What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating?

Custom mechanical keyboards are currently of interest to many young people because of the interesting things that conventional keyboards cannot provide, such as unique designs, quality key feel, and flexibility to choose materials as desired. ,…. TipsMake's article below will guide you through customizing a mechanical keyboard in the quickest and easiest way. Do not miss it.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard?

Custom mechanical keyboard means you can flexibly customize the mechanical keyboard to your liking and needs with components including: Switch plate, case and keycap.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 1

There are 2 popular types of custom keyboards as follows:

1. The keyboard kit contains the following components: Case, key plate and sound-absorbing foam. When buying, you only need to add a switch and keycap.
2. Users build everything themselves: buy printed PCB circuits, cases, key plates and many other details, based on the layout you want.

Things to keep in mind when customizing a mechanical keyboard

Before customizing a mechanical keyboard according to your own wishes, you need to note the factors that TipsMake suggests below:

1. Layout

Layout is an important factor that needs to be considered first before customizing because it directly affects the characteristics of that keyboard. These include: The cost of purchasing components, how to use the keyboard and the convenience of experiencing the keycap,. Everything is determined by the layout.

In case you are new and want to optimize costs and easily find replacement components, you can refer to the 60% layout. Currently, this is a fairly popular layout in the mid-range and low-cost segment, so the components of this layout are easy to find and the cost is suitable for many audiences.

In addition, the 60% layout has a moderate size, helping you quickly get used to it and saving space.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 2

2. Case

The higher the hardness of the case and the heavier the weight, the more stable and sturdy it will be when you type. The monolithic aluminum case is currently very popular in the low- and mid-range price segment. For the higher segment, the case will still be aluminum but will have additional copper weights to increase the case's weight and stability.

Besides the materials mentioned above, there are also:

1. Acrylic: Transparent to help show underbody LEDs.
2. Wood: Avoid electric leakage.
3. Plastic : Cheap price, suitable for beginners.

3. Plates

Similar to cases, ptate is also made of many different materials including: Aluminum, mica, copper or carbon,. The most common and easy to find are copper and aluminum. Accordingly, copper will cost about 2.5 - 3 times more than aluminum, but the typing feeling of these two materials is always higher. Plates made of carbon, plastic or mica are not currently widely used.

4. Switch

Once you own a customized mechanical keyboard, the company's keyboards will no longer be attractive to you. Accordingly, new types of switches will give you a more enjoyable experience than conventional switches such as: Red, brown and blue.

Or switches from brands such as Gateron, Kailh and Holy Panda. will make the custom mechanical keyboard 'game' much more interesting than Cherry.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 3

5. Keycaps

If you are passionate about custom mechanical keyboards, the keycap is also an interesting element. Because usually the amount of money spent to buy genuine or retail keycaps will always be greater than the amount of money to buy a keyboard from the beginning. However, for those who are interested in custom keys, this is not a big problem.

In case you are a newbie and want to customize mechanical keys, consider buying the necessary components that fit your budget.

The most detailed guide to customizing a mechanical keyboard

If you are planning to customize a mechanical keyboard but don't know where to start, you can refer to the instructions below. TipsMake will take the Glorious GMMK Pro custom mechanical keyboard as a detailed example. Let's follow along.

Step 1: Prepare necessary components

Glorious GMMK mechanical keyboard is currently being sold in barebone form - The skeleton includes components such as:

1. Circuit board (PCB).
2. Case
3. Switch plate.
4. Sound damper.
5. Rotary encoder.
6. Hot swap switch pin (hot swap socket).
7. The balance bar has been pre-lubed (stabilizer).
8. USB cable. 

So you have to prepare keycaps and switches to perfect Glorious GMMK. Below TipsMake will guide you on how to choose these two components.

Select switch

Currently, switches are divided into 2 basic groups, detailed as follows:

Working group (Typing)

If you intend to customize a mechanical keyboard to serve your work needs and are often in a noise-limited environment, you can consider the 3 options below:

1. Type comfortably and firmly: You should choose a clicky type with a sound similar to a typewriter such as Kailh Box White (50g), Gateron Green (65g), Gateron Blue (55g) or Cherry MX Blue (50g).

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 4

1. Type firmly and with less noise: Tactiles like Glorious Panda (67g), Kailh Box Brown (50g), Gateron Brown (45g) and Cherry MX Brown (45g) are the most suitable choices.
2. Type smoothly and gently: You should prioritize choosing linear lines such as Glorious Lynx (60g), Kailh Box Red (45g), Gateron Red (45g), Gateron Clear (super light 35g), Gateron Black (60g) and Kailh Box Black (60g).

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 5

Gaming group

In gaming groups, priority is often given to switches with high precision and response. So you can refer to Kailh Speed ​​lines such as Bronze (clicky), Cooper (tactile) or Silver (linear).

Kailh Speed ​​is currently a speed line chosen by many gamers because of its sensitive and optimized key reception for very fast and accurate key operations.

In case you are wondering between the above two groups, you can consider the feel of the keys and the speed. If you need a keyboard with fast typing speed, you should choose a gaming switch: Kailh Speed ​​Bronze, Cooper or Silver.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 6

If you focus on key feel, the typing switch group is the choice for you. Note that you need to choose a switch that matches your hand pressure.

