This video is a big lesson for anyone from this "community": Custom keyboard is about the modding and customizing. Sinking $400+ into a keyboard is a luxury, not a must, for a great experience "custom" board.
I was equally shocked as well... It was late at night and I was thinking I probably lost my mind... But the Tangie helped to put things back into perspective lol
Glad to see you Elias! I had no idea that there was a Tkl GK lol. But I'm glad I found it... It takes a bit of modding, but if you invest the time and effort, man this thing transforms and makes some great noise!
@@Keybored literally if they updated all of the gk boards with south facing pcb and support for whatever stabs you want, it would kinda be a game changer with how readily available the things are.
@@bartiierr you can change them, but only with plate mount stabilizers. There are some options now for plate mount but it’s still limited and they are harder to get sounding good.
I've been re-watching this for ideas since I just bought a GK108, and it's a very similar design, but just in a full-size 108 key Ducky-style layout. I've started modding it so I've taken it apart and noticed that it has the exact same microphone that other GK series keyboards have for sound-reactive lighting effects. That may still be a concern for some people, and I notice that the GK87 also has such a mic under the space bar. It's a soldered component and can thus definitely be de-soldered, if desired.
This is the first video I've seen that went into why north/south facing switches matters. I had heard of interference, but thought it applied to the LEDs shining between the keys at a different angle, causing glare. Super helpful explanation.
I took my time and modded my old quickfire tk because of its layout. Now if there's a something like GK 90 using that pcb layout i would totally buy it. And I am really hooked on your budget keyboard modding videos now. There's more sense of accomplishment when making a lowend board sounds good than building a highend one. I sometimes have more love for my quickfire than my gmmk pro haha
I completely hear you! Some of these entry boards have good bones to build on, and with a little bit of love, turn out amazing! Not everyone can or wants to shell out bunch of money, or wait for a long time for a keyboard!
Thanks Zoto! Many entry keyboards are starting to get so good! And the sound from this thing... I started to look at more expensive boards differently lol
Yup indeed I'm totally agree with you! And most of the people from where I am are looking for budget options too!! Been built some incredibly low budget keyboard and make'em sounds "premium" and feels "premium"
Well you done a pretty good job to bust the cherry keycaps interference myth😂 but all budget friendly switch is not having interference issue tbh, it's just some "premium" switches out there will give you trouble of interference
The northfacing study needs its own video (or at least mention it in this video's title so people can find it more easily!). As someone who is new to the hobby, I tried watching a few other videos on TH-cam to help me better understand the interference issue and none of them came to close to explaining it as good as it's explained here.
GK87/s has been there for quite some time on their website. Really wanted to get my hands on this board but couldn't manage to snag a good deal. I might be wrong but I think the Interference issue isn't that big of a deal like most portray on the internet! At least someone who is new to the hobby, couldn't notice a difference! Would u also try covering the Everglide SK87 in the future as well? that's another gem of a barebones TKL with Bluetooth as well plus the south-facing LED..
Thank you for the suggestion Sam! Will look into that as well! I remember before running into North facing switch issues, but I feel lately, some of these new switches and caps are doing a better job of controlling it :)
I used a flexible card, but I found later for other boards ifix it actually sells this little prying too and it makes this process so so so much easier! It's a flexible metal blade that fits into anything and allows prying
Found a dampening pad pre cut for a tkl on Amazon... With a bit of modification with scissors I was able to place that between the plate and pcb, along with that the epomaker model already has a foam dampener underneath so I decided to try the tape mod in edition to redoing the lube job on the stabs. Lemme tell you this thing sounds niceeeeeee for the money.
I got myself this board too and while it's excellent there are a few things you guys should know about it that aren't really covered in here: 1) swap that USB cable pronto cus it's gonna die quick and basically give you driver errors on your pc and make you think your board is broken. 2) be careful as the screws holding the plate are loose and can come out during shipping so check to see you have all of them and give the board a good shake to see if they haven't fallen into the board. 3) The software that Epomaker provides is absolute garbage but it's worth it try and see if you can customise the board layout a bit if you want. Thankfully you don't have to keep it running all the time and once you've got your settings in you can uninstall it. 4) while the skyloong badge is removable there is a bit of a recessed area where it sits so have a way of filling that in. You can fill it in with something like bondo or plastic putty and then sand it smooth but then you have to give the case a paint job so the area is hidden or you can fill it in with an accent piece of sorts like a custom 3d printed badge or a small piece of polished brass or some other metal so it can work to your advantage and finally 5) don't underestimate the Bluetooth performance it's much better than you think. I've been using mine in Bluetooth mode for the past week and played a lot of twitchy games and I haven't noticed any real latency on my device but your milage on the whole thing may vary.
These are all great suggestions! I remember trying to rip off the skyloong badge and realized it was recessed as well... I ended up just leaving it lol. And I definitely agree on the bluetooth! It works much better than expected!
