TKL keyboard with south facing LED's

[zangaby]

Hello,

Could you please help me find a keyboard model that has south facing LED's and it is in a TKL format. I would like to use it with side lit caps(https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32861971291.html) and those are mostly recemented with south facing LED's.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[HungerMechanic]

MK870 TKL:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003366650362.html

Has:

-RGB LED
-South-facing
-Transparent case or solid white
-hotswap
-affordable as it ships without keycaps or switches
-customizable


Or, if you don't want to customize, just buy a Varmilo VA87M, which is one of the best factory TKL and has south-facing LEDs. You can customize the LED arrangement by purchasing a VA87M through the Varmilo custom store. A relative owns one, the LEDs and housing are aligned correctly.

[zangaby]

Thanks a lot HungerMechanic!

MK870 seems to be exactly what I need as I just need to add the switches and the side lit caps.

[HungerMechanic]

MK870 seems to be exactly what I need as I just need to add the switches and the side lit caps.

Glad you found it a useful suggestion. Just a couple of notes:

In stock form, MK870 is a pretty decent keyboard. It comes with a metal plate and decent plate-mount stabilizers that are somewhat lubed. So it's perfectly usable from factory.

However, if you wish to mod it, there are some things you can do. There are aftermarket polycarbonate plates you can buy from TaoBao for about $40. These offer a softer and thockier typing experience. Also, the aftermarket plate can accommodate PCB-mount stabilizers.

You can also play around with the amount of foam in the case.

I have a modified MK870. It has the polycarbonate plate and PCB-mount ZealPC stabilizers. All the case foam is removed for greater volume of sound.



Larger: https://www.keebtalk.com/uploads/db8059/9ef92fa5ff8636fde2aa8099186cf34a3c2044c3

Making these changes is somewhat challenging, as you have to open the case using tabs, which is more cumbersome than if it were screws. So it's a more time-consuming and annoying operation, and shouldn't be done unless you are ready.

I think the MK870 is such great value that I am ordering another one for a relative, and will give it to them in stock, unmodified form. The stock keyboard is fine for most people. Please keep in mind that you will need to install Windows software from their website in order to control the LEDs.

[zangaby]

Your build looks really good !

I'm a beginner when it comes to mechanical keyboards, I only found out about the moding details once I came across those side lit caps .

While browsing on aliexpress for  MK870 I came across this model https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005003590432828.html, which seems also build based on MK870 but it's not really clear if it has south facing LED's.

[HungerMechanic]

While browsing on aliexpress for  MK870 I came across this model https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005003590432828.html, which seems also build based on MK870 but it's not really clear if it has south facing LED's.

It looks as if the GP87 is a different model than the MK870. You can see via the 3 indicator light at the top-right corner of the keyboard that it is a different build. The MK870 doesn't have indicator lights. Not there, at least [there is a toggle light at the top-left corner, under the plastic case.]

I would avoid anything that isn't listed as MK870.

If you perform a search on AliExpress, you'll see dozens of options that are labelled as MK870, so that is what I would pursue if I were buying one. Here are some:


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003547326157.html


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003269314791.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003594320261.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003294003453.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003381938125.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003366650362.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003002307740.html


Watch out for the ones that seem too cheap - the shipping is where they get you. I find that you have to pay at least $68 - 73 CAD for an MK870 that already includes shipping cost. Also, you'll note that some are offering blue and pink cases, as well.

Interestingly, I found what looks like it may be a polycarbonate plate for the MK870:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003486277936.html

This is cool if true, because that plate's normally hard to get. And it's really cheap.

Problem is, anything that involves opening up the MK870 is a pain to install. So maybe that's for later. If you do order the plate, it's best to order the PCB-mount, I assume that allows PCB-mount stabilizers.


As for your keyboard, I'm interested in these 'side-lit caps.' Could you please show me a link to them? I want to see these caps that require south-facing LEDs. I'm not very knowledgeable about keyboard LEDs.

I bought the MK870 because south-facing means that it will also be compatible with Cherry-profile keycaps, which are some of the best and most-common. Many affordable keyboards have north-facing switches and LEDs, which are bad for keycap compatibility. It was good to see the MK870 using south-facing.

The typing experience of the MK870, or at least my modded one, is a step above entry-level hotswap boards like the Rakk Lam Ang Pro. It's not as good as more expensive boards that use other mounting systems like "Top Mount" or "Gasket Mount," although pro modders can turn their MK870 into "O-Ring Mount," which is said to be better than the default tray mount.

However, the keyboard I will be gifting to a relative will be an entirely stock MK870, with switches of their choice, because it's good enough.

[zangaby]

Thanks a lot for the clarifications !

The caps are these ones: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32861971291.html
I bought the OEM Black ones, hoping that the north facing LEDs on the Redragon 553 that I currently have would provide enough light , unfortunately that is not the case.

The link that you initially posted with the keyboard seems to have the most reasonable seller https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003366650362.html and has the most orders.

Now that I've settled on the keyboard model I just need to decide on the switches.
I lean towards Gateron Yellow, I believe the 5 pin version is the right one for the MK870.

[HungerMechanic]

Yes, KPRepublic is an established seller. They had some shipping issues during the previous height of the logistics disruptions, but I've received 90% of what I ordered from them. You'll be shipping through AliExpress anyway. Just keep records in case you need to contact them later.

It looks to me as if those keycaps would be served by south-facing LEDs. In my experience, the LEDs on the Varmilo keyboards are pretty intense at the bottom, and would really help those keycaps. And the placement of the MK870 looks right for these as well.

The MK870 has fairly modern hotswap sockets that can take both 3 and 5-pin switches. You could use either. If you buy 5 pin, you'll be able to use them later in a soldered PCB build if desired.

Gateron Yellow is a good choice. They are very affordable, and can be modded. You could start with just regular Gateron Yellow, and maybe create a batch of lubed ones later. They can take a lot of spring weights, but the stock spring is pretty well-liked. All-in-all, it's a good plan.

[zangaby]

I placed the orders and now comes the waiting part.

As soon as the build will be complete I will add a picture here.

[HungerMechanic]

OK, that is good news. I'm typing on mine right now.

Just another small word of advice: When you pull out switches from hotswap, the keyboard makes a really bad crackling noise, as if the plastic is cracking.

This is normal and is partly a result of the plastic case. It only means that you should be careful when removing switches, and not just rapidly yank them out.

As you wait for the MK870, now is a good time to go on Youtube and review videos about how to insert and remove switches from hotswap sockets.

Since you already know what switches you want to use, fortunately in your case you just need to properly insert the Gateron Yellows and not worry about it.

[zangaby]

Thanks for the tips !

Yes, I will go over some of the basics to avoid breaking anything once I receive the keyboard and switches.

[zangaby]

The build has been completed, this is how it looks.

[HungerMechanic]

The build has been completed, this is how it looks.

Looks like the south-facing LEDs were a success. Interestingly, I'm planning a similar build for a relative.