This one cost me A LOT of money...
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- I spent $500 of my own money to build a custom DIY keyboard. All in the pursuit of 1 question: Is it worth it? Surely no keyboard can be worth that kind of money! ...Or can it?
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For your keyboard I’d recommend not using a stand-off mounting system, I’d recommend going with an o-ring mount. There are two keyboards that are open source so you can modify them and use them how you like, the bakeneko 60 and 65. The switches I would go with are probably prelubed linear’s, I prefer tactile, but if you’re not going to lube them yourself going with a jwk or comparable switch will probably do you better. Also I would skip the brass plate for a pcb plate, they’re typically cheaper while creating a softer typing experience. Finally I recommend when lubing your stabs plug the backside, opposite of where the stab wire enters the stab housing, with 205g0 lube via a syringe, it’ll stop most rattling
Go spring mount instead + daughterboard
@@zeref783spring mount sucks lol
I’ve been watching your channel for quite some time now. Congratulations on your 100k milestone!!! Well deserved!!!
Oh man thank you so much!
Love the build! I agree that it's more cost effective to buy one already built, usually anyway. There's just something about building your own that makes it worth it, though.
Thanks Mason, and youre right, when it's your own creation it just feels a little different!
It's an activity, not just a product...
Very beautiful job there zac. Hopefully you get great use out of it for many years to come my friend. Can't wait to see more videos soon. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Keep making. God bless.
These are my favourite build videos on youtube! Hello from Brazil!
This is pretty sick!! Great video as always!!!
Great video man, really digging this one i see you making more of these in the future
This turned out amazing!!!!🤯💯🤯❤️
Realy nice work man!
Nice idea and you implementation is awesome!
Have been waiting for this since I've discovered your channel. I love wood cases for keyboards and have made two myself with the aftermarket ones, but DIYing sure gives it a whole different quality / look!
That wood case is amazing! really good looking keyboard!!
Alright, I'd like to say that your custom wood case is slick as heck and no matter what one thinks of a tray mount keyboard, you have a very personal and unique case all your own. That said, now in 2024, you can get a keyboard for under $200 with an aluminum case, your choice of plate, tri-mode PCB (wired, bluetooth and 2.4GHz), gasket mount, fancy shiny heavy weights for excellent sound, etc. All you need to do is add your own switches and keycaps which can be as cheap or expensive as you like. I'd recommend pre-lubed switches from SWK, Gateron, etc. if you want to get things all done fast.
It's a beautiful keyboard. I like its compact size. Thanks for sharing the video.
Great video Zac! When I have the money I should definitely do this at some point! It’s been on my mind for a while! I’ll definitely reach out if I need any advice/help on anything! Again, great video and build Zac!
Please do Arpad! I'm always happy to help out. It's a great little project and I think you'd have fun doing it. Cheers man!
Well worth it :D looks incredible!
Great vid! Totally worth it!!!
My favorite part of the video was the lube segment! Really got me all hot and bothered
It got you hot and bothered? Try being there in person WWOOOOO MAMA
Catching up on podcasts and just finished 7 or 8 and you had just ordered everything for this. It’s like living in the future! Lol
great keyboard you made there, looks amazing, i 3d printed my handwired split ergo keyboard a couple months ago, really nice to see the niche growing, if anyones looking for a more budget friendly option i would definettly recommend 3d printing a plate and handwiring you own keeb, i would have spent 5 times more if i looked for a 120 dollars budget kit
You chose the wrong switches.. jk. Awesome build!
Would love to see a v2 with some brass or veneer accents added to the case.
and i would love it to be a top mount
yo, i was totally on board with you........ until you busted out the browns ooooff totally dropped the ball there homie
Welcome to the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole good sir
I know.... I'm already thinking about my next one 😂
I have a zebrawood case for my main keyboard (60%) and a laser cut steel plate sandwich case for a lily58 based gamepad. I absolutely LOVE how you cnc'd yours.
