DIY Mechanical Keyboard Kit, Keycaps, Case, Shaft – Everything About Custom Mechanical Keyboard

As a kind of peripherals that we need to use in our daily code and game entertainment, the keyboard is one of the peripherals that we contact most frequently. In fact, its role can be large or small. Some players may feel that they can survive by buying a keyboard worth tens of yuan, while others need to buy hundreds of thousands of mechanical keyboards to meet their needs.

But this is not the end. The development of the domestic keyboard industry has made many players require more and more keyboards. They even need a mechanical keyboard that is suitable for them in all directions. How can I fit myself in all directions? Then there is the customized keyboard. What is the customized mechanical keyboard? The definition of customization is DIY of the keyboard.

DIY Mechanical Keyboard Kit & Case

A keyboard consists of a keyboard kit (shell+PCB+positioning board, etc.), key shaft and key cap. The most important part of the kit is the shell and PCB. As the front of the mechanical keyboard, the case also determines the appearance of your customized keyboard. However, it also needs to be matched with the key cap to make it more beautiful. Generally speaking, the white shell is suitable for matching the light-colored key cap, while the black shell is suitable for matching the dark key cap, and the colored key cap is suitable for matching the same color key cap. However, in terms of appearance design, there are different opinions, because the most beautiful design style in the minds of each player must be different.

 

PCB Board

PCB board, also known as circuit board, is the core of the whole keyboard to exchange data. For example, we often say that the hot plug function means that the shaft body of the keyboard can be directly inserted on this PCB board. The PCB board is also the part to connect the external computer, which can be divided into wired connection and wireless connection (Bluetooth connection+2.4G wireless receiver). The PCB board is also responsible for the RGB light effect of the keyboard. The cheap kits on the market do not support RGB light effect, while the slightly good-looking or slightly expensive kits will weld RGB light beads on the PCB board, and the more expensive ones can achieve customized adjustment of light effect through the linkage with the driver software.

In addition, the kit also includes positioning plate, soundproof cotton and other components. The former is used to stabilize the shaft body, so that the shaft body will not shake during use, and also protect the PCB board. The function of the latter is to prevent noise such as cavity noise from appearing inside the kit, and to prevent further impact on the knocking feel.

 

Collocation

When purchasing the kit, we will also select the number of key positions of the keyboard according to the needs, that is, the problem of keyboard arrangement. Arrangement refers to the assembly sequence (layout design) of the keyboard, that is, the number of keys and the integrity of the function.

Generally, there are two ways to describe the keyboard arrangement. One is to define the number of keys, that is, how many keys the keyboard has, and what its name is. For example, there are 87 keys, 104 keys, 108 keys, etc. The second way is to name it in the form of number+percentage. It is defined by how many function keys of the keyboard can reach the full-size mechanical keyboard. This full-size refers to 104 key positions, and there are also 80%, 75% and 60% keyboards.

Whether it is office work or home entertainment, the most common should be the traditional layout of 104 keys. We also call it the full-size American layout keyboard. It has complete functions and is divided into four areas – main key area, function key area, edit key area and number key area. Because it has all the functions that most people are used to, 104 key has become one of the most mainstream keyboards at present. On this basis, several function keys are added to the keyboard with 108 keys. For example, this IKBC F108 uses 108 keys. All the above are 100% keyboards.

If you can increase the number of keys, you can certainly reduce the number of keys. After that, there are 80% of keyboards in the array. The common one is the 87-key keyboard. It is also a kind of keyboard that we often touch. Especially for the players of E-sports, it can keep the core function keys and avoid contact with the mouse, which leads to the operation deformation. Compared with the previous 104 keys, the difference is not big. It just cuts off the 17 key positions in the independent number area, while other function keys remain. It has many representative works.

 

Shaft

The shaft is the core of the customization of the whole mechanical keyboard, because it determines the feel of a keyboard. At present, there are many single shaft bodies on the market, at least hundreds.

 

Key Cap

Like the kit, it also affects the appearance of the whole mechanical keyboard, as well as the touch, because it is to contact with your fingers. In terms of the impact on the feel of typing, the key cap should be the second only factor to the keyboard shaft. In addition, there are characters printed on the key cap. I believe many people still have the habit of watching characters type? The content of the key cap is also quite complex, which can generally be understood from four aspects: material, character technology, key cap height and key cap size.

 

Material of Key Cap

Let’s look at the materials first. At present, the mainstream key cap materials include ABS, PBT, POM, resin, metal, etc. There are different advantages and disadvantages between different materials. The most common ones are undoubtedly ABS and PBT.

