In the world of mechanical keyboards, brand names similar Corsair, Razer, HyperX, etc., take the bulk of the limelight. The majority of these brands claim to offer the best in terms of quality and functionality, but that's not always the case. While the popular gaming brands have pushed the awareness and adoption of mechanical keyboards into the mainstream, compromises on quality are almost ever made in order to lower prices. When you compare your available options, you'll soon realize that outward blueprint is the only differentiator. Choose your design, cull your switch—that'southward it.

But what if I told you that every role of a keyboard tin can be customized. This goes far across the aesthetics of buying the latest keyset from Massdrop or swapping in a braided cable.

With pre-congenital boards you don't get to choose the size or the layout. If y'all want a programmable keyboard in a sixty percent format with defended pointer keys but it is only available without the programmability, then you volition demand to make compromises and choose the features that are virtually important to you. If you're non one for making compromises, it may be time to build your own.

Paradigm Credit: Geekhack

When yous're starting whatever DIY projection you lot need to know what parts you need to buy. The final thing you lot want is to sit down with your soldering atomic number 26 only to realize your missing an important piece.

At that place are six components you lot'll demand to put together a functioning keyboard forth with a USB cablevision:

  • Case
  • PCB
  • Switches
  • Mounting Plate
  • Stabilizers
  • Keycaps

All of these parts accept a wide range of options to personalize your keyboard and many options for one part can determine or limit your options for another.

Choosing the right places to buy your parts from tin can be pretty hard if you've never congenital a keyboard earlier. Your first instinct might be to hop onto Amazon and start searching for parts. Y'all can find some practiced options this way but it's much easier if you can go multiple parts from the same source.

At that place are a few dissimilar stores I similar to purchase my parts from. KBDfans has a huge selection of components and they deport more than cases and PCBs than whatever retailer I've seen. It's entirely possible to become everything you lot'll need from them, but their keycap selection leaves much to be desired. 1UP Keyboards is some other one terminate shopping destination for mechanical keyboard parts. Their case selection isn't as robust as KBDfans simply if you live in the Usa, yous tin salvage on shipping by ordering from them. If you're looking for basic keysets to become your lath upwards and running, either of these stores will have you lot covered.

If, however, y'all are looking for something a fleck more unique and with a wider range of compatibility, you lot'll need to look elsewhere. Massdrop is a dandy way to get more expensive and limited run keysets at meaning savings if you're willing to await for them to drop and send. If you're not willing to wait and you're prepared to spend whatever it takes, Originative offers a wide diverseness of keysets from high quality brands like GMK and Signature Plastics.

Now, earlier you lot get spending money on anything and everything, we'll go into more particular for each part then you can see how it comes together.

Choosing Components for Your Mechanical Keyboard

Cases

Before choosing your case, y'all demand to determine what size of keyboard you want to build. The size you lot choose volition narrow downwards your instance options merely each size or layout, whether it'south 40 percent, sixty percent or full size, will have multiple cases to choose from. In one case your accept decided on the size of your keyboard, you demand to determine on which material you want your case to be made from. This typically comes down to budget and doesn't touch on the functionality of the keyboard. Cases are usually available in one of iv dissimilar materials.

  • Aluminum
  • Plastic
  • Forest
  • Clear Acrylic

Aluminum is the near expensive option just offers the strongest platform for your keyboard. The added weight can assistance keep your keyboard in place during those heavy work or play sessions. It also provides a premium look and feel that you lot won't notice in plastic cases. Other than cost, the main downside is the effect on acoustics. Typing on a keyboard with an aluminum case can be much louder and provide a more metallic and hollow sound. Some people prefer this, just it's something to carry in mind.

Plastic cases offer the best bang for the buck. The added strength that aluminum provides might feel more than premium simply is seldom a requirement. Plastic cases are still enough stiff and less likely to show scratches. They are as well dirt inexpensive and significantly reduce the overall price of your keyboard. Y'all are more express in colour option with the majority of cases coming in black and sometimes white. Y'all don't get many of the vibrant finishes that anodized aluminum cases offer.

