Keeb IO Build: Questions and tips?

I was thinking about buying a Keebio Sinc keyboard despite never owning or making a mechanical keyboard. https://keeb.io/collections/sinc

There are some tangible benefits of this keyboard that I really want -- specifically a split mechanical keyboard with QMK support (my current keyboard has a crappy driver situation, I would like to avoid that by using a QMK compliant keyboard) and the price is arguably pretty good for a split keyboard. I haven't found one that suits my needs for a cheaper price -- I don't necessarily need hot swap-able, but I imagine it will eventually help in the case where an individual key stops responding. If anyone knows of another deal that's less hassle or better value, let me know.

Anyway, basically I know very little about building my own mechanical keyboard or just owning a proper mechanical keyboard. But I figured that if I wanted to buy a split keyboard, which are already expensive, I may as well delve into the world of mechanicals at the same time. I know there are a few well-advertised gotcha's around the keebio builds such as needing to buy a set of keycaps if I build myself and appropriately ordering the right number of stabalizers.

However, I have more questions that aren't as easily answered searching so I thought I'd ask people who know a lot more about this than I do.

  1. How do I know exactly how many stabalizers I need? Additionally, how do I make sure that I buy the "right" set of keycaps for the keyboard I'm making (do I look up "ANSI keycaps, ISO keycaps" or is there some other trick to make sure I buy the right "set" of keycaps?)

  2. If I build my own, what other gotcha's do you think I should know that aren't advertised well on site?

  3. I know that Keeb.io offers prebuilt versions, but how do you feel about the cost difference and shipping quality? Obviously it's much easier to ship disassembled than assembled,.

  4. Is it a smart idea to build my own before having owned or maintained a mechanical keyboard? Despite the much higher cost, is it worth it to purchase a preassembled keyboard?

  5. How do you feel about Kailh Jades vs Durock Shrimps vs Durock Dolphins? Those seem like the 3 most likely switches for me to try and most likely for me to like of the options provided on the site.

Astongt615,

Have you looked at the Q11? I agree that you probably have all the tools you need to take on the Since, but if you want to take the easy route, people tend to like Keychron for entry level, and they have decent quality of life for a prebuilt with a decent price. I still love my Q7 even though it was the first mech I bought.

FlatFootFox, (edited )
@FlatFootFox@lemmy.world avatar

You need 5 stabilizers. They go on Backspace, Enter, Left Shift, and both Space keys. They’re the black things around the key switches you can see in some product pictures.

Have you soldered before? Just take it slow and follow the build guide. I don’t recall any huge pitfalls when I built a similar Keeb.io board a few years ago. The only thing that tripped me up was the Caps Lock key. I was testing the per-key backlighting as I go, and the Caps Lock key uses it’s backlight to show the caps lock status. I re-soldered the LED three times before realizing I just needed to tap the switch to test it.

MoogleMaestro,
MoogleMaestro avatar

Thanks for the reply,

I have soldered before but admittedly I've never been very good at it. It seems like this would be relatively simple though so I feel like I could probably do it. I might actually buy a pinecil since it seems to be better than my current soldering iron and relatively cheap (temperature control for sub 30 dollars? That seems pretty unreal to me.)

And I'll keep the advice you gave me in mind.

FlatFootFox,
@FlatFootFox@lemmy.world avatar

If you have some basic soldering experience, you should be fine. Thankfully keyboards are nice big through-hole parts. The only thing you really need to be careful about is making sure the switches are actually laying flat on the board. I don’t have a Pinecil but I’ve heard good things! I built my Keeb.io Quefrency with an el cheap “fire starter”.

I don’t have a ton up to date keycap or switch advice for MX keyboards unfortunately. ISO keycaps are usually advertised as such. If you need specific keys for a particular layout, just double-check before you order. Most keyboard vendors are pretty good about showing you what you’re going to get.

The big thing you’ll want to double-check besides your enter key is the split space bars and the right shift key. Mechanical keyboard keycap sizes are often labeled by how big they are in relation to a standard square letter keycap. A standard square key is “1u”, while the standard right shift key is “2.75u”. Since the Sinc’s arrow keys are pushed up against the right side of the board, it has a smaller “1.75u” keycap. Likewise, you’ll need “2.25u” and “2.75u” keycaps for the space bars. Keep.io has a guideline of the needed keycap sizes here: www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/4a30f5dbd2… A few parts of the board offer multiple options on which keycap sizes you use. In the case of the ANSI enter and the ISO enter, you can see the ISO enter is off to the side.

Jumping straight into a DIY keyboard isn’t a fool’s errand. I’m not sure owning a simple WASD keyboard really gave me a ton of keyboard experience other than, “I like typing on mechanical keys.” It’s one thing if you don’t have soldering experience, but you should be fine. If you really are second guessing things, it’s worth pointing out that Keychron recently started selling a split keyboard with QMK support similar to the Sinc. keychron.com/…/keychron-q11-qmk-custom-mechanical…

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