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
I managed to get all of the more difficult parts of the project done - desoldering all of the original switches (ughhh) and stripping the black backplate and giving it a brushed finish.
The hardest part by far was desoldering the switches, because unlike most standard keyboard PCBs the Disco has a double-sided PCB with traces connecting on both sides. Why is this a problem? If you don't take the time to really make sure that each lead is completely desoldered you risk damaging the plated through-hole / trace on the other side of the board when trying to take a component off. I found that I had to no only use a solder sucker but also go back to most leads again with some wick to make sure the holes were completely desoldered. This is more of an issue with the RGB LEDs, since the holes are so small and fragile. I learned this the hard way when I lifted a trace while removing an RGB LED on another board. This is where having a legitimate desoldering tool like a Hakko FR-300 or something similar is very handy - but, since I don't do this often and that tool is around $250, I did things the hard way. I actually tore-off a pad on the top side of the board that connects to an LED, but fortunately that pad didn't connect to a trace. I tested it afterward just to be safe and it still worked (really dodged a bullet there).
Stripping the paint off of the steel backplate:
After giving the backplate a brushed finish using sandpaper: