keyboard switch swap

KEYBOARD WORKSHOP 

We take a look at the techniques and tools needed to swap out an aftermarket keyboard’s switches for something customized

This issue, we’ve taken a look at the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL keyboard (page 87). It is actually one of the best off-the-shelf keyboards we’ve reviewed in a long time. It scored a 9 and earned our Kick- Ass award. That is realistically the highest score any product will get at Maximum PC, as nothing is ever perfect: even if it ticked every single one of our boxes, it’s just not going to be the right fit for everyone—therefore, it can’t ever be a 10. There’s always something that can be improved upon.

The Apex 7 we received for review had Cherry MX Brown switches. These switches are a favorite for a lot of folk, but as professional writers working in tech, we often like heavier, tactile switches, and  the Browns in the Apex 7 just don’t tickle our fancy. Now, the problem we have here is that the Apex 7 is not technically “hot swappable”, but we love the keyboard so much that we want to make it our own. So, it’s time to see if we can do a switch swap.

You can change the switches on almost any keyboard. Sure, hot-swappable boards are far easier to do this with, and if you know that you want to swap switches often, we advise buying one of these (see, the Apex 7 isn’t perfect for everyone). However, on boards that are hard-soldered, you can usually change them fairly easily with just a modicum of skill and a few handy tools. Let’s get to it, shall we?

–DAVE ALCOCK

Tools of the trade, from soldering iron to flux.

Starting Out

This time around, we want to use Gateron Green switches. These are pretty much on par with Cherry MX Green switches, but we are using these ones instead of the Cherry counterpart because they’re compatible with the LEDs that SteelSeries uses in its boards. We would have loved to use some other switches, such as Sherbets or Holy Pandas or something else that’s equally fun, but alas, we again didn’t have any that were compatible with the LEDs.

Before we move onto the tools you’ll need, there is one thing to remember. When doing any modifications like this, you will void your warranty entirely, and there is absolutely a chance you could render your keyboard unusable. So if you are unsure in any way, just don’t do it.