Among them, ABS is styrene plastic, also known as engineering thermoplastics, which has the advantages of crisp, light, heat resistance, toughness, smooth surface, fine touch, and can obviously feel its smoothness when contacting with fingers. The disadvantage is that it is not wear-resistant and easy to grease. It should be noted that the oiling finger here is not the oil stain on your hand on the key cap, but the frosted surface of the ABS key cap has been almost polished and becomes very shiny.

PBT material is a polyester series, with the advantages of high hardness, not easy to wear and grease, which is the opposite of ABS material. In addition, its surface has a strong grain feeling, bringing a frosted touch. On the other hand, PBT key cap is easy to deform and its color is not as bright as ABS key cap.

In other aspects, POM key cap is a thermoplastic crystalline polymer, which has the advantages of high density, no oiling, and self-lubricating characteristics, which can bring a smooth and smooth feel. If it has disadvantages, it has a single color (mostly black). It is difficult to process, so the production cost is very high. Few manufacturers will do it. It usually only appears on Cherry’s black keyboard. As for the rest, they are personalized keycaps of special materials. These keycaps are either very expensive or hard to buy. Their greater role is personalized decoration or collection.

 

Key Cap Process

If the material is the basis of the key cap, the character process printed on it is the front of the key cap. The most common character processes include radium carving, two-color molding and thermal sublimation. Among them, the laser engraving process uses laser engraving characters, which is characterized by low cost, uneven surface feel, and characters will be worn off if used for a long time. Many relatively low-end manufacturers will adopt this process, but it is not common now.

Two-color molding and two-color injection molding are called two-color process. In short, it is a process that combines the processing of characters and key caps. The difference is that two-color injection molding is mainly to combine the two colors under one mold, which is also known as false two-color because of its low production cost. The two-color molding is more advanced. It needs two sets of molds to make it. First, one plastic raw material is used as the base, and then the second plastic raw material is added to another mold to form two different characters. The characters formed in this way are basically indelible. However, the production cost is high, so the price will be higher.

Thermal sublimation is to sublimate the solid resin ink into a gaseous mode at high temperature, then let the gaseous ink penetrate into the surface of the key cap, and finally cool and sublimate to form a complete key cap. However, only PBT material can carry out thermal sublimation, while ABS, which is not resistant to high temperature, cannot be sublimated. Its advantage is that it can make characters more glossy and not easy to be worn off. The disadvantage is that some sublimated key caps with large key positions are also prone to bending and deformation. PBT thermal sublimation is still widely used, because its cost is not particularly high, and its advantages are obvious: wear-resistant, not easy to grease, not to drop words, and the appearance pattern is also very beautiful.

 

Key Cap Height

As for the height of the key cap, it can not only affect the feel, but also affect the appearance and use experience. At present, there are many types of key cap height on the market, the most representative ones are the original height, OEM height, SA high cap and DSA low cap. The height of the original factory here refers to Cherry in Germany. This kind of key cap means that the height of the key cap is the same as that used by Cherry. In fact, the gradient height of the key cap is very comfortable to press, restoring the feel of various shafts.

In terms of OEM height, OEM is the abbreviation of OEM. It refers to the OEM key caps that are one layer higher than the key caps produced by the original factory. There are many OEM factories, such as IKBC, AKKO, Gauss, etc.

If SA high ball cap is used, its side will have a great radian, good appearance, roundness, and high overall face value. The disadvantage is that the contact area is sacrificed, resulting in uncomfortable typing. Therefore, if SA high ball cap is used, because of its very high height, it is generally necessary to use hand support. The DSA key cap is much shorter. Because all the key caps are at the same height, it is also called flat chest key cap. In short, the key caps of different manufacturers bring different heights and engineering designs.

 

Key Cap Size

According to the normal layout of the keyboard, such as 87 keys and 104 keys, the length of the key cap is based on the size of the key in the letter area, which is 1U. The remaining keys are calculated by the multiple of 1U width. For example, the commonly used Ctrl keys and Alt keys are 1.25U long, the Tab key is 1.5U long, the Shift key is 2.25U long, and the space bar is 6.25U long.

However, many customized keyboards will be made into compact arrangement for personalization and comfort of operation, such as 68 key arrangement and 64 key arrangement, For example, the size of the Shift key next to its direction key is obviously different from that of the full-size keyboard. It is impossible to fit the 2.25U long key cap. Therefore, for the convenience of users, many online stores directly sell a full set of key caps. There are about 140 universal full sets of key caps inside. It can provide additional key caps that fit some compact configurations. For example, a Shift key has several sizes to meet the ultimate customization needs of players.

So if you want to use a compact keyboard, when you buy a compact array kit, it is better to choose a small set of key caps to purchase. Generally, businesses will mark which keys are suitable for 64 keys and which keys are suitable for 68 keys. You can choose and buy them as needed. Or you can directly buy keycaps that support multiple configurations to facilitate customization of other keyboards in the future.