It's been a while since I'm posting on tumblr. Initially, I'd like tumblr as part of journaling (I can post secretly if the content is too sensitive), but I guess as time went by, my laziness caught me.
Anyhow, I'd like to share a new thing I'm obsessed with right now. I like to take pictures, I have a DSLR camera, and usually, when I'm buying a new phone, I have to consider the specs of the camera it has. The latest 'adventure' I go with buying Google Pixel 7a. The gimmicks that I've seen often recently comparing the camera on Iphone and Google Pixel, and I would like to experience it. Aaaand.... voila! I post a picture taken with a Pixel 7a!
Here we go again... Another phase of an unseemingly ending pandemic. At least, that's what happened here in Indonesia. Unclear policy combined with lack of enforcement has made Indonesia fall deeper in the number of casualties from COVID-19. As a result, we have another "lockdown". Wait... My government wouldn't call it that. The consequence of saying this whole stay-at-home situation is a lockdown is that the government must pay for the social safety net to all the citizens who are unable to feed themselves during the messed-up situation.
Anyhow, I'm not here to write about that. During this stay-at-home situation, I've been doing some modding on my mechanical keyboard. In the name of a pursuit of ASMR, I've been succumb into a hobby that will certainly hurt my saving account.
A couple months ago, I purchased a Voyager68 Retro Edition 65% keyboard, made by a local company called PressPlay. It is quite good actually. The keyboard is available in three gateron switches you can choose, red (linear), brown (tactile), or blue (clicky). I personally picked the brown one, because ever since the first time I'm stumbled upon the mechanical keyboard hobby, I like tactile switches better. The housing made of plastic with no screw at all. While it is a perk, unfortunately, it is also a flaw. If you're not careful, the plastic clip that held the keyboard altogether will break and your keyboard will not be held as tight as before. That is what exactly happened to me.
Before I decided to open the case, I've been exploring google and youtube for tutorials. Since it's a local product, most of the webpage or videos I found was made by local and not one of them mention about a special tool to opened it. Therefore, I used a minus screwdriver to pry it open. The first time I opened it, I managed to broke one of the clip. The second time, because I needed to check on the PCB, two other clips were broken. At this rate, I will broken the entire clip and the case will have nothing to held itself.
Luckily, using the power of internet, I could order an acrylic case to replace the broken plastic case. At the same time, as if the internet play a joke on me, I found out that I need something called pry tool that specifically made to open, mostly, cellphone cases to avoid breaking the clips! Cool... cool cool cool cool cool cool cool...
When the acrylic case arrived, I was excited. The fun of modding your mechakeebs is basically solving the problems that occur using tricks to reach what is called the ENDGAME. It is a term coined in the mechakeebs community when you reach the satisfaction of modding your keyboard. Changing my keyboard case using acrylic not exactly solving my problem. The new acrylic case has screws to secure the PCB and the plate. However, the side hole for the on-off and connection switches cannot be closed using the original case's switch. I need a screwdriver to change the connection or turn it off. The hole for the USB-C cable is not exactly perfect, so I need to use feeling to connect it, and hence, I cannot use the wired connection. I'm stuck with the Bluetooth connection (or in that matter perhaps I can use my 2.4Hz dongle) because the placement of the hole and how my PCB situated prevent me from using the wired connection. Lucky for me, I can still using the cable for charging the keyboard.
All in all, I haven't reached that ENDGAME yet. I enjoy the thocky sound of my current mechanical keyboard, although perhaps there's still room for improvement. I might need to change the stabilizer to remove the rattled sound when I press it. There are a couple of ideas to change the plate or providing dampener. But I think that's for another time. The detailed modification will be written later as I'm exhausted modding this keyboard. I'd like to enjoy my weekend, you know, to relieve the stress from this whole motherfricking pandemic situation.
I stumbled upon a new hobby during the pandemic. I used to love taking pictures using my camera, cellphone or DSLR. Don't get me wrong, I'm still loving it. When you cannot freely go someplace to hunt photos, you get tired with the work from home set up in your house or tired with the working hours that seem to have no ends, you need to get something to entertain your mind. Binge-watching no longer working for me, therefore, mechanical keyboards.
