i'm just poking my head into keyboard design from the world of synth module and guitar pedals. the PCB, component ordering and soldering skills transfer over but 3D enclosure CAD is a whole new ballgame. one thing i learned many times over is the first version of something will have issues, no matter how careful you are with planning. until you have the physical product in your hands for building and testing there are some things you will miss. you want to be doing it for the fun and challenge much more so than trying to save money (let alone time). luckily it's super fun!
I’ve design several boards at the points, and yes, find and maintain a good relationship with the manufacturer. After learning about the story on the original Unikorn and a few other board which their files were stolen and the factory made unlicensed production of it, it still scares me to this day. Making one-off aren’t cheap either. It’s not in the $200-$300 price range but more like $600 to $800 for a decent quality. There is also the part of compatibility 😅
Well, as somebody who spends an unhealthy amount of time typing away at a keyboard, I have to say that the thought has certainly crossed my mind! After all, not all keyboards are created equal, and there's a certain amount of pride that comes with owning gear that you've customized to your specific needs. Of course, there are pros and cons to building your own keyboard - while it can be a rewarding experience, it's also a complex process that requires a fair amount of research, patience, and perhaps most dauntingly, some soldering skills! That being said, if you're up for the challenge, building a mechanical keyboard can be a fun and satisfying project. From choosing the right switches to designing your own case, the options for customization are practically endless - and the end result is a keyboard that's tailored to your preferences, with a level of quality that simply can't be matched by most commercial keyboards. Of course, the process isn't for everyone, and there's nothing wrong with opting for a pre-built keyboard instead. But for those of us who live and breathe the clicky clack of mechanical switches, building our own boards is a uniquely enjoyable way to show our love for the humble keyboard. AND POST!
Thanks for this video for real. At a university with a CNC milling machine and been meaning to design a keyboard but I just needed this extra bit of info.
I've made a couple of designs and 3d printed them this year, it was a lot of fun to learn from my mistakes through this process as I studied clearances and assembly methods. I was inspired to do better before and actually thought of giving custom designed PCBs a shot next (as I was using an already available PCB for one, and handwired the other) as well as trying different mounting styles. This video however inspired me to ditch Blender and hop onto CAD software to work on some ideas I've had. Cheers! (Yes, I wasn't even using any CAD-like workflows for Blender before lol)
Heh that Evangelion board by squashyboi at 6:47. It's still my favorite anime-theme designed keyboard I have seen thus far. He's making another board recently for Joey the Anime Man though, so that's probably another anime board that i'm excited to see. Wish he would consider putting these up for group buys though.
Some crazier designs not mentioned is just not having a pcb for switches technically, as woth enough patience and time one can just hand wire switches to just micro board
I’ve just begun designing a keyboard. Thanks for sharing this. I’m curious, are there any other resources to learn from than those mentioned here? Specifically about things like fasteners, mounting points, and daughter boards.
Thanks man, excited to see your own board come to fruition! Although there are only two so far, worth checking out the tutorials by designedbydark for fasteners etc - Laminar designs also have some pretty good information regarding design on their discord!
I've been thinking this to myself the entire time. Like why not design my own GH60 compatible case just for aesthetics. Shouldn't be too hard right. But as most people would be, I am hella lazy with starting
imagine building a board that's basically a qaz but will accomodate any ansi standard layout keycap set because GMK doesn't have a mould for a 1.25 r2 keycap for your backspace/p key. totally not me at all.
I have an ancient flimsy piece of crap keyboard that barely works that i LOVE because its has a weird layout that i cant find anywhere else, so itd be nice if i can i could copy it and make a version that isnt... ass 👀
I can't wait to be "poisoned"/addicted (I think, I will resist temptation to become addicted coz' I know I will be out of control) wherein US$500 to US%600 to truly bespoked one off US$3000 is like just buying a US$22 decent wired RGB mechanical keyboard. Communication is the no. 2 (1st is time and prayers) most important tool in life and a great keyboard is the best tool for communication (faster than hand-writing which is the most enjoyable but not the most efficient but less storage compared to speech and videos). God bless, Rev. 21:4
Actually have the Nigoki on hand and willing to part with it as my collection's grown a fair bit since, if you're interested lmk and I'll contact you on discord :D
As someone who has designed probably hundreds of individual boards by now you did a good job putting this one together
i'm just poking my head into keyboard design from the world of synth module and guitar pedals. the PCB, component ordering and soldering skills transfer over but 3D enclosure CAD is a whole new ballgame. one thing i learned many times over is the first version of something will have issues, no matter how careful you are with planning. until you have the physical product in your hands for building and testing there are some things you will miss. you want to be doing it for the fun and challenge much more so than trying to save money (let alone time). luckily it's super fun!
I’ve design several boards at the points, and yes, find and maintain a good relationship with the manufacturer. After learning about the story on the original Unikorn and a few other board which their files were stolen and the factory made unlicensed production of it, it still scares me to this day. Making one-off aren’t cheap either. It’s not in the $200-$300 price range but more like $600 to $800 for a decent quality. There is also the part of compatibility 😅
So true, compatibility is SUCH a big one
The original Unikron files were stolen? lol
@@toniwonkanobi do you question why kalam can clone the board too accurate that even clone has the same issues as the real one
I've recently got a case manufacturing at gaojie and they actually pointed out a problem that i didn't knew about and fixed it.
