Mechanical Keyboard Pit Guide Part 15: Customized Kit with True Custom Knob丨Small GK980+ Three-mode Mechanical Keyboard Unboxing Evaluation

My old friend Skyloong has released a lot of new keyboard kits in the past month. The current product line basically covers various mainstream and non-mainstream configurations from 61 to 108 keys. As an old brand customized manufacturer, the new products basically retain a high degree of playability. , For example, the hot-swappable + self-positioning knob is more sincere than most mass-produced products, and it is quite friendly to customized keyboard players.

Skyloong (little nerd) will have a crazy kit festival on March 3rd. In other words, all the kits on sale will be at the same price and there will also be discounted kits. Cats, dogs, and some other platforms will have the same discounts at that time. This article uses the newly released GK980+ kit version as a case to help friends call. If you are interested, you can take a look. If you find it helpful, please pay attention, like and bookmark Sanlianha.

As shown in the picture below, the black and gold color scheme is indeed relatively rare.

Accessories family portrait, split space positioning plate, alloy knob accessories and shaft body can be selected by yourself.

After the installation is complete, as shown in the picture below, the material of the keycaps in the set is not bad, and the shading is relatively high, which is very suitable for my appetite.

Before the official evaluation, let’s briefly summarize the characteristics of the kit of the small bug GK980+. It is indeed quite different from the mass-produced model.

1️⃣ Button Arrangement

It can also be seen from the name that this GK980+ is the currently popular 98-key arrangement, that is, the arrow keys and the number area have been designed to move to the left. Compared with the traditional 100% 104-key arrangement, the length of the arrangement is shortened, which can leave more space for the mouse. Large desktop operating space.

This GK980+ has a special design. There is a hot-swappable key in the middle of the Fn area on the upper right and the function key area. It can be inserted into a normal shaft (the default is Del), or a special knob shaft. Defined as volume control or light control, the playability is very high.

2️⃣ connection method

Compared with the appearance design and materials, what I personally find very interesting is that this three-mode keyboard (wired + Bluetooth + 2.4G) uses a new wireless solution. The wireless module uses the Nordic low-latency anti-jamming chipset, and the delay control Compared with the mainstream Beiying solution on the market, Bluetooth is a BLE solution with lower power consumption.

In addition to replacing the new wireless solution on the hardware, the small bug GK980+ has also been continuously optimized at the software layer. You can switch between Windows and Mac modes with one click through the physical switch on the back. The driver now also has a separate Mac layer configuration. Whether it is practical Still, the playability is much higher than the previous version.

3️⃣ keyboard structure

Compared with upgraded wireless modules, Skyloong's patented LiteGasket structure is not so eye-catching. After all, it has been used for more than a year. Compared with the traditional Gasket, there are a few more positioning posts. Although it loses a certain amount of Q bullets, the input is stable. The performance has been greatly improved, and the cavity sound control performance is also quite good.

In addition to the patented design of LiteGasket, GK980+ also has a patented split space design. Players can divide the original space bar into three independent keys by replacing the positioning plate in the space. The key definition can also be modified through the driver. For Very useful for key combination users with high usage.

The bottom case and top cover of the GK980+ are made of semi-transparent ABS, with a gold copper positioning plate. The overall weight is not light or heavy, and the internal structure can be seen from the side, which is very geek-like.

As a customized kit that supports hot-swappable shafts, the shaft seat used by GK980+ supports five-pin shafts, and is compatible with mainstream shafts such as Cherry, Kaihua, and TTC. The thin pins of Goto and Constant may be a bit wobbly , the light source is the upper SMD LED lamp.

It should be noted that the knob accessories are composed of the shaft body, the silicone base and the local knob. The shaft body pin needs to be in direct contact with the four contacts on the PCB. GK980+ only has the top five keys available, so don't think about giving it to others. The kit is used.

The indicator light is not placed in the upper right corner like the conventional scheme, but placed between the letter area and the number area. It is a relatively popular design at present. It is indeed more convenient to check the status when using it, which is one of the effective improvements.

Consistent with the current mainstream, the GK980+ bottom shell comes with a sloped arc, even a flat ball cap such as DSA can be input comfortably, reducing the discomfort caused by changing heights.

The height of the full-height foot support is shown below, and the angle is close to 10%, which can meet the needs of most users.

