Click Clack
2020-09-11 | Xavier Tilley
Mechanical Keyboards 101
Keyboard Sizes
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Keyboards come in many sizes, but the following are the most common, listed from biggest to smallest
- 100% or Full-size
- These have 104-108 keys
- TKL or Tenkeyless
- These have about 87 keys depending on layout
- 75%
- These have almost as many keys as a TKL by removing excess space from between the key groupings
- 65%
- These are like the 60%, but with a few extra keys for arrows or navigation
- 60%
- This is the most common DIY size. They have 60-65 keys, basically just your alphas, modifiers, and a number row
- 40%
- This is considered the smallest practical board. It's just alphas and some modifiers. Numbers and extra keys are accessed through function layers, kinda like media keys are on a laptop.
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Types of Layouts
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There are lots of keyboard layouts, some change the physical layout of the keys and some just which key types which character. Here are some physical layout types
- ANSI layout
- ANSI layouts are common in the United States and the Netherlands. They are most easily identified by having an enter key that is two units wide and only one unit tall.
- ISO layout
- ISO layouts are used by lots of European users and have one more key than ANSI layouts. They are most easily identified by having a tall (two unit high) enter key.
- JIS layout
- A modified ISO layout specifically for Japanese characters.
- Winkeyless layout
- This is the ANSI layout, but without a Windows key, found on the Happy Hacking Keyboard
- Ortholinear
- These boards arrange the keys in a grid with straight rows and columns
- Columnar
- These boards have straight columns, but stagger the rows a little bit to follow the curve of your fingers.
- Split
- Split keyboards separate the keyboard in two halves. Split layouts can be based on any of the above layouts.
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Keyboard Parts
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Switches
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There are three main types of mechanical keyboard switches
- Clicky
- These switches make an audible click when accuated
- Tactile
- These switches have a bump on the stem to provide tactile feedback
- Linear
- These switches don't provide feedback to the user, lots of gamers like these. I'm not a fan.
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Keycaps
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Keycaps can be made of several different materials, usually plastic. Common materials are:
- ABS
- Most common plastic for keycaps, preferred for double shot keycaps, can yellow over time, and get shiny with heavy use
- PBT
- Most durable keycap material, doesn't yellow, doesn't get shiny as quickly
- POM
- Not very common, kinda slippery because of it's low friction coefficient. It's more commonly found in switches.
Sometimes you can find individual keycaps made of wood, metal, or resin
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Keycap Legends
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Legends can be "printed" on keycaps using a couple of different methods
- Double-shot
- Double-shot keycaps are made by moulding the legend first and then moulding the rest of the keycap around it. These legends will never wear off.
- Dye Sublimation aka Dye sub
- Keycaps can be heated in a dye bath which embeds the dye deeply into the plastic. This creates a pretty durable legend, but limits your color scheme to dark legends on light caps.
- Pad printing
- The least durable and cheapest way to make legends. This is really common on cheap commerical boards and keycaps.
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Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
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Most keyboards have a printed circuit board, or PCB, that the switches are soldered to. This provides the circuitry to connect the switches to the microcontroller. It is possible to build a keyboard without one though that means you'll be soldering wires together, directly to the switches and diodes.
Plate
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This is the part that supports your switches. It's not strictly necessary, but helps make your board feel sturdier.
Case
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This part encloses the bottom and sides of the keyboard to protect the PCB from dust and such.
Firmware
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Every keyboard needs firmware. If you built your own keyboard, this is often QMK firmware. QMK is opensource and *very* well documented.
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Links
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- keyboard.university
- input.club
- mechanicalkeyboardinfo.com
- r/mechanicalkeyboards on Reddit
- TaeKeyboards on Youtube
- Taeha Types on Youtube
- matt30.com is a blog run by Matt3o. He designs keycap sets and has a lot of good tutorials on keyboard building
- QMK Firmware can be found at qmk.fm/
- mechanicalkeyboards.com is a regional keyboard retailer
- DIY keyboard parts can be found at keeb.io, novelkeys.com, and if you are willing to wait forever kbdfans and Drop