mechanical keyboards as a hobby?

[xandra]

i've gotten into keyboards as a hobby since december and i was hoping to see some builds by other folks if anyone else is into this!

if you're not aware, you can customize keyboards by buying hot-swappable keyboard cases (or the individual pcb and a separate case), key switches, and keycaps to make the best-sounding and best-feeling keyboard for the user. right now, i'm really into thocky keyboards, but creamy keyboards tend to be the ones i build. lately, it seems like deeper-sounding keyboards are trendier, pushing back on the typical clacky mech keyboards that have dominated the space for the last decade (or more).

here are mine:

1. whiteout [photo]
case/board: akko pro 75%
switches: gateron milky yellows (lubed & filmed with krytox 205g0, krytox 105, durock switch films)
keycaps: POM jelly sugarcubes
mods: tape mod, cotton throughout case

2. softie [photo]
case/board: rk white 90%
switches: akko cream yellows (stock)
keycaps: hyekit marshmallows
mods: tape mod, cotton throughout case

3. pretty in pink [photo]
case/board: gmmk 2 96%
switches: glorious lynx (factory lubed)
keycaps: POM jelly lavenders
mods: none

4. ocean blues [photo]
case/board: dareu a98 96%
switches: novelkeys creams (lubed with krytox 205g0, krytox 105, 70g durock springs, & 520k polish)
keycaps: glorious pbt ocean gradients
mods: tape mod

post your keebs!

[Melooon]

Oh this is a beautiful collection

Iv been away from the keyboard scene for a while; Iv never even heard thonks before!! Creamy's sound like tap dancing

I don't take keyboarding nearly as seriously as you; but I do totally appreciate a nice keyboard and I think particularly for us people who work with computers so much its important to have a tactile experience you really love.

I guess Iv had a few mechanical keyboards over the years .. I had a bunch of Razor ones but I gave most of them away to friends for various reasons (I never liked them very much)

These days I have:
My Main Keyboard is a Vortex Race 3 with its stock keycaps and it has Cherry Clear switches - those were an ordeal to get - I had to sneak it in from the US because they don't sell them in Europe. I really like this layout, it reminds me of 90s mac laptops - and I love the feel of the keys and the cleanness of having no bezel - its just a silver shelf and then blackness and then the keys just float above it! Oh I do like this keyboard!



I also sometimes use my 1988 IBM Model-M - but its very big and clunky, you can see it here (apparently cherry clear switches were also invented in 1988.. I guess thats my year!). I also have an old Macintosh keyboard that uses alpis switches; its ok but nothing to write home about. I guess you could also count the Atari 800, but its keyboard is not usable on modern systems.. its.. very 70s and mechanical! ... not in a good way, but interesting to experience!


And Finally I have a separate Razer Huntsman Mini with its Red (optical linear) switches - I use that for gaming because Cherry Clears are way too clunky for even casual games.

I find clicky keys sound great on their own, but when I actually need to use a keyboard seriously I perfer something quieter. A heavy key switch with a bump suits me because I tend to whack keys! Annnnddd I like the vintage rounded keycap style too that you seem th have on yours; although I definitely want keys that have letters printed on them

2. softie is totaly my favourite of yours! It reminds me of some sort of vintage toy that I cant quite name.. but it has things that get pushed.. hmmm

[xandra]

i love your keyboard, melon! it looks like a whimsical toy. the colors are great

jealous that you have a model m! amazing keyboards, but very loud! xD but it has a very unique feel and sound that's incredibly nostalgic.

[Onio]

You guys have such cool keyboards! I always loved the idea of getting into mechanical keyboards, trying different switches, mix and matching custom made keycaps, picking out cables.. they look so nice. But I tried a mechanical keyboard once, and the volume of my keypresses gave me anxiety! I don't think I could use any mechanical keyboard just because of the volume! Sadge


Edit: I have spent the past few hours looking at silent switches and keyboard dampening. I have discovered hope.

[xandra]

But I tried a mechanical keyboard once, and the volume of my keypresses gave me anxiety! I don't think I could use any mechanical keyboard just because of the volume! Sadge


Edit: I have spent the past few hours looking at silent switches and keyboard dampening. I have discovered hope.

i'm so glad you came back and looked at silent switches! that was exactly what i was going to suggest. there's a whole subset of mech keyboards that are quiet, including dampened keyboards. that's a sound that a lot of people are going for. we're taking back the hobby for quiet folks too! xD

[almostcorporeal]

I've yet to fully build a keyboard myself since I'm not in a place financially that I can actively pursue doing so, but it's on my never ending list of things I want to try out someday.

