Beginner’s Guide to Customize Your Own HE Keyboard

Crafting custom mechanical keyboards has become a thriving passion among gamers, blending your own creativity to your own unique accessories.

Keyboard switches driven by magnetic fields are a new technological breakthrough in the field of input devices which increases ruggedness and decreases wear, producing keystroke smoother. Of course, customizing a magnetic keyboard is also popular, but considering most HE keyboards require a driver to make the most of their performances, a remodel of parts based on a infrastructural keyboard is suggested to customize the sound, touch, look of your own keyboard.

Below, we’ll explore the steps to transform your keyboard to a personalized artwork by customizing HE switches, cases and keycaps.

Learn the main parts of a magnetic keyboard

A magnetic keyboard, often referred to as a Hall Effect (HE) keyboard, uses magnetic switches to detect keypresses, providing unparalleled precision and customization potential. Knowing its anatomy will help you inform choices during your build.

Keycaps

Obviously, keycaps are the most notable of a keyboard. You have a wealth of options when it comes to keycaps, the very part that shows your personality and creativity. You can choose PBT or ABS keyboard material, also choose layer images you love or even customize your own designed.

Switches

The part that featured as a magnetic keyboard. It is the heart of a magnetic keyboard because it determines the touch, react and sound of a keystrike. It’s also a highly customize part if you are a performance-focused gamer. High-performance switches like Lekker, TTC, Jades pros are commonly chose, which brings different level of stability and sound effect. Some brands also provide proprietary switches. Which provides very diverse

When customizing, a hot-swappable switches keyboard is recommended.

PCB

The PCB is the electronic brain of a keyboard, connecting switches to the computer and enabling features like RGB lighting and programmable macros.  It has all the details needed to recognize the characteristics of your keyboard.

Stabilizers

The stabilizers are in charge of keeping keys stable when striking, avoiding cheap rattly sound and loose or defective contact. A high-quality stabilizer extends the life span of your keyboard.

Case

A keyboard is more than a carrier that provides protect for your keyboard, it also determines the whole vibe for your unique keyboard. From material to visual design, you could choose an skeleton case to highlight your vibe and style, also you can choose a high quality aluminum case to provide stable support. Wooden cases and brass cases are also commonly used.

Dampening and Foam Materials(Sound Pack)

Dampening and Foam Materials, also known as sound pack, determines the feeling and sound of each keystrike. Most HE keyboards on the market have been equipped with those material to improve sound effect.

How To Remodel Your Keyboard

As what we know so far, keyboard is highly customizable. Each part can be special selected to highlight your gaming style or personality. So how to remodel your keyboard? Following the suggested steps, we’re sure you’ll have the ideal keyboards of your own.

Select a Base Keyboard

If you're not building and coding a keyboard all by yourself, you might want to select a fine-based keyboard. But what based to choose? It’s really not the more expensive, the better, actually it determines on your budget and the work you’re ready to put in. But generally, when we customize a HE keyboard, often the switches, the cases and keycaps are popular since they’re easier to switch and more stylish. So a base board with excellent PCB and sound pack for HE is necessary for most players. If you need fuctions like SOCD and Snap Tap, make sure the PCB software/firmware provide support. Also, the size are also important, to choose suitable size for you need, please check out our previous blog about keyboard size.

Swap Your Key Caps

Swapping key cap could take patience, but it’s not really challenging, use key puller to pull out all keycaps first, then use a cleaning brush to swap out the hair, dust in your keyboard. Last, install your well-selected new key caps to highlight your style. Align keycaps with cross-shaped stems, press until they click.

Customize Switches

Magnetic swithces are what make HE keyboard unique,  you can simply lubricate the Switches to improve with a light grease like Krytox 205g0 to reduce scratchiness and enhance smoothness. For further performance and touching feeling and sound, you can choose the switches that fits your habit. For example, TTC King of Magnetic has excellent gaming precision, minimal stem wobble, and a clacky sound while Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro provides a premium, thocky sound and vibrant RGB for both gaming and typing. If you have a hot-swappable switches base keyboard and want to change switches, remove the keycaps using a keycap puller, then use the switch puller to gently grip and pull each switch straight up from the PCB socket, avoiding damage to the pins. nsert the new switch by aligning its pins with the socket and pressing firmly until it clicks. Replace the keycaps, test the keys, and use the keyboard’s driver  to adjust actuation for optimal performance.

Case Customize

To Customize case, you can paint the existing case or replace it with a new one.

First, Make sure the Case’s size fits your keyboard. Then unscrew the keyboard’s bottom, and take off switches and PCB board. Then replace the original case to your new one. The process isn’t complicated, but needs patience and care. What’s importance is choosing the one you like most, for example an aluminum one provides a premium feel or a skeleton case shows off RGB lighting.

The personality and stylish of a customize keyboard is what’s charming.

The Syntech Chronos 68 is likely one of the best bases for customizing a magnetic keyboard, with durable structure and multiple function such as typing mode, snap tap and dedicated hot keys, high Polling Rate with 8000Hz, making it the fastest keyboard. Also the Cherry Profile Keycaps and Full Sound Fill (Poron) for optimal acoustics provide a solid base for customizing keyboards. Check Out Syntech to explore more about HE Keyboard!