Build your Dream Keyboard under $500

[ShakeR]

The title says it all.

3rd thread with $500 cap had to be added due to Epic 24k gold, platinum, etc. taking place in the standard 'Dream Keyboard' thread

Form Factor:
Switch Type:
Frame Color / Build / Material:
Keycap plastic / color:
Key rollover:
Other features (as many as you want):

We also have 'Build a Practical Keyboard' thread.

[Sifo]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: Blue or Ergo-Clear
Frame Color / Build / Material: White and pink acrylic
Keycap plastic / color: PBT, pink and white? or pink and cyan/teal. They have to be blank though.
Key rollover: nKey? idk
Other features: Braided wire. Everything else has to be simple, no USB ports, no detachable wire, etc.

[WRXChris]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: Plate mounted Cherry MX
Frame Color / Build / Material:  Resin-coated carbon fiber
Keycap plastic / color:  THICK ABS double-shot
Key rollover:  6+
Other features (as many as you want):  Programmable 2nd layer, dip switches for customizeable layout

[hoggy]

Form Factor:Northgate Evolution but TKL
Switch Type:Topre
Frame Color / Build / Material:Not really worried
Keycap plastic / color: Not really worried
Key rollover: 6 is plenty
Other features (as many as you want): Programmable - lots of layers, Wireless - optional

[jdcarpe]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: MX Red
Frame Color / Build / Material: Black/Anodized/Aluminum
Keycap plastic / color: PBT/Black-Laser Etched
Key rollover: 6 + 4 Modifiers
Other features (as many as you want):
Winkeyless, mini-B USB connector, plate mounted, Teensy++ 2.0 controller, white LED backlighting

[FoxWolf1]

Form Factor: TKL with Media Keys.
Switch Type: Plate-mounted Cherry MX (choice of Red, Black, Blue, Brown, Clear...for the gamer set, an extra cost option of MX Brown with MX Black WASD and arrows might be appealing).
Frame Color/Build/Materials: dark gray matte aluminum.
Keycap Plastic/Color: Dye-sub dark gray PBT with black lettering.
Key Rollover: NKRO over USB (if Mac compatibility becomes an issue, add a switch to set it to 6KRO).
Other Features (here's where it gets interesting): IDI or similarly powerful onboard scripting/programmability, TrackPoint(tm)-style pointing device with 4-5 buttons located below the spacebar, onboard Bluetooth with a toggle button that you could press to have your keyboard send input to your iPhone (or other device) rather than to your computer.

Basically, a nicer version of what I put on the Practical Keyboards thread.

[IvanIvanovich]

Form Factor: 60%
Switch Type: MX reds pcb mount
Frame Color / Build / Material: White POM
Keycap plastic / color: White Cherry profile POM
Key rollover: 6KRO
Other features (as many as you want): detachable cable, programmable, white pcb.
So basically I want a Poker in all white that is programmable since the 2nd layer sucks on stock production.

[Hak Foo]

Form Factor:  120%.  104 plus two repetitions of the top row as programmable keys.  Cherry does a MY board like this, but no MX.

Switch Type:  White Fukka
Frame Color / Build / Material:  Black plastic
Keycap plastic / color: Two-tone greys, lettering like Round 3 group buy.
Key rollover: 6KRO over USB
Other features (as many as you want):  Programmable in firmware, at least 128 strokes per key.

[boost]

Form Factor: tkl
Switch Type: blues with 62g springs
Frame Color / Build / Material: alum powdercoated red
Keycap plastic / color: black on white cherry ds set
Key rollover: 6

[OrangeJewce]

Form Factor: ErgoDox
Switch Type: Buckling Spring or MX Green
Frame: Anodized Aluminium (black or silver)
Keycap Plastic / Color: PBT, Cream Cheese and Green
Key rollover: 6KRO over USB
Other features (as many as you want): Detachable USB cable. Fully programmable with 4+ layers.

[domoaligato]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: all cherry mx options at launch
Frame Color / Build / Material: black plastic in filco layout
Keycap plastic / color: black backlit keys with helvetica font
Key rollover: 6kro over usb
Other features (as many as you want):
completely programmable filco w/ 4 + layers
detachable usb cable braided 10 feet long provided out of the box.

