Lingyi Blackwidow TKL Keyboard
This keyboard was bought along the Logitech G603 mouse as a bundle. I received it in barebones form - case, pcb, and stabilizers only. Thus, this was set aside for a while since switches and keycaps are costly.
Here’s the exact model of the keyboard
I currently have a modded chinese keyboard with Kailh BOX whites. They are plently loud with the clickbar mechanism in BOX switches. For this new board, i’d like to try silent linear switches for a change.
Overview
The keyboard consists of a steel top plate with plastic base. The steel plate is quite scratched and scuffed - the LINGYI branding isn’t helping the aesthetics of the board either.
The single-sided PCB uses uses 0 ohm resistors as jumpers to complete the circuitry. I guess it’s cheaper to have this configuration (single-sided + jumpers) over fabricating double-sided PCBs.
The PCB is secured to the plate with twistable steel hooks. Not very elegant, but it works.
Painting
The case was prepped with primer and finished with matte clear coat. For the color, I settled on using Bosny Metallic - Midnight Blue paint. I also painted the shell of the repaired G603 from my previous post.
Some parts of the plastic base was also painted to match the plate when built. The paint turned out great but I wished the shade was a bit lighter.
After a couple days of drying, the case was slightly polished with 2000 grit sandpaper and finished with some generic car detailing sealant.
Assembly
For the switches, I was able to get a great deal from a private seller. The stabilizers that came with the case were already decent and doesn’t need replacing.
Here are the switch specifications:
- Wuque Studio Original Aspiration
- Lubed with Krytox 205g0 for housings, 105g0 for springs
- Spring swapped with 63.5g Sprit Extreme Slows
- Filmed with white TX films
Some additional mods:
- 2 layer tape mod
- Keyboard housing lined with 2mm EVA foam
The keycaps were sourced from another private seller. These are clones of CRP Xerox 6001 Russian Cement keycaps. The blue sublegends caught my eye since it matches the housings of my switches.
I’ve also used my Baybayin DSA keycaps (the keycaps on the title photo) for a bit before switching to these keycaps.
Finished Product
Building this keyboard was plenty fun. I’m looking forward to building another one if the need arises.