Try foam between the board and plate (plenty of places sell it, even Amazon depending on layout).
Try experimenting with filling the rest of the case to get a deep THOCK. I've used packing foam, those sheets you use to make dishes not slide around in cabinets, rubber, dynamat and seen people pour epoxy or silicone to really solidify things.
And most importantly try different switches, Gateron and Kailh (especially box switches) are great cost effective ways to really change things.
Enjoy your rad keyboard!
To anyone not sure what switches to buy, get a sample pack with key caps and try them. No one can tell you what you'll prefer. Everyone has their opinion about whats best, but ultimately its up to you.
i did that made a wrong choice, i just reccomend using a keyboard with switches you are interested in and adjust based on if you like them or not, yes expensive but better
I've been thinking about doing this for fun, but if I do I'll probably buy a less expensive pre-build that already sounds good then take it apart and make the housing out of wood. I love the thocky sound, so I'd use an o-ring mount and pad the PCB and interior of the housing. Your wood housing if very nice looking. With a few easy mods, it could sound much better.
Keyboard looks great! Now I need to find somebody that has an scarce so I can make a case to match my desk! Lol
Next upgrade….DIY the key caps 😍
You could try making a gummy oring version of the case for a different feel and new sound.
but you'll have to make a larger usb cutout for the keyboard unless you plan on using a daughterboard.
A very large benefit of the gummy oring style is that you won't need any screws or standoffs for hard mounting
Great build, I love your videos! Quick question: Do you think it would be possible to cut wooden keycaps with your xcarve?
That's a great question and one that I've actually been thinking about. You definitely COULD, but it would be pretty time consuming since you'd need to carve both sides of them, so proper alignment between carves would be key to success
Hot glue lets go instantly with a bit of alcohol, no prying required. It's kind of stunning the first time you try it.
Beautiful keyboard, is it running QMK, and will you make a separate num/macro pad for it?
I'll keep that in mind for next time, thanks! Ya it's running QMK, and I was thinking it would be fun to make a macro pad for video editing in the future. Something that I can add and remove as necessary.
i only got through the first 4 minutes and it hurts SO MUCH to know you spent $500 on those parts when i know it’s not even worth 150
Awesome video and very nice build except for the Browns 😁 You really gotta test other switches out now that you have hotswap sockets! Would also recommend learning about dampening the empty space under PCB and different PCB mounting styles such as O-ring/gasket mounting. It really is a deeeeeeep rabbit hole of a hobby to get into.
I also have a question: how would you go about producing that "typing angle" if you didn't have a planer? That's one thing stopping me from building my own wooden keyboard case atm. I did think about bandsaw, but I don't have one of them either and it would have to be quite huge to fit that case vertically. Next thing coming to my mind was making angled jig for cutting multiple passes with circular saw and then chiseling away the excess.... 🤔
You could use a router. The same way you would use a router in a slatt for flattening boards, but just securing the Wood at an angle as seen in the video.
Came here for this comment. The lovely wood, the beautiful build, even using lubed screw-in stabs… but then choosing cherry browns 😂. But in the end, as long as he enjoys it it’s all good.
Mx browns so good love them
For me there is two kind of things in the life - "Why not" and "Why the hell for". This thing is definitely in category "Why not" :D
Hahah well put
I'm super glad you enjoyed the process so much. I've been hopeful for a video like this since the first custom desk build I think so I'm happy I got to see you make it.
Thanks so much Andre! It truely was a fun project and something I'd like to do again in the near future. Cheers man.
Browns for life, dude!
“Hot swappable” means that you can remove and change the switches while power is applied. I think you’re referring to quick connect?
mx browns? you monster!
NFL QB, NFL game commentator, and now youtube/Woodworker!! Damn how many talents does Tony Romo have
So many switches available and you go for the MX brown t.t
First person I've ever heard say they loved Cherry browns 😂 glarses would not be proud
For stabilizers you should've put more than usual imo, there is still rattle in yours also.
