Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice

Posted by stingraycharles 5 hours ago

Industrial design files for Keychron keyboards and mice(github.com)

178 points | 51 commentspage 2

arikrahman 3 hours ago|

I love the design for the ergonomic mouse. Are there any plans for split keyboard or something Corne style?

herrherrmann 1 hour ago|

They have at least the Q11 as a split keyboard model. Or did you mean something else?

exmadscientist 2 hours ago||

"Production-grade hardware design files... Study real CAD... Learn from how real products are built... STEP"

I'm sorry, I hate to be that guy, but while STEP files are often used as the final export to the contract manufacturer to cut the molds, or for some level of fit checking, they're not used for anything else. The real engineering that you can actually learn from is in the SolidWorks (or equivalent) part files, and you'll note that they're not offering those.

nickvec 4 hours ago||

Love my Keychron Q1 Max. Awesome to see them open source their design files.

lofaszvanitt 4 hours ago||

I have an IBM Model M, but after prolonged sessions of coding, my finger joints are aching. Are these Keychron keyboard have better switches or what are the experience using these mechanical ones?

dddw 3 hours ago||

Some would call buckling spring style (which inm keyboard use) surperiour to all the mx style switches. It is definitly on the more tactile end, so having aches doesnt surpise me. The variety in MX switches is bonkers. A well known switch collector called Theramingoat has over 4000 different ones. So if you get a hotswap board (keychron is not a bad place to start, but you can find better value-board for the same money nowadays), you can definitely find a switch of your liking. Check out milktooth, you can get a sample pack of different switches to try. And return the ones you dont like.

TimBurman 2 hours ago|||

I've had three keyboards with red switches, two from Ducky that were Cherry switches and one from Lenovo that may be another company's switches, but feel the same. None failed on their own but I spilled drinks on the first two and they were never the same. Maybe check out some of the lighter switches, even reds are way lighter than my old 1990s model M. https://www.cherry.de/en-gb/products/switches

ch_123 3 hours ago|||

Quite likely - the buckling spring switches in Model M are quite stiff as far as keyboards go. Brown switches are a good choice if you want a light switch with some amount of tactility.

nhecker 2 hours ago|||

I can give a third vote to the rough comparison between a keyboard with brown switches, and a Model M. I've got both, and like both.

delecti 3 hours ago||

There is (deliberately) not much consistency or uniformity on the switches in mechanical because keyboard nerds are such a picky bunch. I got the Keychron Q11 specifically because the switches could be changed out. I replaced the Brown switches it came with with some "Zilent V2" switches with a much higher activation force.

It can be a dangerous rabbit hole if you let it, but if you're just looking for an approximation of the Model M but that requires less force, then something with "Brown" switches might be up your alley. This one in particular has a similar aesthetic, comes with Brown switches as an option, and at a pretty good price.

https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-c2-pro-8k-qmk-via...

burnt-resistor 4 hours ago||

The only problems I have with the Q6 Max are:

- It's way, way too heavy. Heavier than my Northgate Omnikey Ultra. Like it's more adept as an improvised weapon as much as any keyboard ever was.

- Didn't come with all black enter and escape caps (they were red orange), requiring purchasing an expensive complete replacement set.

Minor areas for improvement:

~ Battery life could be better.

~ Charging takes a long time and I'm unsure if there's a charge finished indicator.

~ Would be nice to have an offline flash update & macro programmer to not depend on cloud-based software that will eventually evaporate like everything else.

I do like:

+ Replaceability of switches as I've tried a bunch, settling on Kailh Box White V2.

+ RGB effects can be turned off completely or show a solid color at low brightness.

+ Native USB proprietary wireless dongle, BT with 3 profiles, or wired.

+ Wired or wireless connection while charging.

+ PC vs. Mac layout as a physical switch.

delecti 2 hours ago|

Can't speak much to most of your complaints (I like my keyboard heavy, planned to change all the keycaps and switches, and didn't get a wireless keyboard), but you can download an offline version of Via to configure it. https://github.com/the-via/releases/releases

0xedd 5 hours ago||

[dead]

jhogendorn 5 hours ago|

Oh, does this involve their questionable kickstarter units with the cheap knockoff keys they refused to warranty or support, but were known faulty, and they swiftly replaced in store in the first 6 months? The ones that are pin incompatible with any other standard keys so you cant replace them? Yknow, the ones that mean I will never buy or recommend a keychron kb again?

altairprime 4 hours ago||

The list of model numbers is clearly stated in the repo README and you’re apparently a subject matter expert on this; so, please look up the answer to your question and let us know.

irl_zebra 4 hours ago||

No it's design files. Like CAD stuff.

nickvec 3 hours ago||

Pretty sure @jhogendorn was being tongue-in-cheek to call out (semi-related) questionable behavior from Keychron.

irl_zebra 3 hours ago||

I know, but given the subject of the OP it was an irrelevant garbage comment from a jilted user trying to smear the company. It deserves an equally obtuse response.