Great content bro. No one has touched this really on YT yet.
Thanks man!
You can print all the parts you design on a 3D printer before you put them into CNC production :)
Well, as somebody who spends an unhealthy amount of time typing away at a keyboard, I have to say that the thought has certainly crossed my mind! After all, not all keyboards are created equal, and there's a certain amount of pride that comes with owning gear that you've customized to your specific needs. Of course, there are pros and cons to building your own keyboard - while it can be a rewarding experience, it's also a complex process that requires a fair amount of research, patience, and perhaps most dauntingly, some soldering skills!
That being said, if you're up for the challenge, building a mechanical keyboard can be a fun and satisfying project. From choosing the right switches to designing your own case, the options for customization are practically endless - and the end result is a keyboard that's tailored to your preferences, with a level of quality that simply can't be matched by most commercial keyboards.
Of course, the process isn't for everyone, and there's nothing wrong with opting for a pre-built keyboard instead. But for those of us who live and breathe the clicky clack of mechanical switches, building our own boards is a uniquely enjoyable way to show our love for the humble keyboard.
AND POST!
Did chatgpt write this?
Thanks for this video for real. At a university with a CNC milling machine and been meaning to design a keyboard but I just needed this extra bit of info.
No problem, Glad I could help!
I've made a couple of designs and 3d printed them this year, it was a lot of fun to learn from my mistakes through this process as I studied clearances and assembly methods. I was inspired to do better before and actually thought of giving custom designed PCBs a shot next (as I was using an already available PCB for one, and handwired the other) as well as trying different mounting styles.
This video however inspired me to ditch Blender and hop onto CAD software to work on some ideas I've had. Cheers!
(Yes, I wasn't even using any CAD-like workflows for Blender before lol)
PCB design is next on the list for me, thanks for the comment!
cool video bro now i actually gotta go make that tutorial
Thanks man, I’m gassed for it
I’ve never clicked on anything faster
Heh that Evangelion board by squashyboi at 6:47. It's still my favorite anime-theme designed keyboard I have seen thus far. He's making another board recently for Joey the Anime Man though, so that's probably another anime board that i'm excited to see. Wish he would consider putting these up for group buys though.
damn I'd be all over them like my life depended on it
Cant wait for the pcbway sponsor
🤣🤣
I didn't know I was interested in this until now
Glad you enjoyed!!
That keyboard with the photos in it was so dope xD
One of these days I’m gonna make a Vulcan pro mounted 65 XT
Some crazier designs not mentioned is just not having a pcb for switches technically, as woth enough patience and time one can just hand wire switches to just micro board
I’ve just begun designing a keyboard. Thanks for sharing this. I’m curious, are there any other resources to learn from than those mentioned here? Specifically about things like fasteners, mounting points, and daughter boards.
Thanks man, excited to see your own board come to fruition! Although there are only two so far, worth checking out the tutorials by designedbydark for fasteners etc - Laminar designs also have some pretty good information regarding design on their discord!
@@Charo.mp4 thanks!
I've been thinking this to myself the entire time. Like why not design my own GH60 compatible case just for aesthetics. Shouldn't be too hard right. But as most people would be, I am hella lazy with starting
Do it!
honestly starting is the easy part///
Do it, Fusion360 is free for hobbyists.
wtf why are your videos so underrated
Thank you!!
Cool vid! Just order a proto of my own and I should be comming in a month or so!
imagine building a board that's basically a qaz but will accomodate any ansi standard layout keycap set because GMK doesn't have a mould for a 1.25 r2 keycap for your backspace/p key. totally not me at all.
i can confidently say the deskmat i designed myself goes hard
What’s the design? This sounds sick hahah
@@Charo.mp4 its on keebsforall, the AVME-01 deskmat 👀
@@AxisCorpsRep that’s proper nice!
Very comprehensive video!
Thanks so much!
I actually started to learn fusion360 completely from scratch for this. However it is pretty expensive to get it machined💀💀💀
any link for that cheat sheet?
Yup, we must become a Padawan first into a Jedi like Geonworks (even buying the expensive machines) :-)
God bless.
Truth!
Where does geon stream? I found his twitch channel but looks like he hasnt streamed since last year.
He hasn’t streamed in a while - all his VODs are on his YT channel though!
drop the link to that paprika shirt!
I grabbed it from UnifiedGoods! Might restock at some point though
I have an ancient flimsy piece of crap keyboard that barely works that i LOVE because its has a weird layout that i cant find anywhere else, so itd be nice if i can i could copy it and make a version that isnt... ass 👀
charo... just some ideas. talk about simps, shadow bans & elitism
For sure, thank you!
I can't wait to be "poisoned"/addicted (I think, I will resist temptation to become addicted coz' I know I will be out of control) wherein US$500 to US%600 to truly bespoked one off US$3000 is like just buying a US$22 decent wired RGB mechanical keyboard.
Communication is the no. 2 (1st is time and prayers) most important tool in life and a great keyboard is the best tool for communication (faster than hand-writing which is the most enjoyable but not the most efficient but less storage compared to speech and videos).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
HAIR REVEAL?
🤣🤣
New subscriber here.
Thank you and welcome!
#HALISWEEP
nice hair
My thoughts, no thanks. Proto's aren't cheap
Damn rightttt
Actually have the Nigoki on hand and willing to part with it as my collection's grown a fair bit since, if you're interested lmk and I'll contact you on discord :D