Designing black/white keyboard, diy please

[Linuswasright]

As the title says, looking for a black/white diy keyboard, sub 60-80$ (idk what a good cost is for a cheap mediocre diy leybord, as low as possible without it being unusable)
 

In the US, mainly gaming
 

I’ve been looking around, and all the designing websites are weird and n out really as intuitive as pcpp
 

Thank you

[saintlouisbagels]

$60 is barely enough for a cheap prebuilt mechanical keyboard...

Unless I am misunderstanding something, there's no way in hell you're making a full DIY keyboard for $60-80.

[Linuswasright]

36 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

$60 is barely enough for a cheap prebuilt mechanical keyboard...

Unless I am misunderstanding something, there's no way in hell you're making a full DIY keyboard for $60-80.

Idk the proper pricing, that’s why I asked… just give a vibes build at as low a price possible, probs black and white. I don’t care about how good it is, I just want to make a keyboard for fun. I also know how to solder.
 

I never thought I’d say this but I wish it was as straightforward as pcs lol. Thanks for being so helpful

[OhYou_]

im not sure what you mean by diy, because diy keyboards in all cases cost more than one you just buy.
the only reason people do diy keyboards are to accommodate specific or uncommon designs, layouts, styles, ect.

you can surely find what you are looking for on amazon and if not, then find the cheapest black or white keyboard with cherry mx compatible stem switches, and buy a full set of the opposite colour keys.

[Linuswasright]

22 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

im not sure what you mean by diy, because diy keyboards in all cases cost more than one you just buy.
the only reason people do diy keyboards are to accommodate specific or uncommon designs, layouts, styles, ect.

you can surely find what you are looking for on amazon and if not, then find the cheapest black or white keyboard with cherry mx compatible stem switches, and buy a full set of the opposite colour keys.

I know they cost more, I just want to build a keyboard for fun, you know? I just think it’d be a fun little adventure, but I’ll keep what you’re saying in mind. 
 

 

[saintlouisbagels]

2 hours ago, Linuswasright said:

Idk the proper pricing, that’s why I asked… just give a vibes build at as low a price possible, probs black and white. I don’t care about how good it is, I just want to make a keyboard for fun. I also know how to solder.

Soldering isn't necessary anymore since DIY kits (and most decent keyboards) use PCBs with sockets for hot-swappable switches. If it was early 2010's, you'd be soldering switches and diodes.

 

Cheap switches are ~$20, good switches are $60-$100

Cheap keycaps are ~$20, good keycaps can be $300

Cheap DIY kits are like $50,, good kits start at like $150

Then you also want to buy springs, and a lubing station (~$20 for cheap)

 

Other the other hand, you can simply try to find like the cheapest possible hot-swappable keyboards on Amazon

This Keychron C2 is probably a good starting point for you since it's already black and white.

https://www.amazon.com/Keychron-Mechanical-Keyboard-Hot-swappable-Backlight/dp/B08CN9TWJK/

[Linuswasright]

17 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Soldering isn't necessary anymore since DIY kits (and most decent keyboards) use PCBs with sockets for hot-swappable switches. If it was early 2010's, you'd be soldering switches and diodes.

 

Cheap switches are ~$20, good switches are $60-$100

Cheap keycaps are ~$20, good keycaps can be $300

Cheap DIY kits are like $50,, good kits start at like $150

Then you also want to buy springs, and a lubing station (~$20 for cheap)

 

Other the other hand, you can simply try to find like the cheapest possible hot-swappable keyboards on Amazon

This Keychron C2 is probably a good starting point for you since it's already black and white.

https://www.amazon.com/Keychron-Mechanical-Keyboard-Hot-swappable-Backlight/dp/B08CN9TWJK/

Where do you find the switches, keycaps, and diy stuff? Do you also have to buy the lubing station or is that helpful/optional?
 

Ill look into that, but I still kind of want to still assemble the thing myself, you know?
 

Thanks for helping out so much

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

9 minutes ago, Linuswasright said:

Where do you find the switches, keycaps, and diy stuff? Do you also have to buy the lubing station or is that helpful/optional?

Lubing station is optional, it is just a nice tool/set of tools when you intend to open all the switches and lube them yourself. A lot of switches come with pretty good factory lubing nowadays, so personally I would consider this highly optional.

