Massdrop x XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard Discussions | Drop

Massdrop x XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard

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Mar 8, 2017

Got my keyboard today. No unset keycaps or anything on mine. Serial 899.
Quite the set of unicorn mating ritual lighting modes by default there, xmit! I'll definately be onboard for the next time these are dropped. Hopefully we see an aluminum case for them!
My only complaints are that it didn't include my alternate set of springs, but thankfully I like the 70g just fine. Massdrop offered a 5 dollar discount, which I took...More worryingly...the USB, while working, and not experiencing the complete failure of other folks here, is very loose and wobbly, and this makes me worried about reliability in the future...
I'm going to go find a much better quality cable and see if it fits any tighter, but would like some info on if there will be any kind of fix issued on this.
Very happy overall with my purchase besides those minor flaws.

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYThanks for the feedback! The USB ports and cables are sometimes at opposite ends of the spec which results in a loose fit. We're working to improve this for next time.
So you know: every piece of feedback goes into a long document I've got that goes right back to the factory. Keep the feedback coming! :)

Mar 8, 2017

XMITNot having opened one up yet...how difficult do you think it would be to order my own usb connector from digikey or somewhere to solder in there? Got a spec for them?
(hoping for USB type C on both sides for the next board!)

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYIt's a surface mount mini USB connector, something like: http://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=XM7D-0514. Double check to be sure, but that looks right. It's surface mount. I'm looking at a PCB right now and have attached a photo.
USB C would have driven up the price of the boards a bunch, maybe next time we'll find a cheaper source!

Mar 8, 2017

XMITThere are lots of things that could be done on a "deluxe" version of the board. You could do glued in threaded inserts for all the fasteners as well, might help with the pull apart problem people are having. USB C and some different (better) keycap glyphs also come to mind.
Thanks for being so attentive and for your work on this keyboard. I look forward to your next project.

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYFor the fastening issue I think we're going to glue the top two layers together and put a captive nut in there, that's a little cheaper than glued in threaded insert (basically the same thing). Part of the issue is that the manufacturing capabilities of the factory quickly exceed what is possible to offer in a drop for logistical reasons! We've already got like 5 or 6 configurable things per board and I'm adding more for next time so we need to hand pick a few configurations people will like and focus on those.
For key caps in particular we may offer a bare bones version of the board since everyone has key caps they love. Even if the glyps aren't ideal (though I don't personally mind them so much) they're still PBT double shots!

Mar 8, 2017

XMITI'll keep the glue thing in mind in case I ever have problems. Any plans for an aluminum case to completely alleviate the problem? :D

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYIt's on my wish list but we have to design one and find a suitable manufacturing partner to make it happen! Another long term hope is to make a drop in "module" that could be compatible with some existing cases, like the Vortex case. Speaking personally again, I really like the IKBC aluminum cases.

Mar 8, 2017

XMITModule is also a really cool idea. One final question before you go, I know i can switch between polling rates (FN+rshift) on the keyboard, but is there any indicator as to which polling rate it's set to?
Also, what is the hotkey to change actuation heights on the 60% board? Doesn't seem to be listed in the manual.

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYOn the bigger boards I think the lock LEDs flash to show the polling rate?
I thought Rn+RShift was the actuation height shortcut, that's what is in the manual, but this is one feature I've not tested extensively (and may be going away depending on how we address the NKRO issue).

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Mar 8, 2017

XMITMy manual says "Fn+RShift - Select Keyboard USB polling rate"

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYYeah, that's correct, looks like I was looking at the second to last version of the manual. I remember chatting with the factory about this and making that correction toward the very end just before printing. Sorry for the confusion.

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Mar 8, 2017

XMITSo, it doesn't look like there's any way to tell which polling rate it's on, at least on the 60%. Still no idea where the "change actuation height" function is. Might be good to go through everything and post a final edition of the manual as a PDF of some kind.

Mar 8, 2017

PigmonkeYI'll eventually post an updated manual to xmitkeyboards.com.

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Visconti

Mar 8, 2017

XMITI haven't gotten my board yet, so I'm not sure how the case mechanically shrouds the port exactly, but I would suggest at the very least going to mini-USB with through-hole posts for the next rev. At my last job, our boards were initially working with surface mount micro-USB, and if there was any torque at all they'd pop the mounting pads directly off the PCB and make the board useless. Something closer to this (http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/hirose-electric-co-ltd/UX60-MB-5S8/H2960TR-ND/597536) would add a lot more mechanical durability to the port, though I'm not sure how much cost it'd add to the board, since it would probably have to be a hand-add part to make sure enough solder gets into the cavity to support it.
Either way, food for thought. Really looking forward to my board coming in next week!

Mar 8, 2017

ViscontiYeah I really agree that through hole is the way to go. The board is all SMT at the moment but on the 87 and 104 the USB connectors are surface mount but the posts /are/ through hole. But that's not the case for the 61 key. I had specified through hole posts and somehow this got lost in translation for the 61 key board. Ugh.
Part of the reason for this is that we use one PCB for all sizes and it gets chopped down for 87 and 61. Yes there is some waste potentially, but it also makes fabrication and inventory way easier. I think the factory added a via for the 87/104 and not the 61 looking at the board.
There are a few things we'll do differently for the next round, one of them being to send me a schematic and layout before signing off. (Another is further improved quality control.)

Mar 8, 2017

ViscontiI may open the board and hit the connector with epoxy or somthing just to add some mechanical reinforcement.

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Nevaenuf

Mar 9, 2017

XMITCan you replace a USB mini connector with USB C on this board? Do the pins line up?

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