WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:07.759 deciding what exactly to build for this video took a lot of thought on the one 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:11.880 hand we didn't want to go too overboard but since the point was for some of the 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:16.480 enthusiasts here to share their passion for keyboard customization we also 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:20.640 didn't want to go too basic and miss out on presenting some of the more fun 00:00:18.520 --> 00:00:25.119 options even if they aren't the most wallet friendly on that note when you're 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:30.000 making this decision for yourself the first consideration after your budget 00:00:27.439 --> 00:00:35.000 set a budget should be your layout what's right for you a tiny little 40% 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:39.640 board with several function layers to jot down your Memoir or maybe you want a 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:42.920 fulls sized 104 keyboard for productivity and entering data and 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:46.840 spreadsheets maybe you'll land in between there are Endless Options with 00:00:44.879 --> 00:00:54.160 new layouts coming out all the time but the most common are your 60 and 65% 75% 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:59.359 tkl or 10 keyless and 1800 there are also alternate layouts 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:04.119 like ortholinear and Alice and split for the ergonomic minded folks but I'm 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:10.360 boring so I've gone with the new tofu 65 2.0 from kbd fans the original tofu 60 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:16.680 and 65 are pretty common recommendations for an entrylevel but very Enthusiast 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:20.320 tier keyboard unfortunately in the few years since their release the classic 00:01:18.600 --> 00:01:25.040 tray mounts that they used have fallen out of favor thankfully the new keyboard 00:01:23.240 --> 00:01:30.560 kit that they sent over includes three mounting options top mount silicone 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:32.560 gasket or silicone Bowl which we are 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:37.200 going to be trying for the first time more on that later for now all you need 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:41.640 to know is that you can purchase your case PCB plate stabilizer switches and 00:01:40.399 --> 00:01:46.159 anything else that you would like separately and build it fully custom but 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.159 you don't have to anymore many of them come in kits like this that include just 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:57.119 about everything that you need except for you know switches and key caps I 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:59.399 mean uh those are kind of critical first 00:01:57.119 --> 00:02:03.719 a nice thing about the tofu 65 is the fact that it is hot swap which makes 00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:08.720 trying out new switches or replacing defective ones much easier compared to 00:02:06.240 --> 00:02:13.360 if everything is soldered in place now soldering does have a few advantages 00:02:11.200 --> 00:02:16.680 like some added stability more layout options and no risk of your switches 00:02:15.239 --> 00:02:22.519 popping out when you go to change your key caps but it's so convenient to be 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:26.720 able to just pop switches onto your board like this anytime you want that 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:31.440 this is absolutely what we' recommend for novice to intermediate Builders 00:02:29.040 --> 00:02:35.400 especially those aren't 100% sure that they want to be married to the first 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:40.440 switches that they choose for those of you looking for a challenge by the way 00:02:37.200 --> 00:02:42.959 you can convert a solder only PCB into a 00:02:40.440 --> 00:02:48.680 hot swappable one but that's beyond the scope of today's video today's video 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:53.640 which needs a message from our sponsor build Redux build Redux builds fully 00:02:51.200 --> 00:02:57.519 customizable gaming PCs for any budget see how your favorite games perform with 00:02:55.239 --> 00:03:02.000 their online pc Builder so you dominate in war zone and not Candy Crush unless 00:02:59.720 --> 00:03:07.440 you you want that head to build ru.com Linus and start your new rig today our 00:03:05.200 --> 00:03:14.040 kit today is a bit more expensive than the 60% version but for our $190 we're 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:18.480 getting a lot we've got an aluminum case with a brass weight a plate in the 00:03:15.920 --> 00:03:22.120 material of your choice both silicone gasket mounting options as well as 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:26.760 smaller screws for top mount laser cut pour on bottom and plate foam and Eva 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:33.360 switch pad a set of feet and Cherry screwing stabilizers moreon all of these 00:03:29.959 --> 00:03:35.680 as we go and don't worry if this guy and 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:40.920 a set of switches and key caps are out of your budget don't sweat it you can 00:03:38.200 --> 00:03:44.680 follow along with any of the still very good options that we've got