Keyboard Meetup 2025 is an exciting event for music lovers where professionals and beginners come together to share their passion and talent. Join us to learn new techniques, connect with experienced artists, and explore the world of musical creativity. This meetup is the perfect place to enhance your skills, exchange ideas, and be inspired by a community that truly loves music.

As I sit here surrounded by extracted switch components, I thought I would share a short guide on one of my favorite aspects of the hobby - frankenswitching! If you have never heard the term before it refers to the practice of disassembling factory made switches and then putting the pieces back together in a new configuration to create a custom switch. Like Lego with switch parts. And just like the building blocks, frankenswitches can be configured in limitless ways. In this guide I will go over the history of notable frankenswitches in the community as well as share my own explorations with the intent of helping you to get started creating your own “monsters”. Please be warned, creating frankenswitches can get very expensive. In most cases, it requires buying multiple switches to create a single frankenswitch. This can double or triple the price of the switch very quickly. Phoenix stems and Boba U4T housings combined for extreme clickiness. A Brief History of...

There are so many wonderfully talented people creating artisans. So many amazing sculptors, incredible resin artists, and creators executing very high-quality designs. I myself am a fledgling artisan maker along with my friend, daftprophet. And although we are still learning about the many intricacies of creating keycaps ourselves, I thought I would write up a guide on the subject. Hopefully, this will help you to start creating your own keycaps if you feel so inclined. To start, I am going to go over what artisans are and also the different methods of obtaining them. This is meant as a quick primer to the hobby, but there is so much to learn on this subject. I encourage you to explore further if you find this interesting. Cold cast artisans. Image courtesy of daftprophet. What are Artisan Keycaps? Artisan keycaps are generally tiny sculptures, most often made out of resin, that you can place on your keyboard switches. You will also find “blanks” in standard keycap...

As I’ve started out a couple of different articles over the years, I tend to lurk in the help channels of the various keyboard platforms that I am on from time to time. While I do this somewhat to try and help out with any switch questions that are going otherwise unanswered, a larger part of this is so that I can try and keep tabs on what the average consumer feels, thinks, and asks questions about related to keyboards. After all, if suddenly dozens or hundreds of people brand new to the hobby start asking about magnetic switches or what our favorite Hall Effect style keyboards are, it’s probably a sign that this may not just be the flavor of the month for keyboards. And while I could sit and talk about some of these larger trends in community interest that I have seen and am currently seeing developing in the community at large, or line out a list of the most common questions that I come across, I want to spend this article talking about a rare treat that I only encounter every so...

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Which piece of foam stays and which piece of foam goes? TL;DR Foam impacts the build process of building a board, sound, and typing feel, but how much or little that impact is depends on a variety of factors. Foam, especially the 'PE' foam sheet, does tend to give boards that “foamy” sound signature. There’s nothing wrong with liking a foamy sound, and there’s also nothing wrong with not liking foam either. Experiment with different types and combinations of foams to figure out what you enjoy! Article Sections (CTRL + F To Jump To These Sections) Intro Disclaimer Why Use Foam? Build Process Sound Feel Types of Foam and Dampeners Conclusion Intro “FOAM! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” Okay, okay, as you can tell, I’ve had Edwin Starr’s “War” stuck in my head for the past few days. I’m joking of course, because like other aspects of our beloved keyboard hobby, whether you use foam or don’t use foam is a matter of preference. I know you...

TL;DR Many things are subjective in our hobby. Critical thinking can go a long way. Learn as much as you can. Find out what you enjoy, and remember that we all enjoy different things. Don’t take anything personally and don’t worry about what you can’t control. Remember that there’s another human on the other side of the screen. At the end of the day, we’re all connected by the love we have for this hobby.  Going to a meetup can remind you why you fell in love with this hobby and is pure happiness! Article Sections (CTRL + F To Jump To These Sections) Intro Disclaimer What IS Preference? Figuring Out YOUR Preferences Why Is Critical Thinking Important?  Where Do Content Creators Fit Into All This? Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff! Intro Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What does the main picture have to do with keyboards?  At first glance, absolutely nothing! However, I wanted to set the mood right off the bat. This article (and the picture) is  meant to be a...

A recent GB that fulfilled for me - GMK Blue Alert R2! TL;DR Please exercise caution. This is not a foolproof guide.  If you are hesitant or aren’t comfortable, do not feel like you have to buy or join. This article is for those who are new to group buys or buying on the aftermarket. Never feel bad about asking questions.  Be financially responsible and don’t have FOMO. Research as much as you can. Knowledge is power. Article Sections (CTRL + F To Jump To These Sections) Intro Disclaimer What Are Group Buys and What Is the Aftermarket? Group Buy or Aftermarket Purchasing Tips FOMO and Financial Health Intro My "flawless" JRIS65 R1 mechmarket purchase. “THIS is flawless!?” When it comes to purchasing items on the aftermarket, whether it be r/mechmarket, the mechmarket discord, eBay, Mercari, or any website where you aren’t buying items that are sold by a vendor directly, it can be a bit daunting to either buy or sell for the first time. There are many written...

