Considering my first build. Is going plate-less a bad idea?

[clee290]

Hi everyone,

So this is the kit that I'm considering for my first build. While this kit does come with a plate, I'm planning to mix the layouts, so the available plates won't work for me.   
 
Anyways, I've read some negatives of going plate-less being that the keyboard feels cheap, flimsy, and there's more flex. I feel like this kit being a 40% and has an aluminum case kind of alleviates those issues (.. maybe?). I'm more concerned with the typing feeling. How noticeable is typing on a plate-less keyboard? Does it feel bad?

Another question, the highlighted holes in the photo below, those are for PCB-mounted stabilizers, correct?

[Tactile]

I put a sheet of rubber under the PCB. It adds support, eliminating the flex in some areas, and mellows the sound as well. My PCB mount board is in an aluminum case so the only flex I had to contend with was the unsupported areas of the PCB. A plastic case may be more troublesome for a PCB mount board but I wouldn't know.

[clee290]

I put a sheet of rubber under the PCB. It adds support, eliminating the flex in some areas, and mellows the sound as well. My PCB mount board is in an aluminum case so the only flex I had to contend with was the unsupported areas of the PCB. A plastic case may be more troublesome for a PCB mount board but I wouldn't know.

Thanks for the reply! Yea, the kit I'm looking at has an aluminum case, so that should be better than having a plastic one. I'll look into getting a rubber sheet to use as well.

[Findecanor]

The plate on the linked page looks like it is for PCB-mounted stabilisers, also.

I suppose that you intend to use switches with nubs on the bottom for PCB-mounting. Installing LEDs could potentially also make the switches more stable.

[clee290]

The plate on the linked page looks like it is for PCB-mounted stabilisers, also.

I suppose that you intend to use switches with nubs on the bottom for PCB-mounting. Installing LEDs could potentially also make the switches more stable.

That's good to know about the stabilizers, thanks! 
 
And yes, I am planning to use PCB-mounted switches, and that's a good idea about the LEDs. I wasn't planning to install LEDs, but if I find I need some more stability, I might consider that.

Thanks again!

[merlin64]

I really like PCB mounted boards as its easier to fix if things break. I also like the feel of added flex for tactile switches.

However, I still prefer plate mount as it adds stability and I like how it shields the PCB from debris and cheetoh dust lol

[SBJ]

and I like how it shields the PCB from debris and cheetoh dust lol

The horror, debris I get you can't do anything about that, but cheetoh dust is just keyboard cruelty. )

[Tactile]

If you plan to use a rubber sheet I would add a piece of advice: set a multimeter to measure resistance and jab the probes into the sheet (especially if it's black in color) to check for conductance. There's a much longer story about how I learned this but there is such a thing as black "rubber" which will conduct electricity. I'm guessing it has to do with added graphite. Anyway, it only takes a moment to check and it can save a lot of trouble later.

[clee290]

I really like PCB mounted boards as its easier to fix if things break. I also like the feel of added flex for tactile switches.

However, I still prefer plate mount as it adds stability and I like how it shields the PCB from debris and cheetoh dust lol

Thanks for the reply! Luckily, I found a kit that supports the layout I want and has a plate! I do think I'd like to try a plate-less build one day, but for now I'll be sticking to the plate.

If you plan to use a rubber sheet I would add a piece of advice: set a multimeter to measure resistance and jab the probes into the sheet (especially if it's black in color) to check for conductance. There's a much longer story about how I learned this but there is such a thing as black "rubber" which will conduct electricity. I'm guessing it has to do with added graphite. Anyway, it only takes a moment to check and it can save a lot of trouble later.

Thanks for the tip! I don't think I'll be going plate-less for my first build, but I'll keep this in mind if I go plate-less in the future.