I will be taking you through what you need, how to assemble it, how to program it, and how to improve it or make it your ow… Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, It's one of the strangest layouts on the list, and the central piece is very reminiscent of HAL 9000. Regular price $3.90 $14.90. You'll notice if you compare the third image to the row layer from the matrix that they match. Each dot on the matrix represents a switch, on a number pad it's pretty easy to keep track of what's what. Mechanical keyboards can be very expensive, but they don't often look as expensive as this one which combines a number of parts from Massdrop like the KBC Poker II keyboard and the Zinc Gold Tone 37 keyset. Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors. While not a deal-breaker, I've been wanting to get into custom mechanical keyboards and this was a good introduction. Install your stabilisers into your plate (if you haven't already in Step 2). Use the guide you wrote out on which pin goes to which row/column you created in Step 1. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, Cyber Monday 2020: the best PC gaming deals you can pick up right now, Bungie boss says the studio has been working on new games for three years. © We recently had a self-confessed mechanical keyboard obsessive introduce us to the world of custom keysets, fancy switches and soldering your own board. $6.90. It's another one from DannyDaKid on Reddit. Remove the controller board and matrix from within the number pad and take a look at how things are laid out. It's made out of an old ASCII GameCube controller, and both the controller and the keyboard work. The mechanical buttons always have a better feedback. Connect to one row terminal and one column terminal and observe whether the measurement is a positive or negative number. PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Build your own custom mechanical keyboard, Sweet 16 macropad, pre-assembled boards, or add a new controller to make your HHKB, FC660C, or Quickfire Rapid fully programmable. Some of them are so good they might inspire you to start customizing, too. While not a deal-breaker, I've been wanting to get into custom mechanical keyboards and this was a good introduction. 1 Set of plate-mount stabilisers. Materials Used… GeekHack forum user Clemence really likes The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and has made custom kits as an homage. The next keyboard is from Reddit user EnigmaSA, which looks great mounted on a wooden board. When ordering, please be sure to order the color profile you want based on the number shown in the images corresponding with your desired color. Custom Macro Mechanical Keypad: In this Instructable I will be taking you through the basics of creating your own 6 keyed macropad, controlled by an Arduino. Please refresh the page and try again. The goal in this build is to replicate this same matrix but with mechanical switches. Rubber dome key switches work by pressing contacts on each layer of the matrix together. There was a problem. But you can also end up with a one-of-a-kind keyboard that you love. 17 Cherry compatible switches of your choosing (I used Kailh Box Whites), 1 3D printed case (I used this model with some slight modifications: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1699785. They are perfect for fitting to a numpad which has a custom fucntion row at the top such as the KC21: HERE They come in several different color profiles which are pictured in the the gallery above. The best keyboards around don't stop at our list of best gaming keyboards. Nice mod. Of course Escape is the Don't Panic key. The numpad is switched over to the left, and it has Overcast DSA keycaps. Add in the bright colors and the nice mahogany spacebar, and you've got an exciting looking keyboard. I found it easier to make a loop on one end of the diode before placing it over the switch pin as this gave somewhere for the solder to adhere. As you can probably tell, this one is designed with Counter Strike: Global Offensive in mind, and there are multiple color schemes to be found on the keyboard's MassDrop page. Bend up the other lead from the diodes and place a piece of wire across them. Separate the three pieces of the matrix and discard the blank, middle piece. It doesn't have a numpad, but some of the keys on the main board have been replaced to make way for 1-3. This set of beauties is called the Carbon collection, and is being shown off here by techmattr on Reddit. Once the rows are complete, repeat this with the columns (no diodes required for the columns), Desolder the plugs from the controller board where the matrix connected and replace with the wire you'll use to connect to your shiny new mechanical switch matrix. Visit our corporate site. Cyber Monday deals: see all the best offers right now! GK GK21S Dual-Mode Wireless Mechanical Numpad Kit. Reddit user DannyDaKid has shown off his custom Norbauer keyboard, with replacements like "Rescan" for Backspace, and "Fwd" and "Aft" for up and down. Limited Time Sale Easy Return. Use this inform your decision on diode orientation. An XDA profile keycap set for MX stem mechanical keyboards. NOTE: The polarity of the diodes is important! 1Up Keyboards Mechanical Keyboard Kits. Begin by soldering the diodes to the pins you intend to use for your rows (it doesn't really matter which one as long as you're consistent). This keyboard from Reddit user Grokodaemon entitled Ono-Sendai Matrix 83 has a custom layout and a mixture of various switches. Most of the keys are completely blank on top, with the lettering on the sides, while the escape and WASD keys are strikingly orange. Select options. This is a rather interesting keyboard from Reddit user Noobas4urus. 356. more_vert. Another popular choice from the GeekHack forum, this all black keyboard is from Ghostjuggernaut, and is named Deathkish. Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. Receive news and offers from our other brands? Mech Keys • PRODUCT. NY 10036. Insert the switches in the plate (it's easier to install your stabilisers now but on a handwired build like this it's not crucial, you can make it work later).