I've used Azio's MK MAC Keyboard for a couple of years now (have the PC equivalent for my personal/gaming laptop). It uses 'Kalih Brown' switches which, from what I've read, are vague approximations of the Cherry MX Brown. From a tactile standpoint, they're a bit 'heavier' if you will, than other browns (like the Orion Browns in the Logitech G610 I use with my work PC), but still produce a satisfying click-clack. Reliability has been top notch for me
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Mechanical keyboards
- Thread starter Ledgem
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I've used four different Brown-style switches now: Cherry MX Brown; Gateron Brown; Kailh BOX Brown; and Kailh BOX Silent Brown. I do think that the Kailh variants have a stronger tactile sensation than the other two; the Gateron version is definitely the most subtle in its tactility.
At work I recently swapped out my Kailh BOX Browns for a mixture of Kailh BOX Silent Rose ("silent pink" on some websites) and BOX Silent Browns, as I was hedging a bit between the two. I do a lot of talking on the phone at work these days, and was getting self-conscious over keyboard typing while in discussion. The silent-variant switches are not totally silent, but they are a few notches quieter than the non-silent version, and the sound is a lot lower-pitched. Basically, I can type away without worrying that the typing is being picked up, and I figure that it won't sound overly obvious to anyone who can actually hear it over the phone (or video, for video conferences). Better yet, while I've tried adding O-rings to my keycaps and found that it significantly impacted travel distance and led to a mushy-feeling end press, these switches only have a somewhat soft bottom-out feel if you do a direct comparison with the BOX Brown switches. If I just type on them on their own, I really don't feel anything significant there.
As another interesting side benefit, the RGB lighting on my keyboard - very apparent because I use pudding keycaps and still have some BOX Brown switches installed, as I ran out of time to do them all in one sitting - became brighter with the silent-version switches. I'm not sure if this is because the silent switches have a white underside casing compared with the non-silent BOX Brown being black, or if it's because Kailh made the "box" structure rounded on the silent switches, compared with the square "box" for the non-silent. Either way, it was a nice side benefit.
As for BOX Silent Rose vs BOX Silent Brown, my dilemma was because I like tactility but also like lighter switches. I use Gateron Clear switches at home, which are the lightest switches on the market at 30 cN for actuation; the Silent Rose is 35 cN, and the Silent Brown is 45 cN, which is reportedly the same as for the BOX Brown. The Gateron Clear and Silent Rose are linear switches, though. I ultimately still prefer tactiles over linears, I think, but... in any event, the Silent Rose switches do not feel as light as the Gateron Clear switches, and feel about the same as the BOX Silent Brown. Both silent switches feel lighter than the BOX Brown - in fact, immediately after installing them I found that I wasn't hitting a key that still had a BOX Brown switch installed unless I put in more effort. The BOX Silent Brown and the BOX Brown both feel the same, tactility-wise: very strong tactile sensation. My opinion, then, is that you should go with the BOX Silent Rose only if you prefer linear switches. The lightness of it isn't apparent to me compared with the BOX Silent Brown, and both sound the same, to my ears. The difference in tactility is very noticeable, as one might expect. If I have to buy more, or if I redo the switches on any other keyboards with an emphasis on being quiet, it'll be with BOX Silent Browns.
Coming back to this thread to mention that after much deliberation I pulled the plug on the K8 with RGB, aluminium frame and hot swappable brown switches. It just arrived this morning and I am loving it so far. It looks even better than the pictures and the typing experience is very good for a non-custom board. There is a slight pinging on certain keys, especially noticeable on the spacebar, but I am not too bothered by it and I know it can be quite easily fixed by doing a bit of basic customisation work. Overall I am super pleased.
Currently using an old Apple Extended USB keyboard (the white one with the clear shell and rear passthrough USB ports) and looking to get a mechanical keyboard. I was wondering if there is a mechanical keyboard, either full size or 96%, with passthrough USB ports like the Apple one I am using? With/without RGB (lol), preferably USB C powered, UK format. 
I'm thinking Cherry MX red's so it's not that clacky as I live next to neighbours who might not appreciate the noise coming from my study.
Looked on Amazon and I can't really find one that fits my needs....
Thanks.
I'm thinking Cherry MX red's so it's not that clacky as I live next to neighbours who might not appreciate the noise coming from my study.
Looked on Amazon and I can't really find one that fits my needs....