linked down 00:03:42.480 --> 00:03:48.680 below for as low as 40 bucks you'll probably be looking at a plastic chassis 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:53.519 maybe fewer plate options and no frills like bottom weights or added foam but 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:57.760 kits like these are a great way to both learn the basics and to get typing and 00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:01.840 feel free to spend those savings by the way on our new circuit deskpad which is 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:07.280 a great fit for whatever keyboard you end up building let's start with our PCB 00:04:05.079 --> 00:04:11.480 these can come anywhere from completely bare in which case you'll need to solder 00:04:09.079 --> 00:04:15.959 on Parts like LEDs resistors or controllers yourself to fully populated 00:04:14.079 --> 00:04:20.079 with hot swappable sockets so there is zero soldering involved sometimes 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:25.199 they're pretty rigid but it's becoming more and more common to see Flex Cuts 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:29.880 not only around the frro or other modifiers but also to break up the 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:35.039 alphas like this this contributes to to a less harsh bottoming out feeling but 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:39.840 without the mushiness associated with membranes and it might seem like a small 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:44.600 and insignificant detail partly because it is but this practically infinite 00:04:42.440 --> 00:04:49.400 customizability is a huge part of what draws people into this hobby whether 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:54.440 it's the big factors like the actuation forces of your switches or fine ones 00:04:52.039 --> 00:04:58.840 like the viscosity of your Lube or PCB Flex all of it is going to make a 00:04:56.520 --> 00:05:03.440 difference in both sound and feel as you type or game so I guess what I'm trying 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:09.199 to say is speed holes are in fashion now but if you don't like them that is 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:11.440 totally 100% okay moving on failures are 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:15.960 rare but you should still always do a quick test of each socket on your PCB 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:19.880 before you build the fastest way to do this is to lay your PCB on something 00:05:17.960 --> 00:05:24.319 non-conductive I'd recommend the box that came in plug it into your computer 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:27.440 open a keyboard testing site like via we're going to have a couple of those 00:05:25.280 --> 00:05:31.960 linked down below then using a pair of conductive tweezers or a paperclip 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:36.479 Bridge each socket one by one and check to ensure that the key press registers 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:41.240 now it's time to actually build and step one is adding our stabilizers now most 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:45.800 of the keys on a board are a size of one U they won't need them but bigger Keys 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:50.039 like shift enter and tab will typically range anywhere from 1 and 1/2 to 2 and 00:05:47.440 --> 00:05:56.199 1/2 u with the space bar generally being the biggest at around 6.25 U A good rule 00:05:53.840 --> 00:06:00.840 thumb is that anything over to you needs a stabilizer to stay well stable to see 00:05:59.520 --> 00:06:04.919 what what this looks like let's flip our space bar upside down here you can see 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:08.840 three mounting points one in the middle for the switch and then one on either 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:13.120 side for the stabilizers without these two side mounts pressing your space bar 00:06:10.919 --> 00:06:19.800 anywhere other than right dead center is going to result in a sort of seesaw 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:21.919 lever action this will fix it but wait 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:27.000 if we screwed them into our PCB without Lube Well we'd be able to hear the wire 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:32.560 scratching and rattling around inside the stabs well I mean it wouldn't affect 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:36.080 the functionality right no no okay right 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:38.400 but but but but it would be awful right 00:06:36.080 --> 00:06:43.360 yes and we can fix that in about 20 minutes if we care and we do there are a 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:48.840 few ways to do this but we are going to use some dialectric grease for the bars 00:06:45.400 --> 00:06:50.759 and krytox 25g lube for the housing then 00:06:48.840 --> 00:06:55.879 for bonus points we're going to be using Flush Cutters to clip off these little 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:59.599 raised sections here that can poke into the PCB awkwardly when they're pressed 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:03.160 down if your stabs don't have those little feet by the way don't start 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:06.240 randomly cutting things off many of the newer ones are starting to come pre- 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:10.360 clipped so you could end up screwing