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Build your own Mechanical Keyboard… the RIGHT Way

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It’s been a few years and things have changed drastically in the mechanical keyboard space. Come follow along and find out if Linus will finally ditch Cherry Browns and prebuilt boards.

Discuss on the forum:

Check out the TOFU65 2.0 Kit:
Check out the TECSEE Purple Pandas Switches:
Check out the CLEAR 248 Purple Keycaps Set:
Check out the BIOI Quaad Flexcut PCB:
Buy DUROCK V2 Pre-Clipped Screw-In Sabilizers:
Buy HINKID Keyboard Switch Lube GPL 2055G0:
Buy ZugGear DUROK Switch Film for Cherry MX Compatible Switches:
Check out the D60LITE Kit:
Check out the Stacked65 Kit:
Buy a CIY GAS67 Kit:

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

Check out some keyboard testing sites

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MUSIC CREDIT
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Intro: Laszlo – Supernova
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iTunes Download Link:
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Outro: Approaching Nirvana – Sugar High
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Listen on Spotify:
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Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa
Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0  
Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0
Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0

CHAPTERS
—————————————————
0:00 Intro
3:05 Kit Contents
4:05 PCB
5:35 Stabilizers
10:55 Foam
12:15 Plate
13:00 Switches
16:38 Gasket Mount
18:00 Final Assembly
19:45 Keycaps
22:40 Typing Test
24:54 Outro

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55 Comments

Gapple

never thought I’d see the day Linus steps into the actual custom mechanical keyboard scene

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    Drakey

    he did a few years ago and it was a disaster 💀💀

    Reply
    Nguyễn Đức Anh

    @Drakey can you tell me which video actually? tks

    Reply
    Flat Raul

    cherry mx browns 💀

    Reply
    QurttoRco

    didnt they build full metal one ?

    Reply
    ontheborderofbored

    probably inevitable since it blew up a few years ago on socials and especially tiktok.

    Reply
Dirty Gingy

Something to learn: if you want more sound out of a board, avoid flex cuts

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    GlenESton

    TRUTH

    Reply
    bl1ndguy0

    This

    Reply
    rush2sk8

    And if you get a flex cut you can tape the cuts with masking tape

    Reply
    PointR

    @rush2sk8 A much better solution is to use teflon tape to cover only the flex cuts. In case you don’t want to apply the tape mod to your board, this can be much more desirable.

    Reply
    razer

    Hello, fellow Lewis Toh server member!

    Reply
Marcos Aurelio

would be good to mention about double-shot keycaps:

instead of being painted, some yecaps are made in a two layer plastic injection process to make the lettering (the outer layer of plastic is hollow where the letters are, and the inner fills that space up), so it wont wear out since it’s not painted on top

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    helloukw

    Or, or, hear me out, they just took a double shot of tequila..

    Reply
    s̸̟̚j̴̬͂-̸͚̑r̵̠̈e̸͙͌d̷͓̃

    How a bot stole your comment… sigh

    Reply
    CHROMA RUSH

    Or, and hear me out.
    Injection molding is actually kinda bad and a dye sub for the legend is often much better than anything else.
    Plus it almost always means you’re getting pbts.

    Reply
    )Peron1-MC(

    @helloukw yeah that way you wont care about the keyboard XD

    Reply
    Patrick Morgan

    @CHROMA RUSH dye sub also generally sounds better then double shot.

    Reply
corisco tupi

I built my own mechanical keyboard in 1982. Here’s how this went: I had a Z80-based computer, similar to the Sinclair ZX-80, which of course had a terrible membrane keyboard. I figured I could attach a connector to the computer’s case and hack the wiring from the simple row/column matrix in its board. So I decided to build my own keyboard, then got in touch with a keyboard modules manufacturer for industrial applications, and ordered 40 individual modules + keycaps for my project.

A representative from the manufacturer reached back and said they were intrigued about what I was trying to do, so I told him about the idea. His response was that he’d lend me manuals, datasheets, layout patterns, etc, for the modules. He told me to take the material home, study it and propose a formal design specification for my keyboard. If they thought I knew what I was doing they’d sell me the 40 modules. If not, they’d prevent me from wasting my money. Fair enough, I thought.