Thanks.
Nice choice! The K8 is currently my preferred board, although I almost gave it up. Just about six months into owning it, the LEDs began to flicker on one line of keys and then gave out entirely. Keychron offered me 10% of the cost of the board back, which I must admit, I felt slightly insulted by, given that I splashed out for the highest-end options. The RGB LEDs were a key feature behind why I chose this keyboard, and to lose a row is a big deal. To their credit, I let them know I wasn't really happy with that solution, so they did offer to refund the board. I will need to order a new one and then ship back the faulty one, with the original keycaps and switches included (admittedly a bit of a pain - I had customized the keycaps and switches, so I have a lot of switch and keycap pulling ahead of me). The shipping cost seemingly will not be reimbursed, but overall this seems a fairer option to me. Hopefully this was an isolated issue... we don't really have a ton of other options available to us.
For USB passthrough with a full-sized keyboard your best bet is probably something like a Das 4 Professional or a Das Professional S. They do not offer backlighting, though; the Das 5Q does have backlighting but I don't think it offers USB passthrough. Not sure about the UK layout bit though.Currently using an old Apple Extended USB keyboard (the white one with the clear shell and rear passthrough USB ports) and looking to get a mechanical keyboard. I was wondering if there is a mechanical keyboard, either full size or 96%, with passthrough USB ports like the Apple one I am using? With/without RGB (lol), preferably USB C powered, UK format.
I'm thinking Cherry MX red's so it's not that clacky as I live next to neighbours who might not appreciate the noise coming from my study.
Looked on Amazon and I can't really find one that fits my needs....
Thanks.
If you're OK with skipping the USB passthrough, something like the Keychron C2 is a full-sized keyboard that has RGB backlighting and also offers hot-swappable switches (which sounds like one of those superfluous features if you're new to mechanical keyboards but can actually save you a lot of money and heartache if the keyboard bug catches you... and six years and 6+ keyboards later, I can tell you from personal experience that you'll probably never see it coming until it's too late 😄).
Regarding switch type, I don't know that linear switches like the Cherry MX red are really all that different in sound from soft tactile like a Cherry MX brown. At work I have a mixture of Kailh Silent Rose (linear) and Kailh Silent Brown (soft tactile) and I honestly can't tell the difference in sound profile between the two, but there is a very clear difference in sound compared with the standard Kailh BOX Brown (silent tactile without the built-in dampening mechanism to quiet things down). Similarly, my home keyboard has a mix of Gateron Clear (linear - lightest switch on the market) and Gateron Brown (soft tactile) and I can't tell the difference based on sound. I'd choose your switch based on your preference for how it feels, and if you're new to it, the soft tactile is probably your best bet. I have a work colleague who went into mechanical keyboards and went straight into it with a linear switch, and he felt that it was overly sensitive and that he made a lot of typos with accidental keypresses as a result. He eventually got used to it, but soft tactile switches are a bit more of what most of us are used to.
And of course, if you do get a keyboard with a hot-swappable option, a lot of this is moot as you can fairly easily swap out your switches and try different ones for yourself. But if you go for an option like the Das ones, and you're stuck with the switch that comes with the board, be aware that there are O-ring silencers you can fit underneath keycaps to further silence a switch. I've tried those, too, and in practice I can say that they do quiet things, but unlike switches like the Silent Rose where the dampener is in the switch itself, you definitely feel key travel is affected. I didn't like the feel of typing with the O-rings installed, although I have read some people saying that they liked the feel of it.
Thanks for that very extensive write up! I'll be sure to have a look at all the suggestions.
I've been going back and forth between an Apple A1644 and a Keychron K6. The problem I have with the K6 (Gateron red) was that the keys were almost an inch off the table making typing difficult without having my chair REALLY high above the table. I liked the Apple magic keyboard because it sat almost completely flush with the desk allowing me to sit lower and be more eye level to my 4k monitor (not adjustable).
Finally got a Keychron K1 87 key delivered - Gateron Brown - and wow... Took a few seconds to get used to the key spacing (feels further apart than the Apple keyboard) but it is really nice and I can type really fast on it. It isn't all that loud either unlike the K6.
Pretty happy with it so far. Nice to go back to a mechanical feeling keyboard. While I could speed type on the Apple keyboard it felt like I was pecking on the desk and wasn't enjoyable to use like a mechanical keyboard.
