Are we spending a lot of time at our desks? I spend a good amount of time at my computer throughout each day. My computer is actually awake before me on the normal as I’ll turn it on while
on my way to make coffee. When I have my cup of acidic tannin water I head to the computer that’s patiently waiting. I start by looking at what my day is going to look like and try to get a schedule organized. Once I’ve done that I enjoy a cup while I do my daily tasks on an MMO video game, which is on my computer. Once I’ve finished the daily tasks and I feel awake my day begins. I start working on projects, assignments, and research, on my computer. Recently I’ve been very involved and interested in coding, specifically HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. After I have gotten a good progression on the tasks at hand or I end up drained and needing a break I load up an FPS shooter game on my computer. Then on my days off I’ll play games or work out my schedule for the coming week ahead through a program on my computer. Are we starting to get the idea? My dog and I go on a walk, I cook my meals but most of my day is spent at my computer. Throughout the past years I’ve cycled through PC’s, mice, keyboards, and monitors. Something I’ve been doing is when it’s time to replace these items that wear out, or need a change, I have been significantly upgrading to better quality that will last and perform for much longer. However, there is one item that I haven’t thought about upgrading when needing replacements and that’s my keyboard. One of the most important and mandatory peripherals needed for a computer. Without the keyboard, using a computer will be very difficult to navigate, use, and work with. I’m going to share my experience with building my first custom mechanical keyboard and go over the reasons I decided to go custom.
The first “good” keyboard I purchased was a gaming keyboard that came with “Cherry MX red” switches. Now, when I purchased this keyboard I didn’t know anything about keyboards and I thought the words, “Cherry MX red’s” was a brand name of switch that is well known and used frequently. After a few years I realized I don’t really know what Cherry MX red really is and I know that I didn’t like how far I had to depress the key at times to actuate the switch. The distance it takes to depress the switch and actuate it is referred to as the “travel” from here I will be using the term travel.
When it came time to get a new keyboard (which I was finding is frequent) I took some time to google Cherry MX reds and learned that they are a “linear” switch made by a brand called Cherry MX. Okay, so now I know that Cherry MX is just a switch brand and the red is their linear option. The switch is much more involved but this is what I knew after reading about reds. Next, I wanted a switch similar to the red but has less travel. My reason for this is because I have used reds the whole time and I had no idea of the other types of switches out there. Another quick google search and I found out about Cherry MX speed silvers which is a linear switch similar to the red but has half the travel. Perfect! I found the switch for me!
During my gaming moments and even sometimes during my workflow my mouse would smash against the side of the number pad on the keyboard. This number pad has been incredibly helpful for me in my old career but now that I’m onto something else I rarely ever touch my number pad but to put in verification codes, card numbers when paying online, and phone numbers for my computer calling. One day while I was playing a game I moved my mouse really quickly to the left and smashed my mouse into the side of the keyboard. This left a quite sizable hole in the side of my mouse and some cosmetic damage to my keyboard. Then it dawned on me, I’ve seen all these people online using super small keyboards that are incredibly minimal and don’t have a lot of switches, arrows, or a number pad. If I get something smaller than I can have more mouse space for when I game but still have a functioning and nice keyboard. Time to look up different keyboard sizes and types. I came across an article called Keyboard Sizes & Layouts. Where I found out that this minimalistic style I wanted was called 60%. With the knowledge of what switch I want and what size I want I found a keyboard from the same brand with the switches and the size I’m looking for! Not only that, it was $140 less than the one I originally used! I hastily ordered the product and it arrived nearly the next day.
Okay so I found the perfect keyboard now right? Initially I really enjoyed this keyboard, it has all the features that I wanted… until it wasn’t. Through using the keyboard I ran into a couple other issues, one of which was the lack of function keys: F1 – F12. I didn’t know that I used these keys all the time to open a calculator, program them to perform certain tasks, and shortcut to all kinds of window functions. The arrow keys were very deeply mixed into the shortcomings that I experienced. While coding and learning how to navigate my writing software I found the arrow keys are so vital to the legend. To reach down and navigate a function key in order to use these arrows was not very easy to do for me and I may as well have been using my mouse. If you know about writing languages you know that whenever you use your mouse it slows down your work. It’s not efficient for productivity and also made me lose my work flow a few times because I started thinking about “how can I change this?” Alright, I need function keys and the arrow keys. The number pad is still something that I wasn’t using often as I can reach up and type the numbers from typing normally. Data entry is minimal for me so I still don’t need it and for my gaming I don’t want that feature either. I was torn between 75% and TKL(ten keyless, no number pad) but I decided that TKL was the better option.
Another issue that I was running into was this keyboard was buggy… or glitchy? Corsair keyboards have customization software that allows you to change the pull rate, adjust the rgb lighting, and program any programmable keys. This sounds very cool but it doesn’t work half the time. As in, it’s supposed to work on start up but it just doesn’t boot half the time, fails to find a device, and can’t really control the lighting of the keyboard most of the time. Not only those items but it also slows my computer down significantly and uses 16% of my cpu just to be running (according to task manager) which causes hiccups.
Regardless of this software being an issue, as I depressed certain switches on the keyboard such as ‘E’ for example it would also press ‘Shift’ at the same time. Before you start thinking, well you just press shift on accident and blame the keyboard. One, this was never an issue prior to having this keyboard and two, I tested it by pressing one key with my index finger and it still activated the other key. This problem was tricky as there isn’t a clear answer to why this might be happening. Especially without the lack of electrical engineering knowledge I have, I can’t seem to find what would cause this. As I use mechanical switches it’s far less likely to be a “stuck” key so the closest guess I could make was that it’s an issue with the PCB circuitry.
