The hobby, catalogued
Mechanical keyboards,
indexed and explained.
A hand-checked index of the boards, switches and keycaps worth knowing about, next to plain guides on how the parts actually work. No hype, no gatekeeping.
Index
Keyboards
Boards by size, connectivity, mounting style and hot-swap support, each linked to the article that explains it.
11 listed →Index
Switches
Linear, tactile and clicky, with actuation force, travel, housing and stem details.
48 listed →Reference
Glossary
Every term the hobby uses, from actuation to Zealios, in one place.
→Learn
All learn →How mechanical keyboards actually work, in the order that makes sense.
Learn 1
Intro to Mechanical Keyboards
What makes a keyboard mechanical, what is actually inside one, why people spend money on them, and the three ways to get your first one.
→Learn 2
Keyboard Sizes and Layouts
What the percentages actually mean, why layers replace the keys you lose, and the bottom-row differences that decide whether keycaps will fit.
→Learn 3
Choosing a Keyboard Size
Every common size, what you give up at each step down, and which one to buy based on what you actually do at your desk.
→Learn 4
Switches
What a mechanical switch does, the three feels, and how to read the specification sheet so you can pick one without pressing it first.
→Learn 5
Switch Anatomy
The five parts inside a mechanical switch, what each one does to the sound and the feel, and which ones you can change.
→Learn 6
Keycaps
Profiles, plastics and printing methods, plus how to work out which keycap set will actually fit the keyboard you own.
→Learn 7
Stabilizers
What stabilizers do, the three mounting types, how many your layout needs, and why a rattling spacebar is the most common fault on a new board.
→Learn 8
Keyboard Mounting Styles
How the plate is held in the case, what each mount does to flex and sound, and why the label alone does not predict how a board feels.
→Learn 9
Plate Materials and Sizes
What the plate does, how each material changes the sound and the flex, and what thickness, flex cuts and half plates actually alter.
→Learn 10
Switch Lubes
Which lubricant to use on switches, stabilizers and springs, what the viscosity numbers mean, and what lubing does and does not fix.
→Learn 11
How Group Buys Work
Why most custom keyboard parts are sold as pre-orders, what IC, MOQ and extras mean, and how to decide whether to join one.
→Build
All build →Step by step: lubing switches, screw-in stabilisers, remapping firmware.
Build 1
Lubing Your Switches
The actual process, step by step: what you need, how to open a switch, where the lubricant goes, and how long it really takes.
→Build 2
Fitting and Tuning Stabilizers
How to assemble, lube, clip and fit screw-in stabilizers, and why this twenty minute job does more for a board than anything else.
→Build 3
Remapping a Keyboard with VIA
How to change what your keys do, build a layer and record a macro, with no firmware flashing and nothing to compile.
→Tools
All tools →Printables you can hold against a keyboard: a keycap ruler and a layout sheet.
Tools 1
Keycap Size Reference
Every standard keycap width in units and millimeters, which keys use which size, and how to measure a keycap you already own.
→Tools 2
Layout Sheet
Printable layout sheets for identifying a keyboard layout and planning a build, covering full-size through 40 percent boards.
→