something up in either case the next 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:15.400 step is to lube our housing like so applying a light layer to the inside 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:18.919 once that's done you just pop the insert back in making sure to orient the side 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:24.599 with the hole here with the side that's open grease up the end of the 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:29.680 bar that's greased all right then insert the bar and click it into place 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:36.199 stable now before we move on I just want to quickly mention that there are more 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:40.360 than just Cherry screw stabilizers like we have today there are different 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:44.400 mounting Styles snap in screw in or plate mounted or you might even open up 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:49.039 your keyboard and find a different style of stabilizer all together co-star 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:52.720 stabilizers look like this and while they can be lubed up there's not much 00:07:51.080 --> 00:07:56.759 else you can do with them so thankfully these are less common these days and 00:07:54.840 --> 00:08:02.280 Optical stabilizers like you'd find in an optical keyboard well those can't be 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:05.000 modified at all at least at this time so 00:08:02.280 --> 00:08:10.520 Cherry screws it is for us now at this point if you still hear a little bit of 00:08:08.159 --> 00:08:14.080 rattle I guess I can kind of force it but this is certainly acceptable to me 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:18.879 anyway there are two more steps you can take one of them is a serious pain in 00:08:16.479 --> 00:08:23.159 the butt it's called a holy mod and involves adding tiny strips of bandage 00:08:21.280 --> 00:08:27.800 or other padding material to the inside surfaces of the insert some full kit 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:33.120 cases actually come with pre-cut strips like these ones but whatever you use the 00:08:30.599 --> 00:08:37.519 idea is the same it's to stop the wire from making contact with the plastic 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:40.479 hamaji Neo actually has a great video on how to do this so feel free to go check 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:46.240 that out we're going to have it linked in the video description I am not that fussy 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:50.680 obviously so we're going to do the easier mod now the old way of doing this 00:08:48.839 --> 00:08:55.160 one also involves cutting up bits of bandages but since it's more Common 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:59.519 Premium kits often come with little padded stickers either with or without 00:08:57.760 --> 00:09:04.360 holes in the center since some folks don't like the actual insert hitting the 00:09:01.880 --> 00:09:07.800 pad now our tofu kit didn't come with these but luckily we had some lying 00:09:05.839 --> 00:09:11.880 around from another kit now for the record not Everyone likes adding these 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:18.320 and some finds that it makes certain stabilizers feel a tad mushy especially 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:21.800 before they're broken in but I was told 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:24.120 I had to do it so all you got to do then 00:09:21.800 --> 00:09:28.279 is line up the smaller side with the smaller stabilizer screw hole and The 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:32.959 Wider side where the stabs hook into the PCB and stick it on some people actually 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:36.800 like to add a bit of lube to these before installing their stabilizers over 00:09:34.680 --> 00:09:40.279 top of them but maybe you could try it without first and then see how you feel 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:44.360 about it once those are on we'll install the stabilizers by hooking them onto the 00:09:42.160 --> 00:09:49.320 bigger opening then pushing both sides into place then you'll need the spacers 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:52.800 or washers that come with your stab kit we're just going to use these washers 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:58.519 that came with a different kit as long as you have a magnetic screwdriver LTD 00:09:55.720 --> 00:10:03.680 store.com just take the washer put it on the screw 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:03.680 and screw it in from the back 00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:23.279 side it's it's nice good job good job L one last trick 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:27.079 by the way if it's still not quiet enough for you you can take a syringe 00:10:25.079 --> 00:10:29.800 and squeeze a little bit more Lube into the stabilizers after you've installed 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:35.130 them on the board wait why didn't we just do that in the first place that sounds way 00:10:32.959 --> 00:10:36.480 easier it 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:44.240 doesn't we could just stick some lube at the edges here it would work its way in 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:48.560 and then we could just syringe some lube into there with a needle and what like 00:10:46.920 --> 00:10:51.320 you just have to like type on it for a bit