Khers' collection

[XMIT]

When I decided I had all the existing boards I might want (apart from a Kishsaver or another beam spring) - I decided it was time to make my own.

keyboards-f2/chinese-usb-hall-effect-ke ... 14551.html

I'm down to "only" 200 boards now in various states of repair. Maybe I'll fix them all. Maybe I'll sell nearly all of them. Maybe both. Time will tell.

[Khers]

Well this thread turned quite interesting! I 100% agree with you Seebart, and I think you, like me, perhaps came for the keyboards but stay because of offtopicthority. I'm sure there are gems out there and that some of the lesser known switches are absolutely sublime, but hunting for unobtainium gets old. Besides, I found out I can do more valuable things with my time than browsing ebay...

I agree with you too, E3E, I certainly bought too much in a short while just after I started hanging around here. I was definitely deep into the MUST HAVE NOW-days and it took me while to realize the absurdity of the situation, and quit the behavior. The fact that a lot of these things are served only once and available for a short while triggers something within a lot of people, and, to me at least, seem like the logical explanation behind the existence of a company like Massdrop, the essence of which is to entice people to buy now or forever regret.

Coming into the deep end of hoarding collecting keyboards that is the holy trio of DT/GH/rmk with limited funds, I must say that you've done an impressive job! Starting off with some blue Alps is very good indeed. I started with MX Browns. Just sayin'. When I started digging deeper I fell 100% for the IBM aesthetics, and it goes without saying that from a cost perspective, looking for ANSI IBMs in Sweden is a terrible prospect.

With regards to Topre vs. Alps, I'm the complete opposite of you; typing on one of my 60% Alps keyboards (in itself a thoroughly enjoyable experience), I soon find myself wanting to go back to the trusted old HHKB. But that's the nice thing about something as subjective as keyboards; some people like apples while others prefer pears. These days, I find the threads where (primarily) newcomers ask for advice on getting the perfect keyboard without ever trying anything mechanical rather amusing, especially on a Swedish forum I frequent where the audience is not as exclusively devoted to keyboards as we are here. I guess I'm a little elitistic and a bit of a snob after all.

@Hyper: In my opinion, one of the interesting parts about linear Alps switches (linearized or not) is the fact that they aren't completely linear. In fact, I like linear Alps with the small amount of feedback they provide much better as "tactile" Alps than actual tactile Alps. Sure, if one is looking to maximize the tactile feedback, it's most definitely the wrong way to go as they are less tactile than MX Browns, but I like them regardless. That said, I think vintage blacks are better, though not necessarily because of objective factors concerning the switch quality, but rather because I can be certain to find keyboards and keycaps that fit my layout preference.

@tigpha: That keyboard is absolutely gross and pretty much sums up why hunting for vintage keyboards sometime makes you question your sanity.

[ohaimark]

I've been through a few phases too. I think getting a mint DC-3014 with Blue Alps early on nipped my "unobtanium" reflex in the bud.

It helps that I'm not too interested in keycap sets or artisans.

eBay browsing is just good old fun for me. It's sort of a weird character trait, but it keeps me from getting bored when I have down time in the mornings. I have my searches narrowed down to a 10 minute scrollfest.

[Hypersphere]

As many others have experienced, I've gone through various phases of keyboard-related activity. The journey has been highly interesting and educational as well as great fun, and while my acquisitions have been tapering off, I don't see myself becoming less involved in the forums or in my own refurbishing projects anytime soon. Each phase and every keyboard presents challenges, and overcoming the challenges to get things to work is enormously gratifying. Knowing that the product of each project represents honing one of the principal tools of my trade provides some degree of justification, and the satisfaction accrues on many levels, including aesthetic, intellectual/technical, physical, and social.

[DanielT]

I too have reached a point where I have pretty much all I wanted. I have a couple of keyboard related projects that will fill my needs for tinkering, but aside from that I have found my peace
I've been "lately", part enough stuff to do at work part boredom. To my satisfaction DT is the same as 3 years ago, some people are not so active anymore some new faces but it's still the same and I love it.
To be honest outside DT the keyboard world is going places I really don't like: GB's going tits up, people selling stuff they never ship, not to forget the new breed of "magpies" for whom keyboards mean only 2 things, expensive "kustoms" and artisan caps at insane prices. I remember the times when after a GB people would split sets and part with the keys they had no use for so that other could complete their projects, now it's all about protecting the investment, recoup the money, some don't even use the caps or build the keyboards for fear not to lose value... It's a crazy world we're living in
And that's why I'm happy DT is just same as allways
I have to make some updates to my collection soon, I still use only 60% and MX Black with light springs is still my favorite switch next to Topre

[seebart]

To my satisfaction DT is the same as 3 years ago...

Unfortunately not at all so to me. When I used to lurk DT in 2013 there were more intersting vintage threads with longer more interesting discussions. Most of those users are not active anymore. Yes there are others that came like snuci but it's not the same volume. Don't get me wrong it's still great with projects like "(Model MF) Remodeling the Model M", but the same as 3 years ago? No. I guess I'll just have to get another Topre RF then.

Spoiler:

REALFORCE 91UG-S:

REALFORCE91UG-S.jpg (92.45 KiB) Viewed 6587 times

[DanielT]

I meant the spirit You are not active on GH, that is one community down the drain...

[Khers]

I’d agree that DT has changed a bit during the 2 years I’ve been an active member. The most obvious is the decrease in activity following Mu’s hiatus. (Sure it’s not Mu alone, a lot of members who used to contribute a lot to the discussions have decreased their posting frequency from around when Mu’s mom got ill.)