My cmstorm rapid w/reds is close to what would be the perfect keyboard for me if it was backlit, didn't use nonstandard fonts, used the cm trigger software, and didn't have all the branding.

[danielucf]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: MX Brown or Red or easily interchangeable
Frame Color / Build / Material: Gunmetal Anodized or powder coat / aluminum (easily interchangeable)
Keycap plastic / color: PBT / A good two shades of grey or grey and black
Key rollover: 6KRO or NKRO
Other features (as many as you want): USB 3 hub built in with at least 2 ports, heat shrink wrap cable, USB Type B connector is more durable (I think) than the mini size most removable usb keyboards have, LED back lit with LED's that can be almost any color and also the ability to do neat features with the lighting like the new Ducky coming out.

[Djuzuh]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: MX Brown or Red or easily interchangeable
Frame Color / Build / Material: Gunmetal Anodized or powder coat / aluminum (easily interchangeable)
Keycap plastic / color: PBT / A good two shades of grey or grey and black
Key rollover: 6KRO or NKRO
Other features (as many as you want): USB 3 hub built in with at least 2 ports, heat shrink wrap cable, USB Type B connector is more durable (I think) than the mini size most removable usb keyboards have, LED back lit with LED's that can be almost any color and also the ability to do neat features with the lighting like the new Ducky coming out.

You will most probably run into power issues with all the leds you plan to use. RGB leds are a lot more power hungry than the ones currently used, and you need 80 of them. Oh, and you need enough pins on your µc to address control them all.

[ShakeR]

You will most probably run into power issues with all the leds you plan to use. RGB leds are a lot more power hungry than the ones currently used, and you need 80 of them. Oh, and you need enough pins on your µc to address control them all.

To the best of my knowledge, although I'm sure anything can be modded to do anything, Cherry Switches don't support RGB leds (adjustable) because they only support two wires where three are needed to change the color.

[alaricljs]

Might as well point out that it is going to be more than $500 for the board since either switches that accept 5mm LEDs or 3mm LEDs that are 4 pin RGB need to be developed in order to make it possible.  As for the power issue, that's more of a brightness question.  How bright is enough?  For the µc control you just add serial controlled gang-able LED driver chips.

So all in all technically feasible, but physically not yet possible.

[Djuzuh]

To the best of my knowledge, although I'm sure anything can be modded to do anything, Cherry Switches don't support RGB leds (adjustable) because they only support two wires where three are needed to change the color.

Since the budget is set pretty high, I assumed we wouldn't have any problem putting the led inbetween the switch by some clever way. I know you can't use them in the switch itself.

I also didn't want to beat the dead horse any more .

[DanGWanG]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: Ergo-clears with Korean 62g custom springs, lubed and stickered
Frame Color / Build / Material: Titanium or White Anodized Aluminum
Keycap plastic / color: Doubleshot PBT, dual color scheme like Dolch but uniform set and no moogle/adapter kits
Key rollover: N-key
Other features (as many as you want):  Winkeyless, stepped capslock position, WASD/Esc multi-colored LEDs, detchable USB like the Poker not the Leopold (open position and not tucked underneath), Red anodized aluminum plate, screw adjustable feet, high end grips, Filco position LEDs for scroll lock and caps lock in purple, pink or lime green LEDs, silver Cherry sticker (small; placed above arrow set), dye-sub Cherry profile RGB mods

A lot of the features stem from the KMAC, which really I think will be my favorite keyboard....

[WRXChris]

To the best of my knowledge, although I'm sure anything can be modded to do anything, Cherry Switches don't support RGB leds (adjustable) because they only support two wires where three are needed to change the color.

I got an old g80 board for it's clear stems, and it had bi-color LEDs (3 leads) in all of the f-keys.  The third lead was bent around the switch housing.  

Also, I have seen pics of KMACs with RGB LEDs in them, and since the KMAC is plate mounted there would be no room for the lead to go around the switch housing, so I would assume that they modded the switches by drilling extra holes in the housing for the 2 extra leads.

[Zehkul]

Keycap plastic / color: Doubleshot PBT

That’s way above any reasonable price tier since that simply doesn’t exist.

[alaricljs]

Also, I have seen pics of KMACs with RGB LEDs in them, and since the KMAC is plate mounted there would be no room for the lead to go around the switch housing, so I would assume that they modded the switches by drilling extra holes in the housing for the 2 extra leads.