and then be fine but that's the 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:56.079 thing is you got to type on it for a while yeah that's fine oh my God that 00:10:53.800 --> 00:11:00.880 would take like a tenth the amount of time any who now it's time to assemble 00:10:58.920 --> 00:11:04.519 our p PB and get the rest of our keyboard ready for the case remember 00:11:02.959 --> 00:11:09.560 those Foams that I mentioned early ah yes here they are adding any layer or 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:14.440 combination of layers of these is going to dampen or otherwise affect the sound 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:21.000 now some of the more popular materials include polyurethane poron that's this 00:11:17.680 --> 00:11:23.720 one right here neoprene sorbothane and 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:27.360 Eva if your kit didn't come with foam but you want some anyway there are a few 00:11:25.760 --> 00:11:32.519 websites out there that will do custom laser cut foam for specific cases in key 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:37.760 caps but realistically White Packing foam like this can be found for cheap or 00:11:34.680 --> 00:11:39.480 free and does a pretty okay job the 00:11:37.760 --> 00:11:45.560 question though is whether this should be done at all and that's not even just 00:11:42.560 --> 00:11:47.920 me being all all of this is unnecessary 00:11:45.560 --> 00:11:53.639 anyway many purists will argue that an expensive keyboard doesn't need foam and 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:56.560 should sound fantastic without it but 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:59.440 for more budget boards it can help a lot again it's all up to your personal 00:11:58.040 --> 00:12:03.200 preference but since it's part part of our kit we're going to use all three 00:12:01.079 --> 00:12:07.200 layers we're going to start with the top foam and Eva switch pad then once 00:12:05.839 --> 00:12:10.399 they're aligned we're going to put the plate on top to sandwich the whole thing 00:12:09.040 --> 00:12:15.560 together before we start popping in our switches but before we do that we have 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:19.680 to talk about our plate that's a good thing we didn't forget that the plate 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:24.480 stabilizes your key switches and adds some rigidity to the board but its main 00:12:22.199 --> 00:12:29.199 role is to keep the stress off of the PCB when you're typing now like 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:32.880 everything else there are a ton of options for materials Each of which 00:12:30.959 --> 00:12:38.839 affects the feel and especially the sound of the typing experience kbd fans 00:12:35.839 --> 00:12:40.880 sent us polycarbonate aluminum and fr4 00:12:38.839 --> 00:12:44.839 fiberglass to choose from they've also got a carbon fiber option but they 00:12:42.800 --> 00:12:49.079 didn't send that over other popular choices for other boards include palm 00:12:47.199 --> 00:12:53.279 and Brass we're going to go with the poly carb today for a lower pitch sound 00:12:51.560 --> 00:12:56.920 and a little bit more flex but if you're looking for something stiffer and higher 00:12:54.959 --> 00:13:02.360 pitched then aluminum would be a really good way to go for our switches we've 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:04.639 gone with Gaton blizzards these are five 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:08.680 pin 60 G tactile switches with pre-applied Lube which is going to save 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:12.639 us a couple of hours some enthusiasts would still apply their own Lube but 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:16.279 Factory pre- lubing has apparently gotten a lot better over the last couple 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:20.760 of years and I think it's fair to say that this is going to get us at least 00:13:18.079 --> 00:13:25.920 90% of the way there that's not always true though we have both unlubed and 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:29.320 preed nixes from Cherry and we couldn't really feel a whole lot of difference 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:33.440 but then if we compare the unlubed one to a switch we lubed ourselves it's no 00:13:31.760 --> 00:13:37.959 contest apparently okay I've got to feel this I assume this is the one that you 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:43.320 lubed the quieter one okay all right well it is better so fine if you have to 00:13:40.959 --> 00:13:47.120 lube your own switches here's how you do it hop open your switch with a Handy 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:51.000 Switch opener these can also be Pride open with fingernails or other tools but 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:55.519 a switch opener makes it about 100 times easier then disassemble everything but 00:13:53.519 --> 00:14:00.040 the pins you should be left with a top housing bottom housing stem and a spring 00:13:58.199 --> 00:14:03.040 now don't just start start throwing Lube at it because this process can vary a 00:14:01.959 --> 00:14:07.920 little bit depending on whether you're lubing linear switches tactiles or 00:14:05.199 --> 00:14:12.160 clickies linear they're kind of hard to screw up since there's no bump there's 00:14:09.800 --> 00:14:16.160 no feel for you to really worry about but with tactiles and clickies you've 00:14:14.079 --> 00:14:20.959 got to be careful not to over Lube or you can end up removing a lot of the 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:23.519 