Mechanical Keyboard

Overview

A custom mechanical keyboard registers each keystroke through an individual spring-loaded switch rather than a rubber membrane, giving a defined actuation feel and long lifespan. This board is hot-swappable, so switches drop into sockets without soldering, gasket-mounted for a softer typing flex, and wireless, running from an internal cell over Bluetooth or a 2.4 GHz link.

The build centers on a CNC Case holding a steel Switch Plate and the PCB Assembly. Each Mechanical Switch clips into the plate and PCB; the Keycap Set presses onto the switch stems, Stabilizer units steady the long keys, and silicone Gasket Set strips suspend the assembly. The Battery Pack powers wireless operation.

How it works

Each switch is a self-contained mechanism: pressing a keycap drives a stem down against a spring, closing a metal contact partway through travel at the actuation point. The hot-swap PCB carries a socket under every position, so a switch's pins seat into the socket and the matrix without solder. The controller scans the key matrix row by column, debounces each closure, and reports it over the chosen link.

Acoustics and feel come from construction choices. Gasket mounting sandwiches the plate on silicone strips instead of bolting it rigidly, letting it flex slightly on each press and isolating it from the case. Layers of plate and case foam in the Case damp resonance, the brass weight lowers the pitch, and screw-in stabilizers keep wide keys like spacebar from rattling. The detachable USB-C Daughterboard carries the USB-C jack on a separate flexing board so cable strain never reaches the main PCB.