In addition, you must also prepare a switch puller to remove the switch in case you want to change another switch later. You should choose the basic switch puller that comes in the box or the specialized Glorious Switch Puller for increased key release performance and a long handle for more comfort.

Select keycap

Currently, keycaps are sold at many different prices, ranging from a few million to tens of millions of dong. But in this section TipsMake will suggest to you keycap sets with reasonable prices, meeting the aesthetics suitable for all audiences.

To save time choosing keycaps, you only need to prepare a set of Glorious PBT keycaps containing all the keys for Glorious GMMK Pro that many people are using today, including:

1. 5 trendy gradient color combinations.
2. 2 aesthetic color schemes Black on White (BoW) and Black on Black (BoB).
3. Highly durable PBT plastic.
4. Dye-Sub characters are clear and detailed.
5. Can be mounted on most mechanical keyboards such as Fullsize, Tenkeyless, 75% or 60%,.

Step 2: Choose keyboard customization components and customize your workspace

Continue to customize your mechanical keyboard differently and uniquely according to your personal style according to the instructions below.

Option 1: Keyboard plate (switch plate)

This plate has the effect of fixing the switches to help increase stability and certainty when you type. To make it easier to choose, you can refer to the table of uses of each type of plate below:

Note: If you are satisfied with the aluminum plate for your keyboard, you can skip option number 1.

Option #2: Top Frame

Glorious has just provided Top Frame users with 4 options: anodized aluminum, 3 electrophoresis colors, which is probably enough for you to customize the Glorious GMMK Pro color according to your preferences.

Depending on your aesthetic taste, you can choose 6 different colors for your keyboard. Accordingly, in this collection, the two colors E-White and E-Yellow are highly appreciated because they use electrophoresis technology to paint the case, giving the surface a very fresh and smooth color. Of course, the 4 anodized aluminum colors are also worth your consideration.

In addition, all gasket parts are pre-glued in these replacement Top Frames, helping users optimize the time spent researching and re-gluing gaskets. This is suitable for everyone from newbies to those with extensive experience in the field of custom keys.

Option 3: Rotary knob (rotary encoder)

The manufacturer has equipped the Glorious GMMK Pro mechanical keyboard with white knobs for the White Ice version and black for the Black Slate version, but you can change their color as you like.

Glorious gives users 3 options: Black, white and yellow (currently yellow is not available on the keyboard). Most people will choose the knob color based on the keycap color to increase aesthetics or according to the plate color you have chosen before.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 7

So in this option you can consider whether to buy more or not.

Option 4: Artisan custom USB-C cable

Although the USB cable is already in the box, usually to achieve the highest aesthetic effect, you should choose Glorious's Artisan USB-C cable: Glorious Coiled Cable.

To be able to choose a USB cable that is both quality and beautiful, you can rely on the following criteria:

1. Choose by keycap color scheme:  Based on the tone of the keycap, you can choose a similar wire color or depending on your purpose, you want the wire to stand out or blend in with the setup.
2. Choose according to the color scheme of the keyboard: Depending on the color of Glorious GMMK Pro, White Ice is Ghost White and Black Ash is Phantom Black. There are also two outstanding options that suit your preferences: Crimson Red wire with gaming quality or Nebula wire with dreamy style.
3. Choose according to the color scheme of the table or deskmat (large mouse pad):  This color scheme will make your cable sink into the setup space so it depends on each person's perspective.

Option 5: Armrest

This is a very important option whether you are using a custom keyboard or another existing mechanical keyboard. Armrests are currently divided into two main types: hard armrests (wood) and soft armrests.

You can refer to the armrest of the Filco brand from Japan, which specializes in manufacturing mechanical keyboards, so this company's components always achieve a certain quality and ergonomics.

1. Hard armrest (wood): This group will often optimize typing feeling, sound and typing speed for the user.

What is a Custom mechanical keyboard? What to prepare when operating? Picture 8

1. Soft armrest group (macaron) : This group prioritizes comfort when typing for long periods of time. Typing speed is faster than without using a wrist rest, but the sound of typing and typing speed does not make the arm rest stiff.
   1. Wooden armrests are suitable when you need to aim for work performance, fast typing speed and aesthetics.
   2. If you need comfort when using the computer regularly for long periods of time, choose a soft armrest like Filco Macaron.

Currently, Filco Macaron is very diverse in color to suit the user's setup and preferences.

Step 3: Keyboard preservation tool

Preserving and cleaning the keyboard is always an important factor to help your keyboard last longer. Below is a suggested list of must-have accessories when customizing a mechanical keyboard that you should keep in mind:

1. Must have a dust broom.
2. Keyboard bag.
3. Velcro strap keeps it in place.
4. There is a strap to lift the keyboard out easily.
5. Shockproof.
6. Shock resistance.
7. Anti-dust.
8. A safe place to store the keyboard when not in use.
9. Has a separate compartment or box for accessories.
10. Must have anti-jam YKK zippers - this is an important component.

Epilogue

Above is all the information about custom mechanical keyboards that TipsMake has introduced to you. Hopefully after reading the above article, you can customize for yourself a beautiful and desirable mechanical keyboard. If you have any unclear issues about the custom keyboard, you can leave a comment here to be answered immediately by TipsMake's staff.

David Pac

Update 10 October 2023