Ordered the Corne3 kit. They don’t sell switches and caps. This being my first kb build, does anyone have a recommendation for some reasonable source (in price and quality) for both? I like the IBM M style buckling spring keys as far as I know from the few I’ve tried, but I’m not sure if there’s an MX option that’s similar so I’m going to look for Kailh Box Royal or Navy. For caps I like the rounded ones like in @zslane post on the kind of green/blue kb in the post earlier in this thread (I think the shape is called MT3).
There aren’t any MX compatible buckling springs that I’m aware of. I used MX Blues to try to replicate the feeling, and it’s somewhat satisfying. I hear the Box Navies are clickier, but haven’t tried.
MT3 profile keycaps are exclusive to drop.com IIRC. They also sell switches, so you could get everything you need there. I’ve used them before both for groupbuys and in-stock and been happy.
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If you want buckling springs, you get a Unicomp. Some models still use the “original” Model M tooling. I’ve been debating grabbing a Mini M since they came out…
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the box royal and box navy are both very “Extreme” switches. both of them are HEAVILY tactile, and the box royal can almost feel like punching through the swithc as opposed to moving past a bump because of how early the event is in travel (0.5mm into the travel). the box royal uses a super stiff contact leaf which makes it crazy tactile. the box navy uses a super thick click bar, also making it crazy tactile and clicky. these are some of the most tactile switches, and ive owned/loved them both, just wanna throw it out there that I dont use either anymore lol.
it should be evident in the force curves how extreme the tactile events are in these switches lol
i LOVE, like absolutely LOVE box clickies relative to MX-blue jacket style equivalents. the clicks are way sharper and more defined. i would recommend the box white or pale blue for clickys (normal thickness clickbar), or possibly the box pink if you can find them (medium sized click bar, white weight spring). white/jade are same spring weight, normal vs thick click bar, and pale blue/navy is same spring weight but normal vs thick click bar. pink is same weight as white but medium thickness clickbar.
@TryCatchThrow is right about the MT3, i have them and love them and they’re modelled after the old IBM style keycaps.
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I’m typing on a Unicomp right now. I like it, but I miss the split keyboard comfort. Hopefully my build will actually function and I can use the Corne!
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One of the things that keeps me from buying a Unicomp is I’m worried I’ll be disappointed but it won’t really be about the board, it’ll really be about me. It’s roughly the same reason I still haven’t picked up a Yomega Fireball…
I also love a good split layout. I would love to find a Nyquist but I’m not brave enough for r/mechmarket.
I haven’t used a Model M since way back in the mid-80s but my memory is that they were a bit more solid feeling than the Unicomp, mainly in the keys themselves. Like there was metal in the keys or something. I should just get a used Model M to at least refresh my memory. I’d been using an Adesso split keyboard for 20 years or more when I stumbled into this thread and ended up with a Unicomp at work and a couple of Keychrons at home.
What’s the concern about r/mechmarket? Expensive or scammers selling trash?
The r/mechmarket thing is basically those concerns, high cost and low trust. This is really the first community where I’ve actively participated in the BST. It’s been a great experience so far, so I’d be open to giving r/mechmarket a chance, but I’m just not in the market for more keyboards at the moment.
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Same here, this is the only BST I’ve participated in.
When it comes to Mech keyboards I’m not sure about the BST stuff since I’ve been out of the scene - but I remember Group Buys always being a nightmare so I never bought a custom, then anything I wanted on the BST was taxed heavily.
Then the one time I went in to buy switches and a custom board was when they sold everyone the switches with fat stems that cracked keycaps. So I had to desolder my KBDFans board, buy new switches that weren’t bunk and buy new keycaps along with having about 300+ bunk switches that have been sitting in a box for 5 years. The manufacturers, distributors, and retailers never made good on it, so everyone was just simply out money and stuck with bad switches. I also have a feeling the retailers took an L, but probably sold the bunk switches under the table to people just to make something back.
And for that reason, I’m out - I’ve just been using my trusty Leopold since.
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This is my Pok3r with MX Browns. I reshelled it into a 5 Degrees case that was intended for an XD75 ortholinear build that never wound up happening. It came with a DZ60 PCB and I’ve got switches, but I planned to solder it up at work and then COVID happened and I haven’t come around back to it.
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@ToastedOats @TryCatchThrow if you have time, I have a few questions.
I got the Corne pcb, and acrylic plates. I’m told the pcb plates work better than the acrylic for holding the switches in. Do you think that acrylic will be an issue for daily use?
The keycaps and switches I want seem like they’re going to be expensive, but this keyboard comes with something I like ok (they look like MT3 caps and you can choose your switch type):
Could I just pull the switches and caps I need off this to complete the Corne?
Thanks for your time!
If you’re not planning on traveling with them, throwing them in a bag and the like, acrylic should be just fine. It’s just preference.
I don’t see hotswap capabilities with that keyboard. If it isn’t hot swappable, the switches would need to be desoldered from the pcb. Doable, but don’t do it. You can most likely use the caps from the keychron. I bought a keychron before I started making my own keyboards. They’re not bad for the money.
I’ve been getting my keycaps on alibaba and switches here: https://kbdfans.com/
ETA: the keycaps will fit the switches, but the larger ones, like control, or backspace, etc. won’t have a place on the Corne. So be sure there will be enough of the right size keycaps.
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Thanks. It looks like the switches on the keychron are hotswap. I’m new to this so I don’t really know what I’m going to like, so that seemed like an inexpensive way to get Mt3 style caps and switches at the same time.
Wow. The Keychron keyboard look very nice. I would like to order one but the details only show support for Windows and Mac.
I would like to use one on my RPi (Debian Linux). Has anyone tried it on a Linux system?
Thank you
I have an ubuntu laptop at home, I can try another Keychron at home and let you know. My guess is that it would be fine. That note I think just means that you can flip a little switch on the back of the keyboard to change from mac to windows. Linux and windows probably tend to use the same keyboard layout. And, like linux, I’ve used plain “windows” keyboard on my mac with no issues.
I have a Logitech MX Mechanical mini that I really like. Unfortunately, it refuses to work on my RPi.
I am currently using a Happy Hackers Lite on the RPi. The key placement is different than the MX and it is confusing for my muscle memory. It is my intent to get two, one for each workstation. The Keychron would do the trick if it would work on both!
Thanks, Jeff
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I agree that you should be able to harvest parts from the Keychron for the Corne. I do think the OSA profile is a bit shorter than MT3, but you can wait for one of drop.com’s big sales to pick up an MT3 set (or two).
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Thanks. It’s things like that that I don’t know. 
Hopefully the key height won’t matter a lot on this keyboard if I actually manage to get it to work.
I have never had a wired USB keyboard that hasn’t worked across OSes. The Keychron has QMK support so even if the key map isn’t exactly what you want, you should be able to easily update it.
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Key height is mostly a matter of preference, and it’s possible that in different form factors you will feel differently about different profiles. You just have to try them out and see how they feel.
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