Dan Steeves
Several weeks later, finally getting close enough to happy with Ergodox-EZ to use it 90% of the time this week for work and personal. Command line and editing code continue to be the hangups. configure.ergodox-ez.com/ergodox-e…
Guitar Wiring
920D Custom S5W Upgraded Replacement 5 Way Wiring for S Style Guitar
Installed in my 1987 Japanese Squier Strat. Initial impressions are fabulous. No scratchy sounds when changing 5-way switch positions. Better tone in every position!
A few issues & resolutions:
- My guitar routing/drilling only has a big enough hole for wires to jack, not the full plug. I chose to drill this out to fit, rather than cut and re-solder the included jack to feed the wires. Probably could have done this either way with good result. The new connector is definitely better than the original jack.
- The new volume & tone pots need a bigger hole in pick guard than originals. Used a 3/8” drill bit to open them up, and an x-acto knife to clean up the edges. Perfect fit after.
- Volume and tone knobs fit on the new pots! But the 5-way switch knob did not. Used my Dremel to grind the new 5-way switch’s stem down to a width that fit the original plastic nub.
Matias Mini Tactile Pro Switch Replacement
The space bar stopped working on my keyboard. I ordered a new switch from Matias and replaced it myself. This is an easy project for anyone with a little soldering experience. You can probably do it if you have no soldering experience, but you’ll need to research the soldering skills a bit more elsewhere.
Switches
I ordered new switches through Matias customer support. They charged me $1 per switch plus a small shipping charge, which seems fair.
Tools
- Phillips screwdriver, #2 or close
- Spudger or knife
- Soldering iron
- Ideally some soldering wick or a solder sucker
- Keycap puller (I use one that also fits caps on Ergodox EZ Cherry MX Brown)
Open the case
Remove two screws on the bottom of the case.
The case will open by hinging at the front, in front of the space bar. Working gently with the spudger or knife, open the back of the case (behind the function keys) by gently prying near and pressing on the two tabs. Then there are two more tabs, one on each side.
The case will sort of “hinge” open. After opening the board will lift out freely.
Prepare to solder
Remove the two side USB ports and the circuit board with the main mini-USB connection. I don’t know, but I imagine it is a good idea not to solder with the chips on that attached.
Mark the switches you need to remove on the back of the board with a pen or marker so you know which ones to remove. Remove the caps from the switches to be removed if you haven’t already.
Remove switch
If you have a stand to put the board in and some soldering wick or a solder sucker, you can probably just remove the solder on the two pins and watch the switch drop out. If you’re missing those tools like me, you can hold the switch from the front and wiggle it out side to side as you alternately heat the solder on each pin.
Add new switches
Again if there’s no solder now this is probably pretty easy for you. I had to wiggle the switch in side to side while alternately heating the leftover solder. Once the switch was in place I added a bit more solder to each pin to ensure a good connection.
Test, clean, and re-assemble the board
At this point, press in the layered PCB with the main connection, and test the board to make sure new switches and soldered connections are good. This is a good time to clean everything. Wipe it down, use some compressed air or a vacuum brush attachment, and take some damp cotton swabs to the nooks and crannies you can’t normally get to.
To reassmeble, press on the USB ports and the layered board with the main connection. Lay the board into the bottom of the case. Match the tabs on the top cover in front of the space bar with those on the base, then hinge it back over the switches. Gently press to close all of the snap-in tabs. Insert the two screws from the bottom of the board.
In closing
Hopefully this will help or encourage someone to repair another Matias board. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Here’s a photo of today’s desk setup. Replaced the enjoyable Matias Mini Tactile Pro and excellent LogiTech MX Master 2S with an aging pair of Apple wireless keyboard & trackpad. And they are also enjoyable and excellent. Especially this keyboard vs. the awful MBP… Anyway just sharing for funzies. Hope that I can fix the space bar on the Matias soon and go back to the primary setup.
1daysooner is collecting volunteers for human challenge trials for COVID-19 vaccine testing. I’m with Tyler Cowen on this: using volunteers is fine.
The plan is to have no plan by Jay Rosen
After struggling for a bit, then giving up, then struggling a bit again, I have discovered a simple way to get some Alfred workflows working around quarantine in Catalina. When a new/updated workflow fails, cancel the warning then run this.
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/Library/Application\ Support/Alfred/Alfred.alfredpreferences/workflows
Where do I find or submit Mac app bugs, like this one with link text formatting? @manton
The most important things I read this week: Bill Gates and Tyler Cowen. Recommended for everyone. Provides the context needed to understand anything else in the news.
This week it finally feels like we’re in full-on survival mode. Nothing is normal. Grocery shopping, the only allowed activity, is a chore, and makes one feel guilty for doing it too often.
Although I usally agree with vox.com more than disagree, this photo choice seems off. Especially as it was taken on March 18.
If one filed for unemployment and their weekly check-in asks the normally required “did you look for work last week?” should one answer yes or no? Question for NC Governor Cooper. (And any other Gov with similar websites.)
Goodbye, Comcast-Xfinity. Hello CenturyLink.
Just got off the phone canceling the internet + basic cable tv service that I’ve had for years and years and years. I have to say that other than being an overpriced monopoly, it all worked fine. And canceling today was easy.
For a few weeks now we’ve been on CenturyLink gigabit fiber service. Cheaper and better in almost every way. Hopefully I won’t have to go back or regret this change. For now, recommended if you’re in Minneapolis - St. Paul metro like me and can get it.
More on the same topic from Big by Matt Stoller.
Airline Bailout Already?
Not sure where the right answer lies but I’m sure it is somewhere south of “Airlines Ask for $50 Billion.”
Dear Microsoft Outlook… Please use your borg AI capability to detect when my “Reply All” should show up in my Inbox vs not. My memory too faulty. Your clicks too painful.
RIP Dirt Rag
The dirt riding magazine I most identified with is closing. I will miss Dirt Rag. My lifetime subscription was totally worth it.
It is with a heavy heart that we’re writing to say, that after 30 years of publishing, Dirt Rag is filing for bankruptcy and ceasing all operations, including the magazine, the website and Dirt Fest.
Food for thought today. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/…