The control switches of GK980+ are all designed on the back, and the three-hole cable trough on the top is well received. No matter whether the chassis is left or right, it can be easily routed. The four corners and the bottom middle are added for shock absorption and anti-slip The silicone pad is not easy to shift during use.

The Type-C interface is in the groove in the upper right corner, which can effectively prevent the wire from falling off when moving, and the 2.4G receiver is also here.

The foot support is designed with two heights. The corresponding height has been shown above and will not be described in detail. Let’s start to disassemble the part below.

If you just install the satellite shaft or replace the main shaft, you don’t need to disassemble the machine, but you need to disassemble it to replace the split space, positioning plate, sound-absorbing cotton and other accessories.

You only need to remove the two screws under the left and right feet to separate the upper cover. There are no other screws that need to be removed. It should be noted that there are fragile stickers. Removal may affect the warranty. Please operate with caution.

Except for the two fixing screws, the top cover and bottom case of the GK980+ are fixed by the anti-card structure. The disassembly method of this type of structure is the same. After opening a slit with your fingers, insert a hard card and draw a circle to complete the separation.

Although the outer shell is made of ABS material that looks a bit fragile, there are a lot of reinforcement ribs inside. Unless it is dismantled violently, it is not easy to be disconnected and damaged, so don’t be afraid when disassembling, and operate normally.

You can see the structure of LiteGasket from the side, from top to bottom are:

Upper cover→positioning plate→silicone pad→PCB→sound-absorbing cotton→bottom case

In the later stage, except for the upper cover and the bottom case, you can replace it by yourself. Of course, the PCB is not recommended. After all, there is a separate contact on the top corresponding to the knob shaft. If you change it, you will lose an important feature.

Remove the independent space positioning plate, you can see that there are four axis positions in the space area, which can be replaced by a three-key split space by replacing the positioning plate, and the right side covered by the silicone pad can be removed by yourself.

After removing the positioning board and the fixing screws on the front and back of the PCB, you can see the whole picture of the accessories. The coating of the positioning board is still good, and there is almost no sanding. Worry about shifting issues.

The shaft seat uses the new shaft seat just released by CIY. Compared with Kaihua and other mainstream shaft seats, the life of the shaft seat may be a little worse, but it can also support a thousand times of plugging and unplugging, so there is no problem.

There are three interfaces on the back of the PCB, corresponding to the wireless module, power supply and USB interface, and you can replace them with better solutions later.

Like the silicone pad, the sound-absorbing cotton at the bottom is also a custom-made version with holes. The thickness is good, and the battery is designed with an opening. It does not need to be replaced unless it is a special case.

The original GK980+ is a 4000 mAh battery. You can see from the picture that the reserved space in the battery area is relatively large. Users who need battery life can replace it with a battery with a larger capacity, and then start to install it. Shaft and keycap.

There are two versions of GK980+, the kit and the finished product. The difference lies in whether it is assembled and ready to use. Of course, you can also choose to assemble it yourself like me.

The installation of the shaft body is relatively simple. You can just press the pins of the shaft body against the holes. It is basically not difficult. The suit sent this time is Skyloong's customized shaft body chocolate rose v2. The value is really good.

Compared with the paragraph axis, I still like the smooth and small weight linearity, so this time I chose the DNDKB Jingwei axis that has been idle for a long time. The full POM material does not need to be lubricated to have a very silky feel. It will become smoother with use.

The satellite axis still uses Jiadalong Taiji, which I personally think feels good. It’s best to moisten it before using it. If you have enough budget, you can consider Leitron Sheng Panda. It will be a good choice to match the chocolate rose v2 axis of the nerd. .

Since this GK980+ has black and gold color matching, the keycaps are really not easy to match, so I directly used the industrial titanium gray color matching keycaps of the small nerds. A big set, more cost-effective.

Compared with the Beiying solution of Qingyishui on the market, Xiaobu Chong uses its own driver. Among domestic peripheral manufacturers, Xiaobu Chong's driver is considered the first echelon, supporting three layers of custom buttons, and also has a large number of Lighting effects and pre-made macro configurations are available.

Please watch the video for the feel and sound production. The sound of the Jingwei axis itself is relatively small. The LiteGasket structure of the GK980+ is also good at controlling the cavity sound. There will be a clear mahjong sound when inputting. This set is more suitable for those who want quiet + comfortable input. player.

List the kit options for this article. If you are interested, you can try it on the 3rd.

1️⃣ Kit丨Skyloong GK980+

2️⃣ Shaft body丨DNDKB Jingwei shaft