Rapoo KX Layout Mod: Swap Right Shift with Menu

REVENGE

05 Sep 2015, 07:49

I purchased a Rapoo KX back at the beginning of summer and really liked it as a travel keyboard...except for one thing...
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Since the board is relatively cheap in the US, I figured I would take a shot at moddding the board to swap the position of the Right Shift and Menu keys. Initially, I had three ideas to try to achieve this:

1. Reprogram the keyboard controller's firwmare to remap the keys
2. Modify the PCB traces that connect to the pads for the two keys
3. Modify the keyswitches to connect to the correct pads without modifying the PCB itself

As it turns out, 1. is either impossible or too difficult for me to do because the chips on the board are all Rapoo branded, so no documentation is available, and no firwmare update program is known to exist for this keyboard or any other Rapoo keyboard that uses the chip. I attempted to do 2., but found out the hard way that the pads for the two keys are not end nodes, but rather intermediaries with other PCB traces probably hidden in the middle layers of the board. I gambled (without mapping the whole matrix) and lost, so I had to undo my work and rebuild 4 PCB traces that were cut.

That left me with option 3., which was succesfully implemented as shown:

After the switches were desoldered, I wrapped the leads with about 2.5mm x 3mm of generic polyimide (Kapton) tape to insulate the leads from the surrounding pads. The generic Kaptop tape withstood the 750°F temperature of my soldering iron with no problems - a pleasant surprise!
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Then, I inserted the switches into the PCB and soldered 26 gauge solid core copper wire from the exposed tips of the switch leads to the pads of the opposing keys.
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Finally, dabs of Loctite GO2 Glue were used to provide reinforcement between the switches and the PCB, and some more polyimide tape was used to cover the whole area. The combination of the LEDs and the glue are able to keep the switches securely in place.
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With the whole thing reassembled, I find the revised layout much more usable for someone who uses both Shift keys when typing. Overall, the KX isn't a perfect travel keyboard, but it's a better fit than almost any other wireless mechanical keyboard on the market for this purpose, and it's certainly a very impressive bang for your buck at under $40.
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Mini review notes:
+Board looks great in all colors
+Backlight is really bright
+Keyswitches (Rapoo linear version, NOT Kaihl) feel great
+Nice function key bar (haptic touch, alternate backlight when Fn depressed, glass, etc)
+Keycap and bezel help prevent dust ingress, keeps caps safe during transport in a bag

-Backlight is really bright even on the lowest setting
-Only comes with linear switches (for now)
-Key chatter / debounce problem? (I get double letters ocassionally, it's acutally driving me nuts right now)
-One-unit Right Shift is a bit small (I miss ocassionally even with the layout change)
-Keycap profile not the best for touch typing

REVENGE

01 Dec 2015, 21:32

After about two months of usage post-mod, I think the key chatter problem has died down somewhat. Still not sure what the problem is, maybe the switch contacts needed some breaking in? That or I'm just imagining things.

User avatar
E3E

05 Dec 2015, 10:44

REVENGE wrote: After about two months of usage post-mod, I think the key chatter problem has died down somewhat. Still not sure what the problem is, maybe the switch contacts needed some breaking in? That or I'm just imagining things.
Oh wow, someone playing with a Rapoo KX, huh? They were actually my first two mechanical keyboards (I loved them so much, I bought two of them :P) before I moved on to korean customs (that sounds like a joke, doesn't it? :oops: )

I actually did these mods before I even knew about kapton tape, haha. I actually ground down the pins on my switches so they could fit insulative sleeve from stripped wires over them, and then I soldered only the tips of the pins to the pads and used regular electrical tape as barriers to keep the connections from crossing. I was very green at soldering then, but nonetheless ambitious.

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I modified both of them, changing the switches in both as well. Gateron clears in the black one and ergo clears at 62g on the white one.

Ended up selling the black one since I barely used it. :( Still, they were fun boards and I still use the white KX when I want a really soft typing feel (PCB mounted ergo clears are pretty nice!).