 

In terms of where to get all of this stuff, amazon can have them, but there are dedicated shops out there (depending a bit on region in the world). A good list with vendors/sites is here: https://www.alexotos.com/keyboard-vendor-list/

 

If you want to assemble everything, look into a barebones kit. They usually contain the case, plate, and pcb (plus some optional foam etc.), you will then have to supply the switches, keycaps, and stabilizers.

 

A cheap combo would be:

• $30 https://www.monsgeek.com/product/mg75w-kit/ a 75% board, the full-size is apparently out of stock. Both black and white
• $16-$26 for switches on the same page
• $45 for WOB keycaps from keychron (https://kineticlabs.com/keycaps/keychron/keychron-white-on-black-wob-pbt-keycaps or https://www.keychron.com/collections/all-keycaps/products/cherry-profile-double-shot-pbt-full-set-keycaps-white-on-black-wob)

Alternatively you can also look for a cheaper set of keycaps on amazon etc.

[Linuswasright]

1 hour ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

Lubing station is optional, it is just a nice tool/set of tools when you intend to open all the switches and lube them yourself. A lot of switches come with pretty good factory lubing nowadays, so personally I would consider this highly optional.

 

In terms of where to get all of this stuff, amazon can have them, but there are dedicated shops out there (depending a bit on region in the world). A good list with vendors/sites is here: https://www.alexotos.com/keyboard-vendor-list/

 

If you want to assemble everything, look into a barebones kit. They usually contain the case, plate, and pcb (plus some optional foam etc.), you will then have to supply the switches, keycaps, and stabilizers.

 

A cheap combo would be:

• $30 https://www.monsgeek.com/product/mg75w-kit/ a 75% board, the full-size is apparently out of stock. Both black and white
• $16-$26 for switches on the same page
• $45 for WOB keycaps from keychron (https://kineticlabs.com/keycaps/keychron/keychron-white-on-black-wob-pbt-keycaps or https://www.keychron.com/collections/all-keycaps/products/cherry-profile-double-shot-pbt-full-set-keycaps-white-on-black-wob)

Alternatively you can also look for a cheaper set of keycaps on amazon etc.

You’ve been super helpful, thank you so mich
 

One last question:
Would these work well together? (White on black with the white base and BoW keys)
 

https://www.monsgeek.com/product/mg75w-kit/

 

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k-pro-switch?variant=40481265877081&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoryIaViJMBAdaixw8jOE5lQffheBLkirgK2LXVVFD4ARWSpYwYbFYI&com_cvv=d30042528f072ba8a22b19c81250437cd47a2f30330f0ed03551c4efdaf3409e

 

https://www.keychron.com/products/double-shot-abs-full-set-keycap-set?variant=39417060786265

 

[saintlouisbagels]

1 hour ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

A cheap combo would be:

• $30 https://www.monsgeek.com/product/mg75w-kit/ a 75% board, the full-size is apparently out of stock. Both black and white

It's unbelievable how cheap that Mongeek set is 

[saintlouisbagels]

17 minutes ago, Linuswasright said:

You’ve been super helpful, thank you so mich
 

One last question:
Would these work well together? (White on black with the white base and BoW keys)
 

https://www.monsgeek.com/product/mg75w-kit/

 

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k-pro-switch?variant=40481265877081&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoryIaViJMBAdaixw8jOE5lQffheBLkirgK2LXVVFD4ARWSpYwYbFYI&com_cvv=d30042528f072ba8a22b19c81250437cd47a2f30330f0ed03551c4efdaf3409e

 

https://www.keychron.com/collections/all-keycaps/products/low-profile-abs-full-set-keycap-set

 

Low-Profile keycaps on full-sized switches might look a little bizarre, but technically you're fine.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/s41q4b/seeking_low_profile_keycaps_for_regular_switches/

You might run into issues with the larger keys like Enter and Shift.

 

All of those things work.* Custom keyboards are very very straightforward 

I recommend Gateron G Pro switches.

Or maybe the (Milky) Yellow Gaterons since a lot of people find them very satisfying.

[Linuswasright]

6 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Low-Profile keycaps on full-sized switches might look a little bizarre, but technically you're fine.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/s41q4b/seeking_low_profile_keycaps_for_regular_switches/

You might run into issues with the larger keys like Enter and Shift.

