The WEIRDEST upgrade I've ever done...

I upgraded a Drop Preonic, one of the strangest keyboards I've ever used.
Keyboard parts: (affiliate links)
DROP Preonic: massdrop.7eer....
Gateron CJ switches: bit.ly/3kCT2Rm
MT3 keycaps: massdrop.7eer....
Edited by: / lightworklive
AFFILIATES & REFERRALS
---------------------------------------------------
►All of the gear we use: kit.co/bvan141...
►For keyboard accessories (switches, keycaps, etc): kineticlabs.st... and and divinikey.com/... (use code switchandclick for 5% off)
►Custom coiled cables: store.cablemod...?ref=54789
►Mechanical Keyboards: mechanicalkeyb...
Video idea suggestions: freesuggestion...
OTHER PLATFORMS
---------------------------------------------------
Twitter: / switch_click
Instagram: / switch_and_click
Discord: / discord
All my links: wlo.link/@swit...
Jake and Betty, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Creator Program for Mechanicalkeyboards.com, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and mechanicalkeyboards.com. As an Amazon Associate and a MechanicalKeyboards Creator, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. All prices and star-ratings mentioned during the videos are at the time of purchase and what it was when we bought it, they may not be representative of the current data involving the products specified. Links starting with geni.us will most likely lead to Amazon.

[@matasa7463]

Hey Betty, that novelty keycap is Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle - the little trapped fire demon that does cooking duties and will eat your kitchen scraps, like egg shells.

[@thundernixon]

Oh no… now I need one 🔥

[@aresaurelian]

So that's where he went. Calcifer! Oh no.

[@LilChuunosuke]

such a good movie...

[@tohtorimaaastrala2612]

Oh yeah that anime is so good

[@elainelouisecalimlim9167]

I was about to say thiss! My Studio Ghibli heart is happy 🥹🤍

[@majinshinsa]

Since I like to program my ortho weirdly, I buy XDA/DSA keycaps. It allows me to be weird with my layouts and still have the keys look good. Then again I love XDA profile so I might have some bias there

[@klaffington]

i used dsa and made a little pixel art keycap set

[@El_The_Elf]

XDA is incredible!!! I love it so much 😍

[@E..-_]

XD my favorite key caps XD Wait Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee E E E E E E Eeeeeeeeeee E E E E E E E E E E Ereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@lennyescott]

Just use qwerty keycaps and learn to touch type on whatever other layout you want

[@jonathanansard8410]

Calcifer isn't a "squirrel looking thing" why did you disrepected him like that 😢 he is a fire spirit from the movie "howl's moving castle" and he basically fuels the whole magical moving castle and also likes to eat cooking scraps like egg shells, hence the cap that represents a little fire with eyes and a mouth that is about to eat some egg shells

[@orcinsd]

I had a set of MT3 key caps I got from Drop. I really like the color way of them, but I didn't actually care for the MT3 shape of the keycaps. Good job on the keyboard upgrades, I'll have to look for one of those to build myself.

[@voidmachines]

Lower and raise buttons, nearly always, go next to the spacebar 😁 (left and right)

[@danosdotnl]

The steel plate on this board is just super tight and destroys switches, your hands, patience and wallet. I recommend getting an fr4/acrylic/pom/petg plate cut, files are out there. Or do a bit of filing...also to make it sound better, use super thin foam, tapemod, lubed and filmed linears, o-rings around the keycaps and 'floating' plate....took quite a while to get this thing into a reasonable state

[@uHnodnarB]

Ah OK, you mentioned the layout at 7:55. I saw that keyboard and in my mind I was immediately like: That layout looks weird. And then I went into the rabbit hole of trying to find out what colemak/tarmak layout it is haha. Awesome video!

[@MAGAIVER]

Put switches, pcb and plate together first making sure you support the hot swap sockets from the back and then you screw it all to the case. That is the best way to go, makes it easy to build and prevents a hot swap sockets coming loose. And kudos to the owner of that keyboard, ortholinear Colemak is the best way to go.