I have the ePBT version of those keycaps and they have interference with various Gateron switches, some more than others. I found the main cause is the raised ridges on the underside of the keycap.
Regarding the north facing study, I think its also depends on the thickness of the keycap. I tested my gat milky yellow with 1.5mm thick kprepublic's cherry profile keycap and surely enough, there was interference in north facing config.
Yup, I agree with you. Some combos work really well and some do not. Like the Tangies... They had such terrible interference with the same caps the yellows had no interference with
I can't find the link to the vinyl adhesive foam used. I've been using crappy foam sheets that need a later on the plate and PCB, does anyone know what size/thickness is used?
Where did you pick up the self adhesive foam you stuck to the plate? I found a bunch in the rainforest but I wanted to make sure I got the right stuff. Thanks.
@@Keybored Thanks for the reply. I ended up cutting the switch holes out of a sheet of the shelf liner to fit the board. It was tedious but it should work ok.
if i were to get a north facing pcb with akko cs matcha green switches will there be any interference if im just gonna stick with oem profile keycaps ??
Hi Zia! I think it would also depend on the switches! I looks like long stem switches and also the gateron yellows I have used do a better job of working together with cherry profile keycaps. If you want to be 100% safe, then going with OEM will be the safe option!
Another build well done man! Anyways, I like to propose a challenge. You had been doing a lot of standard keyboard build. Wanna try to give Idobao ID80, a top mounted plate kit a try, and see if you manage to make it sounds heavenly?
Miami Night keycaps from KBDFans. He has it stated in the description, so make sure to read it next time in case you have another question on parts so you don't have to wait for a response.
The akko keycaps do have north facing on the 1.75u right shift of all keys though. I found it funny that it would be like that instead of the usual row 3.
Not sure what kind of sorcery is going on but all my gateron (KS-3, KS-9 and zeal) and cherry switches have interference with that test. Both GMK and nicePBT (cannonkeys) caps had the same problems. There's also a really generic chinese OEM TKL with no brand name/branding that comes in a white case but has a south facing PCB, gateron hot swap sockets, and per key RGB. Seems to be built around the Filco OEM specifications because the plate and PCB are extremely similarly laid out, to the point where I can interchange the plates and cases. Have mine fitted up to the YMDK Filco alu case.
It was highly confusing to me also... When I saw cherry profile keycaps with North facing pcb... I was smh... Then I thought, I'll give it a go to see how terrible it might be. Then... I was thinking uhh what? This is weird... Lol but I wonder if some switches and keycaps do a better job of controlling it. For sure it was terrible with the Tangies
I really don’t understand this… I just canceled my order because of this interference issue. I wanted this board with some epbt bow white keycaps 1.5mm thick…
Most of the north facing interference problems are with the scooped homing keys in my experience. Also for me even a bit of interference is annoying to me.
@@Keybored Just watched a review. I quitted at the instant of hearing the word "lubed", cuz stock(factory lubed) gat yellow pros are as smooth as hand lubed JWKs. Gat yellow pros have leaf pins tho. And KTT seems to have progressive springs.
Would it be possible to make this board a semi gasket mount keyboard since the top housing and bottom housing are just squishing the pcb and plate together to hold them in place?
I like the zip n fit since it's easy to shape it to your need, and it does a good balance of dampening without dampening too much... too much and the board sounds dead
Can someone explain the difference with epomaker skyline 87. Except additional switch places on pcb. I am thinking between those two since epomaker skyline 87 is 20$ cheaper, is it worth it?. Thanks in advance.
@@Keybored I’ve heard very mixed things about the led orientation. Some say north facing some say otherwise, but I was asking more about the build quality, stabs etc
Hi Quokkaokka! From my experience, the stem wobble makes the switch feel a bit "loose" and increases the potential for small chattery noises if it's really bad. Also seems to make the switch feel a bit less smooth when there is a lot of wobble also. Hope that helps!
@@quokkaokka3473 I think the V1 of the ink blacks actually had a leaf chatter issue more than the stem tolerance. However, the ink blacks do not have the tightest tolerance, nor is it the smoothest switch out there. But overall, it does everything fairly well, and does have a uniquely deep "inky" sound signature lol. I think many (including myself) enjoy the ink blacks for this reason :)
I've been looking into custom boards, and this has caught my eye. However I'm looking for a tkl/option to use a 2.4ghz dongle instead of Bluetooth. Why do these hardly exist? Do you have any in mind that you could reccomend?
Hmm... I feel that most keyboards have actually transitioned to bluetooth. I used to see a lot more 2.4ghz boards before. The Iqunix boards that I reviewed recently does come with a 2.4ghz receiver :)
I might be a little late, but the RK87 is identical to this board. The main difference is it has three modes. Wired, Bluetooth, and the 2.4ghz Wireless mode.