Even though it says Bluetooth 5.1, I wasn't prompted for a key when pairing with my MacBook. <shrug> Oh well (it is version 4 (keyboard)).
Finally got a Keychron K1 87 key delivered - Gateron Brown - and wow... Took a few seconds to get used to the key spacing (feels further apart than the Apple keyboard) but it is really nice and I can type really fast on it. It isn't all that loud either unlike the K6.
Pretty happy with it so far. Nice to go back to a mechanical feeling keyboard. While I could speed type on the Apple keyboard it felt like I was pecking on the desk and wasn't enjoyable to use like a mechanical keyboard.
Even though it says Bluetooth 5.1, I wasn't prompted for a key when pairing with my MacBook. <shrug> Oh well (it is version 4 (keyboard)).
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Can you talk about the different feel in typing on the K1 vs the K6? I've been interested in the K1, but haven't been able to go through with it due to the uncertainty of that low profile and how the keystroke feels to a more standard mechanical keyboard. Thank you.
Sure can. The K1 feels like a mechanical keyboard but with half the throw of a normal mechanical keyboard. The sound is very familiar - keypress familiar but half the depress length when typing. The keycaps are a bit flatter and the volume of the keyboard noise when typing is about half that of the K6.
Since I prefer not having to hold my hands 1.5 inches above the desk - I wanted something a little thinner profile. This keyboard is PERFECT. Feels great. I REALLY like it and it's only getting better.
Granted, I've used the Apple Magic keyboard for awhile now and find it tolerable. Most Mechanical Keyboard owners I know of can't stand it. For example, I kinda liked the butterfly keyboard (used it for years).
I really like this keyboard.
Just in case you haven't seen this - shows it in action. I really really like this keyboard.
I ordered O-ring silencers. They should be delivered this week and I'll put them to the test with my K8.
I'll report back how I feel about them. I'm already pretty happy with my Gateron Reds.
I've tried O-ring silencers before and didn't get on with them. Some people love them and feel that they help them to type faster by reducing the total travel distance, but for me it changed the feel of the key press too much and really just made it feel sort of mushy, as if something were stuck underneath the key (which is an accurate description of an O-ring fitted to the keycap stem). But I used them on Cherry MX Blue switches; I could image them feeling a bit better on linear switches. I hope you'll like them!
By comparison, I tried the Silent Rose and Silent Brown switches from Kailh and love them - my favorite switches (brown over rose - even though I also use Gateron Clear switches at home, I guess I favor tactile over linear in the end). They have some sort of dampener (I think also an O-ring) built into the switch, itself. While it should technically have a similar impact to the O-ring by impacting the bottom-out of the key, I can't really feel it... and that's despite also having some Kailh BOX Brown (non-silenced version) switches on the same keyboard. Gateron has some silenced switches and I believe Cherry does as well; I haven't used them but would imagine that they operate and feel similarly. So if the O-rings don't work out, consider a silenced version of your switches.
By comparison, I tried the Silent Rose and Silent Brown switches from Kailh and love them - my favorite switches (brown over rose - even though I also use Gateron Clear switches at home, I guess I favor tactile over linear in the end). They have some sort of dampener (I think also an O-ring) built into the switch, itself. While it should technically have a similar impact to the O-ring by impacting the bottom-out of the key, I can't really feel it... and that's despite also having some Kailh BOX Brown (non-silenced version) switches on the same keyboard. Gateron has some silenced switches and I believe Cherry does as well; I haven't used them but would imagine that they operate and feel similarly. So if the O-rings don't work out, consider a silenced version of your switches.
Do the o-ring silencers work on gateron switches? I have Gateron Brown and it is about 1/2 as loud as Cherry Brown keyboards that I've had in the past. But the gateron switches have a long rectangular connector so it looks like the cherry o-ring silencers won't work on them.
@Ledgem - It made the keys feel heavier and mushier indeed. The only thing I liked about them with my Durgod Cherry Brown was that it made the typing a lot quieter so I could use it for work. But it does change the typing feel considerably - keys feel heavier and mushier. One thing I really like about the K1 vs K6 - keys feel so light and effortless.
My K1 V4 is AMAZING. It finally has broken in and the typing has VASTLY improved. Warning: This keyboard's keys feel so different from the K6 that I cannot go back and forth between the two - my fingers just don't work. The spacing is too different. I much prefer the K1 (thinner profile). Now that the switches are broken in, I really fly on this thing with 1/2 the effort that it took on the full sized keys on the K6.