[@EasonTek]

that layout is Colemak DH. Drop does have a "colevrak" kit for colemak and dvorak, so you could've got that kit to make sure the profile isnt fucked up. Personally, I use vanilla colemak, but i just lay the keys out in QWERTY and touch type colemak on it to make sure the prifle isn't screwed.

[@mocha5483]

Blank keycaps are always an option aswell

[@holly_hacker]

I used a preonic for quite a while and its an amazing board. The biggest pro is that you only have to move your fingers 1 key over at most, and you can program it to have the exclact layout you want. And obviously ortho is superior over staggered :)

[@Jeongaria461]

She should upgrade a thrift store keyboard!! I would love to see that!

[@lennyescott]

The MT3 keys in the wrong spot bugged me so much, I just use qwerty keycaps and touchtype colemak so that the keycaps aren't in the wrong place. Some people like xda/dsa, but if you learn to touchtype (which you definitely should especially with alternate layouts) it doesn't matter apart from aesthetics. It's not available for /dev/tty but for other MT3 kits you can get a Colevrak kit (though unfortunately it doesn't have support for all the layouts, just the most popular)

[@Miss_Wonderful1]

For my ID75 I bought a regular XDA set (not specially designed for orthos) with lots of novelty keycaps that surrounds nicely the number row and alphas. However, I would gladly swap them with random MT3, which I love more than any other profile (and can't afford rn) lol

[@GaveenPrabhasara]

This is why we ortho/ergo users love XDA (and other uniform or low) profile keycaps. We can go Colemak and be weird about our layouts all we want and the caps would still look good. I still place the keycaps in QWERTY to avoid sneaking peaks and when that layer is needed for compatibility (e.g., games).

[@whyno1likepuns146]

try making a 40% keyboard, because that would be very interesting

[@flyingvish]

Yes! I just upgraded my Planck with some boba U4T switches. But I need more thockkk haha

[@stefansimina4698]

Hi, I wanted to ask what is the best keyboard you know that haves those features: - Low-profile - Tactile switches - Wireless (low latency) - UK ISO Layout TKL

[@TwoMiceOnMyBookshelf]

That keycap design is one of my favourites, BUT the mods are essential to transform it from a meh to a yay.

[@ahmadsfkd]

I have had a 60% stock blue switches mechanical keyboard for a year , and to be fair , if you keep using a 60% keyboard you will get used to the functions of it , Im really good at using it now , and I'm used to it as well. My mechanical keyboard is Motospeed CK61 .

[@flyingvish]

You putting the lower and raise key in the wrong spot bugged me hahahah.🤣🤣🤣

[@matheusoliveiracandido8830]

Hey Betty, just passing to say that I really like the videos in your channel. I'm really new in this universe and your videos are very funny and instructives. And being a Brazilian guy and the prices are really proihibitive it's cool be capable to view the possibilities. And plus you are helping me to improve my english. So many thanks, keep the good work!

[@SwitchandClickOfficial]

that's awesome, thank you for watching!

[@twocvbloke]

Those profile keys are nice retro-looking tings, akin to stuff you'd see on late 70s computer terminals or even things like the Commodore VIC20 & 64, wouldn't mind making a modern keyboard that has those style keys in a UK ISO layout, which is a "fun" task in itself to find cos ISO layout is just different enough to the US ANSI layout to be a pain in the bum to get the right keyboard and then keys for at the right price... :P

[@treyquattro]

is there a follow-up? Did the person like it? You did a great job on a strange keyboard! The art keycap was very cool too.

[@jayluvrzx]

3:13 "that's what she said, wait no.. that's what he said? Somebody said it!"

[@Togi.]

omg I didn't know that you had merch and built people boards because of it. Thats really cool, keep it up.

[@SwitchandClickOfficial]

Thank you!

[@syddlinden8966]

Lol all of the surprise that it was in colmak when it's in ortholinear keyboard. It's so common to run those and colmak and just it really got me.

