Customized starting point & ending point? The wonderful collision of KBD67Lite and YR67BLE

Reminder in the front row, this article is just a pure sharing post of a little leek, the content is purely subjective, don't read it if you don't like it, don't spray it after reading it.

Hello everyone, I am Xiaoshuo. In the eyes of many people, the keyboard is just a tool for coding, but in the eyes of some people, it is a hobby, a trendy game, and even makes a living from it (generation group, tuan leader, etc.). They will buy several tools for repeated adjustments for the noise of a space, disassemble them to make the shaft more comfortable and pleasant, lubricate them one by one, change the spring, add inter-axle paper...they They will sit there and build a keyboard all day without feeling tired, and they will be complacent because they have built a keyboard that they think is amazing. Sometimes, others will think that they are full-fledged clowns. Sometimes, others will think that they are stupid enough to spend thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars for a keyboard. Only when they are in the circle, they feel that their achievements have incomparable value. They are a small group that has only existed in China for more than ten years. They are keyboard customization.

The term customized keyboard must be very unfamiliar to the public. Speaking of keyboards, the first thing you think of is not the all-black office keyboards such as Lenovo Dell. It is mature and stable, and it seems to be the same as the small green plants on the workstations. Mechanical keyboard, da da da, if you don't make noise to death, your roommate will never give up. The customized keyboard is to the keyboard, just like a custom-made suit is to a formal suit. As the name suggests, it is a keyboard customized according to the player himself. The style and material you like, and cut it docilely.

Generally speaking, there are several combinations of customized keyboards for you to choose from: shell, liner (sandwich cotton, bottom cotton, pcb, pad under the shaft, positioning board, paper tape backing, etc.), shaft body and keycap ( and lines) consisting of,

1. Shell In the current customization circle, the casing is mainly composed of Tuan Zhang (in the circle, the person or studio that designs keyboard accessories and initiates tuan purchases and sales is called Tuan Zhang. Similarly, this accessory is often called xxtaun, such as the light cloud released by Zhudi recently. shaft, then the tuan is called shallow cloud group, the length of the tuan is zhudi, the link65 kit sold by owlab studio is called the link group) after opening the tuan, they are usually sold together with the liner, called "kit" , Send, materials include but not limited to various plastics, various metals and even wood and so on.

2. Liner The liner, simply understood, is what is left after peeling off the shell. It is the core of the keyboard that can become your input tool. It is usually composed of sandwich cotton, bottom cotton, pcb, pad under the shaft, positioning board, paper tape backing, etc. , Its structure with the casing directly determines the feel and sound of the keyboard, they are like the bones and soul of the keyboard, without the bone soul, Tang San would not be able to become a god (fog).

3. Shaft If it is said above that the inner pot and the shell are bone and soul, then the shaft is the flesh of the keyboard. It also determines the feel and sound of the keyboard, and is the most direct and simple factor to change the style of the keyboard. Axes are generally divided into paragraphs and linear. When a paragraph is pressed, there will be a thumping feeling, and a linear one is pressed straight. From this, many axes with different styles have been derived, such as the silent linear axis, Torsion spring sound section, silent section, large section in advance, linear trigger in advance, etc., simply change the axis, you can easily change the sound and style of keyboard pressing. As an aside, the very popular sounds of mahjong, raindrops, marbles, Hokkaido gravel, and puppies stepping on snow are basically linear axes. Different linear axes with different kits will produce this kind of sound. The wonderful chemical reaction, we generally call it the self-comfort of leeks.

4. The keycap, the flesh and blood soul are all there, and the skin is coming. It is the first thing we see. The beautiful skin and the interesting soul are matched together. I feel pity. Space is limited, as long as everyone knows that this thing can be replaced.

Due to the limitation of tuan length and product life cycle and other factors, each tuan will have its release date and life cycle. It is very likely that the sale time of the tuan you like has already ended early, and you can only go to Xianyu and wait for it. it. In addition, customization includes various keyboard structures (gasket, top, hull, sandwich, etc.), connection forms such as single-mode, dual-mode and triple-mode, pcb design, keycap material, process, OEM issues, satellite shaft, There are many options such as aviation insertion line, which is not the focus of this article, so it will not be discussed.

