WarningSome of the things I describe here could harm your keyboard if not done properly and will most likely void your warranty. Be aware of that and handle your keyboard with care.
The following mods are ordered by difficulty. Please read the
whole chapter of the desired modification before doing it.
1. Collecting informationBefore you start modding your keyboard, you need to know it's specifications. Here's a list of what you need to know:
-Plate mounted or PCB mounted
-Cherry or Costar stabilizers
You can usually find these informations on the site you bought the keyboard from or in the review subforum, just search there for your keyboard's name. You can also find it out yourself when disassembling the keyboard, of which more later. Heres a list with common keyboards:
Tenkeyless/Fullsize:
CM Storm | Plate mounted | Costar stabilizer |
Ducky | Plate mounted | Cherry stabilizer |
Filco | Plate mounted | Costar stabilizer |
60%/75%:
KBC Poker/Poker X | PCB mounted | Cherry stabilizer |
KBC Poker II | Plate mounted | Cherry stabilizer |
KBT Pure | PCB mounted | Cherry stabilizer |
KBT Pure Pro | Plate mounted | Cherry stabilizer |
KBT Race | PCB mounted | Cherry stabilizer |
Noppoo Choc Mini | Plate mounted | Costar style stabilizer |
Keycool 84 | Plate mounted | Costar stabilizer |
2. Basic disassemblyRemember, some of this will probably void your warranty!
The first thing you should do is removing all keycaps. Even though this is a basic process you can break some switches if do it with force. I would recommend using a keycap puller, if you don't have one you can simply
build one yourself, it's really easy. I would recommend a wire keycap puller as this will not scratch your keycaps.
Put the wire around the keycap, PCB mounted keyboard users should watch out that it doesnt pull on the switch itself!
Now pull lightly upwards and wiggle on the keycap, it will come off with ease. Do all the 1x1 keycaps first, you will now see on some larger keycaps that they have stabilizers. If your board has Cherry stabilizers be especially careful when pulling off their keycaps as they have to get pulled off of 3 stems instead of one. You can then also try to hold down the stabilizers with a pen or a screwdriver or something similar so you don't rip them out (this happened to me on the backspace even though I was very careful).
If you see the PCB, your board is PCB mounted, if you see a metal plate "surrounding" each switch, your board is plate mounted.
Next step is to remove the PCB/the PCB and the plate from the case (this is not necessary for clipping or lubing stabilizers!). 60% keyboards have a single part case, you should already see the screws, simply unscrew them and lift the board out of the case. If it seems stuck, double check if you have all screws unscrewed. Boards with two part cases are usually held together by some tabs. I recommend this video by litster to see how to seperate the parts:
Make sure you disconnect the USB cable if it is non-removable, take a screwdriver and try to put it in between the two connectors and slowly loosen the male connector.
Congratulations, you are one step closer to your goal.
3. Lubing stabilizersThis mod is as well for Cherry stabilizers. You can use pretty much any lube for this, I personally used some model making lube for RC cars. Simply put a tiny drop of lube on this spot:
After lubing it will take some time and use until the lube has spread and you will start feeling a difference, especially on the spacebar.
4. Clipping stabilizersIf you have cherry stabilizers, the larger keys can sometimes feel weird or mushy. This is a known issue. A basic solution is to clip the stabilizers. To remove them from a PCB mounted board, push the tiny tabs on the backside of the board and simply pull the stabilizers out. For plate mounted stabilizers you will need to access the stabilizer from below the plate to remove it, so desoldering is needed. If you aren't going to desolder anyways, I would recommend just sticking to lubing the stabilizers.
Heres another good video by litster that shows how to clip the stabilizers:
5. Adding LEDsFirst off, this basically only possible if you have a keyboard that is available with LEDs, too. Examples for this are the Poker II and the Pure/Pure Pro. With a lot of trickery you can do it with non-LED-capable keyboards, too, but that is more advanced and this is a beginners guide.
