I’ve been lucky enough to build a bunch
of really cool mechanical keyboards. Most of which requires this thing. Because mechanical keyboards of course have
mechanical keyswitches that we need to solder onto the PCB. Even though I truly believe it’s a tool
you should have around, and is a great skill to have, it is an extra cost, and can be a
little daunting. Fortunately for some of you, hotswap PCB’s
makes building a mechanical keyboard unbelievably easy. The hardest part is actually knowing what
parts go with what. There are keyboard kits that are available
with the hotswap option. For example, many of the RAMA WORKS keyboards
have them, and just a bunch here and there in customs. Most of which are pretty pricey, and you’re
usually set on that particular keyboard. But for today, we’re going to be building
a 60% form factor keyboard, which is the most universal in regards to using different parts. Meaning that we have more flexibility in how
we want it to look, but more importantly in price. All of the stuff I have today is from KBDfans,
which I think is the best place to start. So let’s look at the parts I have for this
build. First up we have our plate which the switches
are mounted onto. Then we have our case. Along with our feet and screws. Sometimes KBDfans chuck in these little extras. Here’s our keycaps. Our stabilisers. And our keyswitches. And finally what makes this whole thing work,
the PCB. This is the DZ60RGB ANSI V2 hotswap PCB. If you want just the standard 60% layout with
the best compatibility, then this is the one for you. They also have other ones available, which
vary in layout, and can include dedicated arrow keys and such. But that will force you to buy a compatible
keyset which may cost more. So these black plastic things are Kailh hotswap
sockets. This is what the keyswitch pins will go into,
and create that connection. For a normal keyboard build, we would have
to solder the keyswitch pins to the PCB. You may come across keyboards that are labelled
as hotswappable, and come with Outemu keyswitches. But those are only compatible with Outemu
keyswitches. The sockets on here are compatible with all
MX style switches. So that includes Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh,
Outemu, Durock, Greetech, whatever. Do your research on keyswitches to try and
get the best for you. First step is to install your stabilisers. These are used to support the longer keys,
and are very important to the quality of the keyboard. So try not to cheap out and get the cheapest
ones possible. And I prefer screw in, rather than clip in,
so that they don’t pop out. The ones I have are GMK screw in stabs, and
I got a 60% set, and includes 4 2U stabs. One 7U stab. And one 6.25u stab. U refers to unit, where 1 unit equals 1 normal
key. The standard ANSI layout uses a 6.25U spacebar,
so we will use that. There’s a bunch of mods that you can do
to your stabilisers which are optional. But the one thing you absolutely need to do
is to lube them. Rattly stabs can completely ruin the feel
and sound of a keyboard. Dielectric grease is pretty easy to get, doesn’t
matter what brand. Another popular alternative is Super Lube. You don’t need much as you’ll see, so
it’s pretty cheap. If they come assembled, pop out the wires,
and dip the ends into the grease. It’s hard doing it on camera, but just don’t
overload it, as it will be sluggish. The stab stems have 2 holes on one side, and
the bottom hole is where you want to stick the wire into. Again, there’s other stuff that you can
do, but lubing is the thing that will make the biggest difference. Now to install them. You will find holes in the PCB in groups of
4. And you can just imagine where they go. You have the shift keys, spacebar, enter,
and backspace. As we are using screw in stabs, we have to
screw them in. Make sure you use the included washers, as
that prevents any potential shorts. Once everything is installed, make sure it’s
all good, because they’re annoying to fix later on when the switches are installed. Next up, we have the plate. This is what the keyswitches are mounted onto. This is a 60% plate, and you can get these
in different materials for different characteristics. So I have brass which is a little heavier
than aluminium. You can get polycarbonate, carbon fibre, and
other plastics. But for a hotswap build, I would recommend
a metal plate for stability, as the switches aren’t soldered in. The switches I have here are Kailh Box Jades. One of the best things about building a mech
is the freedom you have with keyswitches. You do have to consider that this PCB has
RGB backlighting, so if you want that to shine through, you will need switches that have
a window, a gap, or just clear housings. Also, when looking at keyswitches, you’ll
usually have a choice between 3 pin and 5 pin, which both work absolutely fine. The only difference is that 5 pin have these
extra plastic prongs that friction fit into the PCB. Kailh switches don’t come with those, but
when possible, try and get 5 pin for that extra stability, especially for a hotswap
build. We’re first going to put in a few keyswitches
in the corners and towards the middle. Press them in firmly, and they should click
into place. And this will provide a platform for us to
put the rest of the switches in. Then line up the pins with the holes in the
PCB, and again push firmly until the switches are properly in. Sometimes when you put in a switch, the plate
will go down. Just make sure the plate is parallel with
the PCB, and that the keyswitches are properly in place. Since the hotswap holes are quite small, it’s
important to make sure that the pins are straight before putting them in. The hotswap sockets forces us into having
just the one layout, so there’s no variety in the bottom row, so you don’t need to
worry about putting keyswitches in the wrong place. And you should end up with something like
