Xiaomi Mechs First look

Wingklip · 11 Oct 2018, 18:23

TLDR: SOFTWARE IS BUGGED, ONLY 2KRO FOR SOME KEYS, NOT THE ADVERTISED SIX FOR ALL. DOUBLE TAPPING DOES NOT REGISTER. BUGS WHEN TYPING DOUBLE BRACKETS

DO NOT BUY

http://www.mi.com/keyboard/

Uses a 1000Hz ARM 32 bit processor

Uses TTC switch clones of cherry, and for all a low low price of 56$ AUD with an all metal case and doubleshot backlit keyboard. Any thoughts? Would be a great buy from the likes of taobao and aliexpress, or from those proxy shipping companies.

Findecanor · 11 Oct 2018, 18:46

Wingklip wrote: Uses a 1000Hz ARM 32 bit processor

It sounds like my Commodore 64 is 1000 times faster.

Muirium · 11 Oct 2018, 18:47

What’s the CPU for? It’s still just a USB keyboard?

The metal case looks nice, especially for the price. I’d recommend offering the keyboard without the caps, for those of us with plenty better ones of our own. Standard ANSI layout is a good choice. Backlight can hopefully be turned right off!

Still, the feel ultimately depends on those switches. A metal case and plate make a nice starting point, but the switches could let it all down.

stratokaster · 11 Oct 2018, 20:10

Having used Xiaomi mobile phones in the past, I don’t have high expectations for this keyboard.

Xiaomi is all about offering cheap imitations of the real thing.

Wingklip · 12 Oct 2018, 04:18

stratokaster wrote: Having used Xiaomi mobile phones in the past, I don’t have high expectations for this keyboard.

Xiaomi is all about offering cheap imitations of the real thing.

They're starting to make the cheap imitations better than the real thing. I've owned a xiaomi max 3, max 1, and a redmi 3. They're absolutely amazing phones with at most a few minor software bugs and slightly slower than usual NAND chips. Max 3 is sexy af.

Look at their laptop line mirroring apples; they copy the aesthetics and ergonomics but innovated the hardware to extreme lengths. an MX150 and i5 8550U in a sub 1k laptop in the profile of a macbook air, with cooling enough to ensure ergonomic use and no throttling.

Xiaomi rn is great design at a great price

Wingklip · 12 Oct 2018, 05:54

Muirium wrote: What’s the CPU for? It’s still just a USB keyboard?

The metal case looks nice, especially for the price. I’d recommend offering the keyboard without the caps, for those of us with plenty better ones of our own. Standard ANSI layout is a good choice. Backlight can hopefully be turned right off!

Still, the feel ultimately depends on those switches. A metal case and plate make a nice starting point, but the switches could let it all down.

For performance and a 1000hz polling rate probs

Findecanor · 12 Oct 2018, 08:57

The picture of the parts reminded me that I had seen that assembly before. This is from Feb 2017:

Muirium wrote: What’s the CPU for? It’s still just a USB keyboard?

These days, ARM Cortex-M microcontroller chips are cheaper than 8-bit microcontrollers.

Muirium · 12 Oct 2018, 10:39

Cheap makes sense. “Now with all new, lower cost controller, awesome!”

Economy of scale rules computers and the world. Even if it makes tethered USB grate all the more on me. The only silicon in there worth showing off about would be Bluetooth.

zrrion · 12 Oct 2018, 20:18

From the video I am actually surprised at the apparent build quality. The plate looks pretty solid and everything else looks decently well made. Its a shame it only comes with one kind of switch, some more interesting switches would have been cool. But for like 40USD it looks pretty okay.

Wingklip · 13 Oct 2018, 09:51

There's a more expensive all aluminium version for a price of 116 AUD, but knowing xiaomi, even their low price offerings have great quality in terms of build and software support. Most/all old bugs in MIUI were ironed out in my phones year by year, and they never slow with each update unlike apple's.

Also there's a metal mousepad to go with it, if anyone fancies a set. Their gaming mouse is quite similar in versatility and build quality.

stratokaster · 13 Oct 2018, 10:42

Wingklip wrote: innovated the hardware to extreme lengths. an MX150 and i5 8550U in a sub 1k laptop

I was not aware price dumping was considered "innovation."

Muirium · 13 Oct 2018, 10:53

Actually, price does take some inventiveness. I doubt they’re shitting in the pantry, like HP did when they bought Palm and briefly rivalled the iPad in sales figures as they threw away TouchPads at several hundred dollars loss per tablet. The trouble with a fire sale is the fire!

Wingklip · 17 Oct 2018, 05:25

When you consider that most laptops at that price range love throttling I'd give them some thought，and especially to the fact that the case is all alloy. Mousepad feels solid, not lenovo flimsy.

Back on topic, there seems to be some strange mechanical issue with the TTC red switches. I can't double tap thw switch unless I fully release my finger then slam down again real quick. I'd recommend going for the yuemi mk01b because that has cherry switches.

On build quality. Looks solid. Been using it a whole to type. TTC actuation points seem really off though, so I'd probably return this for a mk01b instead. Probably the first xiaomi device I'd ever return because of being unusable.

