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Showing 1 of 1922 conversations about:
bender
5
Feb 8, 2014
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bender
5
Feb 8, 2014
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shaekI used similar ones mentioned here on page 80-ish. I purchased enough parts for 4 of them off WASD keyboards - one for each of the "thumb keys". I have not installed them yet but many people say you need to add some adhesive to hold the "base" in the acrylic ditch - I agree they do fit, but slide out easily from the acrylic.
rossipedia
234
Feb 8, 2014
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benderI've heard that using hot glue does the trick quite nicely (and is easy to shave down after it cools).
nomaded
117
Keyboard Club Member
Feb 8, 2014
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rossipediaI think I recall reading someone using Elmer's to attach the stabilizers. It worked because of capillary action.
jeff.weiss
1
Feb 8, 2014
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benderI had the same experience. I thought the diodes would be really hard to solder. I got one of those head mounted magnifiers, that made it much easier to see what I was doing. Took about 4 or 5 hours to do the whole thing, but I was going very slow and deliberate. I am typing with it right now, I am a little surprised all the keys seem to work, so I apparently did everything right. If only I could say the same about my typing. This layout will take some getting used to. I am now painfully aware that I type y's with my left hand. Not for long :)
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Was it worth the wait: Absolutely it was - looking back I think it's pretty cool, you're in this group buy with like-minded people sharing their thoughts and ideas - don't get me wrong, I would have killed for the "Amazon Prime" button but it was kinda fun.
What about soldering: I've never soldered a day in my life - I did end up buying a simple "my first soldering kit" before the ergodox build - but honestly the ergodox was way easier than I had built up in my mind. You have to take your time though! I found it more about maintaining a high quality solder while doing the same thing over and over again. The SMD's were not bad at all - just remember you MUST solder them in the correct direction!! They are similar to the LED's, they do have a "polarity" to them.
What was hard: The USB was really tough to dig out of the plastic - I would recommend just tearing into the first one to get a feel for how the plastic was molded - then go for beauty on the second USB cable provided. Plus, to add complication - soldering the USB connector to the board is crazy precise! Again, take it slow and it's not bad at all.
What was fun: Yes, there is a huge lead time for actually getting the ergodox - I found enjoyment ordering custom keycaps, braided cables, and the keycap stabilizers. I also picked up some awesome stickers (github, html5, angularjs, etc..) which I plan on wedging between the acrylic. It sounds silly, but ordering each over the course of 3 months helped pass the time and I think adds some "uniqueness" to my ergodox.
Final Thoughts: I walk away with a ton of pride for this thing which I built, and I learned so much about soldering! I did take a few photos during my build and posted them on twitter #ergodoxBuild. I found the PCB board was really well designed - a huge thanks goes out to the ergodox creators and certainly Massdrop for putting all this together - just a really awesome experience!