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advice for building a very feature-heavy keyboard

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Volny:
Hi, first-time poster here (and new to the world of keyboard customisation in general). I'm looking for some advice about putting together a feature-heavy keyboard.

So I've got a Corsair K100, which is a 104-key layout plus some extras (6 macro keys, a volume wheel, some media keys...). It's marketed as a gaming keyboard, and has Cherry MX Silver Speed linear switches. I'm a game developer, and I use it first and foremost for productivity (so typing, coding, macros). I'm a macro junkie, to what could probably be described as an almost pathological degree - alongside this keyboard I have several Stream Decks, several little Macro pads, and my mouse has 15 buttons  ^-^. And yes, I actually use all those keys and buttons all the time!

I guess I'm a heavy and somewhat clumsy typist, and so I often make mis-hits on the K100 because of the very short actuation distance on this keyboard. Unfortunately, it's not hotswappable, and I've never soldered anything in my life, so I guess I'm stuck with these switches. I suspect I'd be much more comfortable with something like a tactile brown switch.

I've wondered whether I could one day make my own dream keyboard, using a similar featureset to the K100 but with different switches. These would be my requirements:
-RGB is a must for me. Because I use so many macros and hotkey combinations, I use RGB lighting to help me remember it all - ie. keep different functionality grouped logically, or dynamically change per-key lighting depending on what modifier keys are pressed or what applications are open. This is currently possible because of Corsair's powerful iCue software, though I assume that there are 3rd party programs out there that can similarly control a DIY keyboard's RGB lighting?
-I love using a roller wheel for volume control, so it'd have to have at least one wheel, or at least a small turnable knob or something like that.
-Designated Macro keys are a must. I guess if I found a PCB that supported an extra row of F13-F24 function keys at the top it might suffice. Though ideally I'd be able to have at least a few macro keys in easier-to-reach areas at the front or sides of the keyboard.
-I guess the ability to add a few more rarely seen keys (eg. VK_LAUNCH_MEDIA_SELECT, VK_LAUNCH_APP1 etc.) would be nice.

Though from what I've seen, the DIY keyboard enthusiast community seems to lean towards the 'less is more' philosophy, with the PCBs I've seen on stores maxing out at 104 keys, and often fewer. Is building a keyboard like what I've described likely to be a pipe dream? Am I better off going for a simpler keyboard with an extra separate macropad to cover the missing features? Is replacing the switches on my K100 by desoldering them worth considering, or would it be madness for a novice like me to try that?

Thanks in advance for any advice

suicidal_orange:
Welcome to geekhack, sounds like you have a good setup :thumb:

Swapping the switches would be way cheaper even if you had to pay to ship it to someone to do.  As long as your 'gaming' keyboard doesn't have LEDs going through each switch you could do it yourself in an afternoon, you might need a couple of jumper wires to fix the odd break but you wont see them with the case on.  Is it worth buying a semi-decent soldering iron (soldering switches is very easy and any iron will do, removing factory lead-free solder is harder) and sucker for one job?  Maybe not.  Also if you have LEDs under each switch you will need to make sure the new switches will fit over them.

Making a custom with everything is going to take loads of time and money - have a look for others asking about one offs and Leslieann will probably have given them a detailed breakdown, then add some because you want everything and bigger.

Leslieann:
There's very few keyboards with all of these features, as SO said, fixing what you have may be a good option, especially if you're happy with it in every other way.

What you may want to actually consider is a pair of keyboards, you said a macro pad was a consideration but why not two entire keyboards, with the second one being completely programmable (maybe a modest sized ortho linear?). For that you could even order up custom caps from WASD with the labels you want or get some caps you can change the labels on yourself. By splitting your features between two boards it might open you up to more options for your primary board and give you far more macros.


As for a custom...
A custom will cost you tons in time but the money depends on a few factors.
If you have a 3d printer it can be really cheap, I did mine for probably less than $100 for everything including lcd and rgb but, I have a lot of experience with 3d printing and have custom built large scale printers and cad experience. Had I no experience and wanted that done in solid aluminum that keyboard could have easily gone over $1000 or even $2000 by the time I was happy with it while various other methods (outsourced 3d printing or laser cut acrylic plates, etc...) falling somewhere in between my cost and those numbers.

As for what you want, per key RGB is possible in a DIY but if you plan on hand wiring I do NOT envy you doing it on a full size. RGB is relatively easy with QMK, though with so many of them power can be an issue (there is workarounds). The one difficult part is altering the layout based on running programs, someone here figured that out in an easier method but I forget how, probably a macro, however with so many switches memory and programming becomes a very real concern but again, not insurmountable. If you want to build your own I HIGHLY recommend building a smaller simpler board first as it's a somewhat daunting project and getting the basics first will help you a lot, even if it means just buying the cheapest 60% case and plate you can find.

Volny:
Thanks for the responses. Very helpful.

Would it be possible to at least replace the springs for heavier ones in my k100, without having to resolder? And if possible, is that trivial/tricky/worthwhile?

Leslieann:
Nope, anything switch related requires switch removal.

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