This is a good time to explain a couple parts of the keyboard. I’m no expert so here’s a very simple way to explain.
-The PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board, and it consists of metals used to make connections between the electronic components. Each connection has a line of metal that attaches one part to another like a string. These lines run very closely together and the board they reside on has been designed so that electricity can’t jump or hop between these lines to send wrong signals. Sometimes the design has flaws and can cause electricity to jump to other lines. Additionally an object can end up on the circuit board and transfer the electricity between these lines. As well as damage from water or other conductive exposures. If you want to learn more about the structure of a PCB then check out this article here, What is a PCB and Intro to PCB Design.
-The plate, resting just millimeters above the PCB. The plate’s job is structural support for both the switches and protection for the PCB. This plate is often made of many different materials and the changing of these materials can alter the typing feel and the sound of the keyboard. Softer materials make quieter keyboards but they have more flex. Harder materials have more audible clicks and less flex to the keyboard.
-The switches reside on the PCB and through the plate simultaneously. They have metals to make connections with the PCB on the bottom and structurally supported by the plate to keep them in place. Switches have an entire build within themselves that is not as electronically involved as a PCB but mechanically complex. There are many different kinds of switches out there and finding the best one for you isn’t very black and white. To narrow it down there are four types of switches; linear, Tactile, clicky, and proprietary. As a data driven person I really appreciate the website RTings.com and their write up of switches. Mechanical Switches How to Choose
Okay so what if it is a switch and not the PCB? If that is the case then I can’t actually remove the switch to find out if there is a problem with it. This is because the PCB in most complete keyboards on the market are made of soldered PCB. This is where the switches and PCB connect to each other and the manufacturer micro welds in the switch. Meaning I can’t just take the switch out and replace it with a new one… easily. I would have to solder out the switch and solder in a new one. Thankfully, manufacturers changed this and designed PCBs that allow you to remove and replace the switches anytime without soldering.
These PCBs are called hot-swappable PCBs and are sold on some complete keyboards but it’s more rare to find. In the image above you can see holes in the PCB. These holes are where the switches lock into. Using a hot-swappable keyboard will make replacing parts easier and also I can pick n pull switches whenever I want.
Determining what switch I want to use was justified as “…I have used reds the whole time.” However, linear is good for gaming but typing is a different experience and I find myself backspacing frequently from accidentally pressing switches on occasion without effort. Great for gaming but not so much workflow. Never having used a tactile switch I decided to give Cherry MX Brown switches a try. These are a favorite tactile switch by many users and if I don’t like them I can just swap them out for something else, thanks to the hot swappable PCB. From stats alone, I’m unable to determine which switch will be best for me in practice so having the capability to change them is important to me.
During my time in finding out what I would like in a keyboard I came across a key few words and those are ABS and PBT and they refer to keycaps. Now something that I’ve noticed about my keyboards in the past is that the keycaps have a lifespan. On some keycaps the letters would wear away such as on my spacebar and enter key. While other keycaps lost their letters and became incredibly thin such as the W, A, S, and D keys. This is something that I’ve just lived with and would go to the manufacturers website to order replacements. ABS and PBT are the plastics used to manufacture keycaps and each of them have benefits. ABS stands for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and is a copolymer plastic. These keycaps are cheap to produce, durable, flexible, and smooth textured. ABS keycaps are also resistant to damage due to their flexibility impacts are less likely to crack the plastic. ABS can absorb oils from your fingers at a faster rate than the other option. They typically don’t last or resist as long as PBT keycaps. PBT stands for polybutylene terephthalate, it is a polymer plastic that’s very resistant to many environmental variables. PBT is very stiff and doesn’t flex in the way ABS does. It’s very condensed, meaning it’s brittle and able to be cracked. PBT is resistant to thinning and is more durable than ABS. They are louder than their other option but the sound is minimal. Having never used anything other than ABS I decided, I will give PBT a try. A YouTube user named TechLead suggested using PBT in his video titled, Best Mechanical Keyboards for Programming 2022 (160 WPM typing speed). He has very informative videos and I suggest checking him out.
It’s insane that one simple decision to upgrade my keyboard and go beyond the usual replace, use, toss, and repeat led me down this rabbit hole of research. I found things that I thought I wanted and purchased a keyboard I thought would be good for me. The more I learned about my needs the more I discovered my “ideal” keyboard. When I took time to find a keyboard that suited what I wanted I just couldn’t find anything on the mass market that is; hot swappable, TKL layout, doesn’t require software, has Cherry MX brown switches, and PBT keycaps. Everything I found didn’t fit my style and aesthetics play a part for me. Every keyboard I found in my price range had something to it that I really didn’t want and the ones that were pre built but tick the boxes were very expensive. I decided to go somewhere in between the price range. Spending a little bit more than I wanted to on a keyboard but getting everything I was looking for in a keyboard. Sharing my experience with you is my way of telling you. You will only find your ideal keyboard through trial and error. If you use a keyboard everyday I highly recommend investing in a custom build that you can change as your preference changes. During my time looking into keyboards I discovered an entire hobby I wouldn’t have known existed. There’re many keyboard maniacs out there that build custom keyboards for themselves often and test various methods to make their keyboard sound, feel, and perform a specific way. While I spent a bit more to do so, I have a daily tool that I can adjust to my lifestyle and preference.
