How to build your own mechanical keyboard

Want to build a mechanical keyboard from scratch? Check out our step-by-step guide to build the mechanical keyboard of your dreams.

Mechanical keyboards are extremely popular among keyboard enthusiasts and for good reason. They are built to last, provide high typing accuracy, and are extremely satisfying to use thanks to their tactile response to every keystroke. Most of all, they offer plenty of customizability by allowing you to swap their keycaps, lighting effects, and even the types of switches used.

You can take this a step further by building your own mechanical keyboard. Creating a keyboard from scratch may sound daunting, but this article will guide you through all the steps needed to build the mechanical keyboard of your dreams.

You’ll require plenty of tools and components to assemble your keyboard. The PCB, switches, case, and keycaps are absolutely essential for the keyboard, while the lube and foam dampeners are the optional components. If you want a hassle-free building experience, I’d suggest getting a hot swap PCB that allows you to install the switches without going through the trouble of manually soldering each switch. It's a wise idea to go through this checklist and ensure you've got all the items on hand before you go around assembling your keyboard.

As for the tools, a Phillips screwdriver, and a pair of tweezers are the most essential ones. You should also get keycap and switch pullers to safely remove the keycaps and switches from the PCBs if you want to change their placements during the building process. You’ll also need a soldering kit to install the switches onto the PCB unless your build has a hot swap PCB.

The first step to designing your mechanical keyboard involves picking a form factor that suits your needs. The keyboard’s form factor will determine the size of the PCB and the number of keys you can slot in. Most PCBs are available in one of the four form factors:

You’ll also need to pick a layout for your keyboard, which influences your keycap and stabilizer placement. While there are plenty of layout variations such as AZERTY, QWERTY, and QWERTZ, I’d recommend keeping it simple by choosing the universally accepted QWERTY layout.

There are certain preliminary steps that you should complete before assembling the keyboard.

Before you start assembling your keyboard, you should make sure the PCB is in working order.

If you want a smooth typing experience, you should consider adding lube to the switches before placing them on the PCB. It can be a long and tiresome process, but lubing the switches prevents them from making annoying grinding or clicking sounds.

You can use spray lube to quickly add the lubricant to each switch. Unfortunately, spray lubing is a very messy method, so be sure to clean up the switches afterward.

A stabilizer consists of two housings and two stems connected via a bar or a wire. You'll have to assemble the stabilizer before adding it to the PCB.

The complexity of this step depends entirely on the type of PCB you’re using for the build. For hot-swap PCBs, installing the switches is extremely easy as all you need to do is place them on the PCB and press down until they slot in.

On the other hand, you’ll have to solder the switches if your build has a standard PCB. To do so:

Once you’re done installing the switches, the next step is mounting the assembled PCB in a case. If you have some noise-dampening foam pieces, be sure to add them to the case before slotting in the PCB. Then, fix the PCB in the case with screws and move on to the last step.

All that’s left is to put the keycaps onto the switches. The plus-shaped sockets at the bottom of the keycaps will fit perfectly with the stems of each switch. Simply place the keycaps on the switches and press down until they fit. When installing the keycaps, I’d advise keeping a keycap layout chart nearby as a reference.

You’ve successfully built a custom mechanical keyboard. You can microprogram the keys if you want to further customize your newly built keyboard.

If you want a new mechanical keyboard but don’t wish to go through the hassle of building one, be sure to go through our best mechanical keyboards of 2023 list to pick one that suits your needs.

Ayush Pande is a hardware, gaming, and crypto writer based in India. When he's not writing articles, you can find him tinkering with PCs or benchmarking new components.