Disassembling my Blue Switch Mechanical Keyboard. Lots of pictures.

[Vitalius]

Hi guys,

I had promised to take apart my Blue Switch Mechanical Keyboard from Monoprice.com for $57 without taxes or shipping, at some point or another. I have been putting it off for a while but then decided to do it at work. That was (mostly) a success.

TL;DR:

It is a high quality keyboard (to an extent) with a metal plate that gives it weight and durability. It is very easy to disassemble.

Anyway, on to the pictures. Remember guys, be responsible. Put pictures in spoilers if there are ever more than 1 and they are large (or any combination of either... wait, what? lol). Note that the resolution of these pictures is 2592x1944 but scaled down to Flickr's "large" size (1024xsomething or other). Forgive blurriness where it exists.

My workstation. Front of the keyboard.



Back of the keyboard. Small screw drivers as the orange handled one cannot fit the screws.



Picture of one rubber section (very grippy with a descent amount of area) and one of the large (small, but bigger than the small ones) screws. There are 8 in total around the outer edge of the keyboard.



Picture of the case removed. The screws were too small and it being all black made it hard to take a picture of them. There are 2 smaller screws along one side of the case on the back along with the rest of the screws. Extra reinforcement. I like it.



Picture of the screw holes. The one on the left is the larger one, the one on the right is the smaller one. This is the back of the casing.



Overview and better quality picture of the back of the PCB.



Front of the PCB and the front casing.



Front of the PCB/Keyboard/key caps/etc. The top right is the LEDs and the power/USB cable.



Took all the key caps off. This was the second most frustrating part. It was time consuming.



High quality picture of the Switches and Metal Plate. That black plate will be in a later picture where you can see how thick it is. It is hefty.



Semi-close up of half of the keyboard. Other half in next picture.



Other half. 



Close up of the PCB part where the LEDs and power/USB cable connect.



If you see the smudge on the top key, that is the trouble spot. Someone spilled something while I was away and now that key does not click anymore. It works fine however.



Top view of the Metal Plate.



Glamour shot of the PCB and Metal Plate.



Glamour shot of the PCB, Metal Plate, and Switches/LEDs.



This is where things went wrong. I removed the switch, but if you notice, there are paint scratches on the metal plate. I used a flat head screw driver to pry it up. Mistake #1 (Removing a switch at all).



Disassembled switch. For those who do not know what the inside of one looks like. The spring is a spring, it's point is obvious. The white plastic bit is what goes against that metal piece beside the spring. It is what makes the "click" noise audible. 



It separated (mostly) into individual pieces. The white piece and the Metal piece come off, but I did not want to bother as I feared I would break it.

*SPOILER*

If I had know I had already broken it by removing it from the PCB, I would have done so.



Reassembled switch. It is not hard at all to reassemble these things.



Me about to reinstall the Switch. 



Switch successfully installed (just a bit of force in the right orientation). Or so I thought.



Another high quality shot of the back of the PCB.



Picture of the PCB, the casing, the wire removed for the USB/power, and the tool set I used for this.



These are the USB/Headphone/Microphone in/out ports that are not fully punched out. They use the same housing as the other Mechanical Keyboards that Monoprice sells, and those have a USB hub and Microphone/Headset hub.



Here is the casing on with the keycaps off.

And that is it. After this I put all the keycaps back one, which with the wires on the longer keys, like the spacebar, was a pain the butt. 

I also remove and cleaned the problem switch, the Up Arrow key. I broke it. Now the Page Up and Up Arrow key do not work. I have to use Tab/Home to get to the top of a page now. :( 

I think I can fix it by soldering (as I am sure I broke the solder), but that will have to wait. They are not that important to fix right now. So be warned, do not remove the Switches from the PCB of a Mechanical Keyboard unless you intend to fix them/replace them. And you can replace them with other switches, if you can/are willing to solder.

I will be using the spare switches I got from www.wasdkeys.com to fix it. The Page Up button will be a Red Switch and the Up arrow key will be the default Blue.

I also broke the little metal clamp thing off and now the Up arrow key is nothing more than a Blue without a click. It is weird to me. 

I am pretty sure this voids the warranty so be warned about that too.


So yeah, there is my disassembling of my Mechanical Keyboard. Do not make the same mistakes I did. However, taking it apart made it absurdly easy to clean. Even the glossy case. Just run it under water and wipe it off. Easy as pie. 

