Custom keyboards have been around for quite a while now and there are a ton of great Keyboard centric youtube creators out there that somehow make the topic of keyboards, fun, interesting, sound great and look so freakin’ cool. I’ve always struggled with finding the perfect keyboard. If you’ve been a long time follower of this channel, you know how many keyboards I’ve gone through through. The pursuit of the perfect keyboard has always been a constant struggle.
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0:00 Introduction
1:07 Why A Custom Keyboard
2:07 Keyboard Sizes and Bodies
4:09 Key Switches
7:43 Keycaps
9:58 Buying Components
12:01 Modding
13:15 Conclusion
So it seemed like the perfect solution was to build it myself, that way I get all the features I want, in the layout I want, with no compromises.
Keyboards come in a bunch of different sizes. The most common ones I’ve seen are 100% which are the 100%, 80%, 75% and 65% which removes the entire function row of keys. There are plenty of options for cases out there for keyboards, and there are many options for all form factors, it's kind of like selecting a pc case if you’re familiar with building a PC. While the exterior provides aesthetic value it also affects the angle of the keyboard, and depending on body material, can also affect the sound of the final product. Basically every choice determines how it looks, feels, and sounds.
Beyond that you also have to consider what type of key switches you want. Key Switches are one of the biggest factors on how a keyboard sounds and feels. Most custom keyboards use cherry mx keyswitches with clicky, linear, and tactile key switches.
Then there’s keycaps. They come in a bunch of different colors, shapes, fonts, materials and can even affect how your keyboard sounds. The quality, fit and finish of each keycap set will be completely different depending on the type of keycap you buy and the quality of the manufacturing. There are some keycaps in the keyboard community that are generally considered one the more premium options, and these are GMK keycaps. But they are super expensive, at least $100 or more for a set, which is the cost of a whole mechanical keyboard from well known brands. You don’t have to get GMK keycaps just because they’re the premium “Standard”, there are plenty of options out there that vary between prices. There are two types of plastic you’ll find on keyboards ABS and PBT.
Once you have all those sorted out, you have your parts listed out, it’s time to buy your parts right? Wait. What is this? Waitlists? GroupBuys? Interest Checks? The thing about custom keyboards, is that they are custom, and a hobby that has a bunch of growing pains. It’s not streamlined like the PC building community, a lot of the times, keyboard components that are unique or fit an aesthetic, you gotta be at the right place, at the right time, and also willing to wait to get them. This is the process for a lot of keyboards and keycaps. And it can be really discouraging for people who are just starting out. Because often times, the parts you want are not going to be in production for months and they’ll just slowly trickle into your mailbox with time. So if you’re looking for a real custom experience it takes a lot of time to gather all of the components you want to build that “perfect” keyboard.
Once the parts arrive, it’s easy to put the keyboard together, they usually come with manuals. The whole process only takes about 2 or so hours.
Now that we have a complete custom keyboard. What did I think of the whole experience? It was fun to learn something new and try to figure it out. This keyboard cost about 350 to make. Of course, that’s because I was willing to pay that much, you can easily put something together for less that still feels and sounds good. While $350 sounds pretty pricey for this keyboard, since all the components are modular, we could always reuse certain components, change out pieces that are getting old, falling apart, or get a new case altogether if we’re looking for a new experience, which you can’t normally do with a bog standard mechanical keyboard from a big brand. Also, building a custom keyboard doesn’t have to be expensive either, Amazon has a ton of hot-swappable keyboards available that you can just buy and start tinkering with. Overall, building a keyboard is a fun way to learn something new, and get the exact look, feel, sound, and functionality you want out of a keyboard. You really get to control every aspect of a device a lot of people use daily. I’m ready for the next one.
10 июл 2024