K1 is what I've always wanted in a keyboard. Mechanical feel, low throw key presses, Gateron Brown (wow), amazing. Bluetooth works very well too - no lag. But I'm disappointed that it didn't ask to encrypt the bluetooth between my laptop and keyboard despite it being a late model bluetooth.
K6 on top - K1 v4 on bottom (low profile).
@Ledgem - It made the keys feel heavier and mushier indeed. The only thing I liked about them with my Durgod Cherry Brown was that it made the typing a lot quieter so I could use it for work. But it does change the typing feel considerably - keys feel heavier and mushier. One thing I really like about the K1 vs K6 - keys feel so light and effortless.
My K1 V4 is AMAZING. It finally has broken in and the typing has VASTLY improved. Warning: This keyboard's keys feel so different from the K6 that I cannot go back and forth between the two - my fingers just don't work. The spacing is too different. I much prefer the K1 (thinner profile). Now that the switches are broken in, I really fly on this thing with 1/2 the effort that it took on the full sized keys on the K6.
K1 is what I've always wanted in a keyboard. Mechanical feel, low throw key presses, Gateron Brown (wow), amazing. Bluetooth works very well too - no lag. But I'm disappointed that it didn't ask to encrypt the bluetooth between my laptop and keyboard despite it being a late model bluetooth.
K6 on top - K1 v4 on bottom (low profile).
Very nice! I keep thinking I've reached my "end game" switch type (but not necessarily keyboard), but I haven't even sampled the low-profile switches...
O-rings should work on the Gateron no problem, as they have the standard cross stem:
Gateron, which looks the same as:
Cherry MX.
The one where O-ring silencers are likely incompatible is the Kailh BOX series switches, as they have the added "box" plastic that is in the place where most O-rings would be sliding over:
If you like the BOX series, which is supposed to add fluid resistance, but you also want it to be really quiet, then get the silenced version. When in doubt, the silenced versions have a circular "box" while the standards have the square box. Kailh BOX silent brown is my ultimate favorite switch at this time, feeling light to the press and quiet enough that I can be speaking with clients by phone and they do not hear me typing at all. (Which I verified when one later came back to me upset because I had typed what they were saying; "I didn't realize you were typing as we were talking!" So I guess being too quiet is a bit of a blessing and a curse 😅)
I haven't had a Bluetooth device request a pairing confirmation code in years - I had assumed that the encryption process was all automatic by now?
O-rings should work on the Gateron no problem, as they have the standard cross stem:
Gateron, which looks the same as:
Cherry MX.
The one where O-ring silencers are likely incompatible is the Kailh BOX series switches, as they have the added "box" plastic that is in the place where most O-rings would be sliding over:
If you like the BOX series, which is supposed to add fluid resistance, but you also want it to be really quiet, then get the silenced version. When in doubt, the silenced versions have a circular "box" while the standards have the square box. Kailh BOX silent brown is my ultimate favorite switch at this time, feeling light to the press and quiet enough that I can be speaking with clients by phone and they do not hear me typing at all. (Which I verified when one later came back to me upset because I had typed what they were saying; "I didn't realize you were typing as we were talking!" So I guess being too quiet is a bit of a blessing and a curse 😅)
I haven't had a Bluetooth device request a pairing confirmation code in years - I had assumed that the encryption process was all automatic by now?
Still no K1 or K3 available in the (arguably) superior ISO layout*, however I fixed the K2 height issue by lowering the desk a couple of centimetres.
* I’m obviously jesting here, but UK ISO is pretty important to me.
* I’m obviously jesting here, but UK ISO is pretty important to me.
I just got the Unicomp version for the Mac and it is a great keyboard so far. Feels just like the old battleship-quality IBM M type and clacks away very satisfyingly as I pound on it. It is made in the same plant as the old keyboards but it is not the same hardware, despite some posts and talk about it being identical inside. I have several of the originals pulled from throwaway IBM PCs years ago and one is sitting next to this new one, on my Debian machine and it is way heavier and larger. If it had a key that could be conveniently converted to Option, I wouldn't have bothered with Unicomp.
Still, the new keyboard is very satisfactory for someone who likes or is used to the clackers. And for me, vastly faster than the mushy chicklet stuff that comes from Apple.
