Custom Mechanical Keyboards
An Introduction
My interest in this hobby started back in 2020 when a few friends of mine introduced me to the idea of a custom mechanical keyboard. Up until that point I had owned a fairly nice gaming keyboard that had Cherry MX Blues which I had come to enjoy using, but the idea of building something custom for myself piqued my curiosity.
The only real barrier to entry for me like most other people was the cost of most kits and boards at the time (which still applies as of 2023). Luckily, or perhaps unluckily for my wallet, I had just acquired my first job in retail where I made just enough to splurge and buy all the parts for my first custom mechanical keyboard.
After hours and hours of research on forums, on videos and reading through r/MechanicalKeyboards, I finally settled on a configuration which I liked and was fairly reasonable in price. When the parts arrived I excitedly spent the next few days personally hand lubing and filming the switches, checking the PCB, tuning the stabilizers, soldering the switches, and putting it all together.
While building my first board was an enjoyable experience, I didn’t really feel the urge to jump back into the hobby. I was pretty happy with what I built and thought I would stick with this for a while. But, not even a few months later, I decided to purchase another board. To this day I’m not exactly sure what got into me but since that second board I haven’t looked back.
As for what really kept me interested in custom mechs, it’s really a few things. This hobby really allowed to combine a few of my passions, my love for putting things together with my hands, and computer hardware. But I think more than just those two things, custom building mechs allows me to constantly try new things and find something that really fits me. As I spend a lot of time at a computer for personal and professional reasons I would like to enjoy using the tools I interact with, and building custom mechs really allows me to do that.
Anyways, after building that first keyboard I dove headfirst into the hobby, buying parts and kits with each paycheck I got. Over the years I slowly amassed a collection of parts and knowledge which I’ve mostly kept to myself, but which I love to talk about when asked. In recent years, however, I’ve slowed my roll and am much more selective about what I intend to purchase, but my enthusiasm for this hobby is still very much present.
My Collection
This isn’t extent of my collection, just a list of the few that I’ve particularly enjoyed.
| Keyboard/Kit | Switches | Keycaps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode Eighty 2022 (Green) | Gateron CJs | Osume Matcha | This is my nicest (and most expensive) board |
| KBDfans 65% Low Profile | Gateron Milky Yellows | Grey Scale | This was my first ever keyboard! |
| Tofu 65 Acrylic | Durock Smoky Teal (62g) | NicePBT Grey Scale | I like the switches in this one :) |
| SKErgo | Gateron Ink Blacks | GMK Olivia | My first ergo board |
| Corne V3 | Cannon Keys Lilac Linears | Keycreative Blanks | My first dive into 40% split keyboards |
| Butterfly | Aquakings (52g) | NP Japanese | I designed this board! Check it out here! |
| Devastating TKL | Cherry MX Purples | GMK Rainy Day |
Computer Hardware
A (Quicker) Introduction
My interest in computer hardware began in middle school. This hobby started with pure chance. I was scrolling through YouTube, as middle schoolers my age tend to do, when I found a video that showed the process of custom building a computer. I didn’t even know computers come in parts up until that point, but watching the entire PC being assembled reminded me of putting together LEGOes in some way.
From there my curiosity was very thoroughly ignited and I continued to watch more and more videos. After about a month or so of watching videos and doing research in parts I asked my dad, a tech nerd himself, if I could build my own. Unfortunately the timing wasn’t right and he didn’t bite. However, my interest in computer hardware continued to turn into a passion as I did more research and watched more videos.
Eventually in my sophomore year of high school, my dad finally budged and allowed me to buy the parts for my first PC. Giddy with excitement, I went to the closest Micro Center and picked out all the parts for a price I thought was pretty reasonable. I put together a build just over 1k, which is what I still use today, with a few upgrades to cooling, PSU, and storage.
Similar to custom mechs, I find most of the joy in this hobby with the fact that I get to custom build my own computer just for my use. I can tailor it to what I want and need.
As for my current PC’s specs:
GPU: EVGA 2060 Super
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3600
RAM: 16GB Trident Z at 3200Mhz
Storage: 1TB Samsung Evo Pro
Case: NZXT H510
PSU: EVGA 700W Gold