Keyboards

The custom keyboard hobby turned out to be a great way to combine my love for technology and my love for building things. I've built a few keyboards over the years, and I've learned a lot about the process. I've also learned a lot about the different types of switches and keycaps that are available. In this post, I'll talk about the keyboards that I've built and the different types of switches and keycaps that I've used.

Custom keyboards are a niche hobby that has been growing in popularity over the past few years. The custom keyboard community is a small but passionate group of people who love to build and customize their own keyboards. There are many different types of custom keyboards, from prebuilt boards to fully custom-built stuff.

This hobby has been a great way for me to learn more about electronics and mechanical engineering. It also happened to be a major rabbit hole that I fell into, and I've spent a lot of time and money on it. But I've learned a lot along the way.

I've built a few custom keyboards over the years, and I've learned a lot about the process. I've also learned a lot about the different types of switches and keycaps that are available. This post will be a showcase of the keyboards that I've built and other keyboard-related stuff.

The Tofu65 is a 65% keyboard that I built with a hot-swappable PCB. This means that I can easily swap out the switches without having to solder anything. The case is made of aluminum, and it has a nice weight to it. This was essentially my entry into the custom keyboard hobby, and I've been using it as my daily driver for a while now.

Specs

• Case: Tofu65
• PCB: DZ65RGBv3
• Plate: PC
• Mounting: Tray mount
• Switches: Gateron Ink Black V2 (Krytox 205g0)
• Keycaps: GMK Stargaze clones
• Stabilizers: Durock V2 (Krytox 205g0)
• Mods: Tape mod, foam mod

My first group-buy purchase and the first actual custom keyboard I've built. First tactile switch build as well. I might've slightly overlubed these tactiles, but they still retain most of their original tactile bump. It's a very solid and heavy keyboard, and it feels great to type on. Been using it as my daily driver for a while now.

Specs

• Case: Zoom TKL
• PCB: Zoom TKL
• Plate: Aluminum
• Mounting: Gasket mount
• Switches: Gazzew Boba U4T (Krytox 205g0)
• Keycaps: ePBT 無印·WUYINZHUYIN

The RK61 was my first build, and my gateway into the hobby. I started off with a prebuilt and customized it a little bit myself before going all out on a fully custom keyboard, but it was already a huge upgrade over my Razer gamin keyboard I've used before that.

Specs

• Case: RK61
• PCB: RK61
• Plate: Aluminum (stock)
• Mounting: Tray mount
• Switches: Gateron Yellow (Krytox 205g0)
• Keycaps: GMK Bushido clones
• Stabilizers: Durock Plate Mount (Krytox 205g0)
• Mods: Tape mod, band-aid mod, foam mod

The Idobao ID80 is a 75%, integrated plate mount keyboard. I managed to get my hands on it for quite cheap locally, and it's been a pretty great board to use.

Specs

• Case: Idobao ID80
• PCB: Idobao ID80
• Plate: Aluminum (stock)
• Mounting: Integrated plate
• Switches: Gateron Silent Ink Black V2 (Krytox 205g0)
• Keycaps: ePBT Dolch
• Stabilizers: Durock V2 (Krytox 205g0)
• Mods: Tape mod, foam mod

I've also been collecting vintage keyboards. I've always been fascinated by the history of technology, and vintage keyboards are a great way to learn about the early days of computing. I've collected a few vintage keyboards over the years, and I've learned a lot about the different types of switches and keycaps that were used in the past.

Starting off with the classic IBM Model M. This is a great keyboard to type on, and it has a very satisfying clicky sound.

This is a larger version of the Model M, often referred to as the "Battlecruiser". It's a great keyboard to type on, and it has a very satisfying clicky sound. It's also built like a tank, and it's a great piece of history. I'm currently working on a custom controller board for the M122, to use it on modern computers without any converters or the like, but it's still a WIP.

I have two of these boards. Bought them solely for the keycaps, the MY switches are pretty bad. The doubleshot ABS keycaps are great though, and I've used them on a few different keyboards. This is actually quite common in the keyboard community, where people buy vintage boards to salvage some specific parts from them, which in most cases are the switches and keycaps.

Found this chinese-labelled vintage keyboard listed online locally. I noticed that it had Cherry MX Black switches, so I decided to buy it. The keycaps aren't too bad either. They're rather thin, but they're doubleshot PBT, and have a decently nice texture to them. The MX Blacks are most likely the pretooled version, based off the date on the PCB.

This isn't really a keyboard, but a vintage typewriter with Cherry MY switches. The keycaps are thick, dyesub PBT (except for the doubleshot backspace) and are of excellent quality. An interesting fact about this typewriter is the presence of a single Cherry MX-type switch inside the case, used to register that the carriage arrived the end. In my case, that was the rather rare vintage MX White Clicky switch. A very nice addition to my collection.

Switches are the most important part of a keyboard. They determine how the keyboard feels and sounds. There are many different types of switches, and each type has its own unique characteristics. I have a pretty good collection of switches, and I've tried a lot of different types from many manufacturers. Here's a list of the switches that I've tried so far.