[@altitudegamer11]

oh, only 4 types of switches? i have 17 different types in my custom TKL🤣🤣🤣

[@kjb_248]

“Ooooo that was tight! Hehe that’s what she said- no… that’s what he said? Idk somebody said it :)” -Betty, aka Switch & Click, 2022 😭😂😂

[@ThatManFromGermany]

Almost nothing beats Colemak-DHm on an ortho keyboard in terms of typing comfortability, it only gets better if you flip the space bar and the raise/lower keys next to it 180 degrees.

[@Christmaswreath]

what do the raise and lower keys do? i don't know

[@DeltaInsanity]

@@Christmaswreath they give you access to different layers.

[@ThatManFromGermany]

@@Christmaswreath It's a layer key, like "shift" acts for a layer for capital letters. You press e. g. 'lower' and you get the F-keys in the top row instead of the numbers. You press 'raise" and the top row changes to special symbols, you press both and you get e. g. navigation keys and "home, end, page up/down" etc. It's programmable so you can put whatever keys you need where they fit best for you.

[@nottheengineer4957]

What about colemak-dh on a split column-stagger board? I'm thinking about building one of those, but I want 3 keys for each thumb, 6 columns per side and a number row with Ctrl on the very bottom left and I don't think that's been done before.

[@DeltaInsanity]

@@nottheengineer4957 I have no experience in that personally, but you could always get a custom PCB. However I know that a lot of people who have those kinds of keyboards will often program the Z key (or whatever key is in the bottom left of your preferred layout) to act as the letter when pressed but as Control when held, which seems like a great alternative to me, though I'm not sure how they get Ctrl-Z since I don't personally use a layout like this. I actually use the Preonic with Colemak DH just like the one in this video but I have the acrylic case with Boba U4Ts on it.

[@snailman7989]

The little fire guy is Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle. He's Howl's fire that cooks his food and Howl feeds him egg shells

[@darthollpheist1156]

Isn't that a 40%. I use a 60% and it's way smaller than mine. Or is that just the layout making it smaller with roughly the same amount of keys?

[@proCodeOfficial]

Thanks for upgrading my keyboard

[@craiglexington2170]

Im not even into keyboards, but keep watching your vids for the hilarious commentary. You have like a calm-chaotic demeanor that just makes me cackle.

[@SwitchandClickOfficial]

haha I'm glad you enjoy!

[@Hector_ytt]

Hey switch and click! I was wondering which lube do you prefer since I got my first mechanical keyboard and I want to upgrade it.

[@hasfx6254]

The recommended lube is Krytox 205g0

[@Hector_ytt]

@@hasfx6254 oh ok thx

[@hasfx6254]

@@Hector_ytt good luck mate

[@TotallyNotBepsi]

depends on what switches they are, for linears i personally love krytox 206g0 (its a thicker 205) whilst for tactiles TriboSys 3203 is generally good

[@Hector_ytt]

@@TotallyNotBepsi thank you very much

[@itsdeonlol]

This board layout is really unique! I would like to see Betty try this layout for a week lol!

[@tsbrownie]

Watching this channel gives my keyboards an inferiority complex. ;)

[@yiw_n]

ortholinear AND colemak AND not even standard colemak, this is the content I didn't know I needed

[@MAGAIVER]

For english, Colemak DH is very comfortable to use. I use regular Colemak on my ortho because I found it to be better to type in Portuguese, but if English was my primary language I'd be using Colemak DH. I wish more people would give ortholinear keyboards and Colemak a serious try instead of labelling it weird. It is far better than using a staggered and qwerty, but it does require proper technique which most keyboards enthusiast don't seem to care for learning.

[@Pokebloom903]

WE LOVE U Switch and Click

[@SwitchandClickOfficial]

❤️

[@aiden-uw9qg]

I enjoyed this video as always, and just a question, what do you use for recording?

[@Marshall_78]

the keycaps that where on it before looked better but good job on the mod

[@TheRandomChannel02920]

You would be a life saver if you could reply to this comment. my razer huntsman mini is a good first keyboard, but one of the wires broke. the wire that connects the motherboard to the switches. the wire that broke is the one with the red, black, and white wire connecting into one. what is the name to that. because the white part of that thing has broken and I cannot get it to stick in place. Could you tell me the name of that wire?

