ones are the bottom-out and travel texture. Not the same, but reasonably similar - probably closer to its name sake than the vast majority of commercial “Holy Pandas” floating around.
3 Likes
Interesting, I did not realize KKB 2Tblue was made from polycarb with UV printed legends. How’s the quality & feel of the KKB PC caps? I recently got their doubleshot ABS WoB set from NK & was really impressed with the quality of that. Also matches the QK65 really good, awesome combo!
When I saw it and when I received it. Those expectations were justified. Personally, this is still the best option for me personally on how to make glossy keycaps. So as not to see fingerprints.)
They are from PC. The surface is smooth and pleasant. True, there is one BUT, now it’s winter for me. And I don’t sweat) It’s a really good winter with very low temperatures. With such keycaps, it is better to draw conclusions in the summer.
1 Like
times like this im glad that my father always keeps the house at 62-64 fahrenheit
1 Like
- Apple M0110A
Mitsumi Standard Mechanical Type 1 (Made in Japan; made in USA would have Alps SKCC and Made in Taiwan would have SMK)
Cleaned and perfectly lubricated by Delta Research (10/10 would recommend)
found on ebay for ($75?) and it was already in nearly perfect condition, just had some light dirt on the internals and i hate touching that stuff so i get other people to do it for me lol
Converted with a Hasu controller (QMK compatible)
still my 3rd favorite keyboard for typing after my 3276 and HHKB. something about it is just nice, maybe the light tactility at the end of the keystroke does it for me.
5 Likes
Not sure if it is the switches, caps, the combo of them, or just the whole package but this sounds just like my old 660C after I lubed it up! Haven’t tried Mitsumi switches yet, but this just put them on my “to try” list! Awesome board man!
1 Like
Gateron Smoothies
aka Milkshakes
These are factory-lubed, all-POM linears from Gateron featuring a frosted SMD light diffuser and a refreshingly reasonable price. (About 30 cents each, depending on where get them and how many you buy.)
I think I’ve said it before about Gateron, and I’ll probably say it again - but this is a great example of them taking what’s good about a trend and executing it well on their own time. Whether it’s just the good factory lube or a combination of factors, these really are some of the best POM switches I’ve ever used.
No slip-stick here - it’s all cream and butter. All the benefits of POM and none of the caveats. Sweet!
Here’s a recording:
Build as-recorded
Portico68 Black Label
- Alu gasket case w/ poron strips
- Gateron Smoothe linears
- Custom 1/16" plywood plate
- Poron foam between it and PCB this time
- TX AP screw-ins poorly lubed with 205g0
- MT3 WoB doubleshot ABS high profile keycaps
Try to ignore the rattly Backspace… Most of the time I over-lube my stabs, this time I guess I under-lubed them. They feel great, but do have top-out rattle… Someday!
Here's a look at the diffuser in action
It has a similar shape and design theory to other recent Gateron diffusers, but is a separate piece from the top housing for these switches.
First impression final thoughts
Are they breaking any ground? No. Are they casually perfecting another existing format? Yeah - kinda seems like it. While you won’t get all of the typical POM qualities from these, you will get the ones that I think matter: the feel of the impact and the tone of its sound. If you want to try an all-POM switch and want something that just works great with no fuss, this is the one. So, too if you’re more generally looking for a “creamy” linear - I think these fit that bill nicely.
9 Likes
Thanks for sharing & I’m liking the post formatting!
3 Likes
MXRSKey TK Y80 keyboard, Princess tactiles, and my keycap holy grail 1976 SA.
It’s lovely, plate mounted stabs which is by no means ideal, but it feels solid and I think as a final build after seven years in the hobby it is as close to perfect as I could get.
I’m waiting on the VIA json from the AliExpress store, but it’s a very solid board and the looks the ticket.
5 Likes
is that MT3? it looks like the caps on my model b