FINALLY SOMEONE ADDRESSED IT, NOT ALL SWITCHES HAS INTERFERENCE ISSUES LMAO. Thanks for letting everyone know, it's not always "NORTH FACING BAD, ALWAYS INTERFERENCE"
As long as the CS switches work ok in north facing, you should be ok! I know the gateron smd yellows work fine and some of the new Akko jelly switches also work fine!
so do all gat yellows wont have interference with all cherry caps? planning to build my 1st custom. Im torn apart to wether buy the gat yelloe for more thocky sounds but risk cherry cap interfrrence, buy akko cs switches (not so thocky, thats why i cant decide) so i can use cherry caps, or gat yellow with xda caps
@@Keybored I read in reddit that Gateron Yellow Pro switches (also labeled as KS-9 pro in their box) "solved" the interference issue. Would be nice if you could clarify, and maybe try comparing it to other budget linear switches. Thanks!
Yeah man. Here you go! www.amazon.com/Frost-King-Vinyl-Foam-Tape/dp/B000CSNVII/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=31XRDJBL8ILIS&keywords=frost+king+vinyl+foam&qid=1644717240&sprefix=frosty+king+vi%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-3
Holy crap that sound caught my attention… are those gateron yellows going to have a similar sound to the black bottom variant? Might try modding my drop ctrl with some…
Hi Shadow! I believe the black bottoms actually have a deeper sound than these! These are the same bottoms I used for creamerons and they are quite clacky
With Gat yellows when your resting your fingers on the wasd keys does it automatically activate then cause I'm playing an FPS game like valorant and stuff I don't want it to activate with barely any pressure when I'm resting my Fingers on them.
The new Kailh housing on box switches will prevent north face interferece, just take a look at the new box cream, try them, budget north face PCB's are worth now.
Hi Glyther! I realized that the link I provided for thr switches seem a bit too high cost for the count... I'm going to take that down and reach out to epomaker to see what's up. I suggest you can get it from cannonkeys for the ks3 yellows (deeper sound). Please see link. cannonkeys.com/?ref=keybored
You can always swap out the stabs with something nicer, like either genuine cherry or NK plate mounted stabilizers. Those will dramatically improve the overall quality
Hmmm I didn't get a chance to test out gat ink blacks actually. If you have one, flip one around and out a cap on it and see if it starts to hit the inner walls!
This is perfect, I'm considering this board for my first build. Thanks for the review - sounds great with the mods! The demonstration with north facing leds was super helpful since I was potentially going for the gat yellows myself, but this is what was holding me back - I guess there's nothing to worry about in this case. Might go with glorious pandas now though, they did sound very nice! I was debating weather to get some Durock stabs for this too, but the stock ones sound pretty decent here. Do you think it's worth changing them out?
Have you heard of their upcoming AK84 ? I initially thought of getting into the scene with the gmmk pro (liked the layout and included foams), but I've been considering the GK96S and now the AK84S which should be announced this month (Mai 2021).
@@Keybored I'll be keeping an eye on the launch announcements and on your notifications. Keep it up with your content, your channel is amazing ! And actually, as I've been looking into Epomaker fairly recently, would you by any chance be familiar with their lineups ? As in what's the difference between GK, AK, EP etc. In their products ? I can't seem to find information on their website or this topic covered. Anyway keep it up and thanks for your content, I've been gravitating around your channel recently since dipping my toes into the scene !
Could you maybe try getting your hands on the plastic version of a gk61xs? I know that you just recently reviewed this and it may be too much to ask for, but I'm just curious to know how you would mod it and how it would sound as there aren't very many youtubers producing the type of quality content like yours.
This video is a big lesson for anyone from this "community": Custom keyboard is about the modding and customizing. Sinking $400+ into a keyboard is a luxury, not a must, for a great experience "custom" board.
Yup! You can get such great results from many "entry" boards these days!
that north facing study was eye opening, but maybe its because of the jwk mold
I was equally shocked as well... It was late at night and I was thinking I probably lost my mind... But the Tangie helped to put things back into perspective lol
I didn't know there was a tkl version of the gk series. This is actually a very good keyboard if you mod it. super nice as always!
Glad to see you Elias! I had no idea that there was a Tkl GK lol. But I'm glad I found it... It takes a bit of modding, but if you invest the time and effort, man this thing transforms and makes some great noise!
Ahh yes, another fellow moonwalker
i was planning on getting the board, but decided to hold out until a good review came out. This is exactly what i'm looking for. Great Vid!
Glad to be of help!
Holy moly this board sounds good when modded. This is defo something i need to get my hands on, thanks for showing this
No problem! Glad to be of help!
It’s always a good day when keybored uploads.
it was rainy today and i was sad and now i feel happy
Thank you GrapeChowder! I appreciate it always!
WOAH that first typing test came from A GK BOARD???? damn.
Right?! I said the same thing! This is a GK board?! $79?!
