What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
ORIGINAL: A solid keyboard. (Almost) everything about it is great: from the hefty board, to the nice keycaps & lighting effects, down to the feature set and QMK support. UPDATE #1: One advanced RMA later (with easy shipping back), and the replacement keyboard seems fine. I'll keep a close eye on it for the next month, but it passed my Switch Hitter tests and seems to have no visual defects. Even got a replacement serialized keyboard (to replace my own serialized unit of course), complete with a replacement first-run keycap. I'm impressed. Upping it to 4 stars for now, but if the problem doesn't return -- it's definitely a 5/5.
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ORIGINAL CONTINUES: And up until recently, the switches (Halo Clear). Now however, I'm forced to lower the rating (even more) after they slowly fail, one by one. From just 2, to 4 the next day. Then a few weeks later (today) 4 more spontaneously chatter (and don't stop chattering), and as I type out an email to support, 2 more fail. Then while typing this out, 8 more. So another 10 in the span of an hour.
In total, that's 14/87 switches repeating at a ridiculous rate. (And I can confirm it's the switches themselves, since moving them around "fixes" the issue as seen on Switch Hitter)
Switch failures happen, and I was okay with the initial 4, planning to replace them the next time Halo switches are up for sale. (Moving them to unused keys for now) But since it looks like the entire board is starting to fail due to shoddy switch QC, I have to call this out. I don't know if Kaihua (manufacturer) or Massdrop (design) is to blame, but either way, this is unacceptable. Out of lots of keyboards containing Cherry and Kaihua switches, this is a first. Hell, my $50 budget board -- also with Kaihua switches -- never had chatter.
So until this is resolved, I'm lowering my rating from 5/5 to 2/5 because -- unlike RGB issues and the like -- this made it literally unusable.