Keyboard Terminology
Mechanical Keyboards
- Switches/key switches
- Mechanical keyboard switches are the mechanisms under the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard that enable you to type faster and more precisely. There are three kinds of mechanical keyboard switches: linear, tactile, and clicky.
- Choc
- Refers to the type of keycaps or switches from Kailh
- Stabilizer (Stabs)
- A keyboard part that is placed next to the switches for larger keys, such as the spacebar, to prevent the keycap from wobbling when pressed. Keys that are 2u or larger use stabilizers.
- Plate
- See reference [here]
- Case/Enclosure
- The surrounding material around the PCB/PCBA
- Cherry MX
- MX-compatible keysets are compatible with MX-style switches that have the same ‘+’ stem.
- TKL
- Full-sized keyboard layout without the number pad
- Hotswap
- refers to a PCB or keyboard that does not require soldering switches onto. Hotswap keyboards allow you to easily change out your switches—a soldered keyboard would require desoldering all switches and soldering in new ones to change them.
- Legend
- What is printed on a keycap—i.e. the letters, numbers, and icons.
- Kit
- a way of referring to what you’re buying:
- Keyset kits
- the group of keycaps you buy, typically grouped by function or design. For example: a Base Kit often covers the main keys like letters and numbers; a Novelty Kit includes keys in accent colors or with icon legends.
- Keyboard kits
- a DIY keyboard kit that you need to build yourself—it contains only parts like the case, plate, and PCB. Switches, keycaps, and stabilizers are not included and need to be bought separately.
- Keyset
- A set of keycaps.
- Profile
- The shape and height of a keyset. The profile is often indicated in its name, either by the profile name itself or the manufacturer name.
Materials
- PBT
- (polybutylene terephthalate) plastic: a type of plastic often used for keycaps. PBT keycaps are more textured compared to ABS plastic, and don’t get shiny with use.
- Polycarbonate
- Widely used for its transparent qualities
- ABS
- (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic: a type of plastic commonly used for keycaps and keyboard cases. ABS keycaps get shiny over time as you use them. Compare with PBT plastic.
- POM
- Trend material used for keycaps
Manufacturing
- Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)
- the minimum number of ordered units needed for a Group Buy product to go into the manufacturing phase.
- OEM
- An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) makes systems or components that are used in another company's end product. But in keycap world, this refers to a specific profile.
- Doubleshot
- Keycap production method. The keycap is made by combining two plastics, injecting one colored plastic for the legend into the keycap mold. This requires a mold for each unique key. Doubleshot legends don’t fade over time.
- Injection Molding
- Our method to produce most mechanical components for Riven. See Wikipedia
More #Internal Terminology