feel and sound especially for clickies 00:14:20.959 --> 00:14:28.720 so for linear take a small brush take your stem and brush a thin layer of 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:31.000 krytox 205g along just about anywhere 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:36.360 except except the stem now to be clear 205g is not the Beall and end all of 00:14:33.959 --> 00:14:40.519 switch Lube it's just pretty common and we happen to have some on hand once 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:44.600 that's done take the bottom housing and apply another thin layer on the stem 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:48.920 rails particularly with linear you can coat a bit more of the bottom housing in 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.519 the leaves but it's not always necessary as for your Springs we're going to go 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:56.800 with the lazy container Lube method where you take all your Springs Chuck 00:14:54.399 --> 00:15:00.639 them in a container with some krytox 105 and then shake them up until you've got 00:14:58.199 --> 00:15:05.320 a nice thin coating on them you can absolutely Lube your Springs 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:07.320 individually for best results but wow 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:11.920 does it ever take forever so we are not going to be doing that today once each 00:15:09.880 --> 00:15:16.560 component is lubed up just put it back together and you're done or at least 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:21.000 you're probably done at this point something we haven't mentioned yet is 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:26.279 switch film which is meant to fix flimsy wobbly housings by adding a small layer 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:30.680 of material to fill any gaps most modern switches don't need them but if yours do 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:35.240 you just add the film to the lower housing before pushing the switch back 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:40.399 together great good job now repeat the process between 70 and 110 more times 00:15:38.319 --> 00:15:46.160 and you should be good to go can't say the same for your fingers but yeah now 00:15:43.680 --> 00:15:50.720 since our PCB is hot swappable you can do this last if you'd prefer but as long 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:53.639 as you've got a soft surface to work on and you don't press too hard you'll be 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:57.759 all right we're going to put our switches on now just take your switch 00:15:55.800 --> 00:16:02.639 line up the pins with the holes uh some sockets might require you to R rotate 90 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:04.759 or 180° so make sure you watch for that 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:08.040 then press it down one pro tip by the way is that if you do all the corners 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:11.399 first it helps keep everything in place while you install the rest of the 00:16:09.199 --> 00:16:14.480 switches during this process it's possible that you will accidentally 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:19.800 smush one of the contact pins on your switch if that happens don't worry about 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:23.639 it too much first of all you can usually use some pliers to straighten them out 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:27.880 and try again and second switches generally come in packs of 10 so you'll 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:31.560 probably have a few extras anyway a quick visual inspection to make sure the 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:35.880 pins are poking through later and I think we're almost done we're almost 00:16:32.920 --> 00:16:42.240 done right yeah I I swear we're almost done anyway we know we want to gasket 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:46.800 Mount today but the question is how gasket mounting involves sandwiching the 00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:50.680 plate in between the top and bottom case with pieces of rubber or foam now for 00:16:48.920 --> 00:16:57.519 the traditional gasket Mount we could attach these little sockies on our PCB 00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:02.240 but these bowls are apparently the new hotness or something so we're going to 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:07.880 try those out to be clear gasket mounts are not the only way to mount the PCB 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:11.079 there's your tray Mount top mount bottom 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:14.640 mount sandwich Mount integrated plate 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:16.760 Mount gasket Mount Leaf Spring Mount 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:21.079 that's about it now we're going to put our bottom half to the side for this 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:25.959 part tweezers are your best friend you're going to take these little strips 00:17:22.919 --> 00:17:28.319 of foam there and insert them into these 00:17:25.959 --> 00:17:30.960 little recesses in the underside of the top plate 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:36.559 with these in place we're going to go back to our bottom case and add the 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:38.320 little bowls uh tweezers also appear to 