DCX vs DCD vs DCL - Drop’s Keycap Profiles Explained
We’ve covered the basics of keycap profiles before—spherical/cylindrical, sculpted/uniform, etc. One thing that has come up more and more over the years as we’ve expanded our portfolio of offerings here at Drop is the distinction between some of our similar profiles. Specifically, what is the actual difference between DCX, DCD, and DCL? Cylindrical Profiles To recap the previous article on the topic, one of the most basic ways to separate various keycap profiles is by shape (cylindrical, spherical, or flat). DCX, DCD, and DCL are all cylindrical profiles. The most famous cylindrical profile is Cherry profile, as defined by the original manufacturer of the keycaps—Cherry. GMK now owns those tools, and as such, only they can technically claim to produce “Cherry” profile keycaps. Similar keycap profiles are often called Cherry profile colloquially, but are in actuality slightly different. For the sake of not splitting hairs, all of the cylindrical profiles discussed here are...
Apr 9, 2024
True 'MX Style' Keyboards/Switches Starting off with by far the most common and ubiquitous of keyboard designs, standard “MX style” prebuilt keyboards rely on the same style of switches and circuit boards that the vast majority of the custom scene does as well. Coming with switches that most often have a cross-shaped stem and metal pins sticking out of the underside, true ‘MX Style’ switches work by connecting to pieces of metal within the switch when a key is pressed down, which completes a circuit that registers a keystroke with your keyboard. These are also almost always the types of switches which are used in keyboard kits which offer either ‘hotswap’ or ‘soldered’ options, allowing you to either plug and play different types of switches directly or more permanently affix your endgame choices. Given that these are the most common type of prebuilt keyboard options out there, there’s almost too many brands that fit this category, though some include: Razer, Keychron, Glorious, as well as Drop’s CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT keyboards!
Semi-Mechanical Keyboards/Switches While true ‘MX Style’ keyboards above and Topre keyboards below are fairly well-established categories, “semi-mechanical” boards are still a bit of a wild west space for keyboard design. The two most common types of keyboards which you will see in this space have what look to be normal ‘MX style’ switches, though instead of operating solely on two pieces of metal contacting internally, they operate via electrostatic capacitive circuits or optical paths and lasers. Known as ‘EC’ and ‘Optical’ switches, respectively, these two types of prebuilt keyboards have very little aftermarket support and can only use switches from the true ‘MX style’ or Topre categories in very rare circumstances. The most popular brand to use the ‘EC’ style design in their prebuilts is that of Varmilo, who currently has a good handful of different weights and designs that they offer for their EC-style switches. Optical switches, on the other hand, are most notably found in boards from Flaretech or Wooting, the latter of which has their own custom Gateron-made optical switch known as the ‘Lekker’.
Topre Keyboards/"Switches" Topre, specifically, refers to the Japanese company which designed and popularized the electrostatic capacitive “switch” that relied on a thick rubber dome and slider to actuate a keypress rather than the traditional concept of a switch. Nowadays, however, Topre is used to refer to all manner of keyboard mechanisms which have this thick rubber dome and EC style design to them. While there is some manner of aftermarket modifications and variability available for Topre-style keyboards, the availability and accessibility of these modifications pales in comparison to true ‘MX style’ keyboards. (As well, it’s worth noting that there is no cross compatibility between Topre-style keyboard mechanisms and true ‘MX style’ mechanisms.) However, many users who enjoy Topre-style keyboards as a result of their significantly different feeling and sound characteristics often stick with what is available in prebuilt options, opting to tune them by breaking them in with usage over time. Popular prebuilt keyboard brands which use either genuine Topre or Topre-style mechanisms include HHKB, Realforce, Niz, and even some Leopold boards as well.