geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Aricil on Sun, 11 September 2016, 08:44:15
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So, I'm getting a soldering iron in 2 days. That being said, I'm thinking about building a board rather than buying one. I'm trying to decide between gateron yellows, or doing perhaps zealios or matias switches. I'm kinda leaning towards the gateron yellows, as it would probably be cheaper, and be good practice for eventually doing a zealios board as I've heard that they're hard for first timers. Something about the plastic melting. So, that being said, I wanted to ask a few questions. Should I get costar or cherry stabalisers? Also, I think I saw a DIY keyboard kit on eBay, does anyone know what I'm talking about? If so, A) could you link it for me cuz I'm having trouble finding it and B) is that a good value? Any things I should know as a first time solder-er/builder? Thanks in advance guys!
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Cherry stabilizers give you the option of PCB mount or plate mount, Costar are plate only, if that matters to you. Lots of folks like one or the other for various reasons. Some folks think Costar stabs feel "crisper" than Cherry, others think the Cherry stabs make changing caps easier. The GH60 I'm typing on right now is PCB mount (no plate used at all) and to do that I had to use Cherry stabs.
There's more I could say but I'm sure others will chime in here.
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Also, you haven't said what type/layout of keyboard you're after. 60% keyboard parts are very common so it's easy to find a PCB, case, and all the other parts you'll need to build your keyboard. And all of these parts can come from different sources - with few exceptions they'll all work together. Other layouts can be difficult to find parts for, like a case for a 40%, a plate & case for a TKL or White Fox, etc. In these cases it's much easier to buy a kit (or join a group buy) which includes all the parts - when you can find one.
If you have the skills to craft your own case you have many more options. Some people have made them from wood, 3d printed, sandwiched plastic sheets, aluminum plates, etc. I don't have the skills or tools for such things but if you can do it you have many more options.
The bottom line is that for a first build a 60% is a great choice. You can choose your PCB (do you want fully backlit, or is that not important?), cases & plates are easy to find, you can mix & match PCB, plate, & case from different sources, and, in the end, a 60% is a nice size/layout which a lot of people prefer over any other keyboard size.
If you're not a member, join Massdrop. Keyboard kits come up for sale there quite frequently.
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Take a look at this 60% kit
http://www.switchtop.co/product/60-keyboard-kits