My Pseudo-Customized Keyboard Enters the Pit--The CK820 Buying Experience for Keyboard Newcomers

When people reach middle age, it is inevitable to develop all kinds of strange hobbies, from bracelets, fishing, etc. to even more outrageous kitchen knives and iron pots, all kinds of things, and so on. As a middle-aged uncle, I am inevitably obsessed with some messy things, including peripheral keyboards and mice. Double Eleven has updated a wave of keyboards and mice. Among them, the purchase experience of mechanical keyboards was thought to be an ordinary shopping, but it almost broke me. Let me share with you below, hoping to give some tips to friends who want to enter the pit of mechanical keyboards.

I probably started to be interested in mechanical keyboards and mice around 2017. I have a habit of being a person. Generally, I will endure this kind of non-necessary things for a period of time, and I will buy them after I am sure that I really want them. Around the end of 2018, I bought my first mechanical keyboard, which is the old guy below:

Outer packing box of Durga K320

Durga's K320

Dujia’s Taurus K320, the outer packaging box has been kept until now, and the keyboard has been used from 2018 to the latest. Due to the limited budget, I made a choice between the silver switch (it seemed that the cherry silver switch had not been released for a long time) and the white light version, and finally chose the silver switch. As for wireless, I didn’t think about it at all (poor). The performance of this old buddy is quite satisfactory, and there is basically no false touch problem that everyone often says about the cherry silver switch. Of course, I basically only use it for playing games. With my game level, even if it is accidentally touched, it may not feel much. out.

Double Eleven is approaching this year, and I suddenly wanted to use a new keyboard on a whim. I really wanted to experience the RGB and wireless connections that I didn’t have before, especially the lighting effect that I was thinking about at the time and was not willing to buy. As a qualified value friend who has been with Aunt Zhang for three or four years, it is impossible not to do my homework before buying anything. Ever since, the knowledge about mechanical keyboards accumulated when buying the first keyboard is completely useless. What? Cherry Axis is lonely now? So what axis should I choose? What are these messy shafts? What the hell is the Gasket structure? Is Dareu really a top peripheral?

I believe that, like me, people who haven’t paid much attention to the key circle in recent years, if they want to buy a mechanical keyboard in 2022, they will probably be like me, with a confused face! To be honest, the entry cost of mechanical keyboards is indeed high because of the high advantages. There are many manufacturers, many configurations, and various structures, not to mention the dazzling shafts. So what to do, just follow the trend and buy one or not buy it at all? Disk chant, slowly research chant, in fact, buying things, especially those things that are not in a hurry, the real fun is the process of research. In fact, this is the greatest fun I have had with Aunt Zhang in the past few years, just like when I was young, in order to play a game, I read various posts and looked for strategies. The immersive process of investing in one thing is the most fun place , I don't know if there is a valued friend who feels the same as me.

Closer to home, let’s talk about some experience in this research process. For the keyboard to choose and buy, the configuration is the first thing to consider. Common ones are mainly 104 full keyboards, 98 keys, 87 keys, 75 keys, 60 keys, and various arrangements derived from these arrangements. The pictures of various arrangements are not available, so please Baidu yourself. Generally speaking, the choice of configuration should be based on actual needs, mainly including whether a keypad is needed, whether there is a need for portability, whether an F area is needed, the size of the desktop space, etc., depending on individual needs. My first keyboard was the 87 layout, but I still felt it was a bit too big. If there is no F area, it would be inconvenient to play some games, so I positioned the 75 layout, which happens to be relatively popular recently.

The next step is the choice of the switch body. The classification of the switch body is quite confusing. There are many kinds of switches on the market at present. For friends who want to start with a mechanical keyboard, it should be a headache. To be honest, this is a problem that took me a long time to do my homework, but since I am not a professional, I can only briefly provide you with some options from the perspective of an ordinary consumer. If it is inaccurate, I hope everyone will comment District not hesitate to advise. Personally, I think that the choice of shafts should also be classified according to the actual needs of the individual. The first type is the feel of the green shaft, also known as the roommate ecstasy shaft. This type of shaft is characterized by a louder sound and a unique There is a big difference between the paragraph feel and the membrane keyboard, such as Kaihua’s BOX white switch and the polar fox switch; the second is the red switch feel, which is characterized by straight up and down, and is also a relatively common switch on the market. For example, TTC’s gold powder, etc. Among them, the one with lower trigger pressure is more suitable for office use; the third is silver-like switches, which are characterized by short key strokes and fast triggering, and are more suitable for games, such as TTC’s Kuaiyin. Axis; the fourth type is all kinds of silent shafts, which are characterized in that the sound is relatively small under the premise of reducing some hand feeling, which belong to the real dormitory friendly shafts, and generally have clear markings. Of course, the above classification is too simple, and it is simply classified from the usage scenarios. At present, there are too many shafts on the market, and new shafts are constantly appearing on the market. Everyone has different needs for shafts. . If you want to make further choices based on the usage scenarios, but it is too troublesome, I suggest that you simply understand the feel and sound for a simple understanding. Many people in the current switch body choose to pay attention to the sound, such as mahjong sound, raindrop sound and so on. There are also various voice actors everywhere. This is not only a problem with the switch body, but also involves the structure of the keyboard and keys. Comprehensive considerations.