 

All of those things work.* Custom keyboards are very very straightforward 

I recommend Gateron G Pro switches.

Or maybe the (Milky) Yellow Gaterons since a lot of people find them very satisfying.

What’s the difference between lp and normal? I’m assuming it doesn’t mean it gets all its energy from the pcie slot lol
 

Are there any good cheap full keycaps?

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

16 minutes ago, Linuswasright said:

Would these work well together? (White on black with the white base and BoW keys)
 

https://www.monsgeek.com/product/mg75w-kit/

 

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k-pro-switch?variant=40481265877081&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoryIaViJMBAdaixw8jOE5lQffheBLkirgK2LXVVFD4ARWSpYwYbFYI&com_cvv=d30042528f072ba8a22b19c81250437cd47a2f30330f0ed03551c4efdaf3409e

 

 

https://www.keychron.com/products/double-shot-abs-full-set-keycap-set?variant=39417060786265

 

 

They should work, no issues.

 

They are all pretty standard, the PCB is what is called "5-pin" compatible. Means the PCB has a socket (2 pins) for each switch, plus the large center hole and two smaller holes for some extra legs on the switches (2+3 =5 "pins"). The switches you linked are what is called "Cherry MX compatible" (meaning they are basically Cherry MX clones) and "3-pin", meaning they miss the two extra legs. These are optional anyway, so no issue here.

In terms of switches, I would recommend to think about getting a "switch tester", a variety pack of switches from one or more vendors:

https://www.keychron.com/collections/switch-tester

They can give you a nice idea what the differences between various switches are, though obviously the full experience only comes with building a full board with them.

 

The keycaps should work nicely, they are regular full-size and pretty good quality for the price imho (got two sets of the "Retro" color aka JM-101).

 

 

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

5 minutes ago, Linuswasright said:

What’s the difference between lp and normal? I’m assuming it doesn’t mean it gets all its energy from the pcie slot lol
 

Are there any good cheap full keycaps?

Low profile would mean for something like those slim keyboards, i.e. like this:

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k7-max-qmk-via-wireless-custom-mechanical-keyboard

 

[saintlouisbagels]

8 minutes ago, Linuswasright said:

What’s the difference between lp and normal? I’m assuming it doesn’t mean it gets all its energy from the pcie slot lol

2 minutes ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

Low profile would mean for something like those slim keyboards, i.e. like this:

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k7-max-qmk-via-wireless-custom-mechanical-keyboard

 

oh my bad, for some reason when I clicked the link it lead me to low-profile keycaps.

[atarione]

you can do it... should you?  up to .. budget is pretty low.

 

however you could on aliexpress buy a GMK67 and cheap switches and keycaps for ~$60 (look for superdeals or whatever they call it?)

 

exhibit A. my own $60~ GMKG7 ($27) switches ~$20 (outemu silent lime v2) and $15 WOB pbt doubleshot keycaps.

 

 

I've got no idea how **** this thing is but it is $29 (plus 20% off) so this and some cheap akko switches and some cheap keycaps and you could be in under $80 I would think?

 

https://www.amazon.com/GTSP-Mouted，Blank-Mechanical-Swappable-South-Facing/dp/B0CXHWYRSV/ref=sr_1_18?crid=VPP869CYNDYO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fMbjyk6QshpbC3nsuvtmUmh-43xq2Xi58NMYdn1OM-RYfxYBiuexxWCINjCZpVGAu2NaM7KK5NKuYRo6Cl-y-kiMOhwPj9a0lLkszV5SnaoQq7vvacfyFemvKCZk7ARgyEWpOBpOewOPuxXVGcR6jCgYZmi8kbN41xO3ikrWxqxdInkMr2pYbJ3ZNPRRhh6c.fCEdp_guWkn3hBtDv9L0YvcpzrFlXpxY326oxdoFoVA&dib_tag=se&keywords=hotswap%2Bmechanical%2Bkeyboard%2Bkit&qid=1713318043&sprefix=hotswap%2Bmechanical%2Bkeyboard%2Bkit%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-18&th=1

 

I like that they call it 75% but it is clearly a 80% TKL...so that is confidence inspiring from the jump I guess?