Upgrading a $99 Keyboard (For MKBHD)

Today I'm going to show you how to  upgrade your mechanical keyboard and take it to the next level so let me tell  you why you want to do something like this out of the box most if not all mainstream  mechanical keyboards can be improved by   applying some easy and affordable mods that  will make them much more enjoyable to use so   there's no reason not to do this you will  see just how better your keyboard can look   feel and sound once i show you the different  mods that you can do for this video I wanted   to build a keyboard for mkbhd as I noticed that  he showed some interest in mechanical keyboards   a while back so i thought that this would be a  great opportunity for me to build him a keyboard   so after some research these are the requirements  i came up with based on his instagram and twitter   posts the keyboard had to be wireless needs  arrow keys no number pad mac os compatible   backlit needs mapped media keys and i wanted  to use cherry profile keycaps in a matte black   colorway with some red accents for obvious reasons  considering other things on my limited budget it   was challenging to find something that met all of  the requirements without compromising on anything   so after some deep research here's what i  did my plan is to upgrade the keychron k2 v2   hotswapable edition which is a newer version of  the same keyboard markers uses on a daily basis it's a great mechanical keyboard starting at just   69 dollars nice and it's one of the  best budget wireless options out there I've been testing the k2 v2 for a while it's  pretty good overall and it's one of the nicer   looking stock keyboards i can think of but  I think we can make it much better so let's   start by taking it apart, by the way, most  of the upgrades I'm going to do can be done   to any keyboard so you don't need to have this  exact same keyboard you follow the instructions   start by removing the keycaps  using the included keycap puller   now unscrew all the screws remove the  switches and take everything apart make sure to be careful with the battery  cable if you have a wireless keyboard   and carefully unplug it when  taking it out of the PCB apply some heat to the case so the glue  comes off easier and remove the battery I'm going to add sound dampening material to the  keyboard's case that reduces the hollow sounds it   makes when typing and you will see why I want to  use this first in a minute the denser the material   used the better it will absorb slush dampen the  sound people usually use some sort of foam but   I'm not a fan of how it usually ends up looking  so I will use something different and that's with   silicon molds we can make a dampening pad using  a DIY silicon molding making kit from amazon   it will be a perfect fit dampen the  sound really well and look really clean follow the silicone mold instructions make sure  to tape the holes when pouring the silicone   to avoid it from leaking out and add some  small tabs to be able to leave the silicone   pad after it dries hardens solidifies I don't  know what's the word there also level the base   of your keyboard if it's angle so the mix spreads  evenly and it doesn't enter the PCB standoffs now let's leave it dry and we will come back  a bit later by the way I'll also show you how   to make your own custom coil cable for free  using a hairdryer and a wooden stick in an   upcoming video so consider subscribing for the  next mod we are going to remove the switches   and while loop well you probably know what loop  is used for it reduces friction making things   feel smoother and better and in this case, we  are going to use it for mechanical switches I have a hot-swappable model so the switches came  out easily if you don't have one you will need to   disorder the switches to loop them but don't worry  if you aren't comfortable disordering I'm working   on a video that will show you how to loop the  switches without needing to take the switches out   now let's open the switches ideally  you'll want to have a switch opener   but you can use a flat-head screwdriver to open  them one by one but it's going to take more time by the way, keep everything in a safe  workplace so you don't lose anything, and yeah once you are done opening the switches we  are going to use a popular loot used for   mechanical switches called Krytox 205 grade  zero to improve the sound and feel of this   using a thin brush apply a thin coat of glue  to the waist and the base of the bottom housing once that's done we also need to  leave the springs to save time   a popular method is to put  them in a plastic bag insert   some loop and gently shake until all of the  springs have a thin layer of lube on them apply a thin coat of loop to the sides of the  stem and for tactile switches avoid leaving   the legs to keep the ductility take one of the  springs put it back on the bottom housing and put   the stem back on top of the spring with the legs  facing the metal contacts finally I'll add these   switch films between the top and bottom housing to  improve the stability and reduce the switch wobble   now repeat this process for every switch for the next part, I'm going to replace the  stock stabilizers for the everglide plate mounted   straps take apart the stabilizers and  clip the bottom plastic legs that avoid   them from making an even bottom out  which leads to unnecessary rattling next we need to leave the stabilization housing  similarly to how we did with the switches   by applying a thin coat of Krytox 205  grade zero in the interior and on the stem   put the stem back into the housing but make  sure you have the side of the stem with   two holes facing outwards once that's done apply  a generous amount of loop to one side of a wire   make sure you go a bit beyond the 90-degree  bend to cover the entire area of contact   put the stabilizer back together by inserting  the wire through the top hole of the tube we   talked about earlier and repeat the same process  for the rest our extra step here will be to do   the band-aid mode to further dampen the sound of  the stabilizer's bottom in out just cut a small   piece stick it to where the stabilizer will  rest and apply a thin layer of lube over them   I'll also add a layer of dampening foam between  the PCB and the plate to further dampen the sound after all, that's done we  can proceed to put all the   stabilizers and switches back on the PCB and plate   now let's check how the silicon mold is looking  gently remove it by pulling from the tabs we   placed previously and cut the necessary holes for  the USB port battery and the switches on the left after putting everything back together it's time  for the keycaps I had a very hard time finding an   affordable 75 percent layout compatible keycap set  that also matched our matte black everything theme   is cherry profile hat command keys are backlight  compatible and includes dedicated media keys,   in fact, I don't think that anything that  meets all of those requirements even exists   the closest thing that I was able to find that  was available in stock and didn't cost me a kidney   wear this black and red dye sublimated  PBT cherry profile keycaps on Aliexpress   I bought two sets to have enough keycaps to  try different color combinations for marques   and use the M and K keycaps for home and end each row of keycaps has different heights so  you can't just put a home and end keycap from a   standard layout into a 75 layout well technically  you can but it feels sacrilegious if you have   a standard full-size keyboard tenkeyless or a  60 keyboard any keycap set will work just fine   the quality of the set I have is very reasonable  for the price it feels nice and will be durable   as its PBT plastic instead of abs so it won't  shine as easy as the stop keycaps you might   find on something like a razer keyboard this has  been a fun project to work on and I have no idea   if marques will ever see this keyboard or watch  this video but I had a lot of fun working on this   and I would love to do a high-end version sometime  in the future anyway here's the final result

Channel: DailySetupTech

Views: 167,962

Rating: 4.9263835 out of 5

Keywords: mechanical keyboard, keychron, keychron k2, rgb keyboard, best mechanical keyboard, mechanical keyboards, keyboard asmr, how to upgrade keyboard, upgrading a keyboard, mkbhd keyboard, keychron keyboard, keyboard sound test, how to lube stabilizers, coiled cable keyboard, wireless mechanical keyboard, wireless keyboard, mkbhd, budget mechanical keyboard, best mechanical keyboard 2021, how to mod keyboard, Keyboard mod, How to lube switches

Id: 5FynctdZqZw

Length: 12min 50sec (770 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 20 2021