Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
So for the uninitiated, these are custom, hand made cables. Meaning an individual puts them together by hand. USB 3.0 Type-C is a 22-24 pin connector that requires a PCB and controller to interface with a standard 7-lead USB 3.0 cable. The reason you're still going to see keyboards using USB Mini and similar connectors is not only because USB 3.0 isn't a necessary for these devices, but also because it amounts to a 4 pin connector with a 4/5-lead cable.
Until manufacturers come out with an affordable, ready made USB Type-C connector where an individual can just solder up the 7 wires, it isn't feasible for the Do-It-Yourself-er.
Having searched the usual suspects (Mouser, Allied, Newark, etc) not much has turned up. I'm sure someone out there has connectors, but I haven't seen any at affordable prices (or from reputable sites).
Here you go then - both reputable and affordable.
I'd love a link to a USB Type C connector on digikey that is hand solderable, as I'm not seeing anything that wouldn't still require a PCB and presumably a hot air station to attach those tiny traces.