It all started with Tom Hanks' hobby. He loves the sound and collects many typewriters. Hence, he creates an app that allows people to try to type using certain brands of typewriters. I love to hear the clacking sound it produces and reminds me of when I was in elementary school (or junior high? I can't exactly remember). I used to type my paper using my late Dad's old typewriter and hurt my fingers in the process because it was so old and the grease perhaps no longer working as well as its glory days. Somehow, that clacking sound brought me to my new hobby now, modding the mechanical keyboard.
I know, merely using a mechanical keyboard is not actually a hobby. It's just like day-to-day use of your favorite pan to fry an egg. I thought so too when I initially bought my first mechakeebs (short for... you know...). How naive was I when I first touch my first mechakeebs that it will satisfy my curiousity. I browse the important parts that make mechakeebs different from other kinds of keyboards, the function of switches, keycaps, lubing, etc, each type of profile and layouts. It leads me down to the rabbit hole of mechakeebology (the knowledge and science of mechanical keyboards.... at this point, it's just made-up words by me).
Furthermore, to create a certain sensation of typing, you need to know what kinds of layout make you comfortable. What kinds of sound that entertain your ear, the type of keycaps profile or color that entices your eyes, or what you're going to use it for. To try and error your way to what you like most from your mechakeebs, one requires a deep wallet to fund the whole things. For example, once you know you like XDA profile keycaps, it is more expensive than the more readily available OEM profile. Certain switches such as linear or tactile (or least favorite clicky switches) can cost you a fortune to buy for the whole set (or to save some money, just for the alpha keycaps). You still have to choose between PBT or ABS. And many more!
At this point, I have spent my saving to buy a few keycaps sets in OEM and XDA profiles, a couple mechakeebs with different layouts, many plastic bags of switches in different brands and tactility, a set of tools to open and lube the switches, and many more. I cannot say that this hobby has already reached the peak of my interest, and will end up as abandoned stuff once I'm no longer curious about it. My recent adventure is pursuing the thocky sound of my keyboard. I already found the switches, but to reach that thocky sound, I still need to lube it or insert a dampener somewhere. I basically like to take apart something and put them up together again to see how it works. I guess this is what happened with the mechanical keyboard right now. And I cannot see somewhere near its end with this one.
It’s been a while... How is your quarantine going? Or, precisely, how is your WFH-WFO going? I’m not sure we are still talking about quarantine (especially in my country) which some of us elect to do quarantining by ourselves.
Anyhow, due to a more unidentifiable idle-and-working time, I’m having a new hobby now, modding mechanical keyboards. Ehm... it’s not really modding (or modifying) actually. It’s a more of feeling the urge of buying a mechanical keyboard. I like to disassemble it to know what’s in it, putting it back together and, while crossing my fingers, hoped it still works. I’m still at that phase to buy various keycaps or switch, try to pull and put them, trying them and try to type using ‘em. So far, my favorite is a prelubed gateron brown switch (I’m only can afford these ones, there are others which is more expensive [psst, don’t tell my saving account]) installed on a local brand mechakeebs called voyager68.
Right now, I’m gathering my gut to lubbing some switch! I already have most of the tools but really unsure on the type of the lubricants used. There are many tutorials on the internet, and I’m still learning ‘em. Most of these videos say that it is a hard labor that require a comfortable chair and table, so that you won’t hurt your back or hand doing it. I’m not there yet!
I’ll upload the pictures of my mechakeebs sometime. Right now, I’m just want to enjoy typing my tumblr post using my new mechakeebs. Hopefully, since I have a new tool to type, I will post a lot of things in my old tumblr account. Phbbt! A wishful thinking.
When you’ve spent your time idolizing, obsessing someone, and you trace and watch his/her works, and you find some of his/her weird one, you end up thinking, ‘what the hell are you thinking in your weird mind?’
Yeah, that often happen to me, especially these days during self-quarantine
. Let’s take a break, take time to rest . #pedicab #cyclo #publictransport #streetphotography #nyetrit #winterbreak #unescoworldheritage #hoian #quangnam #vietnam #iphoneonly #snapseed #skrwt #iphonography #iphonasia (at Hoian Ancient Town - Phố cổ Hội An) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_E8HnAlc4t/?igshid=1db01iiyttdvh
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