So I went home and designed the keyboard, along with the double-sided printed circuit board, the plastic enclosure, the whole lot. A week later I showed up at their office building, with all the drawings and the recently-etched actual, ready to use PCB. They were so impressed that not only they did sell me the key modules, but also engraved, for free, the myriad of keycap markings (up to 2 different commands per key, in addition to the particular key’s character). Not only that, but also on the spot, they offered me a job. Which I politely declined, as I had just landed a job as an analyst/programmer for a large financial corporation.

The keyboard served me for a couple of years, until, like everybody else, I started using a PC.

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    CatX

    That’s awesome! I want to try a ZX someday. I love my C64, so I think I’d enjoy that too

    Reply
    tonton9598

    this is such an interesting story to hear. I guess the hobby dates all the way back

    Reply
    Marchog

    That’s awesome

    Reply
    Kerensk

    Absolute amazing and awesome idea

    Reply
    MrHack4never

    Do you have any images of it?

    Reply
Aero

This video is a fantastic intro to people getting into the mech keebs scene. Well done guys!!

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EpsilonLost

Pleasantly surprised at how well rounded this guide was! Not that I expected it to be bad, but just didn’t expect how much you were able to cover! I will definitely use this video on some beginner friends moving forward!

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Aamir

I’ve been thinking of getting into custom mechanical keyboards and this video really helped me decide that I’m actually okay with prebuilt keyboards.

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    Oliver

    It’s not for everyone, you need to be the type of guy who really loves small details and discovering new things.

    Reply
    Piyh

    And spending $300 to make your clicky keyboard sound less clicky

    Reply
    Rene Günther

    I’m mostly in it to build stuff that looks nice and then tweaking the sound and feel (within reason) to get them in line with what I’d expect to get for what I paid

    I have a 40% that I’ll never actually use, it’s purely for display but it looks great. Might even get one or two more because imo there are a bunch of color that don’t work on larger boards. There’s just something neat about a cute little pastel brick

    Reply
    Sid

    @Piyh well thats what this video went for. You could go more clicky with an aluminum base plate, a none speed holed PCB, louder switches, etc. Most of the time you just change the sound profile to something you like more. The progression is generally prebuilt -> pricier prebuilt -> top end prebuilt/ self made.

    Reply
    Collin Schofield

    @Oliver the ***type*** of guy 😂

    Reply
Leapfork

You guys managed to condense into one video what most Keyboard channels can’t convey in an entire channel.

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    3forte

    Most hardcore keyboard channels focus on subjects waaaay beyond introductory information like this, into the realm of keyboard pron. Viewers of those channels talk about things like 3D printing keyboard cases, switch actuation points, and wacky ways to modify tonal properties.

    Reply
    Leapfork

    @3forte oh for sure, but it’s rare to see a keyboard channel actually give you such well rounded info to begin your keyboard journey.

    Reply
    a.

    I mean cause those channels audiences already know this stuff

    Reply
comatoast

As someone who used to heavy into this hobby, this was a very well done video for people who want to dip their toes and a get a full scope idea of the process, even down to more niche things like force break mod. Great job LTT team!

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Guacamoly!

I would say the only thing you missed are two mods to reduce/stop ticking of your stabilizers. First one is just making sure the wires are level and the bits that go into the stabilizer housing aren’t twisted (you can use pliers to fix this if they are twisted). The second one is adding a bandage/whatever padding available to the PCB where the 90 degree bend is on each side of the wire. Ticking is caused by the wire hitting the PCB unevenly, so doing these two things would make your stabilizers sound wayyy better.

But nonetheless still a great video! It covered a lot more than I thought it would in just 25 minutes in a way that is easily digestible for most people. I even learnt some new things like the existence of bowl gaskets lmao.

