deskthority

Hy DT again, after quite some experience with my MX Green-powered WASD V2 as a first "real" experience with a modern mechanical keyboard, I am hooked. And I am hooked for black solid outfit, PBT keycaps, modern functions like FN-key-combinations which make sense, hooked with clicky hard switches. That said, I am on the mission for my personal perfect keyboard (who isn't?), you can read it here on DT. But that will cost me. I am dreaming of programmable, GON-Style, DSA/SA in PBT (yeah, I know, not now, but Matteo isn't stopping with teasing us all...), ISO-DE, loud AND silent, ... the list never stops. And I don't have the money right now, but i desperately need a replacement for that rubber-thingy at work.
So, here we are: As a beginning, I bought a cheap used coffee spilled Filco Majestouch M2 without keycaps with MX-Blue, tanks again to ne0phyte. The plan was to buy a cheap keycap set (see numerous dumb questions of me in the market and in the DE-section - yeah I know I'm newb, but I won't stop asking dumb questions) and be happy for a replacement at work. Well, the plan was good, reality crushed it in a second. Blue is just to soft. I do need my greens! Or maybe I even need something harder! But the Blues are quieter in my Filco, compared to my Greens in my WASD V2, colleagues at work give it a go. At least in the setup with o-ring-modded thick PBT caps. Which I ripped from my WASD. Boy, I had to steal the wife's mech for a day, that gave me much trouble at home, Anyway, here we are: I got a Filco which sound is okay, but the feel is NOT okay, and I am tight on money. But I am also in love with a new hobby, and being tight on money means I have quite some time. So the plan is: silence my Filco, make it harder, mod it. And when I start something like this I tend to escalate things quite quickly. Here is my plan, and here it is where I need your advice, rant and help.

Switches
Replacing the switches: The blues are just to soft, so it comes down to Greens. Or whites. Do whites really feel different? Do they really sound different? Is there a difference in feeling and sound between vintage whites and modern whites? Can it be even harder? Maybe with another spring? Which directly brings us to the next step:
Modding the switches: Is Stickering and Lubing helpful with Greens/Whites? I know it is quite a task, and if I don't change the springs I will think twice about it - what do you say?
Buying the switches: Is there any direct seller in main europe which is selling Cherry switches for a reasonable price? Or how would you try to get those switches?
Thinking about other switches: Being ISO-DE and a fan of modern keyboards, ALPS is something I totally scratched from my list, but what about Zealios or something I never heard of which is MX-compatible? Anything like greens/whites?

Keyboard / Case
Silencing the case: I really do like the case of the Filco. It is even more sexy than my WASD, because of the round edges. I will fill the case beneath the PCB with Shelf Dampener.
Adding a better ("cooler") cable: Why does the Filco not have a replaceable cable? This is something I consider to do. But this will "destroy" some party of my keyboard, something I do not usually do. I have to think about it. And I will search for alternatives.
Changing the controller: Is it possible to use a "The Kitten Paw" and give the Filco the same FN-commandos as a WASD V2 has?
Changing the plate: Is there something like the phantom plate for full-size keyboards? If I have to desolder and resolder I would love to do it exactly ONCE. Phantom would solve that.

Keycaps
New Keycaps are needed asap: The plan is to buy Filco Doubleshots - SA, available in UK, and the most surprising feature of all: ISO-DE. This will be done this month. Of course they will be o-ringed.
Keycaps to go: Waiting for round 7... Or PBT-SA. Or PBT-DSA. Or granite with better QA than that of SP. Or GMK starts their direct sales shop. A man may dream, at last...

GMK
Last thing which came to my mind regarding GMK: Maybe they finally get their shit done, start selling keycaps and even bring out their planned plate-mounted sound dampener clip. That would be added, of course, and would replace the O-rings.

So, please help me with my questions, rant about my silly plans and let me know what you think. O, and btw: I soldered and desoldered before, but that is some 20 years ago, I have to buy equipment. Any DOs or DONTs? Please keep in mind I am from germany. Thank you for your time.

The cable is pretty easy to replace on a Filco. There are companies out there that make high-quality (fabric-braided) replacement cables for Filco boards (Pexon UK, for instance).

I'd be curious to hear how well the dampening sheets work inside the case. Been thinking of trying that myself but have been skeptical of the efficacy. Mostly because I figure a lot of the bottoming-out noise of MX switches is going to propagate upwards, not just downwards, transmitting through the case top.

I assumed u want a heavy clicky switch. Might I suggest to go for gateron green? I got my filco replacement cable from pexon, can't go wrong with them nice cables option. About stickering, its purely aesthetic for me. Also I read from somewhere that lubbing clicky switch will reduce the clickiness. For sound dampener I use sorbothane sheet under my pcb.

If you want something heavy, how about Topre 55s?

zslane wrote: The cable is pretty easy to replace on a Filco. There are companies out there that make high-quality (fabric-braided) replacement cables for Filco boards (Pexon UK, for instance).

I'd be curious to hear how well the dampening sheets work inside the case. Been thinking of trying that myself but have been skeptical of the efficacy. Mostly because I figure a lot of the bottoming-out noise of MX switches is going to propagate upwards, not just downwards, transmitting through the case top.

I'll already checked out pexon - well, we shall see.
Regarding the dampeners: I'll make a video with and without dampeners, with and without o-rings wehn the time has come to open up the case and start the friggering.

jumie wrote: I assumed u want a heavy clicky switch. Might I suggest to go for gateron green? I got my filco replacement cable from pexon, can't go wrong with them nice cables option. About stickering, its purely aesthetic for me. Also I read from somewhere that lubbing clicky switch will reduce the clickiness. For sound dampener I use sorbothane sheet under my pcb.

Afaik are MX white the same as MX green, but lubed - and they seem to be highly inconistent regarding clickyness and sound, which sounds exactly as you said. I think I'll drop the lubing and stickering completely. More to the switches later on.

ShivaYash wrote: If you want something heavy, how about Topre 55s?

I don't like rubberdomes. Srsly, if I was in a position where I could spend the horrendous amounts of money for a simple rubberdome (albeit the best rubberdome there is, but rubberdome is rubberdome) which an ISO 55g Topre board would cost me I would got for an Modell F. Nope, Topre is just not my switch.

So, dropping lubing and stickering means I stay with case dampering, controller replacing, adding some keycap set(s) and getting some harder switches. I would love to try white ones, but they seem to be too different from switch to switch, I don't want to risk the amount of money MX whites would cost me.
Gateron Green - well, my personal experience with MX clones is a very bad one. I have a numpad made with Kalih blues, and these Kalih blues in direct comparision with MX blues just simply suck. The keycaps wobble on the stem, the click is almost non-existent (VERY good for the sound, but horrible for the feeling) and far tooo soft. They remind me of MX Browns, which are the most unpleasant MX switch I know. So: are Gaterons better than Kalihs? Should I give Kalihs a second try?

But the question that is the most important for me right now is: where can I start with these programmable Keyboad controllers? I sure want one for my Filco, to use the Windows menu key like the FN key of my WASD V2, but I don't know if and how this can be done. Where do I start with reading?

I'm thinking perhaps you have not tried the 87u for long enough but each to their own...

Good luck and I look forward to seeing the outcome.