"Customized keyboard丨Buy and wait and see" black traffic lights, dark blue Dunhuang, and some interesting kits. 2022.12 (2)

This article only represents personal opinions, and is used to record and watch some keycaps.

The color card should be based on the real object, as sublimation will produce deviations.

The personal scoring part is a subjective part, and will be scored according to the manufacturer's status, design, and personal preferences. It is for reference only.

Let's take a look at the latest interesting keycaps

After quickly producing several sets of two-color keycaps, pbtfans continued to work hard, previewing the products that will be on sale after the year

This keycap is made by "MARS. Universe" designer Jr.Mars designed the retro-themed keycaps——Retro Dark Lights. The designer started designing in June last year. Currently, the studio is also operated by himself. He has designed many interesting products before. MW-STONE Age, MW-Coloradas, Melgeek-Salmon, ePBT-Winter Breath and other works mainly design products with key caps.

Of course, the source of inspiration for this keycap is not the traffic lights, but the Dark Mode of MacOS.

Previously, there was a set of its sister model MW-Retro Lights

Color matching:

Although this keycap has a rich color scheme, the overall impression is mainly dark, with other colors dotted in it, which is very similar to the system operation interface of the dark night mode, mainly black and gray. At the same time, in terms of color selection, I chose darker and purer colors, which are very eye-catching.

There are too many places about the history of mac OS that UI designers should study and study.

At the MacWorld event in San Francisco in 2000, Jobs demonstrated Mac OS X, which has a completely different visual experience and unique interaction logic-"aqua", which also set the tone for future mac system design.

macOS 11.0 redesigns the system icons and interface, dilutes the concept of physical switches, and gives people a lighter feeling. Make the overall UI and the visual experience of mobile devices ios and iPad OS more systematic. Larger button spacing, less grayscale intermediate colors, and stronger black-and-white contrast all make the interface more concise and clear. But the design of the new version is not perfect. For example, the icons of the new version are all framed in a rounded rectangle, which may cause some visual fatigue after a long time.

Personality section:

Personality comes from some dot icons in the system.

Very clear and minimalist personality, "close", "hide", "zoom".

Metal personality:

Table mat:

Keycap information:

Material: PBT material

Height: original factory height

Process: two-color keycap

Personal Rating: 6—8

I personally classify this keycap as a secondary creation keycap, and the scoring requirements will be higher. But compared to works with specific images, the source of inspiration for this keycap is a more abstract system concept. The minimalist style and colorful black are different from the traditional gray and white retro keycaps. I like it very much.

Purchase suggestion: Players who like minimalist style and colorful black can consider buying

This keycap is produced and manufactured by pbtfans, the quality is guaranteed, and it will be sold in stock at the same time, but this time the sub-kit needs to be noted that due to the limitation of the production process of the two-color keycap, the color supplement is not put into the keycap base. In terms of price, if you want to match color supplements, the price is expected to reach 700+.

Lingmao Studio was established in 2020. In the past, the production and sales of keycaps were mainly carried out in the form of independent design and cooperation with foundries. The previous representative work was Yimeng Dunhuang. In 2022, they began to prepare their own sublimation keycap production line. The current keycap products are mainly produced independently, and their new molds and new materials are currently put into production.

Dailan Dunhuang

This set of keycaps is the first work of the new designer KK. It is a set of national style theme design, which is very similar to the style of Lingmao Studio. IC will be released in March 2022, and GB will be opened in December.

This set of keycaps is inspired by Dunhuang murals.

Dunhuang, a glorious land, preserves the sanctuary of unyielding beliefs; the strong westerly wind solidifies works of immortal culture. We integrate all of these into the color scheme to highlight the user's thick and flexible attitude towards life.

Regarding Dunhuang, Lingmao Studio has also launched a product with the same theme before——Dream of Dunhuang

However, the design styles of the two are still very different.

Color matching:

Early IC post, for reference only

This blue-gray collocation is still very classic, such as the deep sea and the Arctic Circle, which are used in this color collocation.

As the color of the whole set of keycaps, dark blue looks like Dai in the distant mountains, and smoke in the near water. It is the modern encounter between the drunkenness of the ancients and the favorite of designers.

Personality section:

Real shot display:

Keycap information:

Material: PBT material

Height: original factory height

Process: five-sided sublimation keycap

Personal Rating: 5—6

Compared with many fancy color matching national style keycaps, the color matching of this keycap is relatively stable. Guofeng keycaps have a fixed audience, but for me, some of the key design content in the personality part is too much, but it has a complicated visual feeling.

Drawing is a two-dimensional artistic creation, but the keycap itself is a three-dimensional form. A good keycap designer must be able to play and understand keycaps. It is very important to understand the shape of keycaps well. This is why I don't like the "divided body" keycaps very much, and various methods of directly printing illustrations on the keyboard.

I can accept the design of some parts of this keycap, but I still need to pay more attention to the design of the pattern. At the same time, I need to consider whether these designs can achieve a "textured" effect when they are made into real objects.

Purchase suggestion: Players who like the national style theme can consider buying it

The expected price of this keycap is 189 yuan, the price is relatively close to the people, and it is currently sold on the platform.

Some kits I've noticed recently

Studio: "Weird Studio"

Strange Studio is a customized studio specializing in niche and exquisite kits, established in November 2021. At present, 40 and some small toys are the main products

Arrangement: "40% Alice (Louise)"

Structure: Top+Oring

Configuration: coated aluminum cover (OEM color selection, flash powder +20), acrylic mountain bottom cover, knob

Liner: FR4 positioning plate (other materials are optional), 1.5mm single-mode slotted PCB (SKNX three-mode +135 is optional), partition lights + solenoid valves. PE shaft pad, 3.5mm Poron sandwich cotton.

Connection mode: three-mode, single-mode

Price: Deposit 700, final payment299

Personal evaluation:

The combination of "stinky tofu + durian", 40 and Alice, is a niche but interesting product. The biggest selling point is the iceberg decoration on the back.

Buying advice:

As a niche product, this price is quite sincere, but at the same time, the threshold of use has also been raised a lot.

Studio: "M•ONE Studio"

Arrange "65%"

Structure: Gasket Mount+Leafspring+Flexcut

Configuration: National standard 6063 aluminum + CNC processing, anodic oxidation electrophoresis PVD

Liner: standard 1.2mm hot-swappable PCB, optional welding 1.2mm soldering PCB, sub-board design, positioning board: PC and FR4 (choose one), standard shrapnel Gasket module and silicone Gasket module

Connection method: wired

Price: The electrophoresis anode is unified at 1499 yuan, the deposit group is 499 yuan, and the balance payment is 1000 yuan before delivery

Personal evaluation:

Ginkgo, as an excellent player in the 1.5k price range last year, is still very capable after being upgraded this year. For players who are just getting started and want to buy a well-designed mid-low price customized kit, Ginkgo pro is good choice. But it must be explained that, judging from the current construction period, it will not be available until at least April and May next year.

Buying advice:

65% is a small set with a low threshold, and it is easy to get started. At the same time, Ginkgo has a good reputation. For many players, it is a good "young people's first non-tool customized keyboard".