[@Magmachu]

Hi Betty, I just wanted to say I haven't watched the video yet but I just did the exact same thing. Bought an ortholinear keyboard and switched to a very similar keyboard layout just to try to get myself to learn it

[@jiggyai]

Please reply to this, you are my fav KZbin I watched this cause I have notis on

[@phinyfiny7438]

that takes ergonomic to the next level

[@wydx120]

Oh my god! Someone else aside from me also puts the spacebar on the key next to the 2u key! Glad to not be alone on this :)

[@nikitawarburton6448]

what did you use to check if the switches are working please????

[@Glutnix]

it's nice to see orthos get some love in the mainstream keeb scene

[@santey2210]

Hey guys, I’m trying to decide what budget keycaps to buy. Do u guys have recommendations?

[@vkv69]

Yea some ocean keycaps would be goof

[@MarkG998]

Hi Betty I recently changed switches on my keyboard. I find now that a couple of the keys such as the ";" key and "8" key occasionally press/appear on my screen by itself randomly as I type. Is that something that can be fixed? Thanks!

[@dracekidjr]

I have the planck and the best thing ive found is tape mod with a thin layer of shredded memory foam. It's all i found that will fit

[@buddybleeyes]

Hey Betty @switchandclick , I'm really interested in that what 40% keyboard you briefly showed and stop the stand off from- do you have a video on it? What is it called? :) thank you in advanced, it just really caught my eye :)

[@Fladan]

I love how chill your videos are.

[@SwitchandClickOfficial]

Thank you!

[@leonardomalacrida9711]

Hey i need an advise. Can i find omnipoint switches on the market?

[@QMonti]

Hello, you maybe dont respond but i need help. My keyboard (RK61) start glitching (the lights) it is flashing on top is the most lighting color but dont almost nothing and i cant find anything or anyone that could know whats wrong with it. Thanks.

[@0whitestone]

That's not a keyboard, that's a switch tester! And it's nuts that there's no barrier between the metal body and the PCB; seems like a short waiting to happen.

[@questtt._ty]

Hey Betty, i have a question, what makes a switch sound more clicky? Like blue switches.

[@17xkira14]

Usually a click jacket

[@The-Ollie-Maximilian]

I swear Betty’s voice is calm and relaxing

[@allenlark]

i gave up on getting my ortho keyboard to fit a profile. it's either flat profile or blanks because, although I use qwerty, no one has a set designed for my 40% board

[@Ima_Tron]

I've got a drop alt, and I'm looking to swap the keys from kailhspeed silvers to something easier on my carpal tunnel to press. I hate tactile switches but I liked the Razer greens which are like a clicky blue. Im reading Kailh bronze are linear but with a click, which is in line with what I want in terms of feel. Is there a linear switch with a click that is easier to press and possibly even quieter than the Kailh bronze? I could also use a few switches that are harder to accidentally press for caps-lock and windows home key, what switches would be good for those? Is there a site where I can order a mix of keys and come out cheaper than buying two full sets of each key?

[@boogiemanbumblebee]

Oh my gosh, hi, I'm only a month into the hobby myself but basically went insane over it and have tried a bazillion switches by now. My boyfriend has arthritis and carpal tunnel, and I need very light switches but prefer linear and clicky, so I think I can help! I would actually say to not use the speed bronze, even though it's light, it kind of has the feel that it needs more force. If someone asked me the easiest-to-press clicky, that wouldn't hurt carpal tunnel, I'd say Kailh box white, or Kailh white owls. If someone asked me for the smoothest and easiest-to-press linear, I'd say Durock Creamy Yellow linears (sometimes called L1s or 55g). There IS a tactile that feels like a light and linear clicky, called Pewter, from Parallel. I personally would not give my boyfriend any of the kailh speed switches for his hands, or a majority of popular tactiles. My last recommendation would be to try a Bobagum with the lightest spring (they have different spring weights), but lube it, if you want to try a very soft and gummy feeling silent switch that is low effort to press. I hope this helps!