Now, if I could just replace the keyboard on my Air...
Still, the new keyboard is very satisfactory for someone who likes or is used to the clackers. And for me, vastly faster than the mushy chicklet stuff that comes from Apple.
Now, if I could just replace the keyboard on my Air...
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Matias Quiet Click switches. Alps stopped making switches and Matias basically bought out their designs (and tooling?) to make their own. The Quiet Click switches are basically modified Alps to be quieter although it does change the feel a little too.
I have the Ergo Pro with Quiet Click switches. It's great. I like the tactile feeling without being insanely loud. I really don't like loud keyboards like all the Cherry/Cherry clone switches. It also supports both PC and Mac layouts via hidden DIP switches which is great since I switched my desktop back to a PC after I bought it.
Something disappointing to report: incompatibility with a device, the Varmilo VA21M numpad, with macOS Big Sur. I have a Keychron K8 (tenkeyless) and don't usually need a numpad (and my keyboard tray is too small for a full-sized keyboard), but it comes in handy for certain applications. Varmilo makes some beautiful numpads and originally mine was working beautifully.
I haven't tried to use it since upgrading to macOS 11 "Big Sur" but I find that it isn't working, and this is reported across the internet: while the Numlock light comes on, pressing anything on the keypad registers "2" and that's it - no further input is accepted, and the Numlock light shuts off for a bit.
I saw someone reported issues years ago and had a fix in the form of shareware known as USB Overdrive. I tried it and it didn't work for this issue. Karabiner is a common tool and there was a time I was using it, as well - I haven't tried it but from what I can see, it's not going to work, either.
The website I bought the numpad from now lists it as being incompatible with Big Sur. I've filed a product feedback report with Apple. I'll keep looking for a solution but it seems like maybe the only option is to seek out another numpad... that's a shame.
I haven't tried to use it since upgrading to macOS 11 "Big Sur" but I find that it isn't working, and this is reported across the internet: while the Numlock light comes on, pressing anything on the keypad registers "2" and that's it - no further input is accepted, and the Numlock light shuts off for a bit.
I saw someone reported issues years ago and had a fix in the form of shareware known as USB Overdrive. I tried it and it didn't work for this issue. Karabiner is a common tool and there was a time I was using it, as well - I haven't tried it but from what I can see, it's not going to work, either.
The website I bought the numpad from now lists it as being incompatible with Big Sur. I've filed a product feedback report with Apple. I'll keep looking for a solution but it seems like maybe the only option is to seek out another numpad... that's a shame.
An update on the Varmilo VA21M (VA21MN) numpad issue: I got it fixed. The short story is that I contacted their support and they sent me a firmware file that isn't on their website, for some reason. It requires Windows to run the update, but I was able to do it in Parallels, no problem. (The longer version is that they initially didn't respond to my inquiry, although I likely sent it to a less optimal email address; the support person was very responsive but initially gave me the wrong file.)
As I am so happy to finally have this working again, I wanted to create a small guide, and more importantly, share the file here. I offered feedback that this file is not on their website and really should be, but until they post it, you either can download it from this post or write to their support directly for it.
The following steps were for Parallels running Windows 10; you may need to do some things differently with different software:
1) With Windows up and running and the unzipped contents of the file within Windows, connect the numpad directly to the virtual machine. In Parallels, you'd do this by using Devices > USB and Bluetooth > and then make sure that the device is checked (for my computer, it is listed as "USB Mini Keyboard #3" but I'd imagine the number will be different on other machines, if there's a number at all). Alternately, if you unplug the numpad and then plug it back in while Parallels has Windows running, it should prompt you about whether you want to connect it to the Mac or to the Windows virtual machine. Connect it to the virtual machine.
2) Open the VA21M folder. Within that folder, open the folder called ISPTool20160505106-Windows7.
3) Within that folder, double-click ISPTool (this is the actual updater program).
4) With the program open, click on the "Open" button (with a folder icon). It will prompt you for a MTP file. I believe it should kick you back into the VA21M folder, but if it doesn't, navigate one up so that you are back in VA21M. There are three choices. I did not try all three; instead, I went with the one with the newest time stamp, which is ZHH-KB-20210312_ED5FH-68CBH_ForAppleNewOS.MTP. Select it and click "Open."
