Making your keyboard work for you! When shopping for a new keyboard you may have heard that you want to have a keyboard that is compatible with QMK, VIA, or VIAL. These are three different programs that allow you to modify the assigned keys on a keyboard. This is one of the major advantages of using a custom mechanical keyboard and one that I feel is criminally underused. Making small adjustments to your layers can allow you to tune your keyboard to your exact specifications. For example, I always swap the position of left control and caps lock. I’ve always felt that caps lock was a waste of such a valuable space. For those of you that read some of my earlier articles, you’ll know that my first mechanical keyboard was a Happy Hacking Keyboard. As you’ll see later on, my personal layouts are heavily inspired by this keyboard, even going so far as to mapping my backspace to the pipe key on nearly every single physical layout, yes including tenkeyless. Today, I hope you can take away...
Sep 17, 2024
Mounting / Acoustics / Feedback: The CSTM is gasket mounted to optimize for typing feedback, acoustics and ease of customization. Gasket mounting has been all the rage for a while and we’ve all seen different implementations, though not all are equal. In many ways, the drive for customization and options led us to offer a product that can be built out in many ways in order to find an individual’s optimal preferences when they are using their keyboard. Bouncy / Flex Due to the decentralized nature of the keyboard community, as new tech developments come, their names and degree of preference can run the gamut. Naming sometimes doesn't stick or definitions remain somewhat nebulous. For example, bouncy and flexy are often used interchangeably in the community but they actually describe two different things that can be customized to your preference. For our purposes, we define bounce as the ability for the plate + PCB assembly to move up and down in the case. Flex is the interaction of the plate + PCB assembly and how much give that assembly has. Sound How good a keyboard sounds has become a key criterion when users are making their selection. However, while the consensus towards what a “good” sounding keyboard is less nebulous than something like bounce and flex, there is still subjectiveness to it. In addition, trade-offs can happen between the sound and typing feel of a keyboard. For example, if a keyboard is stuffed to the gills, it will generally sound better. However, since all the space inside the keyboard is filled, the ability for the keyboard to bounce will be limited. Customization With all of the above in mind, the CSTM allows a user to fully customize their overall typing experience. By default the keyboard ships with a full array of foam which sits between the plate, underneath the switches, and of course covering the bottom of the PCBA. The CSTM also uses a silicone gasket pad. This piece works in conjunction with the gasket mounting system in the CSTM keyboard while also dampening keyboard acoustics by filling in the space inside the keyboard case.