I hope your next video about a keyboard case is a 2 piece board or a more complicated one, it would look so good.
that's an expensive TRAY MOUNT (uses mounting points and is one piece like this one) keyboard. you could make a top mount but that would be much more expensive 😅
I mean.. You can also buy a keyboard for like, 40, and it'd still often be nicer than many pre-builts.
I want to be a mech enthusiast, but yeah the wallet doesn't agree. I do plan on DIYing a custom board in the future but they'd be all premade parts since I don't have a shop or anything either. One of these days I'll have my perfect TKL or 75% with some beautiful Greys and a blank cap set. Thanks for the video.
Now make wooden keycaps, and maybe use stiffer switches to compensate for the added weight
To answer the original question:
Yes, if you have that kind of money. It's similar to building a partscaster. A form of expression. A way for you to express who you are in a way that not many will understand.
cool build. god bless walnut. why didn't you put a hollow at the bottom for mods tho? probly sound amazing with some extra foam or sand at the base.
the wood will sound better also foam sounds bad
I found that the best aspect of DIY is you get exactly what you want for the price you pay.
Nice work! The custom keyboard hobby is a steep rabbit hole. And there are tips and tricks to make insanely good sounding keyboards. Look up the CZcams Channel "Keybored" for some good stuff. You are 99% right that the keyboard community would tell you that you have the wrong switches :P (The 1% being Glarses). What you could have done, without adding too much effort, is to buy pre-lubed switches, so that they sound smooth. Right now the ones you have are rattly/scratchy (from an enthusiast standpoint). Check out something called "Gateron CJ's", or Gateron Oil Kings. Horrible names, great switches.
You can also put blue masking tape on the bottom of your PCB to make the sound profile a little more poppy. If you like that wood thunk sound, hollow out the bottom just a little bit more, and put a material called Poly-fil stuffing underneath the pcb. All little tricks to enhance the sound of your board!
Nice job. You definitely poked around on the custom keyboard communities enough to do some damage!
seems more like a 800+ board with all the labor you've done with that slab of wood
Push a button/key and a character pops onto the screen. As long as that function is performed every time I press a key, the rest is immaterial. Oh, I do prefer flat keys so that my fingers aren't hittin em and the profile is cleaner. Aside from that aesthetic, the rest don't matter. Still a cool build.
Zactechtips moment lmaoo.. If you haven't already, look into layouts. For example we are all "indoctrinated" into QWERTY, but COLMAK (dh) in Ortholinear layout is a much better setup than staggered QWERTY for many languages with latin roots, and even programming languages like JS/Python/C#, etc
I know I remember reading about Dvorak keyboards when I was a kid, I was intrigued by it, but muscle memory is so hard to shake for qwerty!
@@ZacBuilds All things worth learning are hard.
yikes
could have gotten some of those other parts for cheaper but damn that wooden case is nice
also consider lubing the switches after breaking them in
You spent the equivalent of approximately $385 USD. That's almost double what Razer keyboards cost, but it could be worth it if someone has money to burn (and having a keyboard base made out of wood feels nicer than a plastic one, at least in my opinion.)
Lubing the stabilizer housing with dielectric grease is not very good. Normally, we use Krytox 205g0 becuase the dielectric grease is too thick for stabs housing and might cause them to feel sluggish.
Run... Run while you still can... endlles rabit holle that might be eaqualy or deeper then the audiophile one. BTW a DIY wood (or wood/acrilyc) case for 60%-65% keyboard would be an awsome video. Especialy with O-ring/gasket mounting option, and a battery well for bluetooth PCB support, a wooden switch plate might be too exotic for a DIY build.
Any way wellcome to the hoby, hopfuly you next adventure would lead you to a split ergo ortholinear keyboard with per key pcb or handwired Dactyl manufold build.
You called my parents and grandparents animals!
I could ask for a number pad and a volume roller... like, easily.
Hey which pcb did you use?
