Help with mechanical KB build?

Slydemise · August 18, 2019

I am truly getting out of my zone when it comes to keyboards.
Could someone please inform me of all of the parts needed to build an ergonomic mechanical board.

lube
stabilizers
master/slave pcb

keycaps
switches

What solder? Use flux?

I appreciate any help!

Stormseeker9 · August 18, 2019

1 minute ago, Slydemise said:

I am truly getting out of my zone when it comes to keyboards.
Could someone please inform me of all of the parts needed to build an ergonomic mechanical board.

lube
stabilizers
master/slave pcb

keycaps
switches

What solder? Use flux?

I appreciate any help!

Buy a cheapo one be cheaper probably

KeyboardCowboy · August 18, 2019

I agree with the above, designing and building a keyboard from the ground up is more trouble than it's worth, unless there's a valid reason. Ie money and time to burn.

Here's a short read if you want a kit Link

Pretty sure Linus did a vid about this too, might want to check it out.

Spoiler

Master/slave pcb, lol gigity

Dissitesuxba11s · August 18, 2019

6 hours ago, Slydemise said:

Could someone please inform me of all of the parts needed to build an ergonomic mechanical board.

stabilizers
master/slave pcb

Since you mention an ergonomic keyboard, are you talking about a split keyboard? If you are, then you should check out https://keeb.io/ They have a lot of choices and most of the parts can be bought there except the switches and keycaps. If that is not what you meant, then please elaborate.

For the switches and keycaps, there are many affordable options to buy from. Aliexpress, bangood, etc.

For lube, you can get it from here: https://www.1upkeyboards.com/shop/parts-and-tools/lubricant/switch-lubricant-2ml/

6 hours ago, Slydemise said:

What solder? Use flux?

Pretty much any solder that comes with a soldering kit would work.

If you have never soldered before, check out these tutorials:

For flux, just get a good reviewed one but in all honesty, you should be fine with just the solder since most solder has flux in it's core.

b emoji · August 19, 2019

On 8/18/2019 at 3:59 PM, Slydemise said:

lube

This depends heavily on the switch you're using if you lube Gateron Clears with GPL206g2 the lube would be too thick and make the slider stick and not move if you use GPL105 on Cream switches they won't stay due to the pure pom housings and slider. But in general, I would recommend you to use 3203, which is a light-medium lube that can be used on most switches, it's lighter than 3204 and a bit more consistent.

On 8/18/2019 at 3:59 PM, Slydemise said:

stabilizers

Depends on the case and PCB, some keyboards use plate mount while others use PCB mount, the best stabs imo are modded GMK/Cherry screw in stabs. There are also many sizes of stabs, most boards use a few 2U stabs for the mods and a 6.25 or 7U spacebar stab.

On 8/18/2019 at 3:59 PM, Slydemise said:

master/slave pcb

Depends on the layout you want, whether you're using mx or alps. If you want underglow or smd leds built in, whether you want hotswap.

On 8/18/2019 at 3:59 PM, Slydemise said:

keycaps

Colourways and sculpt are heavily based on preference, but you should always try and get a set that has good compatibility that is made by a reputable manufacturer like GMK SP EPBT or JTK. Also some untraditional layouts such as grid boards require you to use unsculpted or blank caps.

On 8/18/2019 at 3:59 PM, Slydemise said:

switches

P R E F E R E N C E
Do you want something tactile? Linear? Silent or not? PCB or Plate mount? Does it need to support smd leds?

It looks like you don't quite know what you want, you should do some research to see what exact layout or case you want to use.