The
Rosewill RK-9000 is a seriously underrated board IMHO. While made by Costar, it is one of the cheapest Cherry MX based ANSI 104 boards on the market. So cheap that people buy them just for parts -- for as little as $65 you get 104 MX switches, a switch plate, 104 diodes, and a case. Not helping its reputation is the so-so reliability record of Costar boards based on single sided main PCB's (USB ports coming lose, intermittent or chattering switches) , RoHS solder really likes via's. Resoldering these w/ leaded solder will improve reliability a lot.
If you are not afraid of voiding warranties, are able to solder (or want to learn about it), and have some money to spend, the RK-9000 can be customized into an exceptional keyboard for a reasonable price.
Things you need besides a soldering setup:
-
RK-9000BL, ~$75 (or any other MX flavor)
-
The Black Petal, $35 (optional, but highly recommended !)
-
110 Cherry MX switches, $54
- a good keycap set (optional), eg.
Sideprinted PBT Keycaps, $51, or
blank DSA caps, $21+$19+$9.50, or whatever floats your boat.
The Galaxy Class Set would be a great candidate too

Meet the RK-9000BL. You can sand and repaint the top shell if you so desire, I just covered up that ugly Rosewill logo w/ electrical tape

The case comes apart like a CMS QFXT or QFR, three screws and the top cover hooks into the base w/ hooks at the front and back. Note the sketchy soldering of the USB mini connector:


Desoldering the black switches. Very easy at 375°C using a simple rubber bulb. A spring loaded sucker would work too, it's just more work to reset it after each joint:

Soldering in new switches. I used a mix of MX Green and Whites, some with Clear springs (ESC, and the Whites in the 2nd pic). The space switch has a spring from a tactile Grey:

Putting it back together and adding some caps:

Alternative caps:
The Black Petal can be programmed with
TMK,
Easy AVR USB Keyboard Firmware and Keymapper, or make-your-own (my preference.) You now have full control

There you have it; A cheap, reliable, and highly customized keyboard that doesn't break the bank and makes for a fun project.
Hope you enjoyed this little writeup, type on !