It's a DZ65. Spotted at 1:24
@@Signaworks This is correct 👍
when are we getting the walnut mouse
Lets go Zac
Thanks Anthony!
CZcams money goes a long way. 💰💰💰
comm on lube the switches add some foam or silicon
I really don't want to build my own keyboard, but I can't find any wireless hot swappable keyboard which take a standard battery form factor such as AA. They all use random li-ion batteries which are not intended to be removed and couldn't be practically used in other devices. Really disappointing. I'll probably just stick with Logitech mechanical keyboards and forego experimenting with all the different switches that exist.
M.
X.
Brooooowwwnnnsss…..??????
Lollllll did you intentionally pick the most hated switches in the custom keyboard scene?
I like your first build. I think as you go down the rabbit hole (because yes it is.) you will find that you can find other custom parts that hold better value and are much higher quality than the parts you chose yourself. Mainly looking at the switches and case. 500$ is a mid range price for sure. I hope you liked the build process enough to keep going
for 500 bucks you should have a much much better keyboard (by enthusiasts standard).
I used to have a Model-M keyboard but then I jumped to Mac... now you've got me browsing for mechanical mac-compatible keyboards.
But $500 ? no way.
If a keyboard says it's Via compatible it'll work on Mac. Via is pretty common in the custom keyboard scene. However matching the feel of a Model-M isn't going to happen unless you get a unicomp keyboard.
500$ is an utter scam
As a person who builds keyboards hearing that he was going to use cherry mx browns hurt my soul.
But if he likes them then why should he get somthing else.
Jokes on you, I already have spent way more on keyboards than I really should've.
Good my friend ZAC I'm happy to watching your videos thank you
Hello my friends I'm from Morocco welcome to my channel DIY thank you
As someone with a Satisfaction75 sitting at home in the box, and sitting in a hotel in S. Korea waiting for tomorrow to come so I can visit the Yongsan tech market... No, $500 is not too much for a keyboard.
I just looked up the Satisfaction75 and damn is that ever tempting for a future build!
@@ZacBuilds While it was a limited run, they may do another one in the future....
Oooooor, feel free to message me later, seeing as how I bought a few spare parts :)
brass plate club!
hot damn that is a sweet case! Wish I was a woodworker!!
After watching, I'm curious how hard it would be to take a standard mechanical keyboard and replace the shell.
I dont think it would be that hard at all, and would almost certainly be a better value. That being said you lose out on some of the customizability.
most aren't standard but you can if you design and cnc it yourself
my guy bought the cheapest parts but in the worst place possible instead of getting all these parts locally (US websites) to save at least 200 usd lol
Well my question is more about why, whyyyy, anyone would spend so much time and effort to not get a custom keyboard twice less expensive than this one and way better than a factory board ? ... For instance why would you buy a mechanical PCB with a dumb controler when you could get an optical one (more reactive, more reliable and allowing smoother switches) with hundreds of macros for the same price, if not cheaper, like getting some second hand SK Epomaker for 50$ ? (and yes, cherry browns while there are better equivalents... but also rattling stabs when Staebies exist)
Nice result though. At least it looks great.
NOOO cherry browns are literally the worst brown type switch!
Personally I would take your original keyboard and rehouse it in the wood.
Mx browns haha
*Glarses gang
the keyboard looks awesome! but the switches! Browns xD not that there bad, but I'm sure you know that like every keyboard youtuber hates them lol.
I say let the Keyboard youtubers come for me. I'll die on the brown switch hill 😂
@@ZacBuilds lol 😂
Does the company you purchased the keyboard from call it "hot swappable"?
Or you could be a really good store bought keyboard and carefully mount it in a wood surround.
True, but then you dont get to customize it nearly as much. Much more cost effective though.
I just own a huntsman mini that I got from a buddy for 20 bucks
Hi Zac, I wish you would go back to making content building furniture. Less CNC projects.