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:41.320 be my friend here we went with the middle stiffness to start cuz we've 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:45.960 never really tried this Mount before but our kit came with three different 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:47.799 stiffnesses 50 60 and 70 before we 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:52.640 assemble we need to add our bottom foam layer an alternative to this is actually 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:57.120 painters tape though if you just lay strips of it across the bottom of the 00:17:54.160 --> 00:18:01.200 PCB with cutouts for your reset switch uh resistors any onard board 00:17:59.080 --> 00:18:04.280 microcontrollers or anything like that then you can just add as many layers as 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:08.520 you like as long as they still fit in the case to achieve the desired result 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:12.880 usually anywhere from 2 to four is enough another cheap and cheerful mod 00:18:10.840 --> 00:18:18.159 that seems to work like magic is the force break mod this is kind of like 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:22.120 creating a gasket for our case which should help reduce Hollow and ping 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:26.039 particularly if you don't already have any other kind of foam layers installed 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:30.919 to achieve this one you take some more painters tape or electrical tape and add 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:35.760 tin strips on either side of the screw holes helping to reduce the metal 00:18:32.520 --> 00:18:38.039 on-metal sounds of your closed case now 00:18:35.760 --> 00:18:43.159 that that's done let's take our sandwich screw in the daughter board then lower 00:18:40.159 --> 00:18:46.919 it slowly onto the bowls on the bottom 00:18:43.159 --> 00:18:50.640 case good gravy lower it onto the 00:18:46.919 --> 00:18:55.520 bowls I mean that seems like it's on the 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:55.520 bowls now we just put this 00:18:55.600 --> 00:19:03.320 on and then ever so ever so 00:19:00.280 --> 00:19:06.559 carefully who That's Heavy we flip the 00:19:03.320 --> 00:19:09.600 whole thing over and screw it back 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:13.080 together now we put these on these are 00:19:09.600 --> 00:19:18.120 really nice this my friends is how you 00:19:13.080 --> 00:19:20.280 do a rubber foot okay no adhesive just a 00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:24.960 nice little Groove and it sticks in the screw holes so getting at the screws 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:28.360 later is super easy but it still looks perfectly clean 00:19:30.080 --> 00:19:37.760 woo that's something we're 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:39.799 done well sort of um I guess key caps 00:19:37.760 --> 00:19:43.840 would make things a little bit more pleasant we've got a few different 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:48.400 options to show off here key caps are the most outwardly obvious way to show 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:52.840 off your style so obviously personal preference plays a major role here but 00:19:51.080 --> 00:19:58.159 it's generally accepted that your average PBT key cap is better than your 00:19:55.320 --> 00:20:03.120 average ABS key cap since PBT is a more durable plastic that tends to wear out 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:04.840 both more slowly and more pleasingly but 00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:09.400 while the average ABS key cap will quickly turn into a shiny mess that 00:20:06.919 --> 00:20:15.080 doesn't mean that all abs keycaps are bad gmk for instance uses higher quality 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:19.679 abs for their keyc cap sets though they are known for being quite pricey on that 00:20:17.840 --> 00:20:25.400 note there are plenty of other materials that you could consider when you're 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:27.480 choosing keycaps um rubber wood ceramic 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:31.600 metal I mean people are constantly experimenting with both materials and 00:20:29.679 --> 00:20:37.799 profiles you're probably used to the Cherry profile but what about sa XDA Kat 00:20:35.679 --> 00:20:42.200 the keycaps profile is all about the shape do you want something that's more 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:46.120 flat and uniform or something that's tall and sculpted differently per Row 00:20:44.840 --> 00:20:50.120 the only way to know what's right for you realistically is to just try them so 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:53.679 we'd highly recommend experimenting with some cheap keycap sets from your 00:20:51.600 --> 00:20:58.640 favorite online retailer before you go with something fancy I've settled on 00:20:56.360 --> 00:21:03.480 these clear purple key caps these are are clear 2048 for our build today but 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:09.280 there's a certain element of luck involved in picking a keycap set not 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:12.640 every set is available in every layout 00:21:09.280 --> 00:21:15.120 is your kit NY is it ISO do you need a 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:19.440 stepped key cap is your space bar long at 7uu or is it on the shorter side for 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:23.600 a split