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As Below, So Above

Although I’m pretty deep into the hobby, and most of this video was information I already knew beforehand, I definitely appreciate the depth and quality of this video for beginners. I’ve tried helping some friends customize and select good keyboard options, and I think from this point on, I might direct them to this video. I’ve seen plenty of introductory keyboard videos, but none of them were as comprehensive and helpful as this one, in my opinion.

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    JD

    and as LTT is a larger channel, newbies are more likely to gravitate towards them because of the brand recognition.

    Reply
    Strider

    What’s the benefit of building your own instead of just buying a prebuilt wooting or steelseries for example. Is it just a hobby or are there any actual benefits performance wise?

    Reply
    JD

    @Strider  performance wise, no real benefits. however, you can build a keyboard that perfectly fits your needs. It’s mostly a hobby, i do have a keyboard that, while not silent, is fairly quiet

    Reply
    Bimmerboy1989

    @Strider it’s definitely a hobby. There’s a lot of prebuilt boards out there that are really good with different layouts. Glorious if you have a MicroCenter, Keychron, and Ducky to name a few. I think the benefit to me is you can change your keys out. Keyboard experts correct me if I’m wrong here, but you don’t have to run a full set of a certain type of key. So let’s say for typing you like browns, but for gaming you like linear. You can put linear in your WASD keys and get the feel you want for just those keys. While pretty much maintaining the typing experience you enjoy.

    Reply
    George A.

    @Strider you could get wayyyy better value for your money avoiding “gaming” keyboard companies make and instead choosing to buy mechanical ones (or if you have the budget, build it yourself)

    Reply
Keith Hecker / Evil Genius.

Thank you Linus and thank you, Plouffe! You guys made a great video and the whole lub and building a keyboard makes it a lot more understandable to me now!
You guys should do more videos like this. Simple how-to videos help me understand things better and when I go to buy my own to build stuff!

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MrSkullhead0

Hello fellow beginner keyboard person reading this. Please just remember: this hobby is 100% preference based. If someone is bugging you about using foam or any other “cheap” mods on your board, then they aren’t a true member of the community. You do YOU, have fun and welcome🎉😊

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    Tarets

    Gatekeepers everywhere, man…

    Reply
    MrSkullhead0

    @Tarets every hobby has the elitist people unfortunately. But the Custom Keyboard community for the vast majority isn’t plagued by them thankfully. I love the community more than the hobby itself

    Reply
Arctic

Wow, huge props to the team. This was surprisingly an all-inclusive guide.

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milk

Great video for both beginners and enthusiasts. Beginners will learn almost everything they need to know, and enthusiasts will appreciate how in-depth and accurate the video is about custom keyboards.

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Bryan Miranda

I absolutely love the keyboard that he built in this video. It is perfect. The sound and the look definitely appeals to me.

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Joshua Koerner

This was excellent, more passion projects like this from the staff please!

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ℚ𝕦𝕒𝕔𝕜𓅭

Whoever did the lighting with the employees holding their keyboards absolutely nailed it. Each person has a different colour light that is relevant to them, and it makes the shot look amazing. Such a small thing, but a massive effect IMO. Great job Light Person!

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Falter 14

I love how the keyboard community is here just happily inputting additional mods to do on keyboards and just geeking on about them😄 y’all are awesome

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James

Great video! I’d add a couple other things… Tuning/balancing your stabilizers is as important as lubing them – if your stabilizer bar is twisted or uneven it will still tick even if lubed. Support the backs of your hotswap sockets when inserting switches otherwise you might accidentally tear them out. Flex cut boards are a fad from last year – while they do make typing feel a bit better, they completely deaden the sound (and frequently are thinner, requiring special non-standard stabilizers). Rather than buying a whole bunch of switches, it is much better to buy one set of switches with a sound you like and swap out (much more affordable) aftermarket springs to find the feel you like. Honestly, though, you all did a great short intro to the world of custom mechs. You could do a 20 minute video on any aspect of this – how and why to lube switches, how to and why to do the various mods you showed, etc. – but I know that’s not your goal with this. As an intro to the hobby from a major tech channel, this is A+ material.

Reply

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