Custom Mechanical Keyboard

In this Instructable, you will learn how to built a custom mechanical keyboard, and what parts to get.

Switches of your choice

Keycaps of your choice

Kit of your choice

Krytox 205 lubricant

Small paint brush

A case is the back bone of a build, and it is crucial that you get one that is compatible with your parts. I have personally found that the Drop CTRL to have by far the best compatibility with parts, and that's what I will be using today. It also has some nice RGB rainbow lighting effects.

Switches are the most important part of a key board, and it is very important that you pick ones that you like. Here I have chosen Gateron Blacks, as they are very smooth, with no tactile feedback, and quiet. These are all features I personally like in a switch, but you may like another, different switch.

Next up is keycaps. These are the plastic pieces that your fingers touch on to type. These easily mount to your switches, and the only defining feature that sets one set of keycaps apart from another is how it looks. I went for the Crayon keycap set because I like how its white aesthetic pairs with my silver case.

If you want your switches to be much more smooth, and feel uber-premium, I would strongly recommend lubing your switches. First off, we must disassemble the switch. Place one switch into your switch opener, and firmly press down. The switch should come apart as seen in the video above.

Next, we must actually apply the lube to the leaf of the switch. The leaf is the black piece that has the + shape on top (PLEASE NOTE YOURS MIGHT NOT BE BLACK IF YOU PURCHASED DIFFERENT SWITCHES) I like to hold the leaf with tweezers. I then take a TINY amount (emphasis on tiny; less is more) of Krytox 205 lube, and apply it to the leaf as seen in the video above.

Lastly, place all of the pieces of you switch back into the housing, and press it shut as seen in the video above.

Finally, take all of your lubricated (or not) switches and insert them into your keyboards chassis, keeping in mind to align the pins and to push straight down, as not to bend any pins.

Congratulations! You've just built yourself a brand new custom keyboard!

My final product is in the image above :)