2.1 KiB
2.1 KiB
Ultimate guide to mechanical keyboards
aka how to waste money fast 💵⤵️🕳️
Agenda
- 🔍 Sizes
- 🔳 Keycaps
- 🎛️ Switches
- 🎚️ Stabilizers
- 🧠 PCBs
- 🧱 Cases
- ✨ Mods
🔍 Sizes
Percentage of a full size keyboard
100% - Fullsize
Tenkeyless (TKL) ~80%
75%
From small to tiny
Ergonomic
https://github.com/pashutk/chocofi
🔳 Keycaps
- Uniform
- XDA, DSA - good for custom layouts
- Sculpted
- Cherry, OEM - normal
- SA, MDA - Tall, old school
- Articans
🎛️ Switches
General facts
- Cherry “Mechanical X-Point” technology (MX) from early 1980s
- Gateron, Kailh, Razer, etc build compatible alternatives
insert colorful picture of switches here
🎛️ Switches
Sizes
Normal
- Cherry MX compatible
- Alps
Low profile
- Cherry MX Low Profile
- Kailh Low Profile Choc v1
- Kailh Low Profile Choc v2
🎛️ Switches
Types
Tactile
- Bump when pressing down
Linear
- No bump
- Speed variants with less pre-travel
Clicky
- Tactile bump
- Audible click
🎛️ Switches
- Mounting: 5 Pin vs 3 Pin
- Materials:
- Polycarbonate (PC) - usually top housing
- Nylon (PA66) - usially bottom housing
- Polyoxymethylene (POM) - usually stem
- Self lubricating
- Actuation Force in grams
- Bottom out
- Spring size in mm
- Travel distance in mm
- Total and pre travel before actuation