@@Keybored literally if they updated all of the gk boards with south facing pcb and support for whatever stabs you want, it would kinda be a game changer with how readily available the things are.
@@justanotherpxrson do you know if you can change the stabilizers on this board?
@@bartiierr you can change them, but only with plate mount stabilizers. There are some options now for plate mount but it’s still limited and they are harder to get sounding good.
My gk61 with optical red switches sounds like a tofu60
I've been re-watching this for ideas since I just bought a GK108, and it's a very similar design, but just in a full-size 108 key Ducky-style layout. I've started modding it so I've taken it apart and noticed that it has the exact same microphone that other GK series keyboards have for sound-reactive lighting effects. That may still be a concern for some people, and I notice that the GK87 also has such a mic under the space bar. It's a soldered component and can thus definitely be de-soldered, if desired.
It has to be said; thank you for making keyboard videos without being a talking head and/or putting on an idiotic persona. It's deeply appreciated.
No problem! I hope the content is helpful and gets more people into the hobby!
Solid board but an even better study regarding north facing sockets. Also the mod you did to it really made it feel alive
Thabk you Huckle Joko! I'm glad the video was helpful!
This is the first video I've seen that went into why north/south facing switches matters. I had heard of interference, but thought it applied to the LEDs shining between the keys at a different angle, causing glare. Super helpful explanation.
I took my time and modded my old quickfire tk because of its layout. Now if there's a something like GK 90 using that pcb layout i would totally buy it.
And I am really hooked on your budget keyboard modding videos now. There's more sense of accomplishment when making a lowend board sounds good than building a highend one. I sometimes have more love for my quickfire than my gmmk pro haha
I completely hear you! Some of these entry boards have good bones to build on, and with a little bit of love, turn out amazing! Not everyone can or wants to shell out bunch of money, or wait for a long time for a keyboard!
Even before 20 seconds of watch time, you got my eyebrows raising, my pupil is expanding, and my jaw is dropping to the floor!
Thanks Zoto! Many entry keyboards are starting to get so good! And the sound from this thing... I started to look at more expensive boards differently lol
Yup indeed I'm totally agree with you! And most of the people from where I am are looking for budget options too!! Been built some incredibly low budget keyboard and make'em sounds "premium" and feels "premium"
Well you done a pretty good job to bust the cherry keycaps interference myth😂 but all budget friendly switch is not having interference issue tbh, it's just some "premium" switches out there will give you trouble of interference
@@zotokbd yup, I think all in the housing and the keycap. Some work and some don't :)
The northfacing study needs its own video (or at least mention it in this video's title so people can find it more easily!). As someone who is new to the hobby, I tried watching a few other videos on TH-cam to help me better understand the interference issue and none of them came to close to explaining it as good as it's explained here.
Thank you so much! I will add into the description!
Pretty underrated channel, good quality videos with pretty detailed reviews and information.
I appreciate it Cory! I hope it was helpful!
I only just now bought and modded a GK68... Now I'm wondering if I should have gotten this one, I've never even seen a TKL GK Board before
I was equally surprised to see it also! Never even knew a Tkl GK existed lol
@@Keybored I'd be very interested in seeing a O ring mount mod for this, since it already sounds so great I wonder what would happen with the o rings
GK87/s has been there for quite some time on their website. Really wanted to get my hands on this board but couldn't manage to snag a good deal.
I might be wrong but I think the Interference issue isn't that big of a deal like most portray on the internet! At least someone who is new to the hobby, couldn't notice a difference!
Would u also try covering the Everglide SK87 in the future as well? that's another gem of a barebones TKL with Bluetooth as well plus the south-facing LED..
Thank you for the suggestion Sam! Will look into that as well! I remember before running into North facing switch issues, but I feel lately, some of these new switches and caps are doing a better job of controlling it :)
how do i take out the plastic case, i did it with my dads credit card, it snapped
I used a flexible card, but I found later for other boards ifix it actually sells this little prying too and it makes this process so so so much easier! It's a flexible metal blade that fits into anything and allows prying
For someone who wants a budget prebuilt I recommend the Akko 3068 also sold by epomaker you can find it on Amazon for $90 usd
WOAH 34 seconds after clicking into this video and I am wowed by the board
+Thank you so much for the enlightenment about interference!!!
I'm glad it was helpful! I was quite surprised myself when I typed on it modded for the first time! :)
Got the GK87 before around December last year - this is really a good entry level keeb. Just sold it and got the ID80 instead 😊
Yup! I was quite surprised!
This is the only keyboard I don’t see much of improvements needed wow!
It's a great keyboard to start with! Most GK boards are actually!
@Keybored Agreed I don’t own one but from what I have seen and heard it is a superb brand for cheap but good quality keyboards.
