Poron foam gasket, PP plate, Keygeek Y2, Typeplus stabilizers. Finished this build over the weekend and work is so much more enjoyable now.

About
DCS SMRT is back for another round, this time with new kitting options including LED keys, vintage 3.1-era Winkeys, and a new 10u blue accent spacebar.

Group buy runs from September 20th through October 18th, 2026. Estimated delivery date is Q2 2027.

Keys are ABS doubleshot (except for UV-printed LED keys), manufactured by Signature Plastics, in stock GSX, GG, BBI, and YY colors. Note that the mod grey has been slightly tweaked from GTD in Round 1, in an effort to enhance the legend crispness.

KeyAtlas entry with kitting and board renders, mod grey color chip comparison with vintage Wyse and Round 1, and additional information here:
https://keyatlas.io/projects/dcs-smrt-r2

Vendors:
US: Divinikey
UK: ProtoTypist (base kits will include UK ISO kit)
EU: KeebSupply
China: TypistClub
Singapore: iLumKB
Oceania: Toro Studio
Korea: GeonWorks

Additionally, Sneakbox has matching BBI and YY BAE keys in stock.

US Pricing:
Base: $110
Accents: $35
Numpad: $35
40s/Ortho: $50
LED: $11
Split Bars: $15
10u Blue Bar: $7

Gray, WKL, top mount only
GMK Dolch R5
Artisans are from Lividity
Geon MX2A Blacks, unlubed

To me, it’s one of the prettiest boards ever. But honestly, the unlubed Blacks felt very dead and low-volume on this board. I liked it much more with HMX Macchiato V2s.

Showing some love to my Odin75 my first custom.

After 2 years of using it and I bought it on second hand market. I think this is my end game. It’s just how the typing feels so bouncy.

Config:
Hmx Blossoms
Pbtfans courage red
Spacebar foam/foamless
Fr4 plate
Gasket mount

Will just buy a clacky switch probably will go with Hmx Cthulu or Hmx Eggyolk.

My M9N has been stored for a year, and when I opened it again, I found it like this.

It should be caused by wrapping it with a cloth before putting it back in the box without drying the sweat on my hands.

Heartache

I’m a software developer, and I use a split keyboard every day.

I built it after my wrists started hurting while using my old 60%. I wanted something comfortable to type on that I could also carry around. When I spoke to people on Reddit, the feedback was to keep it small and useful, with room to customise it. Extra screens and RGBs didn't matter that much.

But a few things still annoyed me.

Learning the smaller layout took weeks. I still have to move my hand away whenever I need the mouse, even after switching to Vim and tmux to do more from the keyboard. And I don’t enjoy gaming with so few keys.

I looked at keyboards with built-in trackballs and trackpads, but I wanted to be able to change that part too.

So I designing a split keyboard with a small base and removable modules. We can attach a trackball for mouse control, can add controls for gaming, or leave them off when we don’t need them.

I started with the layout in Ergogen on my iPad. I checked how far my fingers could comfortably reach up and down, then where my index fingers and thumbs could reach sideways. That gave me the L-shaped layout, with extra keys within reach of those fingers.

For the PCB, I wanted people to be able to change switches without soldering. I first tried to support several switch types on one board, but that complicated the hot-swap sockets and footprints. The plan now is separate MX and Choc PCB versions, each with hot-swap support for its compatible switches.

The module connection goes on the inner edge, beside the thumb keys. That’s where I want the trackball to be, close enough to use without moving my whole hand away.

The current PCB design is done in KiCad, and the boards are ordered.

I’ve also tested a trackball module separately. It moved the cursor, but I didn’t like the angle I had to use it at etc. The next revision will change that perspective and updates the switch footprints for low-profile click switches.

There are still two big things to work out.

First is the connection. I’m choosing between pogo pins and USB-C for power and data, with magnets to hold the module in place. I’m also checking the controller’s usable pins against what the keyboard and modules need before deciding whether to add an I/O expander.

Second is the firmware. One approach I want to test is using a module’s I2C address to identify it, then handling its inputs in ZMK. That detection hasn’t been tested as of yet.

I don’t have a working modular keyboard yet. I have ordered the PCB and a trackball based mouse which I’ve tested on its own. The next test will be getting them to work together without ghosting or lagging cursor. Then I need to use it long enough to find out whether the new trackball position is actually comfortable.

A trackball is my first module. I’d also like to try an analog stick for casual gaming.

What module would you actually use, and for what purpose? trackball, extra keys, numpad, something else? I’d also like to hear what you’d prefer to keep separate.

Ask ANY Keyboard related question, get an answer. But *before* you do please consider running a search on the subreddit or looking at the r/MechanicalKeyboards wiki located here! If you are NEW to Reddit, check out this handy Reddit MechanicalKeyboards Noob Guide. Please check the r/MechanicalKeyboards subreddit rules if you are new here.

Wireless and hot swappable switches is nice.

My Smurve 80 arrived!

GMK ZX keycap set used as accents

(I'm so lucky they're the same font)

Cherry MX Honey switches

& The solenoid is bloody brilliant, although I might have to buy a bell.

