The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Custom Mechanical Keyboards

Jul 23, 2023

Custom keyboards are awesome, but where do you get started?

Custom mechanical keyboards are a deep rabbit hole you can easily get lost in, so we're here to guide you through the basics. We aren't just going to explain each part, but we want to show you where each part could lead you to customize your own keyboard. Here's our ultimate guide to custom mechanical keyboards.

Almost all mechanical keyboards can be customized, but we call enthusiast keyboards custom keyboards, as they're made to be customized.

You can buy a custom keyboard pre-assembled, but the fun part is building it how you like it. Barebone kits are common in custom keyboards as they come without switches and can be assembled in different configurations, allowing you to experiment and choose what you want your keyboard to be like.

Before we deconstruct a custom keyboard, we want you to understand the bigger picture—the whole of the keyboard.

Different materials don't just exist for show or novelty but serve a greater purpose; sound and feel are one of the most sought-after qualities of a custom keyboard. You can change and modify the parts of a keyboard, but you won't know how it feels or sounds until you put it all together.

Keybored has an excellent video (above) and diagram on how different materials influence the sound of a keyboard, which is interesting whether newcomer or veteran. Knowing how certain materials will influence the sound of your keyboard will help you make more informed buying decisions.

You shouldn't just take the diagram as it is, though, as other factors like modifications, foam, and construction can make a keyboard sound very different despite having the same materials as another.

There aren't too many things involved in keyboards, but each component can branch out into many different varieties, which is what can overwhelm beginners. We're here to simplify things by showing you the major components and what they branch out into.

This isn't really a component, but it's still an important part of building a custom keyboard. There are many types of layouts, but we suggest choosing from the most popular ones, as those usually fit most people's needs.

Going for tiny keyboards might be too difficult, as you have to get used to using layers for the Function keys and the arrow keys. 70%, TKL, and 96% keyboards are the most popular, as they retain the arrow keys but are more compact than a full-sized keyboard.

If you want to use smaller keyboards, check out QMK and how it'll help improve your productivity.

Beginners often overlook suspension and mounting styles, but they are an important part of the experience. Mounting styles influence the sound of a keyboard, while the suspension can make long typing sessions comfortable.

Thomas Baart has an excellent graphic on the different types of mounts and their benefits. However, it doesn't have the suspension styles.

The top three suspension styles are gasket, flex cuts, and leaf spring. All of these aim to make the plate and PCB have a little bounce so it doesn't feel like you're typing on a hard surface. Gaskets are the most affordable, while flex cuts and leaf springs are more expensive because they're more complicated to engineer.

There are many types of switches, which is another choice that can overwhelm. However, you only have to pay attention to three main types: linear, tactile, and clicky.

Beginners will like clicky switches because of their loud nature, but they don't usually provide the most luxurious sound. Linear and tactile switches are quieter and can provide a cleaner sound.

Stabilizers are one of the most important parts of a keyboard's sound. If you're going to modify your keyboard, this should be your first port of call. Stabilizers rarely sound good in their unmodified state, often sounding cheap and rattly if not lubed and balanced.

The most important thing to note for stabilizers is that if your kit doesn't have them or you want to replace them, make sure to get the right type, whether screw-in or clipped.

Keycaps are fairly subjective, and you should pick what feels and looks good first and foremost. We've looked at the many types of keycap profiles and materials, an important step in your custom keyboard build.

However, if you're looking for keycaps that enhance the sound, look for ones with thicker material, as they'll produce a fuller sound than thin keycaps that sound cheap and hollow.

There are also artisan keycaps. These are artistic accessories for your keyboard and could potentially be an investment item. The image above is an example of a rare artisan keycap I won at a giveaway event in June 2023.

When buying a custom mechanical keyboard kit, you might have the choice of the types of printed circuit boards (PBCs) and backplates you can get. Sometimes there are multiple backplates and PCBs made of different materials or with flex cuts. The most common backplates you'll find are aluminum or polycarbonate, so you can choose either end of the sound spectrum.

As long as the mounting style does not interfere, PCBs and backplates with flex cuts or made of softer plastics can be quite flexible and offer a more comfortable typing experience.

Nowadays, many custom keyboard kits come with foam or silicone dampeners. They aren't seen as modifications anymore but as an essential part of building the sound of a keyboard. If your kit doesn't come with foam, you can easily make your own or buy it pre-cut.

Case foam can dampen the reverberations, making your keyboard sound less hollow, while PCB and plate foam can make your keyboard sound marbly and luxurious. Silicone dampeners take the place of case foam in some plastic keyboards, like Keychron's V-series keyboards.

One thing to watch out for, however, is that case foam can reduce the flexibility you experience on your keyboard because it'll give your PCB less room to move.

Here comes the fun part, modifying your keyboard to transform it into your own. There are many types of modifications, but we want to focus on the ones that make your keyboard sound awesome.

As we've mentioned, stabilizers are usually a rattly mess. However, there are mods to fix this. Two of the most important ones are tuning and lubricating.

The metal wire of a stabilizer can sometimes not be completely straight. You can fix this by bending it and laying it on something very flat, like a mirror or your phone's screen, like in this video. Don't worry; you probably won't break your phone like the video says.

Once your stabilizer wire is balanced and lubricated, you usually don't have to do anything else, unlike the myriad of stabilizer modifications. Start with these two basic things, and if it still doesn't work, you can try out other mods like the Holee mod.

You can make many modifications to your switches, but the most basic is lubrication. This will improve the sound and feel by making it less rattly and scratchy. You should only lube linear switches and some tactile ones, but almost never clicky switches.

If you hear about switch films, you don't need to bother in most cases. The tolerances in switch manufacturing have improved so significantly that they're rarely needed.

Make sure only to use proper lubricants like Krytox 205g0 and not petroleum jelly. Check out our switch lubing guide if you want to know how to lube your switches.

Jumping headfirst into a deep hobby like enthusiast mechanical keyboards can be daunting, especially if you don't know where you're headed or can't define what you want.

We hope this guide has armed you with the knowledge to figure out what you want from a dream build or help you plan your first custom build.

Jhet has been building and gaming on PCs since 2015. He previously took on clients as a Facebook media buyer in 2020 but started his writing career in 2022 and never looked back.Besides PCs, he loves building, tinkering with, and fixing all sorts of gadgets like audio equipment, phones, keyboards, and cameras. Anything that his tools can open, he will open.His specialties are improving the PC gaming experience as well as fixes and optimizations he's found for various gadgets.