Mechanical Keyboards

01 / INTRODUCTION

More than a tool, a tactile design object.

What a mechanical keyboard is, and why people care.

A mechanical keyboard uses an individual spring loaded switch beneath every key, rather than a single flexible membrane or rubber dome shared across the whole board.

Each press closes its own electrical contact, which is why mechanical keyboards feel consistent across every key, last for tens of millions of keystrokes, and can report many simultaneous presses, properties that matter to typists, programmers, and gamers who depend on accuracy.

The Das Keyboard blog describes the result simply: a keyboard you can feel. The tactile feedback, the audible response, and the ability to swap keycaps and switches turn a commodity input device into something personal.

02 / ORIGIN AND HISTORY

From typewriters to custom builds.

Click any date to expand its entry. Timeline drawn from the Wikipedia article on keyboard technology.

The QWERTY layout is introduced on the Sholes and Glidden typewriter. The physical lever and spring mechanism used to strike a ribbon is the ancestor of every mechanical keyboard that follows.

IBM ships computer keyboards built around buckling spring switches, the Model F (1981) and later the widely loved Model M (1985). Both are still referenced as a benchmark for tactile, long life typing.

The German company Cherry patents the MX switch family. Its cross shaped stem becomes the de facto compatibility standard for keycaps and is still used by most mechanical switches manufactured today.

Alps Electric switches appear in many early personal computers and Topre develops its electrocapacitive switch in Japan. Meanwhile, consumer PCs shift almost entirely to cheaper rubber dome and membrane keyboards.

Online communities reignite interest in mechanical switches. Das Keyboard and a wave of gaming brands bring Cherry MX back to mainstream desks, while forums grow a parallel custom build culture.

Hot swap PCBs let users change switches without soldering. Optical and Hall effect switches replace metal contacts with light and magnetism, pushing mechanical keyboards toward even longer life and per key analog input.

03 / KEY PARTS AND COMPONENTS

A mechanical keyboard, exploded.

Every board is a stack of layers. Below is how the Wikipedia article on keyboard technology and Das Keyboard describe each one.

Click any part to expand its description.

The tops you touch. Most are molded from ABS or PBT plastic. Legends are printed, laser etched, doubleshot, or dye sublimated. Profiles such as OEM, Cherry, SA, and DSA describe the shape of the cap.

The mechanism under each cap, a stem, housing, spring, and electrical contact. Cherry MX, Kailh, Gateron, Alps, Topre, optical, and Hall effect switches all take different approaches to the same job.

Wire and housing assemblies that keep wide keys such as space, shift, enter, and backspace level as you press. Lubed stabilizers are one of the biggest differences between a stock board and a tuned one.

The printed circuit board. It registers each press and routes it over USB to your computer. Hot swap PCBs accept switches without soldering, while soldered PCBs are the traditional enthusiast format.

A rigid layer, steel, brass, aluminum, polycarbonate, or FR4, that holds the switches in place. Plate material is a major factor in how stiff the board feels and how the typing acoustics resolve.

The shell that holds everything together. Tray mount, top mount, and gasket mount styles change how the plate flexes and how the board resonates, often the single biggest contributor to how a build sounds.

04 / LAYOUTS AND SWITCH VARIATIONS

Pick a size. Pick a feel.

Mechanical keyboards come in a range of sizes that trade keys for desk space, and a range of switch types that change how a keystroke feels.

Common layouts

Layouts are grouped by what percentage of a full size keyboard they retain. Smaller boards drop keys but keep every function accessible through layers.

100%

Full Size

Numpad, function row, arrow cluster. Everything, nothing omitted.

~96%

1800 or 96%

A compressed full size. Numpad kept, dead space removed.

87%

TKL (Tenkeyless)

Loses the numpad. A favorite balance of function and footprint.

75%

Compact TKL. Function row kept, everything tucked closer.

65%

No function row, arrow keys kept. Popular entry to small boards.

60%

Letters, numbers, modifiers. Everything else lives on a layer.

40%

Letters only. A layered, minimalist experience and a challenge.

ERGO

Split or Ortholinear

Grid or split half layouts designed for wrist comfort.

Switch types

The switch under a key defines its feel. Wikipedia groups modern mechanical switches into three broad families, plus several non contact designs.

No tactile bump, no click. A straight downward motion. Examples include Cherry MX Red, Cherry MX Black, and Gateron Yellow. Common for gaming.

A small bump mid press tells your finger the key has registered. Examples include Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Clear. A typing friendly default.

Tactile bump paired with a distinct click. Examples include Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Green. The loudest, most typewriter like choice.

Non MX designs with their own character, from IBM's buckling spring and Topre's electrocapacitive dome to light and magnet based switches now used in high end boards.

05 / SOURCES

Where this came from.

All content on this site is drawn from the two sources below.

Wikipedia, Keyboard technology Primary reference for switch families, history, components, and layout terminology.
Das Keyboard Blog Reference for the typing experience, the case for mechanical over membrane, and the modern mechanical keyboard culture.