Were they color cycling like the disco Ducky?  Those are 2 lead LEDs and the color cycling is handled by the LEDs.  RGB leds do not come in 3mm packages, so for true RGB you get stuck dealing not only with 4 leads but a 66% larger LED body.  That's an extremely tight fit under a key cap.

[WRXChris]

Were they color cycling like the disco Ducky?  Those are 2 lead LEDs and the color cycling is handled by the LEDs.  RGB leds do not come in 3mm packages, so for true RGB you get stuck dealing not only with 4 leads but a 66% larger LED body.  That's an extremely tight fit under a key cap.

That would make more sense.  Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw the post; whoever it was mentioned doing the RGB mod but didn't go into specifics, and the board had keycaps on it in all of the pictures

[dorkvader]

To the best of my knowledge, although I'm sure anything can be modded to do anything, Cherry Switches don't support RGB leds (adjustable) because they only support two wires where three are needed to change the color.

SMT Diodes would probably fit under there.

[ShakeR]

Since the budget is set pretty high, I assumed we wouldn't have any problem putting the led inbetween the switch by some clever way. I know you can't use them in the switch itself.

I also didn't want to beat the dead horse any more .

Not to continue this tangent, but I honestly think with the high demand for mechanical switches and back lighting, this has to be the next step for Cherry.  My guess would be they make a 3 pin switch sometime b/w 2013 and 2014.

[ShakeR]

I got an old g80 board for it's clear stems, and it had bi-color LEDs (3 leads) in all of the f-keys.  The third lead was bent around the switch housing.  

Also, I have seen pics of KMACs with RGB LEDs in them, and since the KMAC is plate mounted there would be no room for the lead to go around the switch housing, so I would assume that they modded the switches by drilling extra holes in the housing for the 2 extra leads.

Wow, that's nuts / awesome.  Can you find these in the US?  I'm not familiar with KMAC.

[Djuzuh]

kmac is a custom keyboard created on a korean keyboard board (kbdmania I believe). They were not a lot of them being made, and they were all snatched up very fast.

[jdcarpe]

Here is a link to Sherryton & Hazeluff's site, which has good info about the KMAC. http://www.keyboardstory.com/kmac-le/

If you could get a manufacturer to produce those keyboards (especially the winkeyless version), and if you could sell the finished, assembled product for say $300, you would have a hot seller on your hands. I would be the first in line to buy one.

[DanGWanG]

I'm on my phone and can't find tthe video right now, but tsangan has an RGB multiled under the caps on his KMAC.  I'll see if I can find it later and post.  Of course with tsangan's permission

The person building mine is going to try to do the same for me as well so maybe in a couple weeks I can make a video as well.

[NuFon]

Form Factor:Tenkeyless
Switch Type: The switch between the MX black and MX red
Frame Color / Build / Material: Multicoloured lego case
Keycap plastic / color: Multicoloured lego bricks in PBT
Key rollover: 6kro over USB ( don't have PS/2 slot )
Other features (as many as you want): Norwiegen ISO layout

[tsangan]

I'm on my phone and can't find tthe video right now, but tsangan has an RGB multiled under the caps on his KMAC.  I'll see if I can find it later and post.  Of course with tsangan's permission

The person building mine is going to try to do the same for me as well so maybe in a couple weeks I can make a video as well.

I don't know how I caught a glimpse of this before I headed out but here it is

http://flic.kr/p/bQR3pD

enjoy

[alaricljs]

So, does it just do that on it's own, or do you have some form of control?  It just looks like a color cycling 2-lead LED.

[phetto]

I want a sgi granite case in metal, powder coated in matte black.

R4 retrorgbysym with the r4 noir for lettering.

Mx blues and mx green for space and numpad. Mx lock at right shift.
Sliders are to be of metal.

Detachable cadle whom are to be sleeved in thy finest wool
Plate mounted.

Think that will do it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[domoaligato]

I don't know how I caught a glimpse of this before I headed out but here it is

http://flic.kr/p/bQR3pD

enjoy

Sexy!

[graboy]

Form Factor: TKL
Switch Type: Blue
Frame Color / Build / Material: Vortex Alu case
Keycap plastic / color: PBT, black, engraved
Key rollover: 6KRO
Other features (as many as you want):
Physically locking caps lock
Teensy controller for programmable customizability