Wooden cases are by far the least common pick but they can offer a beautiful aesthetic with the combination of nature and engineering science. They typically sit within the aforementioned price bracket every bit aluminum cases and share the weight advantage that a heavy aluminum case tin provide. While the wood itself is quite durable, the finish can show signs of wear much faster than aluminum or plastic.

The concluding option that'due south become quite pop is the clear acrylic instance. These cases provide all the advantages of a plastic case plus they allow lite to shine through which creates a really not bad result if your PCB provides RGB lighting.

PCB

The PCB is the heart of your keyboard. It allows your inputs to exist sent to your computer and controls which switches perform which functions. Choosing the correct PCB might seem like a daunting task but information technology provides some of the most interesting customization options for your keyboard.

While you have already determined the size of your keyboard, your PCB pick offers many options for the layout. If you have a threescore percentage case for example, you may decide that you however need dedicated arrow keys. Many PCBs permit you to alter the layout of your switches in a mode that allows for this.

By reducing the size of some keys and offsetting their positions, you can brand room for the extra keys. This is definitely non limited to adding arrow keys only it is one of the most common non-standard layouts offered in the sixty percentage format. The only downside to utilizing a non-standard layout is the increased difficulty in finding appropriate keycaps, but nosotros'll get to that afterwards.

About off the shelf keyboards don't offer the ability to reprogram each key'due south function and with the ones that exercise, your remaining components are express to any choices the manufacturer has fabricated for yous. Most available PCB choices permit you to modify the function of each key and usually offering a few different layers to programme. Depending on the model, this is either washed with external software and so flashed onto the board's firmware, or it is done direct on the keyboard through specific key combinations.

The majority of PCBs too include RGB lighting options, or at the very least, the option to solder in switch mounted backlights. If yous choose a lath with pre-soldered RGB LEDs this will achieve a nice underglow event that can be accentuated with a clear or frosted acrylic case. This is another example of how 1 component tin can assist in the selection of another.

The final consideration when selecting your PCB is whether or not you know how to solder, and if not, if you are willing to larn. There are a few PCBs that back up hot swappable switches. This ways you will never take to affect a soldering atomic number 26 to get together your keyboard and it gives you the ability to change your switches on a whim. In that location are a few downsides when going this route. Your PCB options become quite limited as most boards on the market are designed with soldering in mind. It is also possible for the sockets to get damaged or pull out of the PCB when removing switches. This isn't very likely only it's something to proceed in mind. Soldering is also a very valuable skill; building a keyboard is the perfect project to learn with.

Switches

All mechanical keyboards crave switches and all mechanical switches perform the same bones task—each type of switch just does it a niggling fleck differently.

Every switch, whether it's from Reddish, Gateron, or Khail, is color coded to indicate these differences. The differences betwixt the way 2 unlike switches feel when pressed are adamant by the actuation betoken, release point, leap weight and whether or not the switch is linear or tactile. These four attributes make for a wide range of dissimilar feeling switches. Some are more tuned for specific tasks such as typing or gaming but ultimately the choice is entirely subjective. About pre-built keyboards are available with a limited variety of switch options simply none are available with all of them. When you lot are building your own keyboard, your switch option is entirely independent from any of the other components you choose to go with. Because switch choice is such a personal thing, yous need to know how each switch feels to make the best decision for yourself.

Many companies sell switch testers that you can buy. These are usually a small box with a variety of different switches mounted. If y'all don't feel like spending money on something you may only apply a scattering of times, I recommend going to your local computer shop and testing various demo boards and take notation of the switch type and how they experience. I personally recommend chocolate-brown switches, either Gateron or Ruby. They provide a tactile bump on actuation while still being tame enough non to interfere when gaming and quiet enough not to annoy your neighbours. If y'all desire to swoop deeper into the differences between switches be sure to bank check out this guide.

