Make or buy a second keyboard ?

[Windless]

Hi,

  I have a Cherry Brown Rapid-I Fire keyboard (TKL), that's not bad but I need a keyboard at a second place and I was in the mood for trying something else. I don't have much experience with mechanical keyboard exept for this one, but I bought a DKON1687 for my nephew with cherry blues and for about the same price (107€ including VAT and shipping) it felt better than mine.

  I need the function keys and want a rather standard qwerty (I do lot of coding). I really don't care for LEDs.
  I don't want to spend a lot of money on this keyboard (200€ is really my maximum, but I'd be happy to pay less than 100€). I live in France so that don't let a lot of options, probably most things will come from aliexpress*.
(* : not only for the price, but also because they handle the custom paperwork and that avoid needeing to pay 20€ fees in addition to the 20%VAT)

-- feel free to skeep the nerdy questionning --

More

  I started to look for options and found the Langtu LT-84 that seems interesting. I don't know how it feels out of the box, but after a bit of lubing / dampening it might be usable. Do you know how it would compare with my two reference keyboards? The great thing it that it cost only 36€ shipped AND has hot swappable switches, whitch means that for an additionnal 35€ I can replace them with e.g. Jade Box ad that would still be a fair price.
  Is this a super good deal, or would I have problems like super thin keycaps, impossible to fix wobbing case, ... ?

  A thing I'd like to do also is to be able to customize or even modify the firmware. E.g. I like the TKL, but once a month I type lot of numers and I would like to switch nine "letter" keys and use them as a numpad. I also would like macros. I started to try porting QMK to my Rapid-I fire keyboard, but that seems a lot of effort to port ChibiOs to Holtek HT32F1755 mcu that few people care about.

  I can do some woodworking, basic metal working, and can solder and design a pcb (at hobby level). I also have a laser engraver to cut the foam though that can be done manually. I started to see if I could do a custom design (something like a 84k but with a 3U spacebar and additionnal keys). I tried to estimate the cost :
- wooden base: free (I have some spare oak and linseed oil)
- scrap aluminum (to prevent wood from wraping): free (3€/kg but I need 50g and have some left)
- 308x128 pcb from JLCPCB (HASL): 35€ for 5 pieces including shipping (took gerber file from isometria for estimation)
- 308x128 aluminum "pcb" for (5) plates (1.6mm instead of 1.5): adds 35€
- 90 kailh box jade : 36€
- kailh stabilisers : 12€ (how can this be so expensiv ? Can't I juste put 3 switches under the spacebar, removing the spring in one or two of them ?)
- Eva form (this?) in 3 ad 2x2mm to put beneath the pcb, betwee PCB and Plate, and under large keys: 5€
- a Weact Studio bluepill (stm32f103, nice quality) or a cheap Raspberry Pico clone: 5€
- screws (3€ ?)

total : about 131€ without keycaps. I guess keycaps ont the Langtu LT-84 would be in something like the 15-20€ PBTs you can find on aliexpress, but at this price I won't have the full customisation (2U or 3U space bar, ...)... unless you can cope with some unsold colors

So, in the end I have lot of options:
- buy 35€ LT-84, enventually spend some time adding foam, films, lub... I would no longer have to travel with my keyboard between my two offices and have a qwerty keyboard for coding
- upgrade the LT-84 with some super-good-for-the-price keys (gateron yellow ? kailh jadd ? mmd princess ?) for about 70€ total
- find an alternative to LT-84 with VIA firmware (or QMK flashable microcontroller)
- make a custom keyboard from jlcpcb pcb / plate and  free wooden case, basic stabilizers and keycaps for about 140€ (with PCBs left to make other ones for half that price)
- same as above, but buy fancy gold plated screwable stabilizer and 80€ keycaps (that might cross my 200€ max limit ^^)

What can I expect from a "quality" point of view from these options? How will a custom made keyboard with jlcpb made aluminum plate compare with an cheap LT-84, with my reference "100€"s Rapid-I Fire and Ducky DKON1687, or with some store bought 300€ keyboard or kit?

thank you,
w.

[Windless]

another question:
  Since I have a laser engraver, instead of buying 1.6mm aluminium plates from JLCPCB, I could also buy 1.5mm pmma, or 2mm PMMA and engrave a 0.5mm recess where needed. That would save about 25€. I think the switches would wobble less (I can tune my dimensions with trial and error), but maybe the lower rigidity would cancel this ?

[LogLab]

Why do you want that size of keyboard? I have a feeling that going smaller may give you more options and potentially lower your spending. I personally do a lot of coding just fine on 42 keys, and while I know that's a lot less than normal, I feel like you might want to look into very basic QMK layouts on 65%'s, because you really will not be missing too much. Holding down a key or two to activate your function keys probably won't actually turn out to be too much of a hassle or anything like that. And with 65% you keep your arrow keys too. (Although personally, I feel like having the arrow keys on a layer under the homerow is actually more comfortable than using the arrows on the side, but thats preference)

[TomahawkLabs]

If cost is a concern finding a vintage keeb you like, a microcontroller with 27 (6x21) pins available, and some time with a soldering iron can make a a vintage beast into a modern USB keyboard. I daily drive a 1990 Apple AEK 2 in the office that I hand wired to a Teensy ++ 2 (no longer available).

I am looking at learning PCB design myself to build unique keyboards in fuller layouts. I am preferential to full size layouts so I am working on creating an rp2040 dev/breakout board to use in hardwired or carrier board style PCBs to accommodate any layout. I understand you have the tools and skills to design a board, but if you factor in time and trial and error buying a keyboard is going to be cheaper and easier. But if you build your own you have something to call yours and that to me is more about what the keyboard hobby is about vs buying the hotest group buy and using the flavor of the month switch.