Peripherals Show Article 113: 40% configuration, all aluminum, Gasket structure, Keychron Q9 customized mechanical keyboard out of the box

一直觉得Keychron有强迫症，Q系列自从推出以来，愣是凑齐了一套通天顺，基本上覆盖了市面上绝大多数配列。通过命名就可以看出，Q系列主打Gasket结构，Q弹手感。此外，Q系列均采用CNC铝制机身，有线单模连接，支持QMK&VIA开源改键，且每个型号均配备了普通和旋钮两种版本。以前体验过Keychron K3矮轴超薄机械键盘，双拼色，尺寸小，布局紧凑，颜值很高，搭配笔记本或平板电脑很不错。因为那啥，今年春节没怎么拜年，宅在家里天天泡论坛，没想到被in外设翻牌子了，有幸能够体验到Q9这款40%小配列机械键盘，下面就跟大家简单分享一下。

Keychron's packaging has always been very willing to use materials. The outer hard paper shell is color-printed, the inner hard foam sponge is filled, and the product outline and product model are printed on the front of the package.

The back of the package is an introduction to product features and a keyboard rendering. It can be seen that Q9 is available in three colors: black, blue, and gray.

The product is a family portrait, and the accessories are quite rich, including a USB-C to USB-C data cable, a USB-A to USB-C adapter, three Windows supplementary keycaps, replacement screws, two supplementary foot pads, a shaft puller, and a wire puller Keys, hexagonal wrenches, cross keys, product manuals, etc.

Keychron Q9 adopts a 40% arrangement and a 51+1 key layout. The "1" is a button or a knob. Since Keychron Q9 simplifies the F area and number keys on the basis of the 75% arrangement, and retains some symbol keys than the general 40% arrangement, the body is slimmer than the common 40% arrangement keyboard.

When I first saw the Keychron Q9, my first impression was that it looked like an abacus, thin and long, the kind of extended abacus used by old accountants. To make a digression, it seems that there are mechanical keyboards with abacus on the market now, and the number area on the right side of the 104 column is replaced with an abacus, which feels tailor-made for financial personnel.

Keychron Q9 measures 326mm×94.1mm×30.7mm in length, width and height, and weighs about 1.05kg. The body is made of 6063 all-aluminum material, CNC integrally engraved, anodized, and sandblasted.

Keychron Q9 continues the tradition of the Q series, and it is also equipped with two versions of ordinary and knobs. In addition, there is a nameplate version, which replaces the buttons of the ordinary version with a nameplate, which is more commemorative than practical.

Keychron Q9 supports hot-swapping. It would be great if a knob socket is added to the shaft seat in the upper right corner, so that players can choose the button or the knob independently, without having to tangle between the two versions, and there is already such a thing on the market. The design, I hope the manufacturer can refer to it.

The Keychron Q9 adopts the OSA height ball cap, which is still very good-looking, and is more suitable for small and medium-sized hands, which will be explained in detail in the following sections.

Keychron Q9 adopts the Gasket structure design, and the positioning board and PCB are suspended in the middle of the upper and lower covers through shock-absorbing gaskets, thus bringing a Q-bomb feel. In addition, a noise-reducing cotton interlayer is added between the positioning board and the PCB, highland barley paper is added between the PCB and the bottom case, and a silicone gasket is pasted between the upper and lower covers to further reduce noise.

From the picture above, it can be seen that the positioning plate and PCB of Keychron Q9 are suspended between the upper and lower covers, and the maximum spring can reach 2.5mm.

Let me show you the Q-play effect of Keychron Q9. After pressing the space key shaft body with one finger, the key shaft keycap, positioning board, and PCB will also spring down together with the press, and the range is indeed quite large.

Keychron Q9 arranges the USB-C data interface on the left front, which is convenient to use with a laptop. Next to the interface is the Win/Mac mode switching switch, which is more convenient than the combination key. Since the Keychron Q9 uses an all-metal casing, the signal will be shielded, so the Q system basically uses a wired single-mode connection.

