Update: resolved-ish. Short version is I only have issues when using a Mechcables cable and either pluging it to a specific front IO USB port (one of the two works, one of the two doesn’t), or plugging into a USB extension into a USB KVM switch into another USB extension (in addition to the USB from the KVM output) into my MoBo (if I remove the first USB extension and go straight into the KVM switch it works fine). I don’t know why these two configurations do not work for this particular keyboard+cable pairing, but do work for any other keyboard and work when using the cable that came with the keyboard, but I’ve at least determined it’s not just the cable that’s the issue.
My wife and I each have custom keyboard cables we got a couple years back from Mechcables we both quite like. She has a GMMK Pro, and it works fine with both of them.
I recently purchased a GMMK 2 65%, and to my surprise it does not work with either of our Mechcables cables. It works with the cable it came packaged with, but that’s it.
Does anybody have any experience getting a GMMK2 to work with any custom cables? The colorways sold by Glorious aren’t quite what I’m looking for.
Hmm that is weird… I have not had any problems using a different cable for my GMMK 2 65% but I also have not tried a Mechcable on it. I am gonna be picking up the Red Samurai Mechcable next week for my GMMK Pro w/ GMK Red Samurai Keycaps but I will try it out on my GMMK 2 as well and let you know if it works or not. I hope someone can help you quicker and has a better answer for you here soon though
Just so I can make sure I understand. The Mechcable itself plugs into the keyboard fine, but that specific cable was not working when paired with a USB extension? When I read this late last night, the wording led me to believe that the cable would not seat properly in the keyboard housing.
Yes - there is no issue with the USB connections. It is an issue with a long chain of USB extensions and not using the cable that came with the keyboard (or using a specific port on the front IO). Seems like it’s a signal degradation issue, only annoying thing is that it only becomes an issue with the GMMK 2 - not with GMMK pro or keyboards from other manufacturers.
Thanks for clearing that up. I’m currently using a temporary PC setup and I’m having to use a USB extension as well. Now I’m curious if that’s causing latency input issues.
So I’m assuming you have an aviator connector in the middle of the custom cable. If so, you can measure the length from the connector to the PC and and order a longer cable from Mechcables. I believe you can order up to 8 feet in length.
I’ve swapped cables a number of times over the years and the overall length for the PC side has been a little short. So I wanted to get a longer cable once I get set back up, that way I could stop using the USB extension.
If you choose to do so, I would suggest using something pliable, like rope or yarn to measure along the route you want to place the cable. Then measure the rope to get a better estimate on the length.
You can choose to configure your cable any length between 1 and 15 feet total length (see our note on coil lengths below).
In our tests we’ve found that most standard keyboards without RGB backlighting work perfectly fine with cables up to 15 feet in length. This limitation isn’t based on any rules we just made up here at Dispatch, but is actually a recommendation / limitation of the USB specification. With cables longer than 15 feet in length there’s a good chance of failure or issues with pushing enough power all the way through the cable to your device.
A note on coils …
It is important to note that 1 inch of coils takes about 9 1/2 - 11 inches of wire to make, dependent on the coil diameter. This is especially important when configuring cables for high-power draw keyboards or boards that have known higher power requirements.
For example, for a cable configured to be 6 feet long and include a coil 6 inches wide:
The wire needed to make that cable measures 5 1/2 feet (for the straight portions of the cable) AND an additional 5 feet of wire (for the 6 inch coil).
In this case, the total effective length of the wire is still 6 feet, the length of wire used to make that cable will measure 10 1/2 feet long.
As seen in this example, the length of coils you select does not add extra length to your customized cable, it will be automatically included in the length calculation during our build process. If your selection for coil length includes 6” of coils and 6’ in length, then the total length will still be 6’ (5 feet 6 inches of straight wire and 6 inches of coiled wire in the middle).
I’ve picked up a couple of the new CableMod Pro cables. I had one USB-C end that was DOA but they replaced it quickly and both cables do work just fine with my GMMK2 and my Ducky One 3’s., though I haven’t tried them on extensions.
Funny you mention those keebs specifically. My newest Mechcables cable won’t work with my GMMK2, or Ducky One 3, but works flawlessly with my Pro, thankfully that’s which keeb I got it for.
I didn’t get a fancy cable, I just didn’t like the default cable on the gmmk2. After some misbuying at first I found a right angle usb c cable that had a long enough connector to actually work with the gmmk 2 from a local store. I couldn’t find it on amazon. It may not be everyone’s preference, but I run my cables under my tower.