Found a dampening pad pre cut for a tkl on Amazon... With a bit of modification with scissors I was able to place that between the plate and pcb, along with that the epomaker model already has a foam dampener underneath so I decided to try the tape mod in edition to redoing the lube job on the stabs. Lemme tell you this thing sounds niceeeeeee for the money.
I got myself this board too and while it's excellent there are a few things you guys should know about it that aren't really covered in here: 1) swap that USB cable pronto cus it's gonna die quick and basically give you driver errors on your pc and make you think your board is broken. 2) be careful as the screws holding the plate are loose and can come out during shipping so check to see you have all of them and give the board a good shake to see if they haven't fallen into the board. 3) The software that Epomaker provides is absolute garbage but it's worth it try and see if you can customise the board layout a bit if you want. Thankfully you don't have to keep it running all the time and once you've got your settings in you can uninstall it. 4) while the skyloong badge is removable there is a bit of a recessed area where it sits so have a way of filling that in. You can fill it in with something like bondo or plastic putty and then sand it smooth but then you have to give the case a paint job so the area is hidden or you can fill it in with an accent piece of sorts like a custom 3d printed badge or a small piece of polished brass or some other metal so it can work to your advantage and finally 5) don't underestimate the Bluetooth performance it's much better than you think. I've been using mine in Bluetooth mode for the past week and played a lot of twitchy games and I haven't noticed any real latency on my device but your milage on the whole thing may vary.
These are all great suggestions! I remember trying to rip off the skyloong badge and realized it was recessed as well... I ended up just leaving it lol. And I definitely agree on the bluetooth! It works much better than expected!
where can i download the software
I have the ePBT version of those keycaps and they have interference with various Gateron switches, some more than others. I found the main cause is the raised ridges on the underside of the keycap.
Regarding the north facing study, I think its also depends on the thickness of the keycap.
I tested my gat milky yellow with 1.5mm thick kprepublic's cherry profile keycap and surely enough, there was interference in north facing config.
Yup, I agree with you. Some combos work really well and some do not. Like the Tangies... They had such terrible interference with the same caps the yellows had no interference with
Really didn't wanna go back and redo the line at 6:37 huh --- I like it, adds character😁
Lol... sometimes it's late and I just tell myself... it's all good
@@Keybored 🤣
I have this one, it's great, I'm loving it so far! I added some Akko cs ocean blue
:) quite surprising the sound performance from this!
I can't find the link to the vinyl adhesive foam used. I've been using crappy foam sheets that need a later on the plate and PCB, does anyone know what size/thickness is used?
how did you remove the standoffs on the PCB at 8:14 if I may ask?
Hi S L! The standoff is ahelf together by a bolt on the other side. Just unscrew and everything just comes off :)
@@Keybored thanks so much!
Where did you pick up the self adhesive foam you stuck to the plate? I found a bunch in the rainforest but I wanted to make sure I got the right stuff. Thanks.
Hi Nathan! I purchased it from my local home depot! I think they also have it on amazon! It's the 3/16" thickness one
@@Keybored Thanks for the reply. I ended up cutting the switch holes out of a sheet of the shelf liner to fit the board. It was tedious but it should work ok.
This is a really interesting keyboard, and the price definitely seems nice as well.
I'm curious how this compares to the Keychron C1
Might be worth a comparison!
Anyone know how to connect the keyboard to Bluetooth? I lost the instruction manual and can't find anything online.
I just got this board and I'm so glad you made a vid
Glad to be of help Cobra!
Loving your vids man!
Thank you! I really appreciate it!
if i were to get a north facing pcb with akko cs matcha green switches will there be any interference if im just gonna stick with oem profile keycaps ??
Hi Zia! I think it would also depend on the switches! I looks like long stem switches and also the gateron yellows I have used do a better job of working together with cherry profile keycaps. If you want to be 100% safe, then going with OEM will be the safe option!
wow, that's really good sound for the money!
Definitely! I was shocked during the sound test right after the mods!
Another build well done man! Anyways, I like to propose a challenge. You had been doing a lot of standard keyboard build. Wanna try to give Idobao ID80, a top mounted plate kit a try, and see if you manage to make it sounds heavenly?
I've been meaning to get into the idobao keyboards. Let me try to get my hands on one! Maybe I can ask Hipyo Tech for one of his haha
@@Keybored Hipyo tech Idobao is sick! Especially the fully transparent one.
this is my new favorite small keyboard channel. i definitely look forward to more videos from you :)
Thank you! I wish I had a bit more time to pump out more video content :( but I'm trying my best to share every week! Thank you so much for watching!
i want to get this kit but the huge logo on the frront kind of ruins the look for me, have you tried to remove it and if so was it easy to do?
its such a nice budget board but the north facing leds are a dealbreaker
North facing LEDs are definitely not as flexible, but there are certain switches out there that does allow it to be used with cherry caps! :)
0:39 What keycaps are these?
