Keyboards

Many people do not know much about Custom Keyboards, and do not understand how people could spend hundreds of dollars on a keyboard. This website will aim to teach you more about them and why some people enjoy the hobby so much! A few of the key aspects of the keyboard hobby are the personal enjoyment of using something you built yourself, the aesthetics or looks of the keyboard, and sound. Similar to how people would spend a lot of money on a good office chair, many people dont find it so odd to spend that much on something you use everyday. There is also a large market for keyboard parts as well as custom made orders, allowing for some people's hobby to turn into a full-time job!

How do keycaps affect sound?

The keycaps on a keyboard are different in each row with a standard keycap profile, the taller ones effecting the sound much differently then more shallow ones. The shape of the keycaps can also effect the ease-of-use of the keyboard, many people have differing preferences in feel, look, and sound for keycaps. In the image below, the six most popular keycap profiles are shown in a side-view to make it much easier to tell the differences between each profile. Cherry and OEM profile are the keycap profiles you are most likely to have on your own keyboard right now! [Image by xahlee.info]

How does the case affect the keyboard?

Cases can not only affect the sound of a keyboard, albeit less than switches or keycaps, but they can change the look and functionality massively. This is because the shape of the case you pick out will determine the layout of your keyboard! There exist many different layouts for keyboards but the most common are the 100%, 80%/Tenkeyless, 65%, and a 60%. Each of these are described down below.

Full-size / 100%

Full-size keyboards come with the traditional modifiers, arrow keys, and numpad.

Tenkeyless (TKL)

Like a full-size board, but without the numpad. This form factor is fairly standardized without much variation with the directional keys.

65%

A 65% has alphas, modifiers, and an extra right column to accommodate arrow keys.

Compact / 60%

A 60% keyboard is a common “compact” layout. It omits the numpad, arrow keys, and function row.

Get in touch

Still have some burning questions? Or maybe you're looking to get into the hobby more, either way, contact me via the form below!