Thanks for reading,

Vitalius

[Joshua]

This will make taking mine apart when needed a hell of a lot easier, thanks

[CoolBeans]

You should post this on http://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards

[Vitalius]

You should post this on http://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards

I do not like to step into the world that is Reddit. But I will consider it. :P Thanks for the suggestion.

[L.E.D]

Was the keyboard worth the money ? Or was it actually a well built keyboard ? ( I see the pics but I want your opinion on the actual typing)

[Vitalius]

Was the keyboard worth the money ? Or was it actually a well built keyboard ? ( I see the pics but I want your opinion on the actual typing)

It is a very well built keyboard. I had the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate in my hands at a Microcenter for a while (with a few other mechanical keyboards) and it is as good, if not better than that one. 

Not to say the Blackwidow is a particularly "good" keyboard, but just as an example. Though I only got to use that for about 30 minutes.

The switches are awesome. They do what Blues should do. Click. The one that broke was my own fault as something spilled there and then I broke the clamp that makes the click noise and adds resistance to the key press.

Check my signature for the First Impressions and the Review.

But to answer your question, yes. Imo, it is a very good keyboard for the money. Simple. Durable. It works. That is all that is needed when it is $58 (without shipping/taxes) for something that usually costs $100+ to get quality products. 

I would/will probably buy the Red Switch higher tier version for my next Mechanical Keyboard. Update: Got the CM Quickfire TK red switch edition instead. I want one of every switch if I can to test them out. But that will be far into the future. Other things (like the 9970 290X) come first.

[L.E.D]

It is a very well built keyboard. I had the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate in my hands at a Microcenter for a while (with a few other mechanical keyboards) and it is as good, if not better than that one. 

Not to say the Blackwidow is a particularly "good" keyboard, but just as an example. Though I only got to use that for about 30 minutes.

The switches are awesome. They do what Blues should do. Click. The one that broke was my own fault as something spilled there and then I broke the clamp that makes the click noise and adds resistance to the key press.

My first impressions are here if you want them. 

This is like my review kind of. I will add an addendum to the end of the OP for this purpose. Check back tomorrow (I am so tired, I can barely type this atm, sorry). 

But to answer your question, yes. Imo, it is a very good keyboard for the money. Simple. Durable. It works. That is all that is needed when it is $58 (without shipping/taxes) for something that usually costs $100+ to get quality products. 

I would/will probably buy the Red Switch higher tier version for my next Mechanical Keyboard. I want one of every switch if I can to test them out. But that will be far into the future. Other things (like the 9970) come first.

 

Thanks for the reply, I may be considering this keyboard but I have another question where does the "Blue" switch fall into the line ? I know there is Blue, Red, Brown, I think there is another but I don't quite remember where the fall, IE. Resistance, Noise. (I think other people could answer this if you are going to sleep lol)

[Kira0172]

Thanks for the reply, I may be considering this keyboard but I have another question where does the "Blue" switch fall into the line ? I know there is Blue, Red, Brown, I think there is another but I don't quite remember where the fall, IE. Resistance, Noise. (I think other people could answer this if you are going to sleep lol)

Blue: clicky. Not heavy. Lots of noise.

Green: clicky. Very heavy. Lots of noise.

Brown: clicky. Not heavy. Less noise

Red: not clicky. Light. Less noise

Black: not clicky. Heavier. Less noise

Im on my phone so i explaining more would hurt my thumb as im tired already. Good nightx)

[Vitalius]

Thanks for the reply, I may be considering this keyboard but I have another question where does the "Blue" switch fall into the line ? I know there is Blue, Red, Brown, I think there is another but I don't quite remember where the fall, IE. Resistance, Noise. (I think other people could answer this if you are going to sleep lol)

Blue: clicky. Not heavy. Lots of noise.

Green: clicky. Very heavy. Lots of noise.

Brown: clicky. Not heavy. Less noise

Red: not clicky. Light. Less noise

Black: not clicky. Heavier. Less noise

Im on my phone so i explaining more would hurt my thumb as im tired already. Good nightx)

This.

Note that "Clicky" is different from "Tactile Bump". Blues/Greens are the loudest. And I like them for that. 

There is also Clears too. 

@L.E.D. I do not know about Clears, but if you break the clamp (like I did) on Blues, they are basically Browns.

 

[L.E.D]

Blue: clicky. Not heavy. Lots of noise.

