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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: dmbaile2 on Fri, 16 March 2018, 01:58:29

Title: Quality modern donor keyboards for custom builds?
Post by: dmbaile2 on Fri, 16 March 2018, 01:58:29

Given that an aluminum case alone is almost the cost of a complete board, not to mention the PCB, and new keycaps ect... I feel like I could save some money by purchasing a retail board and simply transplanting the Kailh switches into it.  Does anything stand out as a good donor keyboard for a custom switch project??

I want something sturdy, I have a steel series M500 which has some heft.  Do these have a steel backplate in them or something?  Anyway, I am eager to hear your thoughts on this topic, im sure with variety of new switches coming out surely a few of you have done this already.

Thanks!

Title: Re: Quality modern donor keyboards for custom builds?
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Fri, 16 March 2018, 02:47:13

Quote from: dmbaile2 on Fri, 16 March 2018, 01:58:29

Given that an aluminum case alone is almost the cost of a complete board, not to mention the PCB, and new keycaps ect... I feel like I could save some money by purchasing a retail board and simply transplanting the Kailh switches into it.  Does anything stand out as a good donor keyboard for a custom switch project??

I want something sturdy, I have a steel series M500 which has some heft.  Do these have a steel backplate in them or something?  Anyway, I am eager to hear your thoughts on this topic, im sure with variety of new switches coming out surely a few of you have done this already.

Thanks!

Ive always been a fan of Filco Majestouch 2's.  Pretty great OEM board, and you can install a custom controller if you decide you would like to change up the keymap.

Title: Re: Quality modern donor keyboards for custom builds?
Post by: Techno Trousers on Fri, 16 March 2018, 08:34:14

I have really liked the cooler master quickfire rapid tkls. They're inexpensive and readily available used, and have a steel plate and a media key layer. I recently transplanted Kailh+Novelkeys box jades into one, and it's fantastic.

Title: Re: Quality modern donor keyboards for custom builds?
Post by: dmbaile2 on Fri, 16 March 2018, 18:38:53

Are there any keyboards known in the community as being particularly friendly in terms of disassembly and modification?

Title: Re: Quality modern donor keyboards for custom builds?
Post by: pr0ximity on Fri, 16 March 2018, 21:31:47

QFR, Filco, WASD, Leopold, KUL are all nice options.

Leopold probably nicest stock caps, QFR best bang-for-buck if you're going to replace the caps and switches and are okay with their styling.

I don't think any are more or less friendly than the others, many are made by the same OEM.

G80 with PCB-mount switches would be friendliest probably, but not for Kailh. Need PCB-mount switches.

Title: Re: Quality modern donor keyboards for custom builds?
Post by: dmbaile2 on Fri, 16 March 2018, 23:47:33

I see what your saying.

After researching disassembly of a lot of modern boards they all seem to follow very similar manufacturing formulas...

I'm thinking that boards with an aluminum or steel top plate will probably be the easiest, such at a DAS v4 pro and a HyperX alloy.  I say this because it does not look like those designs have plastic clips to break.

Thanks for the feedback!