Ace Pad Tech Hall effect keyboard review (Ace Pad Tech Hall effect)

[Chyros]

My first HD keyboard review. This one took about as long to make as the six that preceded it, put together. Hopefully you'll like the end result!

[Cattus_D]

Cool stuff! Thanks - dank je wel!

[Elrick]

Why is it when I always watch one of your reviews I get educated......

You must of trained as a teacher in your previous life because they way you present the keyboard and all of it's issues is brilliant. I too think they have a long road to haul before making a keyboard that becomes an ALL time favorite to own and use.

Thank you for again informing us about the latest keyboard tech available.

[TuxKey]

Thx for informing us never heard of Hall Effect switches Awesome switch i'm impressed.
My two favourite switches are the mx-clear and my 45g topre.
i would advice AcePad to make a lighter mx-clear tactile switch TKL model with detachable cable that would be an instant winner for me.
And if they would add input club programmability (openSource) to it that would make it a must to buy..
Don't know why manufactures don't do that btw

[Stabilized]

Great review, it has convinced me that it's worth waiting for a while longer to get a hall effect keyboard. The advantages are really great, but like TuxKey said, I would want to wait for a tactile version and programmability first.

[XMIT]

I finally had a chance to watch the video in its entirety. (Watching it at 1.5x made it more bearable.)

For starters: let’s be clear. Ace Pad Tech is the manufacturer for the XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical keyboard. Chyros declined to be an early reviewer in favor of getting a board directly from the manufacturer after the “drop” ended. Chyros did not contact me for any input prior to making his review. This is entirely his work.

The only slight potential conflict of interest is that I did donate something like 20 USD to Chyros for him to put towards a higher quality camera and microphone. I’m honored that he chose this board as the first one to review using the new equipment.

An earlier version of this thread had the XMIT name in the title. I asked Chyros to remove it for a simple reason: he did not get an official board from me for the review.

The manufacturer offers far more options than I am bringing to market. For example, the submersed board uses an acrylic case with rounded edges. I don’t want to comment on future products yet but I did not offer such a board through Massdrop.

Though informative, and a good reference, the review did not tell me anything I did not already know! Though, I’m curious about the “85g springs” comment. I have a line item in my feedback document to work on 85g springs, maybe they are already doing this. That’s good.

The manufacturers and I have an interesting relationship. I come up with product ideas based on community feedback, they implement them, and then they sell boards with my feedback through the “back door”, as factory brand or no brand boards. That’s fine, I expect that, but I’ve always got more improvements in the works.

What I do ask is that community members not overwhelm the manufacturer with inquiries. They are a small shop. I can’t stop community members from buying their boards through, say, Taobao or Aliexpress, but better boards - with warranties - will come by buying official XMIT boards through my collaboration with my friends at Massdrop.

tl;dr: thanks Chyros for posting an honest review of a representative keyboard by the manufacturers of the XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard. I hope the review hopes everyone better understand how they work. Every issue you mentioned was already on my list of items to check later.

[seebart]

For starters: let’s be clear. Ace Pad Tech is the manufacturer for the XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical keyboard. Chyros declined to be an early reviewer in favor of getting a board directly from the manufacturer after the “drop” ended. Chyros did not contact me for any input prior to making his review. This is entirely his work. The only slight potential conflict of interest is that I did donate something like 20 USD to Chyros for him to put towards a higher quality camera and microphone.

Resepct for mentioning that.

[Elrick]

but better boards - with warranties - will come by buying official XMIT boards through my collaboration with my friends at Massdrop.

Of course, where else would anyone want to buy an authentic XMIT keyboard, except from MassDrop?

Always expect that your keyboards will hit the MD walk way soon, with tactile keys instead of the linears.

[Elrick]

MassDrop is again running the Hall Effect keyboard run.

The first thing of note are the complaints about the Quality of finish and how it works. They're still far away from releasing a fixed keyboard with a decent finish to them.

Always interested in buying one BUT it looks like Wooting Two is a far better product.

[XMIT]

Good for them. Massdrop started selling "APT" boards - meaning, the boards that I designed without my branding on them - behind my back, without my permission, and in violation of our contract. I'm sure there was some misunderstanding somewhere, or that my contact within Massdrop was simply powerless here.

