Drop CTRL High Profile Mechanical Keyboard Review

[@uyscuti5118]

This is clearly a newer channel but the quality and depth is fantastic. Subbed and lookin forward to the next one

[@CyanStudios24]

When I run mdloader.exe and Fn+B to reset my keyboard, it continues scanning for devices until it throws an error. Error: Could not find a valid device port! I just got this keyboard and I love it, my only issue is the lack of persistent memory.

[@0mfg0wnt]

Are those keycaps the POM sugarcube keycaps?

[@travis-geis]

These are the EnjoyPBT all-white keycaps kbdfans.com/collections/cherry-profile/products/enjoypbt-blank-keycaps-117keys?variant=36740706957

[@ritenmehta291]

Hey there, nice review! I was wondering if there was a chance that you could make a walkthrough tutorial on your channel of the persistent settings changes. I've been trying to mess around with QMK as well as the "make massdrop:ctrl/default_md" command from the blog post and I just cannot get it to work. Any help is appreciated!! Thank you!. Note: Using windows (probably a mistake for this) and getting an error "grep".

[@travis-geis]

Yes it's a bit harder on Windows. Here's the QMK guide for setting up: beta.docs.qmk.fm/tutorial/newbs_getting_started I think it's worth setting up, but you can also download the compiled HEX files here: github.com/ottobonn/qmk_firmware/releases/tag/ctrl-alt-eeprom-1 And you can find the compiled mdloader here: github.com/ottobonn/mdloader/releases/tag/1.1.0

[@ritenmehta291]

@@travis-geis Thank you so much, it worked! Just wish I could add it to an existing custom config.

[@travis-geis]

@@ritenmehta291 Yeah it would be nice to find an easy way for people to keep their custom keymaps. I have some ideas for separating the keyboard layout from the rest of QMK so compiling isn't needed

[@royalxflush3]

i also just go the ctrl drop , do you know if we can do marco shortcut keys for the keyboard?

[@bart4375]

Nice review, thanks. Does the board fully work in Linux? Or does it need workarounds or anything?

[@travis-geis]

It works great on Linux. I use it primarily with Linux Mint on my laptop.

[@bart4375]

@@travis-geis That's great to hear. I'm having trouble with my Kechron K8 but I'm glad I don't have to worry when I get my CTRL then.

[@travis-geis]

@@bart4375 I am curious what kinds of problems the K8 would have with Linux

[@bart4375]

@@travis-geis To be fair it’s not a problem with Linux per se but rather a bug in mutter which makes it so that it forgets the custom key lay-out everytime you reconnect the keyboard. So I have switched Caps Lock and Escape for example and everytime the bluetooth connection goes to sleep (or when I disconnect the cable) I have to reconfigure my key setup. Not the worst thing in the world and the devs are working on fixing it but it’s annoying still. I also read about the CTRL not being detected unless booting with a kernel parameter but that was in 16.04 so apparently is not an issue anymore.

[@travis-geis]

@@bart4375 ah interesting. You can remap the keys in QMK if you want to rebind them persistently on the keyboard and then they will move with you from computer to computer. I am not sure why it wouldn't be recognized during boot because it's a standard HID profile

[@jordanmorocho]

You’ve hit your first milestone, 20 subs Your welcome

[@quitepossiblylucky]

lol The Drop ALT keyboard I bought from Amazon literally arrived used... stems lubed, Band-Aids here and there, random black/yellow switches, and no USB-C cable in the box. Funny how Amazon doesn't care about checking these things because they're filthy rich. Replacement will be here tomorrow.

[@Walduchi]

Great video! Will a custom coiled usb-c cable work with this board?

[@travis-geis]

Yep, just make sure it can carry enough current for the lights.

[@Walduchi]

@@travis-geis What does that mean? Does the cable have to be a certain length? If so, what length?

[@travis-geis]

@@Walduchi It just means it needs to have thick enough conductors to carry the current. The thicker the copper conductors in the cable, the more current it can carry. Generally, USB cables made for charging phones have really big conductors that will handle the keyboard well. On the other hand, flimsy cables like the ones that you might get for free to charge a laser pointer or connect a microphone might not carry much current. If you are ordering a custom cable you could probably ask what size the conductors are or how much current it can handle. Generally, shorter cables also handle current better. The longer the cable, the more resistance the current faces in travelling through it, so the thicker the conductors need to be to compensate.

[@Walduchi]

@@travis-geis For sure thanks for the info! So if I'm spending $40 on a cable it should be fine right? lmfao

[@travis-geis]

@@Walduchi Haha yes it should be fine. If the cable isn't sufficient, the symptom is that the keyboard lights will dim. This keyboard has onboard overcurrent detection because it technically draws more current than the USB standard suggests. If you find that it's dimming when you want it to be brighter, try plugging it in to a USB charger or power bank and see if it still dims. If it does, the cable could be the issue. If it doesn't dim, then it's probably the computer limiting its output current.

[@kumo8859]

what type of switches did you get?

[@travis-geis]

These are Halo Clears

[@WoollyMittens]

I legit hope you've gotten yourself a better microphone since this recording, because your content is nice and thorough. Just not listenable.

[@traaaaan]

How is your ctrl holding up? Any issues with it since you've had it? Thinking of getting one. Keep up the good job!

[@travis-geis]

It's holding up just fine! The main issue I have had since this review is that it will sometimes repeat keypresses. The default denouncing is too short but it's easy to tweak in the firmware. I have been tuning it this week to ensure there are no duplicate keypresses and then I can report my findings.

[@ryan74458]

Your mic is very distracting. I think you need a pop filter or something.

[@KaiAsk]

I would've watched the whole thing if the mic wasn't glitching out every 2 seconds...

[@jakewuerfel5250]

its rgb not led

[@llollercoaster]

surprised? you shouldn't be flashing user specific settings to device memory, the source of truth should be the computer its connected to not the hardware

[@travis-geis]

By saving the settings to device memory, you can make the keyboard portable and also elegantly recover from loss of power. You could have the computer control those settings but it would still be beneficial to save them on the keyboard in case you use it with a computer that doesn't have the appropriate control application.