this. All the switches are in as far as they go. They’re all level. And the PCB is parallel with the plate. And finally we get to how we want it to look
aesthetically. Here I have the 60% TOFU. Probably one of the best budget options for
an alu case. Available in a bunch of colours, and has a
stunningly simple design. And this is where doing a 60% build in particular
becomes very useful. There are a tonne of cases available for this
form factor. This is a tray mount design, meaning that
we have these standoffs on the bottom of the case. And this is the arrangement that you want
to find. So this is 88USD which is pricey, but good
value for what you get. But you can get a really cheap plastic case
for 15 bucks or less. There’s wooden cases if you want that look. The frosted acrylic ones are really cool,
but this PCB does not have RGB underglow. But yeh, you have so much choice. Just make sure the standoffs and USB hole
are in the correct spots. And last but not least. The keycaps. The common theme with building a standard
ANSI 60% is its compatibility. Pretty much any keyset will fit on this. I have this XDA PBT set, which doesn’t come
with the numpad and a bunch of other stuff. 50 bucks, so not too pricey, but again, you
can definitely buy a much cheaper set. If you’re building in another form factor,
you will need to have a closer look at keycap compatibility. For example, the right shift key will often
be a 1.75U for other compact sizes, which is also included here. And that’s the build done. Plug it in, and it’s ready to go. If you want to change anything with the layout
and customise the different layers, which you may want to do with compact form factors. You will have to download and use QMK. That’s quite a bit to get through, so I’ll
leave a link in the description about that stuff. So now that it’s all built you can play
around and check if it’s all working good. I’m pretty lazy, so I’m only doing that
now, but you should test before you put it together. If a key isn’t working, then that means
the keyswitch probably isn’t in properly, and a pin is bent. And here’s the beauty of hotswap. You don’t need to desolder, which is just
a massive difference. To remove a keyswitch we need to press the
two clips inwards. I didn’t include one in my order, but you
should buy a keyswitch puller, not to be confused with a keycap puller. Otherwise, you can use like a flathead screwdriver
to press the clips in, and then lift the switch up. You can then replace the keyswitch. Or if it’s just a bent pin, just straighten
it up, and it’s good to go. I recommend to order a few extra keyswitches. This build uses 61 keys, but I ordered 70. Anyway, as said before, these are Kailh Box
Jades, which are a super clicky switch. Nice and loud as expected. This does cover the sound of the stabilisers,
but you could also hear that there was no rattle because I lubed them. Rattly stabilisers are particularly noticeable
in tactile and linear builds, as the sound doesn’t mask the rattle. There are a few downsides to hotswap, in which
traditional solderable PCBs are better. You don’t get much variety in the layout. Normally you’ll have various options on
the PCB for different sized spacebars, split backspace, and other little things like that. They are stable, but soldered connections
are stronger. It depends on the keyswitch as well. Kailh switches are pretty tight on the plate. Don’t be too reckless when putting switches
in and out. They should be fine, but if a socket falls
off, you’re gonna need that soldering station after all. And lastly, there’s not as much choice. I picked this PCB because it’s a 60% and
fits with a whole lot of stuff. They also have a 65% PCB that fits with a
few cases. But when you start looking at more options,
it starts getting pretty complicated, and there’s just so much to cover. There’s a bunch of custom kits that do have
hotswap PCBs, but many are available through group buys and are expensive. Then you might think, why not put this PCB
into another keyboard. With a 60% custom it’s definitely very possible,
but you have to consider the port placement, the mounting design of the keyboard, and just
a lot of other stuff. What I wanted to do in this video was to provide
the foundations in what you should be looking for, and a lot of that has to do with learning
about and working out what is compatible with what. But if you want something that is affordable,
while also having a bunch of options, do a 60% build. This build was pretty expensive though, being
around 300USD. This is cheap relative to like all other custom
mechanical keyboards, but 300 bucks is 300 bucks. It’s a lot of money for something that you
can get for 10 bucks. Everything besides the PCB can be downgraded. Get an aluminium plate, instead of brass,
Get a plastic case, instead of the aluminium TOFU case, and save like 70 bucks. You can get cheaper keycaps as well. So I hope you can see what’s possible. I can’t go through all the viable combinations
for compatibility, but hopefully this gives you that foundation to build from. I do recommend KBDfans for beginners as they
are a dedicated mechanical keyboard store, they have everything, and have decent prices. I’ll put a link in the description to a
spreadsheet with links for some simple options. If you have any questions, chuck em down in
the comments.
Soldering is not for everyone. Most of us that build keebs make soldering part of the experience. Without it, it’s just not as exciting.
At the same token, there are some people that like driving cars and others that like building and modifying them. To each their own.
But... Where's the fun in that?
Soldering is not for everyone. Most of us that build keebs make soldering part of the experience. Without it, it’s just not as exciting.
At the same token, there are some people that like driving cars and others that like building and modifying them. To each their own.
thank you!!!!!