Fairly easy and straightforward build; I wanted to make this as loud as possible but it didn’t quite go as planned. I got an TKL set of MT3 Serika on eBay for $50 and combined them with Kalih BOX Navys, as well as swapping the default polycarbonate plate for a brass one.
The Building Experience
I stripped out the bottom silicone slab and was planning to remove the smaller layer between the PCB and the plate, but since I added a brass plate I found I needed that middle foam layer, otherwise the switches would pop out as I was installing them.
The one black mark is that while I was installing the switches I managed to loosen/kill the connection for the number 5 while popping the switches on. Thankfully, since the board comes with an f13 key space, I was able to transfer the function over to that space via VIA.
With the brass plate, there’s also no flex (which I prefer) but this extends to the case itself, which by default was definitely creaky out of the box.
I also removed the thin poron (?) strips from underneath the top frame and I think doing so increased the overall volume of the clickiness by a small but noticeable amount.
The Sound:
The sound is a lot more muted than I had hoped for, though at least the clicks come through nicely. I haven’t noticed any ping, the spacebar is solid. If there is any rattle to the base stabs that came with the board, I don’t notice them enough to bother me.
I’m tempted to say they board is very scratchy, if my untrained ear is ID’ing the sound under the clicks correctly. But again, not bothered by it. There’s no echo or reverb aside from a little bit from the spacebar, and that’s only if I hit it dead center.
The Rest:
It’s a happy coincidence that the keycap set I bought had a blacked out key (technically esc but it’s black on black) that I could put on the 5 space and use VIA to make it blank.
For something I spent a grand total of of $165 on including the kit, replacement plate, switches, and caps, I’m fairly satisfied. I wonder what kind of difference it would make if I kept the PC plate (which I believe could’ve handled removing the middle foam) but I don’t regret this build.
