Tools and Materials

You don’t need to use these exact tools and materials. This is just to give you a starting point for your own designs and to alleviate the pain of deciding what to use. I’ve also added Amazon links to products to make it even easier

Keycaps and Switches

Get whichever keycaps and switches you prefer. There are many sites that sell them, so look around.

1976 Keycaps
- Find a set that matches your style
Cherry MX Profile Switches
- I went with Brown because I love the feel of my Blue’s but don’t need to make any enemies while I’m at work
- Get whichever switches you prefer, and don’t let anyone tell you they are the wrong ones
- You can probably get these in bulk somewhere else for a better deal (I had a box of 120)
My ‘Daily Driver’ for work
- This is a great compact keyboard
- Also makes an excellent introductory mechanical keyboard
- I plan on building a replacement next

Tools

Hopefully you have some (or all) of these tools. If not, ask your friends if they are willing to let you borrow theirs in exchange for a cold drink.

Laser Cutter
- Borrow a friend’s if you can
Disk Sander / Belt Sander
- Not 100% required, but much faster than hand sanding everything
- Get the appropriate grit sandpaper
Drill Press
- Drill Bits
- Countersink Bits
- Hand-Drilling is not recommended
Saw
- Unless you buy exact sized pieces, it will likely be too big for your laser cutter
- A table saw or miter saw is even better
- A hand saw works if you want to burn some calories
Hot Glue Gun
Files
- Great for cleanup
Soldering Iron
- If you plan on making soldering a hobby, I recommend a full soldering station
Helping Hands
- If that one is too fancy these also work fine

Woodworking Supplies

If you are using Acrylic pieces instead of wood, you might need all of these.

Sandpaper
- ~100 Grit
  - For taking material away
- ~150+ Grit
  - For smoothing everything out
- Make sure to get similar grits for your belt/disk sander
Wood Glue
- For repairing accidents
Masking Tape
- To help with repairing accidents
- Also useful for marking wires
Wood Finish
- Make sure to pick one that compliments your wood
- Use a clean, lint-free cloth for cleaning and application
- Follow the instructions
Balsa Wood
- Only if you need it for making a faceplate brace

Case Materials

I chose to use Hardwood for my case, as I really enjoy the look and wanted more experience woodworking. I sourced mine from Ocooch Hardwoods. The faceplate is Walnut where the rest of the body is probably Alder which I got from the 20# box of random wood pieces.

Make sure you get enough material for all your cuts, as well as extra for when you ultimately make a mistake!

Faceplate
- 1.5mm thick
  - This is so the switches will snap into place
  - If it is too thick, you will have to glue them into place
  - Gluing them is a terrible idea, don’t do it. Just get the right thickness
- 1/16 inch worked for me, but is not perfect
Center and Bottom
- 3mm thick
- Thickness doesn’t matter too much
  - Make sure your laser cutter can cut that thickness
    - The laser I used was struggling a bit at 3mm, but got the job done
  - The thickness determines how many center layers you’ll need, and therefore the length of the standoffs

Electronics and Assembly

Here is where you’ll find the bulk of the items you will need, and the part I found to be the most intimidating. This list should make your build a lot easier.

Microcontroller
- I went with a Teensy 2.0
USB Cable
- Will depend on your microcontroller
  - Teensy 2.0 uses Mini USB
  - So do many other keyboards
- Make sure it’s long enough
  - With this design, you can’t plug it in without unscrewing the faceplate
Solder
Wire
Diodes
- P/N 1n4148
- Can probably use most diodes
Screws
- I used M3 screws
- Make sure you have the appropriate countersinking bit
- Make sure your standoffs match
Standoffs
- Make sure your screw holes match the size and shape
  - Read the guide for more details
- Make sure they are the right size for your screws
- Make sure they are the right length for your build
- These will determine how many middle sections you will need, as they sit between the faceplate and the bottom

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How to build your first Mechanical Keyboard