Be aware that if you use LEDs other than 2x3x4mmm rectangle, such as domed/round tops, you may possibly need to file the top of the LED down depending on the profile of your caps. The voltage of the LEDs should not be less than 3V which will be the case for most 3mm and 2x3x4mm, be aware however that red and yellow LEDs often run at a lower voltage and might break if you use them on your board without adding a resistor.
First you have got to find the correct holes for the LEDs. For this, flip your PCB over and try to find spots like this (photo by WhiteFireDragon):
You have to desolder the blue marked spots if they are soldered shut. Here's a video showing how to desolder:
Now you flip over your board again and drop the LED into the switch; there's a little hole for the LED below the slider. Make sure the longer lead of the LED is in the square hole! Now you just solder the LED and do this for every switch you want to have an LED. If you never soldered, here's a short soldering tutorial which should be enough:
6. Swapping switchesIf you are using a PCB mounted keyboard or your board has a plate that has cutouts so you can open the switches (these normally come from group buys, see below for identification) please read the next chapter as this step is then unnecessary.
Now if you are using a plate mounted board that does not have the cutouts, you will have to desolder all switches. Take a look at chapter 5, this time you will have to desolder the red spots and if your board has LEDs, the blue spots as well. If you desolder a LED you will have to mark which side was in the square hole, this is the positive lead.
If you have done this you will have to pop the tabs on the vertical axis of the switch with a screwdriver and you should be able to pull the switch off the plate. If not, double check if it is completly desoldered, do not use any force as this can damage the switch! Remember the switch orientation (LED hole on top or bottom) and put in the new switch. If the new switches are for PCB mounted boards, you can simply cut the little
plastic pins off, see here:
When you're done, if you have LEDs, solder the LEDs as well, remember to put the positive lead in the square hole. Connect your keyboard to your PC and test if all switches work, a good program to do this is Aqua Key Test:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34670.msg641440If everything works, you can put your keyboard in your case again and you're done. If not, don't panic! Double check the soldering on the switches that fail and test again. If it still won't work, desolder the faulty switch and replace it with a new one. Stuff like that happens and is completly normal, don't worry!
Finally I would really recommend this video by WhiteFireDragon, he does it very professionally and explains everything very well.
7. Swapping springs/opening switchesIf you have a plate mounted board that has not a "solderless" plate (see the first image in chapter 6 if you don't know what that means), you will have to desolder the switches first, see chapter 6. When you pulled a switch off the plate you can simple ope the tabs on the horizontal axis of the switch with a screwdriver (or anything small and flat) on one side, stick your finger nail between the top and bottom part of the switch and pop the tabs on the other side too. Another helpful tool for opening switches is the housing removal tool from The_Beast (
here's a picture of SpAmRaY using them, or watch the video from WhiteFireDragon below). You should now be able to simply pull the switch apart. This works for separate switches from switch test kits, etc. Take care not to lose stems and springs that will easily come out and are easily lost, you might still need them.
If you have a PCB mounted keyboard, good news, you don't need to solder or desolder anything, unless the switches have LEDs. If so, there are a couple options for you to choose from: you'll have to desolder the LED then the switch, and afterwards resolder them (see chapter 6 for more information how to do that) or you can mod the housing to come off around the LED, you can do this by trimming the plastic around the LED with a drill, a dremel, or just a pair of side cutter pliers. Here's a video from WhiteFireDragon using a dremel and The_Beast's switch tools to do this:
If you have a PCB mounted keyboard, good news, you don't need to solder or desolder anything. If you don't have switch opening tools you can make some yourself, here's a variety of ways how to open them:
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/i-did-a-guide-of-how-to-open-cherry-switches-t2458.htmlAt this point, springs and stems can be swapped for those of your choice, as well as
lubrication of said springs and stems. When closing the switch after completion, make sure the prominent part of the slider points towards the flat golden spring. The top of the switch can simply be pressed on the switch again, make sure that the Cherry logo is on the side of the flat spring as well. Press down on all sides to make sure the switch is completely closed again and test the switch a few times.
If you have any questions, suggestions, additions, corrections, pictures or videos, feel free to post them in this thread.
If anybody is not ok with me using their picture or video for this, please send me a PM.