Looking to build a 75% or a TKL keyboard now and I’m looking for something that can get me the deepest sound from my switches that im gonna get (ZealPC Clickiez). currently set on using SA keycaps for max thock but I’m just not sure what to look for in terms of finding a board. do y’all have any suggestions?
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NCR80 would be a good fit.
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NCR-80 is a proven success with Clickiez.
You can get the WKL R1-R2 versions, or the TKL R3 version.
R1 came in dark gray and beige, R3 is beige-only so-far.
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I agree with the NCR 80 as well. If you’re not into the retro aesthetic, you might want to check out the MK870. I can’t for the life of me remember who made it, but it’s quite a good keyboard. The PCB supports screw-in stabs and has holes for them, but doesn’t market it as screw-in. Strange.
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The MK870 can be converted to screw-in stabilizers, but it requires opening up the keyboard and replacing the plate with an aftermarket polycarbonate plate.
The polycarb plate definitely sounds better, IMHO, unless you’re going for metal. I’ve put BOX Whites on a stock MK870 and it was fine.
It might be possible to retrofit PCB-mount stabilizers onto a stock metal plate, but probably not as easy as on the polycarb. You’ll also want to remove the dampening for greater reverberation.
Some of the smaller, modern boards that can be modified for great sound are the KBD67 Lite and the Aurora. There are some emptied-out KBD67 Lite that have an impressive sound to them, though they were R1. The Aurora is easy to progressively dampen or louden as you desire.
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