I'll see if this strange issue persists across all yuemi boards

Wingklip · 17 Oct 2018, 05:27

Also does anyone else have TTC switches red that they can confirm the issue with? I think it should be hardware and not a firmware issue with all these 'high end parts' advertised to have gone inside

green-squid · 17 Oct 2018, 17:24

Looks like all the other cheap MX clone keyboards. Not interesting at all!

stratokaster · 17 Oct 2018, 17:57

+1. Leave it to Xiaomi to spend money on flashy features, but skimp on the basics — like NAND flash in their phones or switches in this keyboard. Because LED lighting and thick plate is way more important than the switches, right?

Scarpia · 17 Oct 2018, 20:11

Muirium wrote: What’s the CPU for? It’s still just a USB keyboard?

Um, no reason

Spoiler:

Wingklip · 20 Oct 2018, 05:53

There is in fact a B variant but that appears to be available only online. It has cherry switches for $76AUD*

Wingklip · 22 Oct 2018, 07:12

Unfortunate that I have to return it. But at least they accept returns, even though it was not in compliance with chinese return law

.

I recommend waiting for the next iteration before buying any of xiaomi's mechs as they seem to be bugged rn. I've heard of another bug that is if you pair brackets after writing atr it presses right click somehow.

Wingklip · 23 Oct 2018, 04:31

I just found out through communications with Yuemi that the programmed limitation is 20ms between keystrokes on the same key. I think its there specifically to REDUCE double tapping because Chinese characters only contain single letters, never double vowels or consonants. I'm asking them if they have a programming software to remove this limit

JingyC · 23 Oct 2018, 06:06

Those keycaps look rather ugly

Findecanor · 23 Oct 2018, 09:50

20 ms debounce time is not that much. I think that is the norm for office keyboards and not uncommon even among "gaming" keyboards. (even though a gaming keyboard should have 5-10 ms)

Wingklip wrote: Back on topic, there seems to be some strange mechanical issue with the TTC red switches. I can't double tap thw switch unless I fully release my finger then slam down again real quick. I'd recommend going for the yuemi mk01b because that has cherry switches.

Yep. To me, that sounds more like a high actuation point in the mechanical switch (like some of those "Speed" switches.

)
You could try confirming this by pressing and depressing really slowly in a program that shows an immediate response.

Wingklip wrote: TLDR: SOFTWARE IS BUGGED, ONLY 2KRO FOR SOME KEYS, NOT THE ADVERTISED SIX FOR ALL. DOUBLE TAPPING DOES NOT REGISTER. BUGS WHEN TYPING DOUBLE BRACKETS

DO NOT BUY

Ouch.

The definition is that if "some keys" have 2KRO, then the keyboard has 2KRO.
Hmm.. Shot of PCB at https://youtu.be/CHow47ZGXhU?t=7m53s I see LEDs and resistors .... but not a diode for each key. Some keyboards have its diodes grouped into IC:s scattered around the board but I don't see that either.

The double-brackets bug sounds really bizarre ...

Wingklip · 23 Oct 2018, 11:52

Findecanor wrote: 20 ms debounce time is not that much. I think that is the norm for office keyboards and not uncommon even among "gaming" keyboards. (even though a gaming keyboard should have 5-10 ms)

Wingklip wrote: Back on topic, there seems to be some strange mechanical issue with the TTC red switches. I can't double tap thw switch unless I fully release my finger then slam down again real quick. I'd recommend going for the yuemi mk01b because that has cherry switches.
Yep. To me, that sounds more like a high actuation point in the mechanical switch (like some of those "Speed" switches. )
You could try confirming this by pressing and depressing really slowly in a program that shows an immediate response.

Wingklip wrote: TLDR: SOFTWARE IS BUGGED, ONLY 2KRO FOR SOME KEYS, NOT THE ADVERTISED SIX FOR ALL. DOUBLE TAPPING DOES NOT REGISTER. BUGS WHEN TYPING DOUBLE BRACKETS

DO NOT BUY
Ouch.

The definition is that if "some keys" have 2KRO, then the keyboard has 2KRO.
Hmm.. Shot of PCB at https://youtu.be/CHow47ZGXhU?t=7m53s I see LEDs and resistors .... but not a diode for each key. Some keyboards have its diodes grouped into IC:s scattered around the board but I don't see that either.

The double-brackets bug sounds really bizarre ...

I think its a programming language bug because the keyboard uses the same one.

atr() triggers it apparently

Muirium · 23 Oct 2018, 12:36

Ha. A little more work required inside this board before the People’s Liberation Army can harvest our precious bodily fluids!

ThePewster · 23 Oct 2018, 15:42

OP, which Xiaomi Mech model are you talking about? I saw this video of its latest Mechanical Keyboard and the reviewer found no major issues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HS_0a2ySc

Wingklip · 24 Oct 2018, 02:50

ThePewster wrote: OP, which Xiaomi Mech model are you talking about? I saw this video of its latest Mechanical Keyboard and the reviewer found no major issues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HS_0a2ySc

Can't watch it, youtube is blocked here. Yuemi MK01a

Not our bodily fluids! WE MUST NUKE THEM FIRST