Next is the RGB lighting effect, whether there is a three-mode connection, and hot-swappable issues that need to be selected. As far as my personal experience of using the first keyboard is concerned, these are very personal things. Some people think that it doesn’t matter if there is no lighting effect, some people think that RGB can improve the game level; some people think that the keyboard does not need to be moved relatively. It doesn't matter if there are no three modes, and some people must need wireless connection for the simplicity of the desktop, and even for MAC users, Bluetooth is a necessary function; People just want to experience various shafts, so hot swapping is just needed. For those who just want to experience the mechanical keyboard and don’t want to invest too much, the unlit and wired ones are enough, and friends who need it can choose by themselves. Next, let me talk about my experience of purchasing this time.

Based on the ideas above, I clarified my needs for changing the keyboard this time, 75 configurations, an axis body that takes into account both light games and code words, RGB lighting effects, and three-mode connection (Bluetooth is mainly used by roommates who use MAC, and I convinced myself that she It may be useful, although she said she didn't want to use it after buying it), at least the feel is better than the previous keyboard, and it is best to experience the HIFI sound of the mechanical keyboard. Based on the above points, we started the evaluation video of various keyboards. Of course, due to my handicapped attributes, I mainly look at various mass-produced keyboards at this stage. After all, I want to use my hands when I think of them, and I don’t want to bother. I just fell in love with Mouzhi’s K75. This keyboard, known as the king of the year, has a GASKET structure. The feel and sound of various evaluations are also very good. The appearance of the keyboard is not bad, and there are new The flame purple axis that also takes into account the game and office, the price of the Double Eleven days is basically around 450, the price is more appropriate. The reason why I didn’t buy it in the end is the following points. First, the bottom edge of the keyboard is curved. Second, I personally feel that the mode switch in the upper right corner is not as practical as the knob. Third, I think the power display is not very useful except to increase battery anxiety. big. Then I looked at the L75 of a certain axe. One of the persuasive aspects was that the small display screen was not very useful, and the other was that the price was too expensive. The pre-sale price at that time seemed to be 899. Then it was a few days of all kinds of wandering. The free time in those few days was basically looking at various keyboards, switches, sounds and so on. Emotions are really complicated.

Then I inevitably saw all kinds of customized keyboards in the process of watching. In fact, I didn’t consider customized keyboards at all at the beginning. The reason is that I also saw it when I bought the first keyboard. Some, for circuit boards, soldering, flying wires, etc., it is completely impossible for me, a handicapped party of ten thousand years, to do it. However, I found that in 2022, when the key circle is seriously involuted, customization has gradually become a trend of mass production. I accidentally found a video of a certain UP master at station B, talking about assembling an aluminum keyboard under 1,000 yuan, which was the CK820 that I bought at the end. One of the things I convinced myself at the time was its color. Value, it is true that most mass-produced keyboards are indeed different, and the other is the aluminum lump that supports tri-mode and RGB. This is the kit body:

Kit body

The kit itself is gray with a little bit of blue, it can’t be photographed with a mobile phone, but it looks pretty good, CNC, anodized, and I personally think the workmanship is good. I didn’t take any pictures when I unpacked it, so here are a few pictures of it assembled:

front

back

Front

side scroll

The lighting effect on both sides is also very soft and beautiful

This keyboard kit does not have a shaft and a keycap. At that time, the order was placed at 11 o'clock on Double Eleven. The UP master of station B did not buy the sound pack of the store in order to control the video at that time. I bought it. When the kit body plus the original price of 89 sound bag () and poron material sandwich cotton, bottom cotton and shaft pad) and FR4 positioning plate, it should be more than 880, plus the shimmering keycap with the previously selected bald head , A boss on my site also tested this kit, and it is said that it is not suitable for the XDA height keycaps used for UP at station B, so I bought the original height of the low light keycaps.

Original height bald head shimmer keycap PBT sublimation

In fact, when I was about to place an order, I still hadn’t decided what shaft to buy. I happened to recommend a cheap ash wood V3 shaft with a very good review in the recommended list, so I also bought a set of 100 pieces. This set is discounted. It came down to just under a thousand.