Green: clicky. Very heavy. Lots of noise.

Brown: clicky. Not heavy. Less noise

Red: not clicky. Light. Less noise

Black: not clicky. Heavier. Less noise

Im on my phone so i explaining more would hurt my thumb as im tired already. Good nightx)

 

 

This.

Note that "Clicky" is different from "Tactile Bump". Blues/Greens are the loudest. And I like them for that. 

There is also Clears too. 

@L.E.D. I do not know about Clears, but if you break the clamp (like I did) on Blues, they are basically Browns.

 

 

Thanks guys, I have another question where you write "not heavy" are you talking about the pressure you have to use to push the key ?

[iswedishleafs]

Thanks guys, I have another question where you write "not heavy" are you talking about the pressure you have to use to push the key ?

yes blues take 50 grams of force and reds take 45g.

 

i do not know the others off the top of my head

[L.E.D]

yes blues take 50 grams of force and reds take 45g.

 

i do not know the others off the top of my head

 

So going from a cheap membrane keyboard to that keyboard with blue switches will be a huge jump, I am actually thinking about getting that, too bad they are out of stock....

[iswedishleafs]

Thanks guys, I have another question where you write "not heavy" are you talking about the pressure you have to use to push the key ?

i just checked and blacks take 60g

 

browns take 45g

 

greens take 80g

 

 

edit: also i would suggest blues if u are getting ur first mechanical keyboard

[L.E.D]

i just checked and blacks take 60g

 

browns take 45g

 

greens take 80g

 

 

edit: also i would suggest blues if u are getting ur first mechanical keyboard

 

Thanks, Like I said all I need now is for them to be in stock !

[TheProfosist]

thanks for pulling it apart man, I wish more people would do this especially those who review professionally.

 

 

 

Blue: clicky. Not heavy. Lots of noise.
Green: clicky. Very heavy. Lots of noise.
Brown: clicky. Not heavy. Less noise
Red: not clicky. Light. Less noise
Black: not clicky. Heavier. Less noise

Im on my phone so i explaining more would hurt my thumb as im tired already. Good nightx)

 

your descriptions are a bit vague and none of the non clicky switches themselves make noise.

[WunderWuffle]

thanks for pulling it apart man, I wish more people would do this especially those who review professionally.

 

 

 

 

your descriptions are a bit vague and none of the non clicky switches themselves make noise.

they all do if you bottom them out.

[TheProfosist]

they all do if you bottom them out.

 

Its not the switch that does it. I know I may be arguing semantics slightly here but I dont like seeing the switch being blamed for the noise when it isnt the cause of it.

[WunderWuffle]

Its not the switch that does it. I know I may be arguing semantics slightly here but I dont like seeing the switch being blamed for the noise when it isnt the cause of it.

Oh, alright.

[Kira0172]

Note that if you are buying a blue, that kboard makes tons of noise. You may regret it. My first mechanical kboard was a red and it was fine for me.

[WunderWuffle]

Note that if you are buying a blue, that kboard makes tons of niose. You may regret it. My first mechanical kboard was a red and it was fine for me.

I like how you wrote that in a blue-ish font.

[TheProfosist]

Note that if you are buying a blue, that kboard makes tons of noise. You may regret it. My first mechanical kboard was a red and it was fine for me.

 

I personally dont think blues make all that much noise. Maybe compared to rubber domes they might but to other keyboards there are plenty that are louder. Also think about all the other noises people can be dealing with at their desks i wouldnt label the blue switch keyboard as anywhere near the worst offender.

[Kira0172]

I personally dont think blues make all that much noise. Maybe compared to rubber domes they might but to other keyboards there are plenty that are louder. Also think about all the other noises people can be dealing with at their desks i wouldnt label the blue switch keyboard as anywhere near the worst offender.

I never said it was the loudest tho

 

I'm just saying they are loud. and they are.

[TheProfosist]

I never said it was the loudest tho

 

I'm just saying they are loud. and they are.

 

then your level of loud and my level of loud differ greatly and a blue switch keyboard is NOT for you.

[Kira0172]

then your level of loud and my level of loud differ greatly and a blue switch keyboard is NOT for you.

Since when is loud always a bad thing? i like how loud the blue switches are

[iswedishleafs]

Since when is loud always a bad thing? i like how loud the blue switches are

i cant hear them over my fans lol