I decided I was going to buy a friend a keyboard. Rather than just buy
one off the shelf I decided that I was going to try to create something
special for him. He likes to play Minecraft and asked for a blue and
red keys. He also asked for a platinum or gunmetal case. This will be
simple to find I thought.
I started to research to find out what I would need. Just get a case,
PCB, switches, keycaps and a cable, seems manageable. I started with what
size of keyboard I would get him. We deiced on a full size because space
was not an issue and that is what he is used to. After some continued
research I decided to get a metal case and hot swap switches, I did have
a soldering iron but I decided that since I didn't have too much experience
with it the hot swap switches would help create a better product. He said
he wanted the switches to have a tactile bump but not make too much noise,
I decided on cherry browns. Lastly, I found a set of red keys and another
set of blue keys.
So why didn't I stop there? Because when I added everything up I
realized it was out of my price range. after looking around to see if
I could get a better price I was still just outside of $300. Then I
started to look at budget options. After looking around I realized
buying a ready-made board and customizing it afterword's looked like
a good option. I could start around $100 and upgrade it to what he
would want. After looking at some options, all the ones that matched
what he wanted were out of stock. So as of the current moment I am
waiting to see if stuff gets back in stock.
I hope to update this post in the future.