[@Ima_Tron]

​@@boogiemanbumblebee​Unfortunately I already ordered a hotswap keyboard with Kailh Bronze (Same price as ordering the keys without the keyboard), although Im reading theres no good way to tell whats best for a particular person. I'm reading the slightly extra force *might* limit my fingers from bending as much, causing less pain from that. Since I seem to bottom out half the time, maybe the extra force and the clicky feedback will help? Apparently more research has been put into making the boards themselves more orthopedic than the switches.

[@boogiemanbumblebee]

@@Ima_Tron at the very least, since the board is hotswap, you can always change them out if they prove too strong. I would say that yes, boards themselves tend to be designed ergonomic much less than the switches. If you tend to bottom out and like doing so, you probably would enjoy clickies, then! If you're still able to purchase them, I do think that kailh box whites or white owls would be perfect for you. Part of the issue with the speed switches actually is the short travel time-- I've found that for myself and boyfriend, you wind up hitting the bottom much harder than you might on another. The travel distance on a regular switch honestly does not take much force, if anything, the force can feel like less. Definitely try your bronze to see if you like them, but if your fingers are hurting, I'd try either of those white clickies I mentioned for sure (owls are slightly lighter than box). Clickies are meant to be bottomed out, tactiles not so much, and linears it depends on the switch. I would also say something very important is the angle of your board and keycaps. If you got a drop alt/Ctrl, I believe you can keep it pretty flat; I would look into keycap profiles to decide what angle the keys should be that you're comfortable with. Personally speaking I find cherry profile to be great, and my keyboard is at a very very slight incline (not perfectly flat). Some people with totally flat boards like XDA profile. If you have a steeper angle though, something like MT3 or SA profile may be more comfortable. There are so many options to customizing a board, and you can get really nitty gritty with adjusting it to your liking. Of course, the only issue is the cost! But I hope these comments help you narrow it down more easily

[@bartsi7325]

You should try Gateron Clears, they are linear and lighter than reds, it feels like pressing on nothing

[@Ima_Tron]

@@bartsi7325 Thanks for the suggestion! I'm trying the kail Bronze right now, got a deal on a hotswap keyboard from amazon and swapped them in. Ill keep an eye out for a sale on the Gateron clears.

[@triplei1931]

Would it be viable to have taped the bottom of the case as well so any sound getting through the initial tape is stopped by another layer instead of the case. Idk I just thought it might sound a bit better cause the sound wouldn't be bouncing off the loud metal.

[@mkadenwoods]

Where do you get the custom/special escape/space bar keys? I'm looking to make my own keyboard

[@GeekNerdNoir]

Hey Betty have you ever tried making a custom ALPS switches keyboard? I would love seeing some vintage complicated ALPS.

[@xPhantomMC]

Why is your name switch and click not switch and thocc?

[@blueshadeoncofefe5080]

i was having my vanilla coke, and i read the thumbnail. the brick, i spit my coke on my keyboard. betty you owe me a keyboard

[@WaxenDuck]

Excuse me why is the esc key on the left side of the board

[@finleyrutherford1324]

what site do you use betty for typing and seeing how many words a minute??

[@jaydentorres6453]

Will you still be making keyboards for people who buy merch in October this year?

[@WafflerSupreme]

I love my MT3 profiled caps, never going back!

[@Girvo747]

Gateron CJs are no joke some of my fav switches. I have them in my fully modded RK84 haha

[@samses183]

That’s a sus layout but I like it Picasso

[@itzmrfizz]

What Typing test program do you use?

[@SoloJust]

Not gonna lie i actually liked that keyboard layout. (idkhowtospellthat) And the final result is fire, good job.

[@nizeit4832]

does anyone know what 65% keyboard she has on her desk? i want a red keyboard case to match my setup

[@TrueWireL]

I love your content switch and click, and damn that's one weird layout

[@Sizzler1174]

Love the video Betty and I don't know how others feel about this board but I do like the sound of it. 🤜💥🤛

[@shreyasdharashivkar8027]

Please Review Hello Ganss GS 87D. I searched for review of that keyboard but nothing.

[@switch_3060]

he3yt his might be weird but is there a 40 percent on the market that i can buy???

[@omaral-hasani4972]

I have a question is it better to make the tape mod, foam mod, or both?