As of a couple of weeks ago any agreement that I had with Massdrop is null and void. So I'm free to sell whatever keyboards I want through whatever avenue I want. I'm also free to shitpost about Massdrop. So if anyone has any questions - and wants an honest answer - ask away.

[Elrick]

As of a couple of weeks ago any agreement that I had with Massdrop is null and void. So I'm free to sell whatever keyboards I want through whatever avenue I want. I'm also free to shitpost about Massdrop. So if anyone has any questions - and wants an honest answer - ask away.

GREAT, so when are we going to buy your keyboards?

MassDrop is drop dead evil, have gone off them and am now buying from other retailers.

Please provide your updated keyboards for purchase soon, some of us don't care about how much it costs because we want to support another member of our valued DT congregation.

Always support people that design and produce unique keyboards otherwise we all get stuck with Razerlike-junk forever more.

[Elrick]

Oh, here's the response from one of your former 'partner's';

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/apt-hall-e ... lk/2227841

XMIT, is this indeed true or can you supply any further updates to his comments on MassDrop?

Biggest fear is that they hold the rights to your switch hence we might never see another Hall Effect Keyboard except from APT.

[Chyros]

Is there anything false or grossly twisted or omitted from that response, out of interest?

[Muirium]

Sad, but characteristic behaviour from MassDrop. They’re manipulative arseholes. And now conmen too.

Fair to say they’ve got a ways to go now until they convince me to register on their site! The account wall always tripped my douche sense. You know, what with all the reek of shit.

It’s nothing compared to entering a contract with them and getting your invention stolen. Same cause though: they have no respect for anyone, and care for none but themselves. Mendacious, thieving, contemptuous, shameless dirtbags.

Huh, I’m beginning to sound like Webwit.

[Shihatsu]

After input club the next ripoff. I bet we will here the same words from the MD defense brigade - read your contract better, not their fault...

[Elrick]

I bet we will here the same words from the MD defense brigade - read your contract better, not their fault...

Last retort of Shyster's.

They always try and alleviate their evil deeds as some kind of fault, levied upon their victim(s). Funny how it's always the offender that blames everyone else for their dreadful behaviour.

I use to think that they had some kind of Honour and Decency but alas, they seem more attracted to Greed and the outright justification of it.

[Muirium]

I use to think that they had some kind of Honour and Decency but alas, they seem more attracted to Greed and the outright justification of it.

That’s a dark light to cast upon the MassDrop Defence League! But if any of them come out rationalising for their masters on this naked, outright theft then, yes, you’re quite right about them too; even if unintended.

[XMIT]

Oh, here's the response from one of your former 'partner's';

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/apt-hall-e ... lk/2227841

XMIT, is this indeed true or can you supply any further updates to his comments on MassDrop?

Biggest fear is that they hold the rights to your switch hence we might never see another Hall Effect Keyboard except from APT.

I've responded in kind here: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/apt-hall-e ... lk/2228072.

tl;dr: Ace is the sole supplier of the switch housings used, and the sole distributor of the Hall sensors used. There are other people willing to make switches and other Hall sensor vendors. So, I'm not expecting them to play nicely at the moment. If they do, I'll maybe source parts from them for a future design. If they don't, I'll go to a competitor.

[XMIT]

Oh, and I opened up the design doc for Round 2 keyboards:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19HV ... sp=sharing

[XMIT]

Is there anything false or grossly twisted or omitted from that response, out of interest?

Not really, it's fair. It just comes from a different perspective. Tom, the owner, wants to sell keyboards. Me, the designer, wants to sell nice keyboards. Massdrop wants to sell keyboards and doesn't care about the details so much. There are subtle but important differences in each of our roles in the story.

I only heard from Tom like once or twice early in the design process, when I had something that needed to be escalated. FWIW I had mostly positive dealings with Tom, and can see how he was off put by my frustrations about the firmware being closed source (and also terrible).

Fun fact that I've learned, from day job in the semiconductor industry: certain very large scale system integrators will insist on full source code access to any components they use in their design. It may be via NDA, with a bunch of provisions, etc., but they get it and use it to make a better product. I think Tom (and his firmware vendor) were afraid that I was trying to rip them off. Really, I was trying to get their sources so that I could find and fix all their bugs. Kind of shocked they turned down the free labor considering all the other free labor they got from me (design feedback that they continue to incorporate).