The Keychron Q9 does not use a folding bracket design, and a circular cushioning foot pad is attached to each of the four corners. There are three hexagon socket screws on the top and bottom respectively, and those who like to toss can disassemble the keyboard without damage.

There is a small slope at the bottom of the keyboard. After laying it flat, the lower border is still a bit high. It is recommended that you equip it with a hand rest for use.

The whole series of Keychron Q is equipped with Jiadalong G-Pro axis body, without fence, and Q9 uses RGB backlight, and the effect of transparent cover will be better.

At present, Keychron Q9 is available in G-Pro red, tea, and blue switches. The Q9 without number keys is not suitable for games. For coding, I prefer the segmented feel and crisp sound of the green switch.

The base of Keychron Q9 supports hot-swappable, compatible with 3-pin and 5-pin shaft bodies, and the lamp beads are inverted, so that the backlight effect can be seen more clearly from the front.

The long keys of the keyboard are designed with satellite shafts, which are self-lubricating at the factory and fixed with screws to increase stability and facilitate future adjustments and upgrades.

The keyboard keycap adopts OSA height, PBT material, two-color injection molding process, closed font, and three colors of black, blue and red are mixed and matched.

Use a picture on the Internet to show the difference between OSA height keycaps and SA and OEM height keycaps. OSA is a height between SA and OEM. The appearance of the ball cap of SA is slightly higher than the height of OEM. Small and medium It is more comfortable for players with small hands.

Keychron Q9支持QMK&VIA开源改键，开源对键盘上每个按键进行编程，键盘布局、快捷键、组合键、灯光都可以进行自定义设置，支持Mac OS、Windows和Linux。

Keychron Q9 has built-in lighting effects, which can be adjusted forward by FN+Q and backward by FN+A.

Since the Keychron Q9 adopts the lower light position, it is easier to see the light when sitting directly in front. Although the keycaps are opaque, the overflow brightness of the gaps in the keycaps is quite strong, and the light color transitions are also natural.

The top is a 75% keyboard, and the bottom is a 40% Keychron Q9. After comparison, it can be seen that the length of the latter is basically the same, but the width is much narrower.

The small size of the Keychron Q9 can also be placed directly on the monitor stand when not in use, as a desktop decoration. I use Jiadalong G-Pro green switches for this model, with OSA ball caps, the typing feel is not much different from OEM, and the crisp feel of the green switches is quite comfortable. If you are familiar with the use of combination keys, you will find that because the keyboard is very narrow, you can basically complete the input without much movement of your fingers.

Since the Keychron Q9 simplifies the F area and the number keys, for ordinary people, they need to switch the combination keys to use it during daily typing, which will be uncomfortable, and they need to memorize the combination keys. Of course, you can also learn Wubi input method or Shuangpin input method. For most people, it is a bit difficult to memorize the root characters, but Shuangpin is a little easier and the content to memorize is less.

Keychron Q9作为一款量产客制化机械键盘，并且支持QMK&VIA开源改键，对于想踏入客制化圈的新手来说，可以练练手。键盘支持热拔插，底部裸露的螺丝，也配备了六角螺丝扳手和十字起，可以无损拆卸键盘，熟悉盘内部的各个结构，为今后折腾客制化打下基础。目前Keychron Q9普通版售价588元，旋钮版售价608元，全铝机身、Gasket结构，相比自己组一把客制化机械键盘来说还是不算贵的。

The 40% arrangement is basically a niche arrangement among the minority. Due to the lack of F area and number keys, it is not easy for novices to get started when playing games or typing, and it takes some time to practice and get familiar with. However, Keychron Q9 retains the punctuation keys, which is easier to use than the general 40% keyboard. After learning the Wubi or Shuangpin input method, typing is still no problem.

The keyboard is equipped with two styles of normal and knob. I personally prefer the knob style. It is more convenient and quicker to adjust the volume on a daily basis than the combination of keys. It's just that the knob is fixed. I hope that the manufacturer can design it as a detachable design in the future, so that players can switch between the buttons and the knob.