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Keychron keyboard discussion

xraydoc said:
Hmmm. While that's a solution, I wouldn't be satisfied with random arrow keycaps here and there. Finding high quality XDA or DSA profile keycaps, however, could present its own challenges as most of the high-quality vendors produce mostly Cherry profile. I have a couple of very high quality KAM sets (uniform like XDA and DSA) but those aren't any lower in profile than Cherry keycaps, so probably not well suited to low-profile keyboards, either.
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Fortunately for me, the key that was my problem was the G key so all I just had to give it a friend to avoid the two-tone junkyard car look.

I hear you on the XDA keys. It doesn't appear like they're very common. I wouldn't have this set if they didn't come with another keyboard and I couldn't find this set sold anywhere as a stand alone set.

IMG_4396.jpg
 
smirking said:
I wouldn't have this set if they didn't come with another keyboard and I couldn't find this set sold anywhere as a stand alone set.
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Signature Plastics (a good company) sells some DSA keycap sets. I've not used them personally, but I have used their SA-profile keycaps and they're very good quality.
DSA are a bit shorter than XDA.
 
xraydoc said:
Signature Plastics (a good company) sells some DSA keycap sets. I've not used them personally, but I have used their SA-profile keycaps and they're very good quality.
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Signature Plastics is great! I've bought from them ages ago. I used to use an Ergodox. They were the only place I could find low profile sculpted keycaps that were perfect for an ortholinear keyboard.

Hey, I think I just figured out why my Cherry caps and my XDAs worked. Both of those sets are thicker than typical and they have a crosshatch brace on the underside. The distance between the crosshatch and the bottom of the key is 4mm which is the total amount of travel possible in the low profile Jades.

I think that crosshatch is stopping the keycap from seating in too deep in because the low profile Jades have that circle mount stem instead of just a standard MX style stem. When I try regular OEM profile keys, they do indeed slam into the plate mount. The impact actually causes the caps to wiggle loose.

IMG_4397.jpeg
 
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smirking said:
Hey, I think I just figured out why my Cherry caps and my XDAs worked. Both of those sets are thicker than typical and they have a crosshatch brace on the underside. The distance between the crosshatch and the bottom of the key is 4mm which is the total amount of travel possible in the low profile Jades.

I think that crosshatch is stopping the keycap from seating in too deep in because the low profile Jades have that circle mount stem instead of just a standard MX style stem. When I try normal OEM keys, they do indeed slam into the plate mount. The impact actually causes the caps to wiggle loose.
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That certainly makes sense. Looking at a couple of random Cherry profile keycaps here, I can see that some have a similar cross-pattern but not quite as thick/tall as yours appears. What brand are those?
 
xraydoc said:
That certainly makes sense. Looking at a couple of random Cherry profile keycaps here, I can see that some have a similar cross-pattern but not quite as thick/tall as yours appears. What brand are those?
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I presume they're Epomaker caps as they came with my Skyloong SK68 (aka Epomaker GK68).
epomaker.com

SKYLOONG SK68 - GK68 Manual

Manual for SK68, SK68S, SK68 ABS, SK68S ABS, GK68X, GK68XS keyboard
epomaker.com epomaker.com

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear like they have any of those keycaps or that keyboard anymore, but I did see a 61 key variant going for ridiculously low overstock prices a few months ago. Every board in this family of keyboards seems to have the same XDA caps.
www.amazon.com

EPOMAKER GK61X 60% RGB Hot Swappable Mechanical Keyboard with Split Spacebar, Type C, Fully Programmable for Gamers

-Split spacebar module -RGB SMD light, multiple light effects -60% layout, PCB is compatible with multiple switches, supports Cherry Switch/Gateron Switch/Kailh BOX Switch and so on. -detachable USB type-c cable -Powerful game macros, which can be set by various functions, macro recording ...
www.amazon.com

I saw one pop up for $35 and I thought about buying it just to harvest the parts, but I was being good about not adding to my keyboard collection at that time. They're actually pretty decent keyboards, but the firmware is super buggy.
 
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Late to the party here, but my V6 Max with Gateron Brown switches arrives today. I've wanted to switch to a mechanical keyboard for a while now, and I'm looking forward to it!
 
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I very much like the Ducky Keycaps. I have a Horizon set installed. I replaced the Cerakey keycaps, which were unsatisfactory in fit and position. The only problem with Ducky's is they do not include an Apple "option" keycap. They have Fn and Control but no option, so I am using the alt keycap.
 
FWIW, I have a couple of co-workers that have brought in mechanical keyboards to replace the low profile PC keyboards. One said: "Once you get used to a mechanical keyboards, there's no going back". I'm old enough to remember when the Northgate keyboards were the cat's meow for retrofitting to PC's.

My wife says that I'm typing faster with the Keychron than I was with Matias keyboard.
 
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I get a Keychron K6 Pro and will use with my new Mac Mini M4 Pro with macos 15 over BT. The problem is on first start the Mac Mini on the macos setup i can not write with the K6 Pro over BT. I must enter the cable to write. Why can not use BT on the setup?
 
Shelly74 said:
I get a Keychron K6 Pro and will use with my new Mac Mini M4 Pro with macos 15 over BT. The problem is on first start the Mac Mini on the macos setup i can not write with the K6 Pro over BT. I must enter the cable to write. Why can not use BT on the setup?
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I had the same issue with my M1 Mini and V6 Max. I finally switched to the 2.4 GHz receiver in a USB-A port (which you no longer have on the M4; adapters for USB-C are included in the box, though) and it has been flawless ever since.
 
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Shelly74 said:
The K6 Pro dont have a 2.4 GHz receiver or adapters.
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Sorry about that. I incorrectly assumed they would include one in the box. I had read about Bluetooth issues with the Minis but had never experienced any until adding the Keychron. I hope others with more experience can point you to a solution!
 
This great video shows exactly the issue and how to set a Mac mini up with only bluetooth KB and mouse. When the screen shows trackpad icon, you need to press the power button three times in a row for macOS setup to engage into bluetooth device paring mode, at that point you can then pair the KB / mouse, even 3rd party ones.
 
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IvyKing said:
This is why I bought a wired Keychron...
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Indeed. I never understood the attraction of wireless keyboards, vis-à-vis the hosts of potential complications (battery life, response, radio interference etc.). There are use cases, of course, such as a home theatre keyboard used on the couch, but for regular desk use I'd always pick a wired one.
 
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diggy33 said:
I have to give this thread a good read through; I'm considering moving off my MX Keys and going with either a Keychron K10 or V6 Max.
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I just upgraded to a V6 Max myself, and am really enjoying it. It has very inconsistent performance over Bluetooth with my M1 Mini, but once I switched to the 2.4 GHz USB transceiver it has been flawless. I'll probably try Bluetooth again when I upgrade to either an M4 MBA or MBP. Highly recommended!
 
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