[@cckiller4378]

Both, it really depends on witch sound you go for though

[@GM_Cheese]

Alpacas sound so nice, they’re my favourite switch

[@rayan5002]

hand lubing gateron CJs gives the same effect as watering your plants while its raining

[@AL0H4SKY]

I’d love to see you do more things like this! You deserve more subs I found you on my recommendations and I immediately subscribed :)

[@SwitchandClickOfficial]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@AL0H4SKY]

You’re welcome! ☺️

[@wackydod7763]

Every keyboard KZbinr: this RAZER keyboard sucks Me who doesn't even own a keyboard and using a laptop: 👁👄👁

[@SpeedyDuck]

Hi Betty! Does that like spiral USB cable come like a spiral or do you need to make the spiral yourself? If you need to do it yourself can you then please teach me how to do it?

[@Roanoak]

The come that way 🙂

[@RamtheCowy]

i think keybored has a video on making your own coiled USB cable!

[@SpeedyDuck]

@@Roanoak oh ok

[@SpeedyDuck]

@@RamtheCowy ok definitely gonna check that out!

[@RamtheCowy]

@@SpeedyDuck keybored: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4jKdIt9bdaWjKs squashy boy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXW6pZd8g7tqirc

[@aawaddles]

I also have a Preonic and the plate tolerances are something else. It was super hard to get the switches in and I wore out/practically ended up scraping off the little bumps on almost all my switches and it definitely wasn't a good experience... but I love using it now. I just think the assembly experience could have been better.... I also agree that the keyboard is really hollow sounding, and it's really quite stiff, even with the loose plate build. I use silent switches so I don't have to deal with the hollow sound.

[@BOBAGENTSMITH]

People are silly for telling you to use blue tape. The only reason for using blue tape is that it is cheap, covers a wide area faster and peals off without mess. Using electrical tape is the safer option if you are worried about a fire. It may also leave more residue.

[@moblymonke]

Yea I think the residue it leaves would be the only thing stopping me from using electric tape. For something I use everyday electric tape is the way.

[@Christmaswreath]

BUY THE COLEVRAK SET TOO!!!

[@Average309]

What keyboard do you use? (love ur vids)

[@wynoglia]

Pls have clicky and/or tactile versions of the switch too? T_T

[@selagia]

Opinion on the Akko PC75B Plus?

[@jhanschoo]

When I saw that you were putting sculpted QWERTY caps on a Coleman-DH layout I was like /o\ haha... Unfortunately the Colevrak kit for /dev/tty is no longer available. If someone is interested in Drop MT3 with Colevrak tho', the Drop 9009 PBT caps are just starting to ship!

[@quikspecv4d]

Ever try shelving liner?

[@brightgold.ravenclaw]

I bought the royal kludge 61, a mechanical 60 percent keyboard, but im so unhappy with it. The spacebar sounds soo weird and the other keycaps also Sound weird, it would be so cool if you could upgrade it

[@reelord5218]

I think that keycap was from howls moving castle, a very good movie

[@luikiru]

Is it just me cos I’ve been addicted to watching keyboard videos for the past month because I don’t have one? Just me? ok.

[@H3Y0o]

You are beginning to spiral into the dark side. We welcome you.

[@aetherxsn1591]

@@H3Y0o oh no

[@tutacaaa4656]

Which keyboard is the best under $ 60?

[@Cittys]

Does anyone know where I can get cool custom caps like the orange one?

[@SpringsterR-317]

That seems like a good keyboard. Even if it's not that good, I would still try it out ^_^

[@modernfungus5726]

Hi betty tbh im kinda out of interest on keyboards nowadays but i always cant resist watching ur vids bcus of ur humor 😊

[@alexcastillojr6999]

Can you recommend a 40 dollar budget mechanical keyboard plus switches

[@aetherxsn1591]

@@archangelofbombs could be good beginnings for keyboard building.

[@lucaskhanfour6697]

BRUH WATCHING THESE VID IS JUST SO SATISFYING dam

[@earthops4821]

haha i was like o ring, o ring! and then someone said it in the comments and i was like pheww lmao