Mounting Plate

The mounting plate is ane of the last components you should select as it is dependant on your case and PCB choices. The plate protects the PCB and acts as a guide to hold switches in place when soldering them to the PCB. It as well makes the final production expect nicer and comes in a diverseness of materials and finishes to add together some other personal touch to your build. They all perform the aforementioned role and the only real consideration when selecting your plate is to make sure that the cutouts let you to use your desired layouts and fit with your PCB and case.

Stabilizers

Stabilizers are an often overlooked component when building a keyboard. They aren't very exciting or customizable only you'll know right abroad when they are missing. They role exactly as their proper name implies, keeping certain keys like your shifts and infinite bar from wobbling effectually when y'all printing them. They are typically sold equally a standard set to work with almost keyboard layouts. Brand isn't too important as long as you lubricate them before you install them, otherwise some of the cheaper options tin get quite noisy.

Keycaps

Whether it'due south pre-built or DIY, keycaps are the nigh obvious fashion to add a unique look to your keyboard; notwithstanding, when it comes to selecting keycaps for DIY builds there are some extra things to consider. Every bit long every bit yous stick to a standard layout for the chosen size, finding keycaps with the appropriate legends is piece of cake. Whatsoever standard keyset will piece of work for your keyboard, with many brands fifty-fifty offer the aforementioned set with the exact number of keys you need for some of the smaller layouts to salvage you lot some cash.

If yous've gone with a non-standard layout, you're options are greatly diminished. You will need to stick to sets that offer a high level of compatibility for non-standard layouts like those by GMK or those that allow you lot to purchase extra packs that cover the most mutual non-standard layouts like those institute on Massdrop. The problem with either of these options is that they are significantly more expensive than standard keysets as they are usually produced in limited runs.

If you excel at touch typing, at that place is another much more price constructive method—blanks. Losing the requirement to have legends on your keys significantly opens up your options with non-standard layouts especially if you lot become with a non-sculpted key profile similar DSA. This allows yous to use caps from anywhere in the standard layout to make full in your non-standard setup, provided they are of the same size.

As with any projection, there are a few tools required to get the chore done correct. For the most part you don't need to spend a ton of coin, especially if you are merely going to use them for i or 2 projects. With that said, the one-time adage, "You become what you pay for" holds truthful hither.

No specialty stores are required hither, Amazon has everything yous need, but you lot practise need to buy the right tools for the task and there are sure features that you lot may want to pay actress for.

Without farther ado, these are the tools you'll need to complete your offset keyboard:

Soldering Iron

As long as it'south non bombardment powered, whatever bones soldering iron will get the job done; however, it'southward worth paying actress for model with variable speed and a stand up. It'south generally preferable not to fire holes in household objects when you need a spare paw.

Solder Sucker

Mistakes will be made and without i of these, you'll have no style to remove onetime solder before fixing them. This is a very basic tool and any model volition do.

Solder

Your selection of solder tin can make this project relatively easy or extremely frustrating. While lead-free solder is less hazardous than leaded solder it also has a higher melting point which makes it much more difficult to obtain a proper bail. It'southward also important to select the correct size for the job. For soldering switches, 63/37 rosin core solder comes highly recommended. Make sure to choose the correct size, ordinarily anywhere betwixt .03 and .06 will work here.

Filtration System

Solder fume is chancy, especially if you're using leaded solder. Be certain to choice upwards a solder fume extractor. They can be had for nether $100 and volition keep yous condom.

I know that's a lot of information to take in, but there are many things to consider when choosing your components. The skillful news? Selecting your parts and tools is the about time consuming aspect of this project—assembly is the easy part, which we cover in Part 2, follow the link beneath.

TechSpot Series:
Build Your Own Mechanical Keyboard Project

While the big gaming brands have pushed the awareness and adoption of mechanical keyboards into the mainstream, what if I told y'all that every part of a keyboard can exist customized? If y'all're not one for making compromises, it may exist time to build your own.

  • Role ane: Getting Started, Choosing the Parts
  • Part two: Assembly, Putting it All Together