XMIT Hall Effect - Round 2 Design Thread

[XMIT]

Hi friends! I'm hard at work on the design doc for Round 2 of the XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard. I've spent the past month looking through eleven pages of notes and about 450 (printed) pages of Massdrop comments, as well as many threads on this forum and the other keyboard forums. All of this has resulted in a roughly 80 page design document that I will share with a few beta testers and my design, manufacturing, and distribution partners.

What features would you love to see in Round 2? What do you think is missing? What would you love to see?

I already know about some big issues: bamboo case quality, NKRO, programmability, tactile and clicky feedback, heavier springs, new layouts.

I can't always respond to every single post (though I try!) but please know that I really do read and act on all of the feedback I receive. I also can't promise that I can grant all requests.

So, what have you got?

[cswanic]

Hi Xmit, I had the full key layout and first and foremost I freaking loved the PCB. The RGB was just amazing, a work of art for sure. The switches were definitely on the light side. The bamboo case was style-wise very beautiful but I feel a acrylic bottom and metal case in choice of color would be ideal. Thinking in terms of the Red Scarf case designs or something like that. To me the Hall Effect is a hobbyist board, one that should be owned because it is unique but from a hobbyist perspective. To that end a aluminum case with an acrylic diffuser or bottom plate to me would accommodate the enthusiast market a bit more IMO. What do you think?

[XMIT]

Hi cswanic - thanks for your thoughts! I've got heavier springs, and more case options on the list. We're going to explore a CNC aluminum case option, different acrylic case options including frosted translucent white, and possibly a much thinner metal bottom plate for low profile.

Right now I'm at the point of determining what the options are. Bundling those up into meaningful keyboard offerings comes a little later.

[zslane]

The only other element of concern I would add to your list (if it isn't already on there) is the subject of noise dampening. Both bottom-out and upstroke noise. All reports suggest that the sliders are already smooth as all get out, so the only thing remaining to do aside from tactile/clicky options and spring resistance is dampen the noise.

[XMIT]

Yep, I'm looking into downstroke damping (should be really simple) and upstroke damping (this is the hard one).

I'm also looking into factory lubrication of the sliders to make them even smoother.

[Stabilized]

Sound dampening was my first though too, I watched Chryos' review and I found the sound to be really unappealing, high pitched, and loud.

[Techno Trousers]

Just going to drop this here, hoping that DMA comes by the thread...

A guy I know actually made a single key switch from those neodymium magnets - one ring and two pucks, to be exact. Absolutely quiet, great tactile response. He never moved to make an actual keyboard though
But single switch was very pleasant. Hall sensor was pretty easy to read too.

[irick]

I threw some o-rings on the keys and the sound basicly is negligible on the acrylic tenkeyless, except of course for the upstroke. There seems to be a little bit more play than preferable in the fit of the stems. I've had keys pop off a couple of times while transporting it to and from work, mostly from accidental brushing. Some unscientific pull tests with a cherry mx tester does seem to confirm the feeling that they just don't have the same amount of grip.

[XMIT]

Oh neat, thanks for the feedback. I haven't actually tried O-rings. They're a good downstroke damping solution in a pinch for people who don't care about full key travel. I do, so I'm looking more closely into soft landing pads inside the switches.

I know all about the loose key cap issues. For now use a 1cm or so square of plastic bag material as a shim between the key cap and slider, this will help greatly. We're going to tweak the molds for Round 2 to improve key fitment. I'll look into making extra sliders available to anyone who wants to retrofit them into their existing boards.

[dwolvin]

Did you just drop the o-rings at the bottom of the springs? I'm hoping to get around to opening my TKL to swap springs, and wouldn't mind putting a little bit of bumper under there...

[andrewjoy]

Keycap compatibility is a big one , my round4 caps sometimes jam down.

[slyker]

My dream is for the next run to be quiet enough to use in an office. I don't care how you get there as long as you do.

[drevyek]

You mentioned programability: this is the real kicker. I'll never buy another new board that I can't program. I simply don't want to compromise on using someone else's layouts.

[XMIT]

The Round 1 boards are programmable. You just need a special Windows only software tool to program them. I've had what is supposed to be a final version of the tool for a while but haven't had a chance to test or post it in about a month. Please forgive the delay.

[GH1391401]

I got one from massdrop and really loved it. Biggest feedback for me would be how the bamboo case secures itself. Mine is just a woodscrew. I'd like to see a metal insert in the bamboo so that the screw is screwing into that and there is a larger surface area to anchor into the bamboo. I'm not an engineer so I don't know if this feedback is feasible.

I say this because if one of the switch bodies is removed from the top of the board (either on purpose or by accident) sometimes you have to remove the back bamboo plate in order to securely clip the switch body back onto the pcb. When mine arrived the whole right side had none of the switch bodies properly clipped onto the pcb and disassembly was the only way I could fix that.

[XMIT]

Yeah I've demanded brass inserts for all the bolts next time. I won't ship anything that threads the main attachment bolts directly into wood or acrylic.

[dwolvin]

Good call- it's a bit ugly on the acrylic cases also.

[dwolvin]

Any news Xmit?