Ash wood V3 shaft

After placing the order, I was looking forward to it, and all the accessories arrived in about a week. The following is the assembly. I thought that this is also customized, but the problems encountered during the assembly process directly poured a basin of cold water on me. When I started assembling, my seven-year-old daughter happened to be fine, so she insisted on participating. From various videos, I also felt that it was not difficult to install the switches and keycaps, so I thought it was like building Lego with my daughter. It turned out to be a tragedy. How did I find out? After installing it, I found that the lighting mode could not be switched. After consulting the store, the store thought that the Fn key was broken, and asked me to see if the shaft body was not installed properly. I was confused at the time, the shaft can still be installed badly, I watched various videos and installed it with just one click, how could there be problems? I used the shaft puller provided in the kit to remove the keycap and the shaft body. After a closer look, I found that one of the two metal legs of the shaft body was bent. It was only then that I realized that I had to correct the shaft body. It can be regarded as correct installation only if it is inserted into the two small holes of the shaft seat. At this time, I was already running wildly in my heart, and I found a video of installing the shaft at station B after a lot of hard work. But I really didn’t know how to install it at the time, and more importantly, I didn’t realize that I needed to learn it at all), and finally installed the Fn key correctly, and I can switch the lighting mode. At this time, a word from the customer service made me At the scene of petrification, what he said was "fortunately the shaft seat did not fall off".

Will the shaft still fall off? Immediately, I searched for various articles and videos, trying to figure out what it means that the axle seat is dropped, and then I felt sad because I found that the main reason for the axle seat falling was very consistent with the operation I started to work hard to create miracles. What to do, how to determine which key is installed and which is not. Then I started to switch the lighting mode, found the single-light mode, tried one by one, and found that it didn't work very well. Next, I searched for how to test whether the axis is installed properly, and found that there is an online keyboard test software, and I randomly found one to test it, and the result was good news and bad news. The bad news is that there are indeed some keys that are not triggered. The good news is that because my daughter was having fun at the time, she installed most of the axes and keys. Most of the keys she installed can be triggered, but I installed Two out of a dozen or so are broken, and there are about seven or eight in total that cannot be triggered. Here I would like to express my feelings about my daughter's hands-on ability, which is much better than my good-for-nothing father. Then, with the knowledge of the shaft assembly that I just learned, I carefully started to install these untriggerable keys again. By the way, let’s take a look at how to install the shaft. First, make sure that the two shaft feet are straight, and then align them with the holes in the shaft seat. Put the position up gently first, first press down the side (upper side or lower side) of the vacant position lightly, feel that the shaft foot has entered the hole, or see the light of this key light up if there is a light (normal situation It should be operated when the power is off. I am not sure whether it has been inserted, so I can only make a bad decision), and then gently press the entire shaft in. If the installation is correct, there will be no big damage Resistance, don't work hard to create miracles! Don't work hard to create miracles! Don't work hard to create miracles! (Say important things three times)

Reinstall the seven or eight axes that cannot be triggered according to the correct axis installation method, and finally found that there are still two that cannot be triggered, namely "=" and "pageup". Consult the customer service and say that there are two possibilities for this situation. One is that the simple shaft seat has fallen off, and it can be easily welded back if it can be welded. The other is that the shaft seat and the welding pad are broken together and need to be sent back for repair. After the keyboard, it was found that it was the first case. The two shaft seats were pushed off by a miracle by me. Fortunately, the pads were not damaged. At that time, my first reaction when I heard this kind of situation was, or just use it like this. After all, I was not sure about the fact of welding. But "pageup" involves the switching of the ambient light modes on both sides. I was really unwilling, so I gritted my teeth and stomped my feet, and decided to buy a set of electric welding suits in this store on the spot, which is this pile:

welding suit

After the welding kit arrives, there are various researches on how to weld. There are still few videos about welding on the Internet, but there are very few about how to weld the axle seat. I found two of them, but the shooting quality is not high, and I can’t see how to weld them at all. , The customer service was not there that day, so I bit the bullet and started welding. Let me talk about a few points I have learned about soldering. First, you must not forget to use solder paste. Second, you must use an appropriate amount of solder. The third most important thing is that you don’t have to test the temperature of the soldering pen with your fingers. Then after more than two hours of study and welding, I finally welded the first shaft back. I felt a little proud at the moment when the shaft was lighted up. I didn’t expect that I, who had been handicapped all my life, could learn it. Solder something.

So far, the keyboard can finally work normally. To be honest, I personally feel that the typing feel and sound are very good, and the workmanship, shape and more distinctive shape are more in line with my expectations. After using it for more than half a month, let me talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the keyboard I made. The first is the advantages: first, the price. After all, aluminum tuotuo with RGB, three-mode, and volume knob is acceptable for thousands of yuan; second, the appearance is unconventional and the workmanship is basically satisfactory; third, the 2.4G wireless connection Clearance, this has always been a common problem of Altuotuo. I didn’t feel any delay or disconnection when playing games during the time I used it (of course I am a notebook party, and the keyboard and notebook are both on the desktop). It is said that it is currently except for a few The most stable wireless connection solution outside of a major peripheral factory; Fourth, the feel and sound are very good for me, a newcomer who has not touched too many keyboards; Fifth, the texture of the magnetic feet is good, and the suction is strong. After I got on, I felt that the height was just right.

