BSides Melbourne Soldering Workshop

Security conferences have had such a massive impact on where I am today. The first conference I went to was Platypuscon, where I spent most of the day learning with hands on workshops. I was hooked and proceeded to go to as many as I could, assuming my wallet allowed it. I am now fortunate enough to give back. After my keyboard workshop at TuskCon, I was heavily encouraged to submit a soldering workshop at BSides Melbourne (thanks Lukasz).
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Let’s Tango - A Custom Keyboard

Over the last year, I’ve been designing and manufacturing a custom mechanical keyboard I call the “Let’s Tango”. After being in the hobby for long enough I thought I’d try my hand at designing and manufacturing a board. Here’s some details about it. The Let’s Tango mechanical keyboard is a 40% split ortholinear board. I took the Let’s Split layout and encased it in a solid aluminium case with a brass weight underneath.
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Mechanical Keyboards - Switches

Mechanical keyboards wouldn’t be what they are without the iconic switches that make up the sound and feel of typing on a keyboard. The switch is what makes the keyboard mechanical, it’s located below the keycap and is the device that connects to the PCB. Over the last few years there has been a huge amount of innovation within the scene. If you have had any interaction with a mechanical keyobard, you’d have probably heard about the company Cherry and their switches.
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Mechanical Keyboards - Cases

In my last post I touched on some of the core features of the case, there is a lot to all the different components, too much to fit in that post. The main component that makes each keyboard unique by design is the case. The case is what defines the core design features of the keyboard, like typing angle, material, layout, weight and mounting option. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/jyir6y/geist_selected_edition_stainless_steel_pvd_coated/ Typing Angle Typing angle is the angle in which the plate is on within the case, usually the back of the case is raised compared to the front.
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Build-A-Board

Building a mechanical keyboard is a really satisfying activity and is one of the huge appeals to the hobby. There are many pre built boards around that are really good, but there’s something special to building your own. You are able to customise all of the parts to your exact preference, provided you’re willing to spend the money. Do note that building a mechanical keyboard most of the time will be more expensive than buying a prebuilt.
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