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When it comes to building a keyboard, one of the essential parts would be the Printed Circuit Board or PCB for short.
The PCB is a circuit board on which the switches are mounted to allow the user to type. The PCB will determine a lot of what options are available when considering the other components. A PCB comes in various form factors, and not all are made equally, nor do all of them have the same features. The first thing to consider is the form factor and layout of the keyboard that is being built.
PCBs come in many sizes, there is the Full-size (100%) which is the typical keyboard with the number pad; there is the 1800-Compact, which is just a more compact version of a Full-size, then there is the Tenkeyless (TKL, 87%, or 80%) which has all keys but the number pad, then there is the 75% which a much more compact version of the Tenkeyless, the 65% is similar to the 75%. However, there are no function keys; the 60% does not have the arrow, Del, Home, PgUp, or PgDn keys, then there is the 40% which is the smallest size that one can still type. Keep in mind that the smaller the percentage, the smaller and more compact the keyboard will be, affecting the user's experience.
Before choosing the size, it is important to think about whether or not certain keys are important or not as important. Being able to know what keys are needed will help one decide what size to get. It is also important to consider how big the keyboard will be. The smaller the keyboard, the harder it can be to type because everything becomes smaller, more compact, or both. Common sizes include 60%, 65%, 75%, and Tenkeyless.
The last two things to consider when thinking about the PCB are whether RGB lighting is essential and whether or not having a hot-swappable PCB is important.
RGB lighting is just for the user's aesthetic experience; it adds to the look of the keyboard but does not do anything in terms of performance. On the other hand, having a hot-swappable PCB or one that supports it widens options for choosing key switches.
Essentially, a hot-swappable PCB allows the user to change the type of key switch whenever they want. Hot-swappable PCBs are an ideal choice for beginners because most people have not experienced different kinds of switches, nor do most beginners necessarily want to have to solder the switches to the board. So a hot-swappable PCB eliminates the soldering of the key switches. But that is, if the PCB has the hot-swap sockets soldered on from the factory, or if the PCB supports hot-swap, then the user will have to solder the sockets themselves.
By Jude Lindale
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