Then there are the disadvantages: first, there is no storage compartment for the receiver, which is probably due to the consideration of CNC cost; second, MAC/WIN switching and three-mode switching are on the back of the keyboard, which is not very convenient, but fortunately, the keyboard is not very Heavy; the third is that I use the original keyboard with a slightly exposed shaft, and according to customer service, other heights will be better. Fourth, the battery uses a 3000mAh blade battery. I used it moderately for about ten days. It seems that the advantages are small, but there is really no place to put the battery in the internal structure. This blade battery is also much thinner than ordinary batteries. .

Finally, there is one point, which can’t be said to be an advantage or a disadvantage. The weight of this keyboard is lower than that of the general aluminum stack, especially the weight of the upper cover is relatively light. I think it is due to the overall appearance on the one hand. Design considerations, on the other hand, may be due to the consideration of wireless connection stability, so although this is a lump of aluminum, I think it will not sink much compared to the original old keyboard. It depends on personal needs. The purchase and sharing of this keyboard is basically the above, and there are some tidbits below:

When I bought the welding kit, in order to make up for the free shipping, I also bought them with a few HP-like shafts, which I plan to use as the shafts for the big keys. I feel that the ash wood is a bit lacking in rebound:

His family's HP-like axis

But when installing the space bar, it has not been installed well. During the period, the shaft seat of the space bar also fell off once, so I experienced the ordinary welding shaft seat again. Later, I found that even if I installed the shaft carefully, there would always be a hole in the shaft every time. The foot would be tilted in one direction, so I bent the pivot foot a little bit, and finally installed the space. Then I found that this shaft is not suitable for large keys. The rebound is enough, but the stability is not enough. Several large keys are good at shaking, and the space is very shaking. I may have to change the shaft to make a big key, but for the time being, the advantages can't be tossed...

Then came the climax of the whole article. On the third day after I learned to weld the shaft seat, the biggest harvest of my keyboard purchase came. My roommate has a necklace that I bought on my behalf. It was torn off by a naughty kid last year, and it has not been repaired. Two days ago, my roommate found that the price of this necklace has nearly doubled, so I want to fix it even more urgently. . It happened that this matter was brought up again during the meal that day, and my daughter said a few words that Dad could weld it for you, so my welding set made its debut again. After burning my hands twice (mainly because the necklace was too thin to handle), I finally got my roommate's necklace repaired, and my roommate put it on right away. Then my roommate, who was indifferent to our grandfather's tossing about this keyboard these days, gave me a fair evaluation of my keyboard purchase experience. This keyboard is a good buy!

Finally, take stock of the gains and losses of this purchase of the keyboard:

1. My daughter watched me solder and played happily for two nights because of the shaft and keycaps. According to my roommate, my daughter would go to the keyboard to tap a few times from time to time, and then told the roommate that the keyboard was installed by her with a sense of accomplishment. of.

2. Because the necklace was welded on, this shopping was fully affirmed by the roommate.

3. Because it took so much money, it is a bit wasteful to use the newly bought keyboard only for playing games, so I have the first sharing on what is worth buying and writing, and finally took the first step towards writing something that I have been wanting to write. One more step, the last time I wrote something in my spare time was the tofu cubes that were published in the school magazine when I was in high school. This article was coded with the new keyboard.

4. After learning the most basic welding knowledge, is it possible that even handicapped people will recover?

5. Harvest a few places with slight burns (sure enough, the hand is still damaged).

6. Harvest some messy knowledge about the shaft body, keyboard structure, keycaps, etc. (In fact, I personally think this is the most interesting)

7. After using more than 1,000 meters with a bit of pain, I got a keyboard that is basically satisfactory, and... more desire to buy. First, the shaft of the big key is still not satisfactory, and I guess I will buy it soon There are several kinds of shafts to replace; the second is to try to lubricate the large keys and shafts by yourself with the shaft opener and lubrication kit; the third is to buy more keyboards. I planted a keyboard equipped with Alice, and I don't know how long it will take to get it.

The above is my experience of customizing the keyboard this time, which is not an entry-level experience. Finally, thank you for reading this. During the writing of this sharing, I also deeply realized the difficulty of code words and what I want to express. , It is actually a very difficult process to actually implement it into the text. This first creation, which is a little taste, actually took several children to sleep late at night before finally writing it. I hope that everyone will like it, and hope that in the future I can have the opportunity to share more shopping experiences and experiences with you, thank you!