Polycarbonate is also another popular option we’re seeing these days, where there are some who believe that it offers up a better sound. Take note that for the most part, a lot of these PCBs are programmable which means that you can remap the keys according to your own personal preference and style. © 2020 TechSpot, Inc. All Rights Reserved. There are six components you’ll need to put together a functioning keyboard along with a USB cable: All of these parts have a wide range of options to personalize your keyboard and many options for one part can determine or limit your options for another. You are more limited in color choice with the majority of cases coming in black and sometimes white. Losing the requirement to have legends on your keys significantly opens up your options with non-standard layouts especially if you go with a non-sculpted key profile like DSA. If you want a programmable keyboard in a 60 percent format with dedicated arrow keys but it is only available without the programmability, then you will need to make compromises and choose the features that are most important to you. No specialty stores are required here, Amazon has everything you need, but you do need to buy the right tools for the job and there are certain features that you may want to pay extra for. There are also things like actuation force and spring weight to take into consideration. The majority of PCBs also include RGB lighting options, or at the very least, the option to solder in switch mounted backlights. Cases are usually available in one of 4 different materials. Some might prefer plates made out of more flexible materials like polycarbonate or carbon fiber, with the theory being that because it is more flexible, it makes the typing experience feel less rigid, which can also contribute to it sounding “better”. If you’re looking to dive into the (somewhat expensive) world of custom mechanical keyboards, you’ve come to the right place as this guide will take you through the steps and point you in the right direction on how to get started. Most off the shelf keyboards don’t offer the ability to reprogram each key’s function and with the ones that do, your remaining components are limited to whatever choices the manufacturer has made for you. TKL – The TKL form factor is a slightly more popular one in custom mechanical keyboards compared to a full-sized layout. While keyboards from those companies are perfectly fine, we’re going to assume that you’re looking for something more, which is why you’re reading this guide. If you're not willing to wait and you're prepared to spend whatever it takes, Originative offers a wide variety of keysets from high quality brands like GMK and Signature Plastics. KBDfans has a huge selection of components and they carry more cases and PCBs than any retailer I've seen. Some people prefer this, but it’s something to bear in mind. Also, when it comes to PCBs, in some instances, some vendors might offer hotswappable PCBs. 1UP Keyboards is another one stop shopping destination for mechanical keyboard parts. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing... You need to be a member to leave a comment. I personally recommend brown switches, either Gateron or Cherry. That being said, there are still several vendors that do sell ready-stock parts, but your choices might be limited. They provide a tactile bump on actuation while still being tame enough not to interfere when gaming and quiet enough not to annoy your neighbours. These are essential for keyboards and for the most part, all the stabilizers sold out there are good enough to get the job done. Plate (optional): This is completely optional because you can build a keyboard without a plate. The mounting plate is one of the last components you should select as it is dependant on your case and PCB choices. Plates, like cases, are also offered in varying materials ranging from aluminum to brass to polycarbonate to carbon fiber. This isn’t very likely but it’s something to keep in mind. Note that when picking a stabilizer, sometimes they are sold as either plate or PCB mounted stabilizers. These four attributes make for a wide range of different feeling switches. If you’re not one for making compromises, it may be time to build your own. With our keyboard designer tool, you can customize your keyboard to match your style. In terms of picking the right switch for you, it really boils down to personal preference. This is another example of how one component can help in the selection of another. You can find some good options this way but it's much easier if you can get multiple parts from the same source. Choosing the correct PCB might seem like a daunting task but it provides some of the most interesting customization options for your keyboard. Switches these days are also being made out of a variety of different plastics due to the belief that certain plastics feel smoother or sound better, but generally speaking, switches are something you need to try for yourself in order to get a better understanding. Depending on the model, this is either done with external software and then flashed onto the board’s firmware, or it is done directly on the keyboard through specific key combinations. Choose your design, choose your switch—that’s it. If you choose a board with pre-soldered RGB LEDs this will achieve a nice underglow effect that can be accentuated with a clear or frosted acrylic case. This is because with it being such a niche hobby, it’s hard to determine how many people would actually buy a particular keyboard or keycap set, so it doesn’t make sense for a seller to keep them in inventory. All mechanical keyboards require switches and all mechanical switches perform the same basic task—each type of switch just does it a little bit differently. If you don’t feel like spending money on something you may only use a handful of times, I recommend going to your local computer store and testing various demo boards and take note of the switch type and how they feel. Given that the keycaps are what you’ll be looking at most of the time, it’s important to pick one that you like. Cut and stacked acrylic (held together by stand-offs) is also pretty popular these days due to the relative ease of manufacturing where you would essentially only need a laser cutter. Elon Musk sides with Edward Snowden, has seen no evidence of advanced civilizations visiting... Crysis Remastered patch promises better performance on modern hardware, Amazon customers report having their PS5 deliveries being stolen by drivers, E3 2020 analysis shows significant shift toward female protagonists in games, Ad-free TechSpot experience while supporting our work. Make sure to choose the correct size, usually anywhere between .03 and .06 will work here. What this means is that you don’t need to solder your switches into place, but you can just press them in. Plastic cases are still plenty strong and less likely to show scratches. Some enthusiasts might prefer certain brands over others, but if you’re looking to build your first mechanical keyboard, you can’t really go wrong with Cherry stabilizers.