Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
My first Varmilo VB87M keyboard was basically DOA with, IIRC, the letter O key flaky. Often, it would not register a click yet at other times, it would send 2, 3, or more letters. This was the Bluetooth model from the ~ Feb 2013 drop with Gateron blues. My first one was returned.
Now, I am on my second VB87M, and a few months later, it was experiencing similar problems (missed or double keys), but the problems showed up not immediately, but over time and now with many keys -- most are common like the spacebar and the letter S while others are not like the letter Z. Now, it is unusable, and I am on my 3rd.
I'm trying to figure out if this is a Varmilo PCB problem, a problem with Gateron switches, or some freak combination with the Bluetooth or maybe just a bad batch since my second one was also from the Feb 2013 drop.
At the time of the first failure, I did a lot of research, and there were a couple other users with a similar problem. One, I believe, in Singapore, her dad disassembled and cleaned the switch which suggests it was a switch problem. But, I have read another user who reported a similar problem with Cherry switches.
I have many of these keyboards but most are infrequently used such as on my Chromebook, a laptop, other development machines, home media center, etc. I have a fortune spent on these keyboards (including non-Bluetooth versions) and aluminum cases and fancy keycaps. It's not acceptable for these keyboards to only last a few months (regular use) when the keys are rated for 50 million cycles. Unfortunately, I have not used my other keyboards as much as the one on my main machine.
Please post your experiences (similar or no problems) and what model/switch/drop yours came from.