I could build a custom keyboard from a store for less than 500 Dollars
i dont want to be that person but i feel like you paid way too much for the pcb switches and keycaps if you got mx browns. you could definitely build a keyboard with the similar or the same specs for like half the price if not less. nonetheless still a great video and awesome build
If you're gonna be that person at least tell me where I can get cheaper keyboard parts! 😂😂
@@ZacBuilds hahaha my bad. i dont know what exact PCB and such you got for this build, but on for example kbdfans they've listed a similar specced pcb for 58$ (and im sure there are tons of other options out there similarly priced), then for keycaps you should be able to find a good set for no more than 40$ on sites like aliexpress, and if you're lucky with free or really cheap shipping, and for switches themselves I would just advise to get a different brand than cherry (gateron or khail for example, in which case gateron is waaay cheaper than cherry at least where I live). a set of 110 switches whether it be brown yellow red blue or silver are all under 30$ where I live, so in total shouldnt add up to much more than 120-150 depending on what keycaps and PCB you get. I personally am using lubed gateron g pro silver v2s since I don't like the tactile bump brown switches have, which i had before the silvers. I've also used yellows and i can definitely recommend both yellows and silvers since theyre super cheap, smooth, and available pre-lubed :) Im also not sure whether you included the cost of the wood you used and such with the price, but yea other than that i think if you know where to look (mostly aliexpress but switches especially should be available at most bigger electronics webshops based where you live) you should be able to build a very similarly specced keyboard for way less. Also, another quick easy and cheap way to improve your keyboard is by adding foam between the PCB and the housing/case. Has a similar effect as adding foam or sound dampening material in a speaker enclosure :) Other than that again great video and really impressed by your woodworking skills.
glarsess would eew mx browns ewwwww (great vid btw)
Next time, anything but mx brown switches. Probably the the most hated switch in the custom keyboard community.
Let him enjoy it, it's custom for him who cares what glarses thinks.
@@andremartinez418 glarses likes mx browns
Conclusion about quick test: don't spend 500 on a keyboard.
I've been looking to build my own keyboard for close to 3 years now. And I really really want a wooden base (and maybe even a wooden plate). So if someone does start the wooden base business, let me know!
Hmm... you can definitely buy wooden cases on the internet. Not sure about wooden plates though (polycarbonate ones sound thoccier and just better)
All i want is lego game console
You could use the components of this old keyboard - you would have saved your time ... but whatever, it's your money xD
🤤only spending $500
Haha are you into custom keyboard Buddy? I had no idea. What are you rocking?
@@ZacBuilds just one’ish. I was tired of wearing out keyboards. I I found the redox wireless v2. Had to source all the diodes, chips, and controllers etc and get the different pcb boards printed in china and shipped over. Had to buy enough to make 5 keyboards. Lol
am still wondering why he spent $500 dollars buying a mechanical keyboard pcb from China
$250+$60+75=$385
Why'd you keep calling it $500?! $115 is more than "a hair under"...
weird USD-CAD conversions covers the difference.
More importantly, the components shouldn't be that much, ESPECIALLY since the keycaps, stabilisers and switches are all basically as cheap as possible.
Only quality things are the pcb and plate from kbd fans. Id say this build could easily be done for at least 100$CAD less for the same parts.
Also who includes shipping when showing the cost of a keyboard???? Without shipping and with more reasonable prices for the parts the whole build is 160$CAD or £100. Pure clickbait. *also for that price you could make a board 3x better in sound and feel.
no way you said it souds better because you used the switches less also dont excpect a board to be 500 you can get 1000x his board for 80 bucks also for zac if you lubed your switches it would be way better
this nerd thinks that you actually chose the right switches. for the future I would recommend clipping the legs off of your stabs so they aren't mushy, lubing your switches, and I would recommend using orings to dampen the hard contact between the PCB, plate, and case. also I think you'll love all the different unique mounting styles, such as gummy oring, gasket, top mount, stack mount, plateless, half plate, leaf spring, and sandwich mount.
not a nerd if you think mx-browns are correct
$500 keyboard? Yeah that’s an easy no