Miami Night keycaps from KBDFans. He has it stated in the description, so make sure to read it next time in case you have another question on parts so you don't have to wait for a response.
The akko keycaps do have north facing on the 1.75u right shift of all keys though. I found it funny that it would be like that instead of the usual row 3.
I will have to check this out!
crazy suggestion but grind down the edges of the bottom mount and stick a gasket on it :o
nevermind it looks too thin to support any kind of gasket :(
:( Yeah it's pretty thin lol
Not sure what kind of sorcery is going on but all my gateron (KS-3, KS-9 and zeal) and cherry switches have interference with that test. Both GMK and nicePBT (cannonkeys) caps had the same problems.
There's also a really generic chinese OEM TKL with no brand name/branding that comes in a white case but has a south facing PCB, gateron hot swap sockets, and per key RGB. Seems to be built around the Filco OEM specifications because the plate and PCB are extremely similarly laid out, to the point where I can interchange the plates and cases. Have mine fitted up to the YMDK Filco alu case.
It was highly confusing to me also... When I saw cherry profile keycaps with North facing pcb... I was smh... Then I thought, I'll give it a go to see how terrible it might be. Then... I was thinking uhh what? This is weird... Lol but I wonder if some switches and keycaps do a better job of controlling it. For sure it was terrible with the Tangies
I really don’t understand this… I just canceled my order because of this interference issue. I wanted this board with some epbt bow white keycaps 1.5mm thick…
So all 3pin Gateron yellow does not have any interference with cherry keycaps ?
At least the SMD versions do not!
Most of the north facing interference problems are with the scooped homing keys in my experience. Also for me even a bit of interference is annoying to me.
I'll definitely check it out on this gk87 and the akko caps!
I use kailh bronze switches with a set of cherry profile keycaps from kprepublic and I don't get any interference, at least as far I can tell.
I feel some caps and switches do a better job at controlling this :)
I'm pretty sure kailh has a longer stem pole
Just got the board loved the review how did you get the logo off i cant seem to find how to get it off
Hi Anther! I ended up leaving the logo on since it has a little slot in the case :(
@@Keybored Right but i cant even seem to get the logo off to see the little slot. any advice?
That sound right there is eargasm.
:) I was very surprised as well
what should i use instead of the thin foam from the gmmk pro
How are you meant to take the plastic clips out please help I just got it and it’s my first custom keyboard
I used a thin card to pry it open! If you have something like a iFix it pry tool, it really helps with this task!
Maybe your gat yellows had a different batch from mine. Mine had a lot of interference with cherry keycaps
Hi Tim! It may be true as well! I was surprised that it wasn't really interfering at all
I actually heard that later batches of many switches have tried to address this in various ways (with varying success?)
What gat yellows do you have bro?
Gateron yellows are out of date. I can't believe why there isn't any reviews on the gateron yellow pros.
ktt switches better
I have been hearing great things about KTT switches actually!
@@Keybored Just watched a review. I quitted at the instant of hearing the word "lubed", cuz stock(factory lubed) gat yellow pros are as smooth as hand lubed JWKs. Gat yellow pros have leaf pins tho. And KTT seems to have progressive springs.
Would it be possible to make this board a semi gasket mount keyboard since the top housing and bottom housing are just squishing the pcb and plate together to hold them in place?
Hmm... I'm not sure it has enough space to do that actually!
Does the case foam apply pressure to the plate in this mod? Does the plate foam apply pressure to the PCB?
The foam is so soft that it doesn't put too much. It's a nice even distribution and doesn't strain it much at all :)
@@Keybored thanks for the info!
Can someone tell me how thick the vinyl adhesive should be?
I believe 3/16"
I wonder if it is possible to o-ring mod the board, do you know? also how would I calculate what sizes I would use
Unfortunately, not. It doesn't have stand-offs to put the o-rings on :(
@@Keybored :(
Would you recommend using the zip and fit liner over something like neoprene foam as both are about the same price?
I like the zip n fit since it's easy to shape it to your need, and it does a good balance of dampening without dampening too much... too much and the board sounds dead
Can someone explain the difference with epomaker skyline 87. Except additional switch places on pcb. I am thinking between those two since epomaker skyline 87 is 20$ cheaper, is it worth it?. Thanks in advance.
Thoughts compared to the everglide sk87? The sk878 is a little bit more expensive.
I heard the SK87 is actually south facing? If so, that would be a more versatile option!
@@Keybored I’ve heard very mixed things about the led orientation. Some say north facing some say otherwise, but I was asking more about the build quality, stabs etc
Can you explain how stem wobble affects a switch? Everyone mentions it but no one really goes into detail about what it means.
Hi Quokkaokka! From my experience, the stem wobble makes the switch feel a bit "loose" and increases the potential for small chattery noises if it's really bad. Also seems to make the switch feel a bit less smooth when there is a lot of wobble also. Hope that helps!
