I just started soldering. It’s not too difficult and super useful. Also adds a lot of options that are usually cheaper than hotswap.

A pinecil is 25$. add another 25 for solder, flux, a pump and copper desoldering braid and you’re set up.

I found hotswap is increasingly difficult to get once you’re looking for non-massmarket stuff outside of 60 or 65 keebs with ANSI Layout.

It’s just faster to solder than to search for non-standard hotswap.

And with millmax, you can make any solderboard hotswap if you fancy.

I’d love one, but my colleagues…

ˆthis. very much. It’s a match made in heaven.

I think the problem might be sound, because the spacebar (and pcb) would be right on top of solid material and the sound can escape to the front. I guess it’ll sound very flat and no one wants to spend 300 bucks on a bad sounding spacebar.

https://discord.gg/tgr

good luck!

kbd.news has a handy vendour list:

https://kbd.news/vendors

And good content.

that really is a nice typewriter. I wonder if that spacebar integration can be done on mx as well, because it’s looking really good.

i think you might overestimate the building part.

If you get a barebones board with a hotwap PCB you have to screw in stabilizers for all keys larger than 2u (=2 keys) - Shift, Enter, Backspace and Space. Since you can’t be arsed, screw lubing them. Just screw them in, takes 3 minutes.

Then, place all the switches on Plate and PCB and since they’re hotswap you just press them in.

Then place like 8 gaskets or screws, drop on your PCB-Plate-Switch-Sandwitch, screw together top and bottom with 4 more screws.

When you’re done, mount the caps, also just pop them in place.

That’s it. I reckon it’s about as much work as a 10$ Lego set.

But going prebuilt is far easier of course: Unpack, plug in, done. If you get a hotswap you can change switches later on if you fancy.

tbh, i think we reached a point where there are so many switches available, that cherrys are almost the worst price/performance product imho.

this is only true before eight.