Custom PC - UK (2020-08)

Cherry switches almost completely, although
of course, their ready availability makes them a
good place to start for beginners.
As for types, there are three top level
categories of switch: linear, tactile and clicky.
Linears have no tactile event of any kind in the
switch travel, other than when you bottom the
switch out. Tactiles have a tactile bump as you
push pass a point in the switch travel before
bottoming out. It’s usually at the point where
the switch has activated so you can get the
feedback you’ve pressed enough to activate
the key without having to bottom out. Clicky
switches are tactile in nature too, but the tactile
event has an audible click as well.
There are three factors to consider for
springs: the amount of force required to
actuate the switch, the amount of force
required to bottom out, and the progression
of the spring rate as you press it. Each of those
attributes affects how the switch feels, which
is why you can buy switch testers, for trying
anywhere from a handful to around 100
different switch types, to see which you prefer.
Switches cost from 20p to £1.50 each,
depending on desirability. Some switches have
attained meme status, usually after being used
by a popular build streamer making a board for
a high-profile gamer.
The more hardcore end of the community
is also fond of creating Frankenswitches, using
parts from two or more switches to create a
new one. It’s very difficult to get a good read on
whether certain hybrid switches are actually
better than a stock switch, but certain hybrids
break through and get enough exposure that
you can tell there’s something to them. Holy

Pandas are the canonical example, taking

the tactile stem from one switch usingit w

the housing, spring and leaf from another. y

are top-tier tactiles when tuned.

KEYCAPS

Keycaps are the start for most mechanical

keyboard enthusiasts. All it takes to customise

your typical MX-switched keyboard is to

pull off the caps and buy some compatible

alternatives. There’s a vast range of colours,

shapes, legends (lettering/fonts) and build

materials, making it fun to simply mess around

with this one aspect of custom keyboards.

Aside from style considerations, the type

of plastic and manufacturing process are

important factors, as the different types of

plastic all wear differently over time and the

manufacturing can determine how long the

legends on the keycaps stay looking good.

Most notable is the trend for double-shot PBT

caps, which use the tougher, more chemically

resistant PBT plastic (compared with ABS) and

are moulded twice (double-shot) such that the

legend on the cap isn’t painted on but formed

from a second coloured plastic that runs the full

depth of the cap, so it won’t wear off. Plastics

remain the best choice for keycaps due to the

light weight and ease of moulding, but some

designers have tried low volume manufacture

in other materials, including metal.

The final aspect to consider when it comes

to keycaps is their profile or shape. The most

common are Cherry profile caps, which can

be found on the vast majority of pre-built

boards, and most keycap groupbuysarein

this profile too. However, Cherryprofilecaps

are relatively short in height (compared with

other mechanical keycap profiles) and the

bare minimum of plastic is used to make them,

so they’re light and thin, which affects how

they sound.

Instead, a lot of keyboard makers prefer

larger keycap profiles. Keycaps in the MT3 and

KAT profiles are my favourite, since they’re

higher in profile than Cherry caps and are quite

a bit thicker than Cherry-profile sets, so they

have a different sound. If you want to see what

sort of designs and profiles are out there, take a

look at keycaplendar.firebaseapp.com

STABILISERS

Most keycaps are attached to the switch

underneath by a retaining stem in the centre of

the cap, which is fine for normal single-width

( 1U) keys. However, for wider keys, such as

a normal-width Backspace (2U), ISO Enter,

and especially spacebars (commonly 6U+),

a stabilising system is required. Without a

stabiliser, the switch will be very wobbly and,

if you press anywhere off-centre, there’s a

chance the switch won’t activate.

Stabilisers hold up the extremities of the cap

on retaining stems that are joined with a wire,

so the whole assembly moves up and down

with the switch when you press the cap. This

helps the longer caps feel stable and lets you

press them off-centre without any issues.

Stabilisers take two basic forms: plate

mount and PCB mount. Plate mount stabilisers

are more common on pre-built boards than

customs, but you’ll still find them on some

customs too. They aren’t as stable as PCB-

mounted ones due to the fairly flimsy clips that

are often used to mount them. PCB mount

stabilisers tend to be screwed to the PCB from

the underside, making for a more secure fit.

Since stabilisers are just a few pieces of

plastic and a metal wire, they’re fairly cheap, at

around £4 for 2U and £5 for the longer ones for

spacebars. That said, some vendors sell sets of

stabilisers that the community considers to be

higher quality, which cost more.

There’s a vast array of switch manufacturers and

styles, but they’re usually Cherry MX-compatible

Different keycap profiles

such as these MT3 caps

make for a different feel

and sound

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