@@Keybored ty keybored senpai
@@Keybored wait wait but how do you explain gat ink blacks? Is it like the cherry profile led thing? overstated issue?
@@quokkaokka3473 I think the V1 of the ink blacks actually had a leaf chatter issue more than the stem tolerance. However, the ink blacks do not have the tightest tolerance, nor is it the smoothest switch out there. But overall, it does everything fairly well, and does have a uniquely deep "inky" sound signature lol. I think many (including myself) enjoy the ink blacks for this reason :)
I've been looking into custom boards, and this has caught my eye. However I'm looking for a tkl/option to use a 2.4ghz dongle instead of Bluetooth. Why do these hardly exist? Do you have any in mind that you could reccomend?
Hmm... I feel that most keyboards have actually transitioned to bluetooth. I used to see a lot more 2.4ghz boards before. The Iqunix boards that I reviewed recently does come with a 2.4ghz receiver :)
I might be a little late, but the RK87 is identical to this board. The main difference is it has three modes. Wired, Bluetooth, and the 2.4ghz Wireless mode.
I got one of these on Amazon, but the latency seems really bad
How do you take the stabs off?
This sounds better than my ID80
I was very surprised at the sound this entry keyboard was generating! Pleasantly surprised :)
Can someone help me cause i just bought this keyboard and its keys are not working pls help.
Do cherry profile keycaps work with optical switches on the sk87? The sk87 is just the gk87 optical with optical switches. Same board different pcb.
It would depend on the switch! Certain ones have different upper housing designs and it interferes less or not at all with cherry profile switches!
@@Keybored Ok thank you.
@@Keybored Do you have any optical switches? Can you try the same experiment with those switches?
FINALLY SOMEONE ADDRESSED IT, NOT ALL SWITCHES HAS INTERFERENCE ISSUES LMAO.
Thanks for letting everyone know, it's not always "NORTH FACING BAD, ALWAYS INTERFERENCE"
also the keyboard sound great! Thanks for the awesome review!
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching and I hope it was enjoyable!
CAN ANY ONE ANSWER ME THIS QUESTION?
can you put macha green keycaps cherry profile and cs radient red switches on this keyboard kit?
As long as the CS switches work ok in north facing, you should be ok! I know the gateron smd yellows work fine and some of the new Akko jelly switches also work fine!
the gk68 is 75 usually, so its only literally 5 dollars more for a tkl version!
Surprising the transformation this tkl makes with a bit of modding!
so do all gat yellows wont have interference with all cherry caps? planning to build my 1st custom. Im torn apart to wether buy the gat yelloe for more thocky sounds but risk cherry cap interfrrence, buy akko cs switches (not so thocky, thats why i cant decide) so i can use cherry caps, or gat yellow with xda caps
I think the SMD gat yellows that I used do not. Not sure about all of them tho!
@@Keybored I read in reddit that Gateron Yellow Pro switches (also labeled as KS-9 pro in their box) "solved" the interference issue. Would be nice if you could clarify, and maybe try comparing it to other budget linear switches. Thanks!
In my experience, those Akko keycaps do have interference with the scooped F and J keys since they sit a bit lower
Interesting! I haven't run into the same issues with my batch of yellows, but I'll look into me more now that you mention it :)
Any chance you have a link to the adhesive foam you used under the plate? I just ordered one of these for my first mechanical build
Yeah man. Here you go! www.amazon.com/Frost-King-Vinyl-Foam-Tape/dp/B000CSNVII/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=31XRDJBL8ILIS&keywords=frost+king+vinyl+foam&qid=1644717240&sprefix=frosty+king+vi%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-3
Thanks! Is it the 1/4W x 1/8T?
How do you remove the pcb standoffs? It's really tight and I can't seem to loosen it.
I had to use a card to pry it!
Finally someone made a video on it thank you
:) no problem!
Holy crap that sound caught my attention… are those gateron yellows going to have a similar sound to the black bottom variant? Might try modding my drop ctrl with some…
Hi Shadow! I believe the black bottoms actually have a deeper sound than these! These are the same bottoms I used for creamerons and they are quite clacky
@@Keybored Thank you! I'll have to get some black bottoms and snag this board!
@@shadowkeys65 good luck!
With Gat yellows when your resting your fingers on the wasd keys does it automatically activate then cause I'm playing an FPS game like valorant and stuff I don't want it to activate with barely any pressure when I'm resting my
Fingers on them.
Nope! I see that issue with some speed switches, but not gat yellows!
The new Kailh housing on box switches will prevent north face interferece, just take a look at the new box cream, try them, budget north face PCB's are worth now.
I've been meaning to check out the new creams! Are they smoother now?
I don't have them, some reviews tell it's pretty much the same thing, but since it's a box switch they might feel lighter, u know, 45g spring.