There has been a change in focus as well, though. The fraction contemporary stuff seems higher these days than when I joined, which is a little sad in my opinion. Not that I’m a vintage guy per se, nor do I regularly add to the vintage fraction, but I like and enjoy those posts. It seems that many finds that could have been made into interesting threads and discussions have been limited to a short: I found this thing, it’s awesome and you should all get it and by the way I’m selling mine at a ludicrous price for anyone stupid enough to bite.

The community as such has developed a lot during the last couple of years as well and gotten significantly larger. DanielT put it very well in a thread over at GH:

Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by magpies hunting for each shiny marble …

While I’d say that this has influenced DT to a lesser degree, we do see some of the magpie behaviour here as well. GH is of course worse, like it’s been at least since I joined. Over here, it is not so much about flipping artisan keycaps, but we’ve had our instances of people buying stuff on the cheap with the sole intention of flipping it. In my eyes that’s a little controversial; I view this as a community and one I value highly at that. I don’t see the other users of DT as merely other people, I view us as peers. We’re a group of nerds with a quirky interest, and as such, we should be kind to each other and not act by the cold and hard, rational rules of capitalism. Unfortunately, it seems like the larger the keyboard community gets, the larger are the economical incentives to fuck generosity among your peers and go for straight up capitalism.

I think that’s enough of a rant for now.

[DanielT]

Damn, I miss Mu

[Khers]

Who doesn't

[derzemel]

Photekq has also been kind of MIA too

[Khers]

I know that all too well, I've been pestering him about one of his SDUs for an eternity

Maybe we should start a "what happened to X" thread...

[Hypersphere]

People often tend to talk about organizations as if they had a life of their own beyond the control of any individual. We need to remember than any organization, including DT, comprises individuals, and each of us can make a difference. If anyone laments the way he thinks DT is going, he can do something about it by making contributions in the desired direction.

It is also possible that our perceptions of DT are shaped by the lens of familiarity. When each of us joined DT, everything was new. After a few years, the novelty factor is gone and it becomes difficult to maintain our original level of excitement. But for those who love keyboards and all the things they can represent, there is always something new -- a technical challenge, a product, or a new member seeking advice.

Cheer up, guys! This thread is getting morbid!

[XMIT]

After a point - when most of the low hanging fruit has been found and the supply of good boards in my area has dried up - there is just less to post.

Rest assured, though, that I have a nice backlog of about 100 boards that I can share over time. I have a few neat projects that I've done on the weekends and not even photographed. Also, with designing new Hall effect boards and working to quantify Alps switches, there is plenty for me to post.

Also, I still want to build a microcontroller solution for using old Micro Switch Hall Effect boards. I've made no progress on this since February since I'm working on other things.

But, sure, everyone else should take a break for a while. Maybe that way I can win a DT award this year.

[seebart]

All of you are right, what's the point of my "whining"? Not warranted in any way that's the truth. Sure I enjoyed it when I knew Mu was there keeping the forum going at a nice pace every day, but times change. Like I said before, real life can get in the way of this hobby, nothing one can do about it. People come, people go, some come back. We still have a strong user base in all the relevant areas. Sure I'd like to see more vintage stuff, but one has to get a hold of the keyboards to begin with. It's good to see we have DTA6 and Secret Santa 2016, community events like that are really important. I don't think I'll ever just leave DT.

[Hypersphere]

Although we DT folk enjoy some elitism when it comes to GH, they do in fact have some lively threads to give us worthy competition. In particular, their Alps Appreciation and TMK Firmware threads have recently been especially worthwhile. Chyros and Hasu have made some major contributions to these threads, but there have been many voices from a diverse group, including some eager noobs.

[ohaimark]

I get what you mean. I think you should do something about it, though. Like voting or suggesting candidates in the DTAs this year.

A banner for it will be up late next week, methinks. I just need to whip one up and get it to webwit.

[XMIT]

Regarding a perceived move to "the newer stuff" on this forum:

A huge driver of this hobby for me, has been understanding - in great depth - what makes vintage keyboards great. Is it the sounds? The materials? The sensing mechanisms? The layouts? The feel?

In the 2 years that I've been active on this forum I've learned quite a lot about all of these items and more, enough to make me feel comfortable starting to offer my own boards. This is a delight for me in that I can finally share the hobby with others.

[Khers]

Whine discontinued! Full steam ahead!

Updated with my latest and greatest:

[PollandAkuma]

fml mate

[Khers]

Too soon, don't fuck it already...

[seebart]

No fuc***g, no whining right Khers? I mean this is your thread.

[Khers]

My thread, my rules, to cite dubsgalore

[seebart]

My thread, my rules, to cite dubsgalore

Right! Haven't seen that name in a while.

[Khers]

Wonder why...

[photekq]

My thread, my rules, to cite dubsgalore

[seebart]

I tend to forget how many people "disappear" until I read the user names like just now...but that's NOT the topic here. So what's this latest and greatest keyboard of yours I wasn't paying attention? It seems to me like I just saw that in another thread the other day...but then gain I look at dozens of keyboards a day.

[Khers]

The topic of this thread is whatever the people who post in it like to write about. After all, my thread, my rules

(And I haven't gotten anything interesting in ages)

[seebart]

The topic of this thread is whatever the people who post in it like to write about. After all, my thread, my rules

Ahh I like that...you see my new signature...

(And I haven't gotten anything interesting in ages)

Me neither!

[Khers]

Seen and noted. Trying my best to make sure you live up to it