5) Click the button labeled "Program." You should see a bunch of messages about it overwriting things. During this process Windows will likely give you some messages about detecting and setting up new hardware. Just sit back until the program's final message in the message window is something about the bootloader being disconnected - I didn't time it but the whole process felt like it took anywhere from 30-60 seconds. Then you can close the program and get out of Windows. Closing the program results in a confirmation dialogue written in Chinese lettering; I don't know what it says but I assume it's asking if you're sure you want to exit, and selecting "OK" will exit the program.
Go ahead and test it out: 0123456789+/*- (all typed on my VA21MN numpad). Hooray! A lot of websites are still listing this numpad as being incompatible with macOS Big Sur; it's really a pity, as the numpads are highly functional and they have some really beautiful styling. So if you have one of these numpads, I hope this was helpful, and if you've been considering getting one, you should be able to get it working without difficulty despite what the websites are currently saying.
Hopefully they will post the firmware to their website soon, and it'd also be nice if they make a Mac firmware updater version as well. I'm so happy to have this working again!
As I am so happy to finally have this working again, I wanted to create a small guide, and more importantly, share the file here. I offered feedback that this file is not on their website and really should be, but until they post it, you either can download it from this post or write to their support directly for it.
The following steps were for Parallels running Windows 10; you may need to do some things differently with different software:
1) With Windows up and running and the unzipped contents of the file within Windows, connect the numpad directly to the virtual machine. In Parallels, you'd do this by using Devices > USB and Bluetooth > and then make sure that the device is checked (for my computer, it is listed as "USB Mini Keyboard #3" but I'd imagine the number will be different on other machines, if there's a number at all). Alternately, if you unplug the numpad and then plug it back in while Parallels has Windows running, it should prompt you about whether you want to connect it to the Mac or to the Windows virtual machine. Connect it to the virtual machine.
2) Open the VA21M folder. Within that folder, open the folder called ISPTool20160505106-Windows7.
3) Within that folder, double-click ISPTool (this is the actual updater program).
4) With the program open, click on the "Open" button (with a folder icon). It will prompt you for a MTP file. I believe it should kick you back into the VA21M folder, but if it doesn't, navigate one up so that you are back in VA21M. There are three choices. I did not try all three; instead, I went with the one with the newest time stamp, which is ZHH-KB-20210312_ED5FH-68CBH_ForAppleNewOS.MTP. Select it and click "Open."
5) Click the button labeled "Program." You should see a bunch of messages about it overwriting things. During this process Windows will likely give you some messages about detecting and setting up new hardware. Just sit back until the program's final message in the message window is something about the bootloader being disconnected - I didn't time it but the whole process felt like it took anywhere from 30-60 seconds. Then you can close the program and get out of Windows. Closing the program results in a confirmation dialogue written in Chinese lettering; I don't know what it says but I assume it's asking if you're sure you want to exit, and selecting "OK" will exit the program.
Go ahead and test it out: 0123456789+/*- (all typed on my VA21MN numpad). Hooray! A lot of websites are still listing this numpad as being incompatible with macOS Big Sur; it's really a pity, as the numpads are highly functional and they have some really beautiful styling. So if you have one of these numpads, I hope this was helpful, and if you've been considering getting one, you should be able to get it working without difficulty despite what the websites are currently saying.
Hopefully they will post the firmware to their website soon, and it'd also be nice if they make a Mac firmware updater version as well. I'm so happy to have this working again!
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Just received my K1 (version 4) in the mail for my desk when I dock my MacBook Air. Got it with the Blue clicky switches (I like the clicky ones) and the white LED backlight. I've only been typing on it for a few minutes, but it feels pretty good. I've got the Logitech Pro X keyboard with Cherry Blue switches for my PC, and this feels similar, though I think the center of the keycaps might be a little further spaced apart. Either that or I've gotten too used to the Apple Magic Keyboard as I'm making a few mistakes, but even just typing this message is helping me get more used to it.
I'm using it wireless, so we'll see how long the battery holds out with the backlight on (it's at the lowest setting).
Hi – I just wanted to say thank you for this! I've been wrestling with the same problem with my VA21M. I contacted Varmilo and they sent me a link to what must be an updated version of this firmware, but I couldn't get ISPTool to load the MTP file correctly. I let them know that but they haven't gotten back to me. I decided to take the risk and run the firmware updated you attached to your post and I'm happy to say it worked! Thank you for posting it and thank you for not nuking my PC.