First and foremost, I think that it should be said right out of the gate that you are entitled to do whatever you want to do on your own behalf and this article is not a provocation to fight with you about your decisions. However, in my pursuit of wanting to cover as many topics about switches as I possibly can, I realize I have not yet covered ‘switch harvesting’, one of the practices that I’m becoming less favorable towards as the years go on. Rather than trying to cover the history of this in a not so unbiased fashion, I figure I might as well try and convince you all as to why I feel this way about this process. After all, you’ve read my opinions more than once before on this website… In the earliest days of the custom mechanical keyboard hobby, years which start around 2008 and span to 2012, the vast majority of custom keyboards were built using switches had already had previous lives in other keyboards. Given that there were few if any switch manufacturers selling switches...

What DaVinci Resolve looks like usually when editing sound tests. TL;DR This article is geared towards beginning content creators or those interested in content creation. If you're a content creation veteran, this may not be useful for you. These are just my opinions. What may work for me may not work for you! This is NOT for someone who is focused solely on making money from being a keyboard content creator or to maximize views, likes, or subscriptions. There is no foolproof strategy for success. Create, create, create. Take the leap and put out content, even if it isn’t perfect. Networking is key! Take Breaks When Needed. Article Sections (CTRL + F To Jump To These Sections) Intro  Disclaimer What IS a Keyboard Content Creator? The Fear of Failure How 1: Create, Create, Create How 2: Find out what YOU enjoy How 3: Networking “Mistakes” How 1 (Create, Create, Create) “Mistakes” How 2 (Find out what YOU enjoy) “Mistakes” How 3 (Networking) “Mistakes” Not Taking...

Every now and then, one of the questions I’ll get from a reader of my articles circles around trying to figure out why I know seemingly way too much about mechanical keyboards. “Where did you learn all of this information, Goat?” While having been around as an active part of the community for several years now and talking with other people in various places has certainly helped me learn quite a bit, the simple answer that I usually toss to people who ask that question is that I read… a lot. Yes, that’s right, reading. Given that the modern mechanical keyboard scene started around 2007-2008, and with vintage enthusiasts having interests that stretch multiple decades backwards from there, a lot of the core, fundamental knowledge base of this keyboard community was carved into stone in the form of solo written articles, blog posts, and forum arguments. In fact, I’d go as far as to argue that a good majority of the history and foundational knowledge that makes up this hobby is in the...

Pikatea Long Boi TL;DR: Easy transition to mechanical/custom keyboards from outside of the hobby Great way to get people into the hobby Layout for almost every scenario you’d need a keyboard for Not as common as other layouts, so they tend to garner more attention when released Full-size layouts influence cool projects I’d love to continue to see more $150-$350 offerings. CSTM100, perhaps? Article Sections (CTRL + F To Jump To These Sections): Intro (Why I Love Full-Size Boards) Disclaimer What IS a Full-Size Board? Reason 1: Easy Transition Into Mechanical/Custom Keyboards Reason 2: Bigger… Is Better? Reason 3: The Keyboard Triangle And My Preferences Aesthetics Sound Feel My Wish(es) For Full-Size Offerings In Our Hobby Conclusion Intro: Okay - you got me. That picture of the Long Boi by Jack/Pikatea is not technically a full-size… But in terms of sheer size, it definitely would classify as one!  Many of us started our typing journeys on a full-size keyboard...

Wouldn’t the proper phrasing for these be “artisanal” keycaps and not “artisan” keycaps? As I was looking through the ‘Mech Keys Guide List’ here on Drop a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to see that there were effectively no articles detailing arguably one of the most unique and interesting niches of the mechanical keyboard community – artisan keycaps. In fact with each passing day I find myself sinking further and further into the depths of artisan keycaps and have gained an appreciation of them that far surpasses any expectations I could have ever had after getting my very first one. Despite artisan keycaps being fairly ubiquitous in this day and age, and with beginner friendly storefronts like Drop selling alongside prebuilt, accessible mechanical keyboard kits, I still find that those freshly diving into the keyboard hobby have a very skewed (mis)understanding of these kinds of keycaps, why they are priced the way they are, and all of the variety that exist out there...

Top Left: CustomNeko (Bakeneko With Through-Weight) With KKB BoW And Accents, Top Right: Cannonkeys Bakeneko60 With GMK Norse, Bottom Left: Ciel60 With KKB Abyss, Bottom Right: Jixte60 With GMK Analog Dreams “Simplicity is boring, but I still love it.” - Sukant Ratnakar. When I first got into the hobby back in 2017, there was no way that I would’ve thought that I’d enjoy a 60% layout keyboard. Sure, maybe a 75% (I didn’t use the nav cluster for non-work situations, and when I was at work, I needed a numpad) in order to retain the function row, or, at the very least, a 65% where I had dedicated arrows, but a 60%? Absolutely no way! I need dedicated arrows! I need a function row! It’s funny how preferences change, huh? For the next installment in my “Why I Love” series (the first was the “Why I Love Prototype Runs And Helping Keyboard Designers” article I wrote a few weeks back), please allow me a bit of your time to explain to you not only why I love 60% layout keyboards...

