
Making a Keyboard: The System76 Approach - ssklash
https://blog.system76.com/post/612874398967513088/making-a-keyboard-the-system76-approach
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jagger27
The barrier of entry for a company like System76 to make a mechanical keyboard
is suuuuuper low. Just look at the Code keyboard, WASDKeyboards, or even a
company like Razer (they've been at it for a long time). Lots of enthusiasts
like myself design and manufacture very low run keyboards as a very addictive
hobby.

PCB design is dead easy with tons of examples to work from based on simple,
cheap ATMEL USB controllers (and Arduino compatibles). Prototyping is possible
without a PCB, though quite labour intensive. PCB prototyping is pretty cheap
as well, as a keyboard can easily be just two layers. Switches are plentiful
and cheap with tons of selection and competition now that's Cherry's patent is
long expired. Keycaps are easy to acquire in volume in a variety of materials.
Case design is probably the trickiest and where most of the cost lies. An
injected moulded case would be the cheapest per unit with high upstart costs,
whereas CNC'd cases are pretty expensive. The bent metal case (as part of the
plate) is pretty much the only low volume way to build a cheap case, but I
think it doesn't look great.

I'd love to see System76 use Kailh's (aka Kaihua) low profile switches in
their beefier laptop designs or even just in slim keyboards. If they copied
IBM/Lenovo's old school profile and layout I'd be over the moon, but that'd be
pretty expensive to get started and likely fraught with patent crap.

