YMDK Split 75% Keyboard Build Log— Successes and Mistakes
This hobby was a mistake, or so I keep telling myself that as I clear off my tiny workspace to build another keyboard.
This is my third keyboard build and I’ve decided to document it in hopes that doing so will remind me that I am really bad at following instructions and need to practice what I preach (trust but verify).
Parts used:
- YMDK Split 75% SP84 kit (comes with screws, allen screw, all parts of case, pcb board, mini usb to mini usb cable, mini usb to usb-a cable, stabilizers of choice, feet)
- Matt3o’s MT3 Susuwatari base keycap set + spacebar set
- Zealios V2 65g switches (unlubed and unfilmed — I know, I know, don’t shoot me)
- Krytox 205
The case itself is made of 6 individual acrylic cutouts stacked on top of each other. The site itself gives you a great idea of which piece goes where. (I still manage to screw it up some time during the process.)
At first, I thought they sent me the wrong case because if you look at the image of the case, the macros button section is on the right side. No, it was just me being silly. I just had to flip the pieces. So if anyone else is looking at that picture and wondering why, it’s because these pieces were put together in flipped position.
Testing the PCB comes first. It was tested. F12 key doesn’t work, no big deal. We have macros. The person this is for doesn’t even really care that the F12 key doesn’t work, so I didn’t bother with it. But remember, always test your PCBs before building.
Next comes the stabilizers. Lube them where the plastics rub against each other inside, lube the metal legs and corner and a bit toward the middle of the bar. The hook part of the stabilizers go into the big hole. The squeezy-clip bit goes into the little hole. And we’re done. Normally the shift key on the right PCB would have a stabilizer, too, but we’re using a much smaller shift key because we need space for the up arrow.
After spending about 3–4 hours peeling paper off the case, it was time to get to actual work. (The paper was very stubborn and difficult to peel, but luckily it was only on one half of the case.)
There are several keys whose placements will always get me. That is the caps lock key, the function keys, the alt keys, and the control keys. There are usually options for how to place them, and I never get them right. The right alt is circled because I soldered it into the wrong place and nearly burned a key in my haste to switch it to the left position.
- Caps lock: right most
- Left alt: left most
- Left ctrl: left most
- Left fn: right most
- Right alt (circled): left most
- Right fn: right most
- Right ctrl: right most
Or better yet, just test them. This is for my future self and everyone else who thinks that a manual is good enough. Just test it. Trust your eyes and hands, don’t use the layout of another person’s.
This keyboard uses mini-B 5-pin cables. To connect the keyboard parts, you need the cable to be mini-b to mini-b. This cable is about a foot long, so if that’s too short, you’ll need to order a new one. To connect from the keyboard to the computer, you need mini-b to USB-A which is easier to find than the former.
I recommend buying some LEDs to put into the board because there was this cute cutout that I wish I knew about right on top of the macro keys. While the top layers do cover it, it’s just nice knowing it’s there.
Before assembling the entire case, remember to attach the feet first because once you close the case, you’ll have to reopen it to attach the feet. They’re screw-ins.
After this, all that was left was to close everything up. Because this board comes in 6 pieces per side and some areas can shift due to how thin the part is, you’ll have some trouble getting the screws in. Be patient, wriggle the case parts and screws around and they’ll pop in eventually.
Plug it in, change your macros with the bootmapper client found on the store’s website, and you’re golden.
Casualties:
- Right ctrl key got burnt by soldering iron because it was still on the keyboard when I was desperately trying to remove the right fn switch
- Right fn switch was broken because of hasty decisions and brute force
- Right alt area because I put it in the wrong place and nearly burnt the PCB trying to get the switch out
- My sanity
A lot of my mistakes could have been avoided with careful checking and double checking. This is still a new hobby to me, but experience is only gotten after you need it most, so I guess it wasn’t a complete loss. The keyboard functions excellently and the person receiving it seemed satisfied with the results.
Overall, this was a fun set to build. It’s just one that requires some patience and to not rush into it, thinking with an overabundance of confidence that ‘yeah, I’ve built two keyboards before, no big deal, this’ll be easy’ and then screwing it up.
Even though I’m not the one to be using the keyboard in the end, for the few short minutes I had with it, it was a really nice experience. The Susuwatari keys are excellent. They’re thick and make a nice thock sound with the Zealios V2’s even without them being lubed and filmed. I think having so many layers of acrylic helped with muffling the sound so it’s not as sharp, but it’s also plenty great that the Susuwatari keys are so thick. I really like the way they feel and the way the F and J keys have a deeper concave to cradle your fingers.
This case is also really nice, and I like the macro keys on the side. The only thing that bothers me is that I’m the type who uses the left hand to hit the Y key so it was jarring if I moved the keyboard too far. But I think the design choice was smart and easy to use.
Now all that’s left is to wait for several other group buys to finish and begin building my own.