Thanks to StoryboardTech’s fantastic article, you finally learned how to solder! Or at least, you’re committed to learning. So, what’s next? Well, if you’re brave enough, why not learn how to desolder as well? And when you feel confident with that, how about Mill-Max? You don’t necessarily have to know or learn how to solder before learning how to desolder or Mill-max, but in my opinion, getting comfortable with soldering is a great step towards learning how to do the other two, and if you know how to solder, you can practice desoldering and mill-maxing to your heart’s content since you’ll already have the tools from learning how to solder! Well, at least most of the tools. Let’s start off with the good ol’ disclaimer section first, however. Disclaimer These are my own opinions and my own thoughts, and if I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that we all do things in slightly different ways. Whether it be deadlifting, desoldering, Mill-Maxing or even baking...

Old Picture Of Mics I Used To Have/had Access To A While Back "Which mic should I buy to record my keyboard sound tests? Do I have to sound-treat my room to make my recordings better? Should I not have my mic attached to the desk I’m typing on to avoid picking up desk noise?" Whether you’ve had one of these questions or all of these questions (just like me when I first started), I’m hoping that this article will give you sufficient answers to the questions we think about when recording our sound tests. Like with the majority of my content, these are just my thoughts, and I encourage you to continue to research your questions by watching videos or reading other articles. Just because I give my opinions in this article doesn’t mean that other people’s opinions are wrong, or that you should just listen to me. I'm not an expert at any of this stuff, and I'm just scratching the surface of audio. There is so much that goes into mixing and recording that to pretend that I know...

So I have a PC38x headset that I bought a few years back. I moved away from home for work, and left the headset there with my gaming PC. I used it maybe 2 or 3 times before I left, and it always had the problem of it cutting out in my right ear phone. It makes like a crackling noise like something is loose, and then cuts out the audio entirely. Sometimes it works for a few minutes, but inevitably cuts out on the right side again. I am wondering if there is a fix? Or could I be shipped a new one?

The Migra TKL Prototype by Thebloodyez “This is my keyboard. There are many like it, but this one is mine.” - William H. Rupertus. In another life, if Major General William H. Rupertus, the Marine who coined the United States Marine Creed, had been a keyboard enthusiast, we might've gotten this line instead. All joking aside, this has been an article that I’ve wanted to write for quite some time. There are many reasons why we love the keyboard hobby, and today, I wanted to introduce you to one of mine—prototype keyboards and helping keyboard designers by joining prototype runs. Now, it’s not risk-free, and one should weigh the pros and cons of joining a prototype run, so I encourage you to pay attention to the disclaimer portion of this article. I know that there are prototype runs for keycaps, switches, and other cool things in our keyboard hobby, but for this article, I’ll be focusing only on keyboards. Also, please know that not every prototype run will be handled...

I thought a fun little Xmas project would be to add a virtual numeric keypad to a ten-keyless keyboard. In my case, the DROP CTRL. But it should work with any 87 or 88 key keyboard (i.e., has the insert/delete/.../PgDn cluster and cursor keys). I chose a TKL over a full width keyboard because I don't need the numpad all that much and having it there pushes my mouse too far to the right to my taste. Should I really need a numpad for a few hours, I'd use a different keyboard. If I should ever need one very often, I'd get a separate numpad so I can put it whereever I want. But... there are times where this is overkill and it's still nice to be able to type numbers a bit more easily than using the number row. I'm a pretty good touch typist but using the number row is still a bit too error prone. Especially when copying numbers from paper or another window so you're not looking at what you're typing. Ok, so what's the deal? Simple: create a layer with the following key...

Figure 1: Nope, not a single one of these is necessarily better than the rest... For no particular reason, I’ve been spending more and more time over the past few months in and around various mechanical keyboard help forums and servers. Despite having never really relied on their services back in my day when I first joined the hobby, I can kind of understand the appeal of them to new and curious enthusiasts as they generally seem like go-to places to connect with people who know a thing or two about keyboards. What I cannot wrap my mind around, however, is the sheer number of times that the exact same comments, questions, or concerns that get raised by the newer hobbyists get repeated. Even with FAQ or pinned set of questions, people seemingly only seem to think about and/or be concerned about the exact same set of things when it comes to their first keyboards. One of these types of questions that I find particularly concerning are those that are directly or indirectly...

Prototype QFRL100 by Thebloodyez with GMK ZX "It's just a keyboard." My Friends, Kate and Jaime’s Expressions After I Explained to Them That There Was Such a Thing as a Keyboard Hobby Many of us have heard this, either stated to us directly by a quizzical individual wondering why on earth we’d find our hobby interesting or as part of someone else’s conversation that we happened to have overheard. While there are certainly less mainstream hobbies than mechanical keyboards, it’s definitely not a common hobby, and it makes sense that those that aren’t in the hobby may not understand “what the point” of having a mechanical keyboard would be. While those same people may still not truly “get it,” even after attempting to explain to them what makes our hobby enjoyable, at least you’ll have introduced them to the hobby, and sometimes a glimmer of curiosity is all that it takes before they start their journey to become a keyboard enthusiast! Especially since it’s the...