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Drop + OLKB Preonic Keyboard MX Kit V3

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Drop + OLKB Preonic Keyboard MX Kit V3

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Product Description

The original Preonic keyboard was praised for its build quality, compact form factor, and intuitive layout—and the new version is no different. However, this time around we're offering the CNC-aluminum case in your choice of five colors, including the striking new purple colorway Read More

Review Highlights:

atari.zero.tv

737

My absolute favorite

Easily my favorite keyboard form factor of all time.  It has everything I need and nothing I don't use (and layers for things I want but don't use often).  It's small enough to slip into my carry-on bag for work trips, or just in my backpack for when I'm going to chill at a coffee shop.

Construction-wise, the Preonic Rev. 3 is built like a tank.  Make sure you save the tiny pamphlet in the box, it has the assembly instructions.  Personally, I go for the ultra-secure plate method.  This uses the provided bolts and spacers to make the plate firm within the case.  The plate is a hefty stainless steel plate with a tight tolerance.  It will take some force to push the switches in.  

BE WARNED!  The hotswap brackets for the switches can come off if you push too hard. I have made 4 of these model and have never had the issue, but it has been known to happen. The recommended method is to put a few switches in the plate, then line them up with the PCB, then place the remaining switches in place by putting your finger on the back of the PCB to hold the black hotswap in place while you use medium force to push the switch into the plate.  This reduces the risk of popping off a hotswap.

The board is programmed with QMK, but make sure when flashing it that you use the Rev 3 firmware.  Rev 2 used a different micro controller and the firmware and layouts aren't compatible.  I would love to do a write-up on QMK, but it's a bit complicated to set up and there are a million different things you can do with it.  If you have questions, you can always ask on the OLKB subreddit (reddit/r/OLKB).  Search first! Your question has probably already been asked and answered, but if you're really not sure just make a new post. People will usually help, but it's not super active so it may take a day or two to get a response.

Included is a picture of my collection, which is just about a year old.  I have quite a few more now...

Would recommend to a friend.

ttys0

This is my first orhtolinear, and three days in I'm really liking it. I'm still in the process of figuring out where I want keys to be, and am _really_ liking the MOD_T setup (i.e. left-shift on hold, enter on tap, etc). 

From what I can see, it looks like there is a little solder on the USB-C connector, though that piece still makes me a little nervous. I got a magnetic cable set ( https://amzn.to/2Eup4dR ) so there isn't any strain on the connector. Since I pack this from work to home and back, it's great for the convenience factor alone.

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Q&A Highlights:

Drop+MechKeys

3995

Do I need to assemble this myself?

jooks

Yes, but no soldering required to get a basic keyboard with switches.

Praire

LED ready--meaning LEDs need to be soldered to the board (yes/no)?

b0bbyfillet

The board comes with presoldered addressable LEDs around the edge of the board, other than that there is a cutout under each switch where you could put LEDs but there is nothing else other than the hole. If you wanted per switch LEDs you'd have to wire them separately.

See all 128 questions

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overview

details

reviews721

photos572

q&a128

discussions3.1K

Here's what our community has to say

All of our reviews are from verified customers.

4.7

721

95%

would recommend to a friend

Sort by: Newest

sou11ess

Keyboard Club Member

Mar 23, 2023

Great quality

Purchased as a gift for a friend, ended up working really well and feeling great.

Would recommend to a friend.

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nfo1776

Mar 9, 2023

Easy to Build, Great to use

The Preronic quickly became one of my favorite keyboards. I have Boba U4s, which are perfect for work environment. The keyboard is small and highly portable. It is also easy to customize aesthetically and in terms of keymaps. I would highly recommend this product.

Would recommend to a friend.

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Francosky

Mar 2, 2023

Excelente teclado para comenzar en el mundo custom

Lo compre porque quería probar un teclado ortonormal. En un principio cuesta acostumbrarse a la posición de las teclas, pero en poco tiempo te das cuenta que es mucho mas cómodo de utilizar. En el tema de programarlo, cuesta un poco, pero después que lo entendes, se convierte en una herramienta extremadamente versátil. El que tenga audio me pareció divertido pero lo he utilizado muy poco. Tengo la versión con caja de aluminio, y el RGB no se ve nada ya que ilumina la parte de abajo del PCB. En resumen lo recomiendo, tiene sus dificultades al principio, pero después se vuelve espectacular.