I bought my keyboard from Leopold with Cherry Browns and switched out the default caps for some Evangelion based caps I found on Etsy 

[xandra]

I've yet to fully build a keyboard myself since I'm not in a place financially that I can actively pursue doing so, but it's on my never ending list of things I want to try out someday.

I bought my keyboard from Leopold with Cherry Browns and switched out the default caps for some Evangelion based caps I found on Etsy

your keycaps are so cool!  FWIW, budget keyboards are a huge part of the hobby if that's helpful at all! <3

[Onio]

i'm so glad you came back and looked at silent switches! that was exactly what i was going to suggest. there's a whole subset of mech keyboards that are quiet, including dampened keyboards. that's a sound that a lot of people are going for. we're taking back the hobby for quiet folks too! xD

If I could afford it, I would like a walnut wood case, insulate the bottom, Gamakay Phoenix switches, o rings and insulation in the larger keys, and some cute custom key caps here and there (like those koi in resin keys.) I might look for a used copy of a keyboard with key caps I like, save the plate, pcb, and keycaps, and save the money for those aforementioned details.

I also learned about the amazingness of the ceramic key cap sound!

Speaking of custom key caps, half of the key caps I saw on Etsy were just purchased in bulk on Alibaba :omg:k: Good old Etsy.

[xandra]

i LOVE wooden cases! i've only ever seen them in pre-order/group buy status, but i'd love for someone to start keeping an inventory of them so it can just be bought. they're also pretty pricey as you mentioned.

also, speaking of custom keys, i got this lil' guy for my escape key:

[xandra]

a lil' update about one of the keebs:

got a spacebar that looks like a snowy mountain in resin! it's a bit bluer than i was intending, but it still looks pretty cool. jury is still out if it'll stay on whiteout or not since it's notably taller than the rest of the keycaps. it might end up on ocean blues. xD



a side view:

[serenefork]

  I have ordered my first mechanical keyboard (an Epomaker EP84 Plus, got it on holiday sale) and I'm waiting for it to ship and deliver! I am really excited for it! I plan on getting different keycaps for it than it is coming with, but that is apparently an expensive project! I am wondering if anyone knows a good website for finding good keycap sets? I have been looking around but I'm not too sure what the best places to be looking are!

[Starstorm_X1]

I have ordered my first mechanical keyboard (an Epomaker EP84 Plus, got it on holiday sale) and I'm waiting for it to ship and deliver! I am really excited for it! I plan on getting different keycaps for it than it is coming with, but that is apparently an expensive project! I am wondering if anyone knows a good website for finding good keycap sets? I have been looking around but I'm not too sure what the best places to be looking are!

A good place to look for shops that sell keycaps is KBDNews's directory! They even warn of vendors that may be shady, and you can even filter vendors by region too! (At least one or two even have custom keycaps!)

Anyways, after a year of obsessively trying different switches, I think I can take a break from the custom keyboard hobby for a bit. Neither of the boards I have sound like much, but I thought I'd still talk about them...

1: A Velocifire TKL61WS, my first mechanical board! Sadly, it's hard to find good switches since it has the older thin socket that only takes certain switches, so I just got some KTT Macaron Yellows on sale and left it like this. Currently have cheapie XDA "Plastic" keycaps from Aliexpress, and I took out the battery and did kind of a "foam mod" and O-Ring mount mod. I'd argue the board leans towards the "clacky" side

2: GMMK1 TKL, which I got on clearance. After looking at many switches, I ultimately settled on the MMD Princess V4 Linears (which are cheap BSun switches) and the Zuoya MDA cat keycaps. This one has the deepest sound of my keyboards, but with a poppy sound. Sadly, one leg broke off, and it turns out that it's a variant that cannot flash SonixQMK, so I can say I'm done with this board. But hey, it's my current daily driver board, and I still love it!

3: Ajazz AKS068, a slightly more experimental but cheap board. I admit, I bought this because 1: I love ergo designs, and 2: I always wanted to try VIA for keyboard configuration. Weirdly, it seems to make every switch sound high-pitched (even the deeper ones!). The stock keycaps and switches (Ajazz-branded Jixian MX Red clones) felt cheap, so I subbed in more substantial parts: XVX Space keycaps of a weird OEM-like profile and Duhuk Lumia (Grain Gold) Bitter Tea/Purple Tea V2 tactiles! It's my current travel board, heh. Hope people like the clackiness of this build!

Anyways, for a potential fourth build, I'll try and see if there's any good 75% boards I can find. Maybe use my Gateron Sea Salt Smoothies and find some more good keycaps? Even though Cherry and OEM profile are common, I do like the MDA profile, and I'm willing to try SA and similar profiles! (Maybe MT3 if Drop does another deep discount like they did earlier this year, heh) As for switches, I found that my best range is 55-58g weight with 3.6-3.7 travel, so that'll hopefully make things easier for me.