Side note- got off my lazy behind and swapped in the heavier springs, and they are great!
I can't decide if I was to go TKL or smaller next time, but I think a separate tenkey would be a cool idea.

[andrewjoy]

Yeah I've demanded brass inserts for all the bolts next time. I won't ship anything that threads the main attachment bolts directly into wood or acrylic.

I personally would switch to superior danish oil over the tung oil they where using , it offers better protection for the wood. 2 Coats is fine.

It has a very fine varnish in it so it will last WAYYYY longer.

[dwolvin]

Any news Xmit?

I'm dying over here!

[Myoth]

Hi friends! I'm hard at work on the design doc for Round 2 of the XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard. I've spent the past month looking through eleven pages of notes and about 450 (printed) pages of Massdrop comments, as well as many threads on this forum and the other keyboard forums. All of this has resulted in a roughly 80 page design document that I will share with a few beta testers and my design, manufacturing, and distribution partners.

What features would you love to see in Round 2? What do you think is missing? What would you love to see?

I already know about some big issues: bamboo case quality, NKRO, programmability, tactile and clicky feedback, heavier springs, new layouts.

I can't always respond to every single post (though I try!) but please know that I really do read and act on all of the feedback I receive. I also can't promise that I can grant all requests.

So, what have you got?

ISO ?

[XMIT]

Any news Xmit?

I'm dying over here!

We're still reviewing prototypes. Massdrop had some quality concerns which has delayed things further. I'm hoping we can go live in November.

It would have been really good to go live in early September for a number of reasons. Just ... bear with us.

[Techno Trousers]

Hang in there, XMIT. I know you want a break, so I hope this isn't too much stress for you.

[dwolvin]

Thank you much for the update- I hope you read my comments in a joking voice...

But I did take my first round TKL black/clear to work and it got a large number of good reviews and interest. I just don't want to take it back and forth to much, 'cause I love it so.

[nickg]

I recently purchased one of the first round second hand(but I think im still the first to actively use it). Gotta say I usually hate linear switches but I love these. No build up at at the end like mx linear stuff, smoothest switch I've ever used(tied with model f's), quieter than my topre board so I can take it to work and swap em out from time to time. Basically I love your work so far, gonna be swapping this out from time to time with my model f to be my daily home driver pair. This is easily tied for my favorite switch I've used. And the bamboo case is so classy,.

Anyway I do have a couple of questions, since you say you may be doing tactile/clicky next round. Are you going the matias/alps route and keeping the key weight and tactile action the same? I ask because ive tried mx blue and brown, I dont mind blues but I loath browns. Much less tactile, feels more like a dirty slider than anything. I like clicky boards, but if they feel the same I may be tempted to get a non clicky tactile version for work and a full sized clicky for home- assuming I can afford both with Christmas right around the corner. Already got my ideal linear board so I dunno if Id buy one of the round 2 linear ones unless they got very changed.

[zslane]

...quieter than my topre board...

I'm curious how you achieved that degree of quietness. Even without silencing rings, Topre switches are very quiet on bottoming out and even the upstroke clack is fairly demure. But from all the demonstration videos I've seen (most of them from XMIT himself), the noise from the HE boards is pretty cacophonous.

[rich1051414]

I wonder if tactile sleeves(found on many old keyboards) could be used on these to add tactility and help silence them. The case the slider is in has no innards, so it is prone to being loud and clacky.

Regardless, the smoothness of these switches is second to none if you drop a bit of lube on the slider tabs. I actually just used PTFE wet lube, and put a drop on each stem and let it penetrate and dry. The smoothness is unlike any other switch as there is no actual switch in there, it is just spring compression

[nickg]

...quieter than my topre board...

I'm curious how you achieved that degree of quietness. Even without silencing rings, Topre switches are very quiet on bottoming out and even the upstroke clack is fairly demure. But from all the demonstration videos I've seen (most of them from XMIT himself), the noise from the HE boards is pretty cacophonous.

I didnt do anything to my hhkb, or the HE board and I assume no one has. Maybe its due to how I type, I move my fingers off quickly once the letter appears on my screen, that makes my hhkb boom up with a thiccc thock. The HE board I do the same but since its just a spring pushing the cap back up no dome thocking its not so loud.

[nickg]

I wonder if tactile sleeves(found on many old keyboards) could be used on these to add tactility and help silence them. The case the slider is in has no innards, so it is prone to being loud and clacky.

Regardless, the smoothness of these switches is second to none if you drop a bit of lube on the slider tabs. I actually just used PTFE wet lube, and put a drop on each stem and let it penetrate and dry. The smoothness is unlike any other switch as there is no actual switch in there, it is just spring compression

So a drop on the cross thingy then let it drip down into the key?

[Chyros]

Smoothness. Definitely a massive priority IMO.

They're Hall effect switches, they are SUPPOSED to be smoother than any contact switch can manage. It's good, but it's not AS good as I'd have hoped.

Also the switch sound isn't that great, it's very plasticky.

Really though, I did and still do really like this board, I think it holds amazing promise.

(needless to mention I used an Ace Pad Tech one, not an XMIT (C) ^TM (R) one )