How many switches come from one pack for gaterons yellows in your link thinking of getting
Hi Glyther! I realized that the link I provided for thr switches seem a bit too high cost for the count... I'm going to take that down and reach out to epomaker to see what's up. I suggest you can get it from cannonkeys for the ks3 yellows (deeper sound). Please see link. cannonkeys.com/?ref=keybored
love it! did you o ring mount it or leave the outer standoffs untouched?
I left it untouched! The mounting style is unique that it's somewhat of a sandwich
The Northfacing LEDs and Cherry incompatibility is a myth. Never had problems
But he just showed that it does with Tangies
I think some switches and keycaps handle it better than others for sure!
Dang bro, that sounds good and I'm digging the color and layout of this board.👀 🤜💥🤛
It's very understated but the pink and cyan pop! And the sound... Pretty crazy from a $79 board
Just ordered Skyloong GK87 non bluetooth version but wtf it's optical and yours is not im confused
Oooh, there is 2 versions I believe! Optical and Mechanical!
@@Keybored ahhh for a second I thought I was scammed lol
Do you recommend doing something regarding the stabs of this one?
You can always swap out the stabs with something nicer, like either genuine cherry or NK plate mounted stabilizers. Those will dramatically improve the overall quality
@@Keybored ok, thanks!
What is the spacebar size on this? 6.25u?
Thank you.
Yup!
After watching this video, I think even if I tested positive for covid will not be stunned and shocked anymore, what a surprise
:)
The u4 will probably get an interference. Its stem is a bit on a shorter side. Not sure about the u4t
u4t has long pole, it doesn't have interference
Would be perfect without the Skyloong branding, really simple, clean. Love the high profile plate.
I definitely agree with you... Not sure why they did that... Should have made it flush so you can rip it off...
@@Keybored you can probably use an eraser, like you can on the Redragon logos, try it?
@@floozytchi Hmm... That's interesting. Not sure this will come off with an eraser tho
@@Keybored I’ll bet my left nipple it does, go at it for like 15 minutes lol
they say its just a metal sticker or something so you can try and peel it off? 🤷♀️
Wow! That is one sweet deal.
A nice keyboard for the price point and if you're willing to out in the effort, the noise it makes is very buttery :)
AWESOME!
Thank you! :)
Could you share a link for your desktop wallpaper from NK65EE modification video?
Here you go! wallpaperaccess.com/8k-minimalist
@@Keybored Thanks a lot
Awesome!
Thanks!
This looks and sounds like the 45 usd akko3087 that i bought some time ago - akko pink switches
Then that Akko3087 also sounded great!
Do you know if I'll have the problem you show with the Tangerines, when using Gat Ink Blacks? Or are they fine?
Hmmm I didn't get a chance to test out gat ink blacks actually. If you have one, flip one around and out a cap on it and see if it starts to hit the inner walls!
was thinking of o-ring modding this but as you haven't done it I'm guessing it's not possible on this board?
:) Unfortunately, not possible on this board since it didn't have the typical stand-offs. It was an odd design, but it worked out in the end!
how do you turn the rgb off???
There is a fn + key that turns it off!
This is perfect, I'm considering this board for my first build. Thanks for the review - sounds great with the mods!
The demonstration with north facing leds was super helpful since I was potentially going for the gat yellows myself, but this is what was holding me back - I guess there's nothing to worry about in this case. Might go with glorious pandas now though, they did sound very nice!
I was debating weather to get some Durock stabs for this too, but the stock ones sound pretty decent here. Do you think it's worth changing them out?
i always get durock v2s no matter what the keyboard comes with
Yeahnah I modded ones that came with the board but they're still awful 😅
Have you heard of their upcoming AK84 ?
I initially thought of getting into the scene with the gmmk pro (liked the layout and included foams), but I've been considering the GK96S and now the AK84S which should be announced this month (Mai 2021).
Hi Philippe k! I actually did see their ak84. If there is enough interest, I could see if I can get my hands on one as well!
@@Keybored I'll be keeping an eye on the launch announcements and on your notifications.
Keep it up with your content, your channel is amazing !
And actually, as I've been looking into Epomaker fairly recently, would you by any chance be familiar with their lineups ? As in what's the difference between GK, AK, EP etc. In their products ?
I can't seem to find information on their website or this topic covered.
Anyway keep it up and thanks for your content, I've been gravitating around your channel recently since dipping my toes into the scene !
@@PK3DCGA Thank you Philippe! Let me see if I can ask epomaker about the different series and if there is any meaning around it :)
Thanks for put the spanish subtitles 🙌
De nada!
Could you maybe try getting your hands on the plastic version of a gk61xs? I know that you just recently reviewed this and it may be too much to ask for, but I'm just curious to know how you would mod it and how it would sound as there aren't very many youtubers producing the type of quality content like yours.
No problem! I actually did recently receive a gk61 plastic version :) I'll be doing a mod video on in and releasing that in about 2 weeks!