or a condensed layout sometimes you can make an almost fit set work with 00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:27.640 your board but you might end up with some empty space that exposes the plate 00:21:25.360 --> 00:21:32.000 in PCB which isn't the greatest looking thing there are workarounds it's pretty 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:35.480 popular to have accent keys in different colors so you could just take that one 00:21:34.039 --> 00:21:40.279 that doesn't fit and replace it with something else and put on some other 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:44.799 accent keys or you could fill some of the odd sizes that you didn't account 00:21:41.840 --> 00:21:48.840 for with one of the many novelty custom key caps that come in various shapes 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:54.640 colors and sizes the only drawback with these aside from the uh cost is that you 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:58.640 might wait months or even a year to get them in some cases before we actually 00:21:56.919 --> 00:22:03.320 try it something we already touched on in the last video is adding O-rings to 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:08.520 your key caps you could do every key or just your stabilizer Keys like the space 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:09.960 bar and enter but this again is personal 00:22:08.520 --> 00:22:13.600 preference so you would just take your o-ring pop it over where the stem 00:22:11.760 --> 00:22:17.039 inserts on the underside of the key cap and you're good to go depending on the 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:21.320 hardness and the thickness of your o-ring this could add undesirable mush 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:25.559 though so it's not for everyone it's just a fast and inexpensive mod that can 00:22:24.080 --> 00:22:30.279 improve your sound when you're bottoming out your keys I swear to you this looks 00:22:28.320 --> 00:22:35.279 a a lot better in person than it does on camera that helps a little but 00:22:33.320 --> 00:22:39.400 um yeah really doesn't capture the right purple 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:45.679 tone well let's go ahead and plug it in now 00:22:42.120 --> 00:22:45.679 we just fire up monkey type 00:22:49.159 --> 00:22:52.159 and 00:22:54.799 --> 00:23:01.400 oops h 00:22:58.600 --> 00:23:05.799 well I can't type on it but it sounds really good why don't I try that 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:19.679 again all right sounds pretty good not 00:23:16.320 --> 00:23:22.200 bad it does sound good now you can go a 00:23:19.679 --> 00:23:25.919 step further and use via to map whatever function layers or key Bindings that you 00:23:24.120 --> 00:23:30.480 would like at least you can if your keyboard has qmk firmware via won't work 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:34.799 with everything but the nice thing about 65% is that you've got basically 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:39.679 everything ready to go with the use of a function key for the missing frow and 00:23:37.760 --> 00:23:43.159 that's it if there's anything you think we missed or didn't have time for leave 00:23:41.679 --> 00:23:49.919 a comment down below where we'll have links for all the items that we use 00:23:44.760 --> 00:23:52.480 today but we're done and all right all 00:23:49.919 --> 00:23:58.039 right it's pretty cool I mean well like cool and like a you know you get it uh 00:23:56.039 --> 00:24:01.480 the point is if you're not happy with yours you can change it an unlimited 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:05.640 number of times until you get the sound and feel that you like best because at 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:10.799 the end of the day it's your keyboard and at the end of the video it's my 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:12.600 segue to today's sponsor pulseway don't 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:17.000 let managing servers Steal Away Your Life Energy leaving you a dried out 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:21.880 soulless husk like Colton with pulseway remote monitoring and management 00:24:18.320 --> 00:24:23.919 software you'll feel like an it Jedi 247 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:27.799 even while sleeping pulse was platform gives you the power to manage your it 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:31.480 infrastructure from anywhere at any time it's accessible through whatever device 00:24:29.520 --> 00:24:36.600 is closest to you so you really can be anywhere in the galaxy and still control 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:39.840 every system it's for their own good so bring balance to the chaos of it 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:43.799 management with pulse waves advanced technology the best part is you can try 00:24:41.919 --> 00:24:48.120 it for free today and see how it feels to be a true it Master click on the link 00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:51.760 below to start your free trial now and may the remote access be with you I'm 00:24:50.520 --> 00:24:56.440 not sure if I'm allowed to say that is it trademarked if you enjoyed this video 00:24:54.640 --> 00:25:01.320 check out our last mechanical keyboard build we don't show off all the modern 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:05.799 Creature Comforts and the latest mods but it was still an interesting project 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:08.799 it was a different time it was very peac meal