Some questions about making my first custom 60% keyboard.

[lailoken]

I want to make a custom 60%. I prefer TKL, but saw that it might be tricky making one as there are not a lot of help and items avaialble.

That, and 60% looks so cute.

So where do I start? Well, I'm thinking of jumping onto the current Massdrop Wooden 60% case...

q1) Will this fit any/most 60% plate and PCBs? (I'm thinking of using a PCB with a Teensy 2.) Or are there things I need to consider?
q2) How does mounting work? What is plate mounting? Is there another way? What should I do? (Thus, what is the easiest for now?)
q3) Which board should I get? Can I get any?

Basically, I need to know beforehand at least what I can start buying without worrying, and what items I need to take care with to make sure they fit with the rest of my build?

For interest sake, I'm looking at Cherry MX Clears as keys...

q4) Are there different switches for different types of mounting? Plate etc?

Some of these questions may be rediculous, but please don't hesitate to tell me so.

[xondat]

• Yes, there is a universal standard for 60% PCBs which allow plates/cases to be interchangeable.
• Mounting is done by screwing the PCB into the case with screws. Plate mounting is having a plate in between the switches and the PCB. There are other ways but often they are only for custom keyboards such as the 356mini, or my X60. Tray mount is the easiest for now.
• By board I presume you mean PCB - winkeyless.kr's b.face, GH60, FaceW all work well. You can get most due to the standard.
• Switches can mount either PCB mount or plate mount (see image below).

SCREWS NEEDED ARE M2-4MM FOR FUTURE REFERENCE THANKS ME

[lailoken]

Is "tray mount" plate or PCB?

Should I go plate, would it be "better" not to use a PCB and just wire it all up?
And if I mount it on a PCB is a plate still needed? (If I don't need to cover up holes?

From what I've gleaned, I think I would definitely want a plate, and perhaps just use wires with a Teensy 2.

[suicidal_orange]

Plate mount can be handwired, the only problem is standard (poker compatible) cases have screw mounts designed to screw to a PCB so you'll need spacers.

If you go for PCB and no plate be sure to get PCB mount switches (with the extra legs) else you won't get them straight.  Looks better with a low sided case but not bad in a standard one.

As for 'better' it's preference - PCB and plate is rock solid, just steel plate is pretty close, aluminium plate slightly less (on a 60% these are very slight differences), and just PCB mount least solid.  Also you have to be more careful removing keycaps without a plate as you can pull switch tops off.

Also if you're handwiring don't get an acrylic plate, the switches won't clip in!

[lailoken]

Thanks,

So I went and bought the wooden 60% case from Massdrop. I'm going to guess it uses the poker compatible screw mounts... so will need spacers if I go plate with hand-wiring.

I'll still decide on this. I like solid, but since this is my first keyboard, it may be better to use hand-wired since I can easily modify/change it up afterwards.

I'm just not sure how a plate in that case would work... would it only mount on the PCB screw points?

The case I'm talking about: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/royal-glam-60-wood-keyboard-case

[user 18]

Hand-wired won't necessarily be easier to modify, as you'd still need to get everything off the original plate to switch to a new plate with a new layout. That would likely entail desoldering most, if not all, of the handwiring.

You need to buy additional spacers and use screws that are longer than normal (likely in combination with a washer to allow the head to catch on the plate). Which hardware to buy depends on several factors. If that doesn't make sense, I can draw a diagram.

You may find it harder to get a plate for a handwired build as well. If you use a PCB, you can use a universal plate which provides less support for the switches, because it is backed up by support from the PCB. If you aren't using a PCB, you will need to use a plate that has cutouts for the exact switch positions you want to use, otherwise your handwired switches may wiggle and slide around.

[Geroximo]

- buy case
- buy PCB (GON NerD60, winkeyless.kr's b.face, Satan GH60 etc.) make sure they come with Diodes and SMD components presoldered
- buy stabilisers
- buy switches
- buy a universal plate
- buy keycaps
- buy USB cable

- assemble everything