DIY keyboard with low profile switches, need help shopping

[blastrock]

Hello there,

I've been using an ergodox-ez for a few years now, and I really feel more comfortable with chiclet-like switches. So, I've been thinking for some time about making my own keyboard.

So I searched around for switches and keycaps and I've been quite disappointed with how hard it is to get those.

First of all, I'm not particularly interested in mechanical keyboards, standard chiclets are fine to me. What I really want is a low total travel distance (not talking about activation distance), like we have on laptops. So here's what I found :

Kailh Choc V1

http://www.kailh.com/en/Products/Ks/CS/321.html

They seem to do the job, they're not the best (3mm travel), and they require non-standard keycaps. Not really convinced by those.

Kailh Choc V2

http://www.kailh.com/en/Products/Ks/CS/755.html

They seem fine, I found two places they sell them (unfortunately for me, not in EU) : mechanicalkeyboards.com and kono.store. The problem is the keycaps, I want low profile keycaps to go with those, like MBK, but I can't find any for the kailh switches. From what I could find on the Internet, normal keycaps are too tall and will hit the keyboard case, so what keycaps are we supposed to buy to go with these!?

Kailh Notebook Switches

http://www.kailh.com/en/Products/Ks/NotebookS/649.html

These look *really* good. I'd really buy them, but I can't find a single reseller! Does anyone know any (who also sells compatible keycaps preferably)?

Cherry MX low profile

https://www.cherrymx.de/en/cherry-mx/mx-low-profile/mx-low-profile-red.html

Meh, 3.2mm of travel, they're the worst of this selection

Cherry MX ultra low profile

https://www.cherrymx.de/en/cherry-mx/mx-ultra-low-profile/mx-ulp-click.html

The only downside for me is that they are clicky, but let's accept that. For these ones too, I can't find a single reseller. Do they only sell them to Alienware? Also, I can't understand what keycaps goes onto them, and there's no technical datasheet showing where the pins are.


So there is a lot of choice, but actually very little of it is accessible. My main questions are:

- Does anyone know how to get the Kailh notebook switches?
- If I can't get those, how to find keycaps for Kailh Choc V2? Do you guys usually 3d-print them?
- What if I want to go with non-mechanical chiclets? Can they be bought? Is there an opensource PCB design I can start from, like I have for the ergodox?
- Are there other options?

Thanks for your help!

[controller-works]

Go with the Kailh Chocolate v1 switches. The v2 are not used very often, probably because people do not like them as much as the v1. Also, while they have MX stems the travel is so small that they only are compatible with DSA caps if you use the switches with a mounting plate. Taller keycaps will bottom out with a mounting plate. I designed a keyboard, the Corne DC that works with both v1 and v2 switches.

It is very hard to make a switch that is both low profile and smooth. I would not go through the trouble of buying a board or designing your own with switches that no one else is using. You will likely not be satisfied with the results.

There are Kailh "pudding" caps that are very flat but have nice shine through on the sides if you are using per key LED lighting. The MBK keycaps are more sculpted but do not let as much light shine through. We carry both varieties of keycaps and 10 flavors of Kailh Chocolate v1 switches at our store, Controller (dot) works

[Headway]

The only downside for me is that they are clicky

They now have a new silent version and for me it looks the best. But still nowhere to buy.
Actually, the only ultra low profile that can be bought I found is https://aliexpress.ru/item/32985602923.html but afaik they have quality issues.