Would recommend to a friend.

(Edited)

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DontLikeUsernames

Feb 25, 2023

Something a little different

I like it. Takes a little getting used to.

Would recommend to a friend.

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junhao5566

Feb 24, 2023

I cannot go back to a staggered keyboard :)

Preonic has been my daily driver for the past few months. I just cannot go back to a staggered keyboard after experiencing the compactness and the reliability of my preonic.

Would recommend to a friend.

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Jbearz

Feb 23, 2023

Slow shipping and damaged when arrived

Spent 16 days waiting for the item to arrive (domestic USA order). Case had deep scratches, marks and dust despite being loosely packed in a plastic bag. Doesn’t say a lot about OKLB but makes me hesitant to order anything heavy or expensive from mass drop as the keyboard box was loosely placed into another box so it’s amazing the PCB (which wasn’t sealed in an anti static bag) worked. So for the money 100% not worth it as the case doesn’t look new or premium, and probably can’t afford to return it.

Would not recommend to a friend.

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jlw_the_jobber

Feb 14, 2023

Great lil' keyboard

I love this lil' guy and have been using it as my daily driver. It is programmable and can have up to 16 different layers. Building and setting up the keyboard is easy and, I found, is a lot of fun. It feels very sturdy and surprisingly weights more than my full size Keychron keyboard with XDA keycaps. I got this to give my desk a bit more real-estate and to use while gaming, but as I mentioned now is my daily driver. Once you get the hang of it and set up the layout and layers to your liking, this could be your daily driver. And since it is programmable you could just make it a giant macro pad or what not.

Would recommend to a friend.

(Edited)

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Scholiast

Feb 9, 2023

Very nice compact ortho keyboard

If you don't like 40% Planck, this one is for you with the num row. I bought it with aluminium case but a polycarbonate is probably great with the RGB leds under PCB. Very easy to customise to your own needs.

Would recommend to a friend.

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JoeyLM

Feb 1, 2023

Maybe not for everyone, but definitely for me!

I was honestly a little worried I had made a mistake here, but this thing was absolutely worth the price in my case. First up, the hardware experience: I've seen people saying they had some difficulty with the build process and/or tolerances on the parts, but everything fit together nice and easy for me. My only real complaint hardware-wise is the included stabilizers. Thankfully you only need one or two for the spacebar(s), but they're pretty bad. My spacebar was very stiff and sometimes got stuck down when I first put the kit together, though it seems to have loosened up now after a couple days. I would probably recommend lubing them yourself for the best experience. Also I used the loose build method rather than the extra-secure and there's some slight pinging sounds when typing. I don't really care about sound, but if you want that nice thock, definitely go for the heavier duty construction method. People have rightfully pointed out that the purple case is a more muted color than the photos would have you believe, but I am nonetheless really happy with how it looks in person. The layout in terms of functionality out of the box is pretty solid with a few things I didn't like (no caps lock? Escape not in the corner? Why are the secondary "raised" and "lowered" functions the same for the top two rows, such a waste of space?) but it hardly matters as everything is reprogrammable with QMK. Now for my thoughts on ortholinear: I love it! I don't think it's necessarily inherently more ergonomic than the standard layout or anything, and if you are already a perfect homerow touch-typist, the learning curve on this might just annoy you. But I'm someone who, though I type on standard at around 100wpm, definitely does not do it "properly." I've always felt like I've been fighting the standard layout, and putting unnecessary strain and fatigue on my hands. If that resonates with you, I would say ABSOLUTELY try ortho. I've only been using the board for about 3 days and I'm already back up to 60-ish wpm, and the grid layout just feels more right to me. I am actually learning to homerow type correctly with all the right fingers and I expect that I'll surpass my old speed probably within the month. Very very happy!