Keyboard enthusiasts worldwide have rekindled their love for mechanical keyboards due to their superb tactile feel, durability, and customizability. Particularly, the 60% mechanical keyboards, compact yet versatile, have taken the spotlight. However, the real charm of owning a 60% mechanical keyboard lies in their extensive customizability or modding. Thus, keyboard modding has spun into its own niche of enthusiasts, creators, and users.
Custom modding of 60% mechanical keyboards offers a range of benefits, including improved typing experience, personalized aesthetics, sound satisfaction, and unconventionally, therapeutic engagement in keyboard building. These custom mods can be as simple as changing the keycaps or as complex as desoldering and resoldering individual switches. Despite their complexity, each one contributes to creating a unique typing experience – tailored to the user’s preferences.
# Mechanical Switch Modification
A keyboard’s heart lies in its switches. Therefore, modifying them presents the most significant potential for change. Users typically modify switches to optimize their feel (i.e., the tactility), reduce or change the sound, or simply for the joy of the process itself. A popular mod within this category is lubing, where users apply a specialized lubricant to reduce friction within the switch, resulting in a smoother keystroking experience and decreasing the noise produced.
If users want a more significant change, they can also choose to swap out their switches altogether. This approach requires desoldering the existing switches and soldering in a new batch. These swapped switches can be stock, modified, or even ‘franken-switches’—hybrid switches users create by blending parts from different switch models.
# Keycap Modifications
Keycaps essentially shape the typing experience by influencing the feel and sound produced. They can also have a pronounced effect on the keyboard’s aesthetics. Many users swap out the stock keycaps with custom ones to change their typing surface, add a splash of personality to their keyboard, or enhance their touch-typing with different textured keycaps.
Beyond improving the tactile experience and visuals, specialty keycap designs can also alter the resonance of the keystrokes. Keycaps made from different materials (such as ABS, PBT, POM, or even wood and metal) and thicknesses can produce unique sound profiles, enhancing the overall typing experience.
# Custom Casing
The keyboard’s casings not only protect the internal components from dust, damage, and degradation, but it also significantly impacts sound. The choice of casing material, it’s thickness, and shape can determine the sound your keyboard makes and how it will feel under your hands. Most stock 60% mechanical keyboards come with a plastic case, which generally results in a louder, hollower sound.
Upgrading to a custom aluminum, wood, acrylic, or even polycarbonate casing can drastically modify the keyboard sound, often muting the sound and adding a deeper tone. Plus, the aesthetic upgrade a custom casing can bring to a keyboard is also a strong motivator for this modification.
# Keyboard Plate Mods
Modifying the keyboard plate can significantly alter the typing feel and sound. Keyboard plates are intermediate layers between the casing and the switches, providing structural support. Changing the plate material can result in a harder (like with stainless steel plates) or softer(typically with polycarbonate or brass) typing experience.
Some keyboard enthusiasts only replace the original plate, while others couple it with gasket mounting (applying gaskets on the keyboard plate to further change the feel and sound)
# Sound Dampening Mods
For some users, achieving a quieter keyboard is a top priority, and for this, they turn towards sound dampening mods. The most popular mod to achieve this is using foam or silicone dampeners. The addition of these dampeners inside the keyboard can significantly reduce the echo within the casing, making for a more muted, somewhat deeper sound.
Another potent sound dampening method is applying gaskets or O-rings on the switches, drastically reducing the keystrokes’ noise.
# Software & Firmware Mods
The hardware mods, although visible, tactile, and auditory, only comprise half of the customization of 60% mechanical keyboards. Software and firmware mods allow users to modify key assignments and macros to their preferences, essentially redefining the keyboard’s functionality fitting their use.
Firmware like QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard) allow users to customize their 60% mechanical keyboard at a foundational level. They can do anything from remapping keys, layers configuration, macros, controlling LED behavior, and so on.
In summary, custom mods for 60% mechanical keyboards can drastically transform their aesthetics, typing experience, sound, and functionality. Each modification carries its unique attributes and benefits, ultimately transforming a generic mechanical keyboard into a unique tool tailored to the user’s personal preferences and requirements. The ability and freedom to personalize a keyboard this way is what makes modding 60% mechanical keyboards more of a hobby than a necessity for many users.