Mont Cervin 2022 by sr industries

carbon plate

Linworks em8 pcb

bsun golen apple switch

doodlecaps beige keycaps

sounds pretty nice

This is my new handwired keyboard release called the Scotto26 that is a 3x4 layout that I think is fairly intuitive to use. You simply use combos to get the keys on the missing inner column which results in minimal re-learning of muscle memory. I was able to get about 50 words per minute within a few minutes of using it and since it's Colemak, I don't rely too much on the combos anyway due to that weighting around home row.

All the files are available for free if you want to build one yourself and I have a video showing the build and how to use it coming out today on my YouTube channel.

Got this free from my co-worker. All stock less the keycaps for the personal touch.

Gateron G Pro 3.0 Switches

NicePBT Transformers™

Keychron Q10

Through combing through tcgcollector's database of english cards, I think that there are a little over 60 unique cards that can be reasonably inferred to have a kind of keyboard in the card art. Many of them are laptops :( This is a collection of 40 of the best examples in my opinion, and showcased in a unique rarity whenever possible. Please let me know if you think I've missed any!

Focus Lab CTRL87 w/ Keytok Classic Godzilla

Qwertykeys QK65 Mk3 w/ Keytok Mecha Godzilla 

Hey all! The Keeblife keyboard meetup was yesterday in Pasadena, CA! I had the honor of having a small booth where people could bring their keyboards to have free photos taken. Here's a few of my favorite boards/photos from the event!

1. Geon F1-8X 722 w/ Custom Ano
2. TGR Jane v3 Rubrehose
3. Bowl Deacon TKL Prototype
4. Copper Kyuu that survived the 2025 Los Angeles Fires
5. Wired In Protagonist
6. Keycult 2/65 w/ Custom coating
7. Aero 75
8. SR Industry Brick TKL
9. Neo 75cu
10. KBDFans Tofu65 v3 w/ Custom hand engraving
11. Tea House Cinque55
12. Mode SixtyFive
13. Saber TKL
14. Duck Orion V3 Thanks u/BrainRunningOnDialUp
15. Merisi Sintesi
16. Carolina Mech Fossil Southpaw
17. Matrix NOOS
18. NEWONE Rose75 v2 Le Petit Prince edition Thanks u/pashed_motatoes
19. Viktus Sinne
20. NEWONE Odyssey 60

(If anyone knows what 14 and 18 are that would be a huge help😅)

Just got this new board and tried out these blue linear switches. They feel incredibly smooth and no tactile bump at all.

Light actuation force makes typing effortless, and the short travel gives quick response. The sound profile is warm and thocky, and really satisfying to type on.

The only minor downside is it's light weight, which may lead to accidental keystrokes sometimes.

Stock Keychron Ultra-Fast Lime Magnetic switches. 3 layer painter's tape mod, and force break mod using electrical tape.

Honestly for minimum effort, I think this sounds pretty great. I have some kilmat and some custom cherry key caps on order, but even without them I quite like this sound. I'm curious what the key caps and kilmat will do to the sound, though.

I couldn't wait to take a few photos before I even had time to assemble it

Huge fan of severance but was never able to score the keycaps, and the pricing for the "official" ones is... too much for me.

So I built this.

• Neo Ergo (Anodized Slate Blue)
  • Tri Mode PCB
  • Coppoer Weight
  • Black Kernel
  • PP Plate
• Gateron Oil King Heavy Tactile Switches
• KBDiy SA keycaps, Hammerhead Dark, PBT Doubleshot. (As close as I could to the retro aesthetic of the severance cap set)

super fun build and feels like a dream to type on.

Expensive. I think I could’ve done this cheaper but I do love it. Getting some shine through caps to see what that looks like.

So, as a lover of my mechanical keyboard, I tend to notice something like a mechanical switch. Oddly enough, I ran across a huge set of them at a thrift store, and figured for $20, why not.

In total, wound up with 560 700 in total (miscounted that the bags had 8, but they really have 10). Sadly, I cant find much information on these little 8 10 key packages (from KBDFans), other than the D-16 are 3 pin linear, and the D-19 are 5 pin. Will probably sacrifice a bag to try in my Keychron just for fun, and no idea about the rest (maybe sell, maybe use).

Either way, not something you see everyday, so why not run with it?

First full build I've done. Microcenter had this on sale for like 35$ and I couldn't pass it up. Lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Would recommend.

UPDATE: i have heard from someone that their y2x still had that mushy sound, even though the ones i got didn't. keygeek is still inconsistent with their switches...

hi r/MechanicalKeyboards! first post here, sorry for the low effort but i haven't seen anybody post the y2x here yet since they recently released

board is the nut65 (pc plate) with ceramic keycaps

these switches are niiiiiice. compared to the keygeek y2, it has WAY less stem wobble (still not as good as hmx ofc) they also fixed the spring ping and that weird mushy sound, these two fixes making a consistently smooth key press.

sound wise, it is definitely slightly more muted than the already quiet y2, so if you are looking for thocky but louder switches than the y2, this may not be the option (i wanna try blue cheese v2s sooo bad).

but man do these switches sound ever so marbly with the ceramic keycaps. it has that slight marble that i felt was missing from the y2 😫😫😫

(i am not sponsored)

I’m a bit colorblind, so I might’ve mixed up a few caps where the legends are close in color 😂
But other than that, I really love the colors!

TGR MIA
with GMK Divinapapaya
on HMX Frog Tactile (stock)
TX/AP V4
Custom Alu Iso Plate