DCX vs DCD vs DCL - Drop’s Keycap Profiles Explained
We’ve covered the basics of keycap profiles before—spherical/cylindrical, sculpted/uniform, etc. One thing that has come up more and more over the years as we’ve expanded our portfolio of offerings here at Drop is the distinction between some of our similar profiles. Specifically, what is the actual difference between DCX, DCD, and DCL? Cylindrical Profiles To recap the previous article on the topic, one of the most basic ways to separate various keycap profiles is by shape (cylindrical, spherical, or flat). DCX, DCD, and DCL are all cylindrical profiles. The most famous cylindrical profile is Cherry profile, as defined by the original manufacturer of the keycaps—Cherry. GMK now owns those tools, and as such, only they can technically claim to produce “Cherry” profile keycaps. Similar keycap profiles are often called Cherry profile colloquially, but are in actuality slightly different. For the sake of not splitting hairs, all of the cylindrical profiles discussed here are...
Apr 9, 2024
In short, the links above can be considered into the following categories:
1. Understanding how the matrix work and making your own PCB. 2. Developing the firmware. 2. Making the keyboard NKRO over USB without any hacks. 3. Understanding the different switches and their sizes and making your own keycaps. 4. Making the keyboard wireless, either natively or through external adapter. 5. Making your own USB cable for the keyboard.
Reddit Custom Keyboards Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/wiki/customkeyboards Hacking a Cooler Master Rapid-i's firmware: http://spritesmods.com/?art=rapidisnake Holtite sockets for hot-swappable switches: https://mehkee.com/products/holtite-sockets-for-switches?variant=41169608783 Holtite compatibility chart: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTEpMxu0-9QZoqANt2piXOzjxHSEIafLuUYjJIw1J0JFAH_xiA6n6MSeU7UlZ0oli9fbNn87rjUl_Ov/pubhtml?gid=986897710&single=true&pageId=112351633694425118450 Soarer's converter: https://klikkyklik.wordpress.com/2015/08/28/soarer/ GeekHack FAQ: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40501.0#post_PPP How a keyboard matrix works: http://pcbheaven.com/wikipages/How_Key_Matrices_Works/ How to make a keyboard matrix: http://blog.komar.be/how-to-make-a-keyboard-the-matrix/ Arduino keyboard matrix tutorial: https://www.baldengineer.com/arduino-keyboard-matrix-tutorial.html How to make a pcb: https://github.com/ruiqimao/keyboard-pcb-guide Keyboard firmware: https://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/how-to-build-your-very-own-keyboard-firmware-t7177.html Soarer's keyboard controller firmware: https://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/soarer-s-keyboard-controller-firmware-t6767.html
Stuff related to Soarer's nkro over usb bitmap method:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40501.0#post_PPP https://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/question-about-keyboard-nkro-and-more-t6415.html#p123904 https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&client=firefox-b&ei=06daWq7AKMKtsgHN1aHIBQ&q=soarer+keyboard+converter&oq=Soarer+keyboard+co&gs_l=psy-ab.3.1.0i22i30k1l2.7649.8107.0.11060.3.3.0.0.0.0.105.310.0j3.3.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.3.308....0.wVfwttDwb-w https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&client=firefox-b&ei=_6daWuC-FcuosgGAxYVA&q=nkro+the+bitmap+technique&oq=nkro+the+bitmap+technique&gs_l=psy-ab.3...6851.7523.0.7851.5.5.0.0.0.0.114.513.2j3.5.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.114...35i39k1.0.TSBU-Mfivj4 https://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/how-does-the-corsair-k65-achieve-nkro-t6256.html https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard/blob/master/tmk_core/doc/USB_NKRO.txt https://www.usb.org/developers/hidpage/HID1_11.pdf - Currently not working but you get the idea that you need the HID v1.1 document for the USB protocol https://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/xt-at-ps2-terminal-to-usb-converter-with-nkro-t2510.html https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=17458.0 https://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/soarer-desparately-needed-t9322-30.html https://www.usb.org/developers/hidpage/Hut1_12v2.pdf - Same here but I believe here the version was 1.2
Switch mount size: https://deskthority.net/wiki/Switch_recognition Making your own keycaps: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=23722.0 What goes into creating a custom keycap set: https://www.massdrop.com/talk/475/what-goes-into-creating-a-custom-keycap-set Creating a wireless mech keyboard: https://hackaday.io/project/7646-ble-wasdmechanical-wireless-keyboard Bluetooth keyboard/mouse adapter: https://www.instructables.com/id/Bluetooth-Keyboard-Mouse-Adapter/ Making your own USB cables: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=44924.0