Built my EC kit form the Class60. I’ve had it sitting around for months. I think my experience with custom Topre was tainted by my experience with the Matrix Corsa EC build. It was just 
But wow, this EC build is really good. I lubed the housing sliders and stabilizers. It sounds and feels 100% as good as deskeys parts in my Topre boards.
Best sounding stabilizers Ive ever had on a topre build.
Really glad I built it 
so thats what topre switches look like?
Almost, this is what some modern implementations of Topre look like. Original Topre HHKB doesn’t have MX stems for the keycaps and doesn’t use the usual MX stabilizers we normally see.
Yep
Four parts make up the switch.
From left to right:
Slider housing, Slider, rubber dome, capacitive spring
Assembly:
Once you get all of the assemblies in the plate, you screw the plate to the PCB
The PCB has contacts that can tell, through chance in capacitance, when the springs are pressed down far enough to register a key press.
if only there was a way to make a topre style switch within the bounds of a cherry housing.
Ouuu nice pictures, also Topre springs always look so funny because to me they don’t look like something that goes into a switch.
There are some nice silent MX switches out there that closely compete with Topre in terms of sound a feel.
what are some?
Rebuilt an aesthetic favorite this evening that I wasn’t otherwise satisfied with:
Mode Envoy
I tried a few configurations before landing on this one, which I’m pretty happy about. Snappy, poppy, and satisfying. Edit: sound test here
Some day I’ll post well-lit photos. Not today
Before I’d had slightly-too-heavy-for-me linears paired with the soft lattice mounting blocks - the latter of which had settled into a permanently-compressed state. I’ve kept the keyboard stored in its case in the house, and it seems the squishy 3d printed bits just don’t age all that well. The solid ones feel similarly weird and slightly sticky like the lattice ones now do, but seem to retain plenty of bouncy firmness. I also had some TX stabs on here that were a bit over-lubed with Nyogel.
Honestly not the worst of them. I loved the feel of the lattice blocks when fresh, but they all collapsed to a greater or lesser degree, especially the front ones. I do appreciate the inclusion of backup / alternative solid blocks that I’m using now.
Previous config that I loved the look of but didn’t actually enjoy using despite a smooth feel and a great sound; Prevail Epsilons, TX AP with Nyogel, DCX Skiidata
Between those overlubed stabs, the switches, and the kind of high shoulder height of this keyboard, it just didn’t feel right. A kind of mushy. DCX Skiidata looked good on it, but I wanted to try something else. I tried MT3 Jasmine which looked nice and was plenty tall, but the space bar wasn’t flat - unfortunately my only real complaint with MT3 is that this seems common. Next I started trying SA 1965 before realizing I didn’t have the right kits. After that I tried GSA Retro High Lights but the greens clashed. Then I remembered Acadia, which even jived with the Pine switches I’d decided to use.
With this setup it’s gone from feeling like a limp handshake that’s still somehow too heavy to feeling snappy and assertive, even with the short front-end of the flipped Cherry profile space bar landing flush with the front lip. The caps look and feel great with the rest of the build with some real forest ranger aesthetics. It’s extra loud, though.
Still loving these Designer Studio Adaptive stabilizers. With linears they can have a sort of resting state they break out of the first time you press them after the keyboard has been sitting for a while, much like some silent switches have. A tiny bit of resistance that disappears once you break through it the first time. On this build with the punchy tactiles, it’s pretty much imperceptible.
The uh… Japanese Maple keycap was an afterthought, but ended up being the keystone that ties it all together with the two-tone green and copper to match the keys, case, and weight.
It’s a keyboard about trees
This board has been a LOT of soldering, and based on prior experience, doing the MCU is always more fiddly than the matrix, so “Pain in my ass”-wise, I’m probably only about half done with the wiring. Still, always good to see the switches wired up, and I felt like I deserved a treat so I put the caps on and temporarily hooked up the big dumb button to a little breadboard power supply. One of the plus sides to being a cheap-ass is that few tears will be shed over a scratched keycap or two, though I’ll certainly try not to let that happen.
Have you contacted Mode about the lattice mounts? You can’t be the only one that has experienced the issue. At the very least they should replace them (with a handful really), but to me this is severe enough to recall them and engineer a replacement. Especially since these mounts are their whole platform now.
I haven’t, but I will now, that’s a good point - I’ll get some detailed photos of the bunch and get in touch with them.
The optical illusion of that deskmat is sensational! 
I reached out to Mode with some photos and information about how I stored the board, etc.
Above is the worst of the blocks from my Envoy in the center, with the least affected also in frame at the top left.
Built another Tiger80.
This is the plastic kit color matched to GMK L9 along with the super crazy, flexible Hyperboring PCB and a PC plate.
I’ve been looking at them on Geonworks for a few weeks. I’m glad I bought when I did because they are all gone now 
I think it might be the most flexible build I’ve tried. Similar to the feel of my 1/2 plate prophet with flex cut PCB. Love it. Very unique.
This one is hotswap with HMX Game 1989 switches. My second build with these. Great option for good sounding and feeling stock linears. Deeper pitch than standard HMX.
The stabilizers are Designer Studio Adaptive stabilizers. I believe that these are some of the stabilizers that are being made by JWICK and marketed as many brands. They’re great. Flexible plastic “spring” in the insert to keep the wire snug and quiet. The space bar wire in my kit was perfectly straight. Just threw a bit of 205g0 on the stems and very light coating of Nyogel on the wire ends and bends.
I like that the F13 spot on this PCB has an rgb LED. I have it set to rainbow with VIA but you could do any solid color to complement your build. Nice accent to a cheaper board. Also, it turns red with capslock on. The nice, clear indicator is appreciated.
GMK Black Snail came the other day, also picked up from Geonworks (since they appear to be the only vendor with the L9 mods… also now out of stock ) I can also do an all L9 build as well 
woohoo, I can have my Pristine set that I never got.
It’s a fun set with a lot of versatility. I’m going to try reversing the colors and also doing an “alert” stripe.
I’m glad to hear you like the Game 1989 switches. I ordered some from Unikeys the other day after seeing some impressions on YouTube. Luckily, they were on sale for 28¢ a pop to boot. I should have them in hand tomorrow.
I also have to agree with your experience with the Designer Studio Adaptive stabilizers. I have them in two boards and they are really solid.
I dig that enter keycap
I built my Regolith gray Classic-TKL yesterday. Giving the weird U4Tx switches another shot. Still weird feeling. 
Trying to decide if I prefer the Light Gray or alternate Dark Gray Alphas on GMK electric.
This TKL is super easy to build and feels solid. Maybe a bit more solid than you would imagine with it’s PC plate. I do happen to have a 3rd one on the way, and I think I’ll give that one a shot at being more flexible and remove all the included foams.
Picture no. 
for me!