Congrats on your build. I've never had serious chattering issues myself. D:

GrieverBlade

06 Mar 2016, 12:39

nice, exactly what i searched for, tho 2 thing bugs me (call that OCD)
1st ... well
REVENGE wrote: -One-unit Right Shift is a bit small (I miss ocassionally even with the layout change)
lucky you ... mine has 2 one-unit shift :p (thanks to CH-FR layout) altho it took me 1 day to not "contextual menu" instead of "right shift" i wonder, now that i am used to it ... well i think that's a nice guide nonetheless
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secondly
REVENGE wrote: +Keyswitches (Rapoo linear version, NOT Kaihl) feel great
wrong ... they are Kailh, Rapoo does not make their own switches, Kaihua is the OEM, just like Razer green and orange mech switch are not made by Razer (thanks god ... ) but Kailh custom design, (Kailh Yellow are replaced by the Red now, who are exactly the same switch... but in Red, Cherry equivalence : MX Red )
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REVENGE wrote: After about two months of usage post-mod, I think the key chatter problem has died down somewhat
well the click on that keyboard come in 2 steps, 1st bottom in (since linear type, no click on actuation) 2nd top up, when the edge of the key touch the metal plate, i pretty much guess the spring have gone mushier, or not ... mine still does that marvelously agreeable sound (what ... i love the sound of a mech switch... i should replace my Ryos TKL switches by blue instead of brown ... :lol: )

REVENGE

06 Mar 2016, 16:11

Thanks for the comments.

However:
GrieverBlade wrote:
REVENGE wrote: +Keyswitches (Rapoo linear version, NOT Kaihl) feel great
wrong ... they are Kailh, Rapoo does not make their own switches, Kaihua is the OEM, just like Razer green and orange mech switch are not made by Razer (thanks god ... ) but Kailh custom design
I've already had this discussion with other people on the forum and in person. The switches are not Kailh: Rapoo switched all of their keyboards to their own custom designed switch at some point last year. It is likely, but not confirmed, that they also manufacture the switches themselves. Many products such as the KX shipped with Kailh, but then switched to the Rapoo.

This Rapoo switch is distinct from all other MX clone / compatible switches on the market. You can view a detailed comparison between Cherry MX and the Rapoo switch here: viewtopic.php?t=10911

GrieverBlade

06 Mar 2016, 23:58

REVENGE wrote: Thanks for the comments.

However:
GrieverBlade wrote:
REVENGE wrote: +Keyswitches (Rapoo linear version, NOT Kaihl) feel great
wrong ... they are Kailh, Rapoo does not make their own switches, Kaihua is the OEM, just like Razer green and orange mech switch are not made by Razer (thanks god ... ) but Kailh custom design
I've already had this discussion with other people on the forum and in person. The switches are not Kailh: Rapoo switched all of their keyboards to their own custom designed switch at some point last year. It is likely, but not confirmed, that they also manufacture the switches themselves. Many products such as the KX shipped with Kailh, but then switched to the Rapoo.

This Rapoo switch is distinct from all other MX clone / compatible switches on the market. You can view a detailed comparison between Cherry MX and the Rapoo switch here: viewtopic.php?t=10911
theses are still Kailh made switch with Rapoo branding on it ... only Kailh had Yellow switches for some time before making them in red.

just in case you denote those switch to look nowhere like a Kailh but closer to a cherry MX ... well Kailh looks like cherry MX (at last the led model ... ) both housing on my MX brown (led) and Kailh yellow (led) looks similar (the exception being the crosspoint difference) and also i bought that KX last Thursday, and it's a recent batch ... they changed last year, well i guess i got a overstock from the Kailh branded Kailh switch then

oh wait gold crosspoint like the cherry MX ... mmhhh yellow shaft ... oh well too bad ... Kailh are better than cherry at my taste (almost to the point of switching my MX brown in my Ryos TKL to the Kailh equivalent )

Kailh switch can be seen with branding as follow: PG1511 on early model, Kailh on most of the production for the yellow, Razer for the custom green and orange they do for them, and probably Rapoo unless the crosspoint is gold plated.

User avatar
E3E

07 Mar 2016, 15:55

I actually swapped Gateron Clear in my first board (the black one); that was my first mechanical keyboard ever, haha. Went from Kailh Yellow, to Cherry MX Red, to Gateron Clear (due to Gateron hype).

Then for my white one, I just swapped in Ergo Clears and called it a day.

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