TX-Stabs disappointment

Submitted by nicolas_33 t3_127ejt8 in MechanicalKeyboards

I am really disappointed with the TX-stabs (1.2mm) I recently got for my new build (images coming soon).

I bought them because of good reviews with people saying how much better they are than Durocks etc. I lubed them with a bit of krytox xht-bdz and put them on the PCB, and man what a disappointment.

There was so much movement in those stabs that it was impossible to get a decent sound out of the spacebar without side noises coming from the stabs rocking back and forth. I put lube in them like there is no tomorrow, but it did not get better. The 2U stabs are okay-ish, but not great either. They basically need the same amount of tuning like the Durocks and still have bigger tolerances. Meh.

Luckily I had some Staebies laying around that I could use for the spacebar instead. A little bit of XHT-BDZ and they were perfect.

Sorry for the rant.

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Comments

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VXQN t1_jedxlxf wrote

Did you put the little plastic pegs in? I had issues with them being noisy at first, but putting them in sorted that right out. I've generally found them to be way, way better than other stabs, mainly because all they need is a little 205G0 and nothing else.

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nicolas_33 OP t1_jedyjv0 wrote

Yes I used those little plastic pieces. But they had a snug fit in the PCB anyway.

I really don’t have a clue what was going on there. I have read a few reports from people being disappointed and people being really fond of them. That is weird. Maybe there are different batches / different tolerances for the 1.2 vs the 1.6mm variant?

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MayAsWellStopLurking t1_jedz09b wrote

What keyboard were you putting them in? Sounds like it’s a 1.6mm PCB.

Edit: if Staebies fit perfectly then your PCB is 1.6mm because I’ve not seen 1.2mm variants. So you tried putting stabilizers meant for PCBs .4mm thinner than the one you have.

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SdoRy_ t1_jeevqjh wrote

Did you get R3 stabs? That version has severe issues for many people, myself included. The new QMX stabs are pretty good, and I'll soon try the new TX AP stabs.

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nicolas_33 OP t1_jef4vjg wrote

Yes, I think they are R3. Seems like they messed those up, at least the 1.2mm ones. I am glad this wasn’t a solder build, so changing the stabs was no big deal.

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_chappie_johnson_ t1_jeh17vd wrote

I had a similar experience with the R3. Even with balancing the wire, lubed with 205g0 and dielectric grease and trying different switches just couldn't get a good spacebar sound. Switched over to Staebies with same lube and everything and it was instantly better.

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Silentism t1_jeggo20 wrote

What do you mean by the stabs were rocking back and forth? The only thing moving should be the stem piece and the wire. And if you lubed it up and there’s still ticking that would suggest the wire just wasn’t straight.
Otherwise something just wasn’t snapped into place correctly.
Or maybe the piece that the wire clips into broke or cracked while you were putting it in? I’ve had that happen once or twice.

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nicolas_33 OP t1_jegicov wrote

I am talking about the movement of the stems inside the housing. Grab the spacebar and rotate it / wiggle it back and forth. With the TX stabs there was a lot of movement. Now with the Staebies there is almost no movement. The TXs were basically as wobbly as Durock V2s and would have needed the same amount of tuning which I did not expect.

The stabs were assembled and installed correctly, the wire is straight.

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