Okay, so today I messed around with this Shelby 65 keyboard kit. I’d seen some buzz about it and figured, why not give it a shot? I ordered the kit online, and it arrived pretty quickly. I have ordered the kit from an agent.
Unboxing and First Impressions
First things first, I unboxed everything. It came with the case, the PCB, a plate, some foam, and the usual screws and stuff. The case felt pretty solid, It’s made by aluminum – not super heavy, but definitely not cheap-feeling either. I went for the black color, which looked sleek.
Getting Started
I grabbed my soldering iron and some solder. I’ve built a few keyboards before, so this wasn’t totally new territory for me. And put my switches and keycaps on my desk, ready to assemble.
- First, I putted the foam on the bottom of the case.
- Then,I putted the PCB on the foam. It’s very important, you should be careful.
The Build Process
The real work began with soldering the switches. I used some Gateron Yellows that I had lying around – I like the way they feel, nice and smooth. Soldering took a while, I double-checked each solder joint to make sure everything was solid. No one wants a wobbly switch!
- Time to solder! I carefully soldered each switch, making sure not to overheat anything.
- Once that was done, I tested the PCB using some software to make sure every key was registering. It’s super annoying to finish the whole build and then find out a switch isn’t working.
Putting It All Together
After the soldering was done, it was time to assemble everything.
I screwed the plate onto the PCB, then carefully fitted the whole assembly into the case. The stabilizers clicked in easily, which was a relief. I’d added some extra lube to them beforehand to make sure they were extra smooth.
- I Placed the assembled PCB and plate into the top case.
- Then Secured everything with the screws.
Final Touches
Finally, I popped on the keycaps. I used a simple black-on-white set that I thought matched the case well. With the keycaps on, the keyboard looked complete. I plugged it in, and…success! All the keys worked perfectly.
Typing Test and Overall Thoughts
I did a quick typing test, and it felt great. The Gateron Yellows were smooth as expected, and the stabilizers were rattle-free. The sound was pretty satisfying – not too loud, not too quiet. Just a nice, solid “thock” with each keystroke.
Overall, I’m really happy with how the Shelby 65 turned out. It was a fun build, and the end result is a keyboard that looks and feels great. Definitely worth the time and effort!
That’s all. I’m so happy share this experience with you guys.