In fact, there is no consumption threshold for customization. You can choose what you want as low as 100 yuan, but in fact, a good product and new design experience often requires a higher price. Therefore, most players follow the route of mass-produced keyboards—customization at low and medium prices (starting point)—customization at high prices—fever reduction (end point). The torrent retreated bravely. However, there is a combination that suddenly became popular recently, that is, Yike and Yazi. Maybe they didn't expect each other to be a perfect match. Yike studio, KBDfans, the big brother of the key ring, the most mass-produced studio in customization, they are patient and responsible, their products are stable, they have an excellent reputation and have been famous for a long time. Duck, nicknamed Dead Duck by people, is the queen pcb designer of many customization teams, and has developed and designed many pcb kits. Recently, Yike sold the shells of kbd67lite and tiger80lite separately. The very attractive price (88/129) and the guarantee of excellent reputation make everyone eager to move. The shell is there, but the inner liner is missing. At this time, the duck just released the pcbs of nz67 and 87. They are both adapted to the shell of Yike. What's more, the key ring suddenly protrudes. The rookie, who was at the pinnacle since his debut (the tuan length of the hyacinth axis), also made the inner part except the pcb, and the soul and flesh are all there, isn't it done? In this way, there is an opportunity to experience customized big-name + single-button slotting dual-mode PCB with lights at a very low price. It can be a great choice for newcomers who want to experience the workmanship and high-quality interior of a large studio, or for the elderly who want to have a full-fledged keyboard. The wonderful collision between KBD67Lite and YR67BLE begins here.

First check the PCB. This NZ67BLE uses a 1.6mm single-key slotted white plate. It is equipped with a pure white JWK shaft seat. Bundy, there is no problem with the dual-mode test, and there is no test for battery life, but it is best to turn off the Bluetooth light. This kind of configuration can be achieved at a price of less than 200, which is really very conscientious! Other PCBs with the same configuration are generally more than 100 more expensive. This board should be the core and most cost-effective part of the entire keyboard. Tested the lights and triggers, no problem.

The design of the single key groove can bring the soft elastic feel to the greatest extent

JWK white shaft seat and white plate really match

side switch

Here is a small detail. Unlike other pcbs, Duck not only makes a physical switch, but also makes the switch lie on its side, which is very compatible with the positioning board.

The shell of KBD67lite made of abs injection molding is delicate and light, please check the appearance first, if it is flawless, open the assembly!

First, take out all the inner parts, including pcb, bottom cotton, pad under the shaft, sandwich cotton and positioning board.

Assemble the liner in the order of pcb, under-shaft pad, sandwich cotton and positioning board

Then insert a few shafts to fix them, and then install the steel plate satellite shaft (here, due to time problems, there is no assembly). Note that the sandwich cotton in the blank space should be cut out first, and then the satellite shaft is inserted.

Install the shaft body after installation (this is a good habit for the gasket structure, press the shaft first and then put it into the shell), then align it and put it into the shell, pay attention to the poron pads on the ear (protruding part) of the positioning plate I'm lazy, I didn't post it, I'll edit it after I finish writing it.

The switch body here I chose is the cherry RGB silent powder switch sold by the Amilo Blind Box for 99 yuan. The price is less than 1 yuan per piece. And the transparent shell is also suitable for PCB with lights.

The selected sky blue color scheme gives people a very refreshing yogurt bubble feeling, which is more suitable for light-colored small fresh keycaps, so I chose fuyu winter bear keycaps as a match.

Assemble the appearance

With light blue lights and blue aviation plug, don't look too good

This keyboard is finally assembled, and the sense of accomplishment is still slow. Here is a calculation of the total cost: shell 88 + pcb 168 (the initial price, the spot price may increase) + inner bag 88 (it seems to be, maybe it is cheaper?) + Shaft body 60 + keycap 168 + battery 25 = a total of about 600 customized dual-mode single-key slotted and illuminated 67 keyboards, this price can directly compete with mass production! If you can get it with cheap keycaps and shafts, it only costs more than 400. My evaluation is: I rushed, you can do whatever you want.

Advantages: high cost performance, high appearance, and full comprehensive quality.

Disadvantages: The internal space of the kit is small, there is no space for the keyboard after placing the bottom cotton, it can be clamped without the gas gasket, and there are some missing shafts; limited by the space problem, the kit is almost equal to 0. But after removing the bottom cotton, thanks to the single key groove, the softness and sound quality are very good.

This keyboard can take into account the brand, sound, feel and texture. At the same time, if you have requirements for lightness and wireless, and you don’t feel soft, you can rush directly.