SNAP 75% Mechanical Keyboard Kit (Black)

This kit does take a lot of work so I would not recommend it as a first build, or for someone looking for a quick build.It is also a fairly unique one of a kind kit. I don't know of other split 75% keyboards with pro micro support that also have great documentation, support and community. If you are willing to put in the time you will be rewarded with a unique keyboard, and the kit really is fun to put together for experienced builders.I would knock down half star as I encountered some issues with the fitting of the acrylic plate, specifically in these areas:1. acrylic plate fitting at the keyboard split edge, had to use an exacto knife2. acrylic plate fitting with bottom screws of the PCB mount stabilizers, had to make the holes wider3. snap magnets did not fit, gave up trying to fit these4. components pin through the solder joints interfered with acrylic, this is expected and is easily fixable by trimming them down.Apart from that everything worked as expected. Firmware worked on first try and I was easily able to get it working with VIA.

Are you looking for a relatively compact, customize-able split 75-layout keyboard? Kind of interested in getting a toe-in on a DIY hobby?If so, this is a really fantastic kit, but the real magic is the even more fantastic Nullbits community in Discord. I really admire the owner & the people in that group - super helpful for beginners interested in learning more about the hobby. I'd also highly recommend KSO's Snap 75 Youtube video which walks you through each step, and provides a list of other recommended parts to finish (including a great budget switches).This will involve soldering, flashing firmware, choosing some switches & keycaps, and a healthy dose of curiosity for DIY adventuring :)I've now built 3 of these (1 for office, 1 for home, and 1 as a gift).

There comes a time when all Jedi must build their own lightsaber. This is as close as I'm ever going to get to that as a computer scientist.This is the very first keyboard that I've built and I'm coming from an apple magic keyboard. The documentation and community support is fantastic. I didn't reach out myself but was able to go through the r/nullbits subreddit to find advice from others.This is the first time that I've done any extensive amount of soldering and it was a good project to learn on. I botched the LEDs and only 2 work on one of the sides but I was planning on running with them off so I didn't spend much time troubleshooting. I had some difficulties getting the OLED screens to work but whenever something didn't work I found that just re-soldering the component seemed to fix it. I found using a chisel solder tip works best.I also went with mill-max 0305 sockets for hot swappable switches and it's a great feature to have. Soldering those was tough as I accidentally filled around 4 of the sockets with solder and had to spend a bunch of time removing the socket from the board to replace it. Eventually, I learned to do it quickly.I've loved the layout and the rotary encoder is awesome. The OLED screens make typing a pleasure. Having bongo cat nearby is always comforting. I got some wooden wrist rests from Amazon and those make it a much more comfortable typing experience since I'm used to laying my wrists directly on the table with an apple keyboard.I really enjoyed this project because I learned a lot about soldering and it was more involved than other kits you might buy where you just snap in switches and keycaps. I feel a much stronger attachment with this keyboard, we've been to hell and back while I learned how to solder and now we type together like a team that can only be forged in heartache.I would absolutely recommend this kit to anyone! It was so much fun and the end product has been amazing.

I'm currently using the keyboard as I type. (I really like the switches that I got with this build + it's my 1st build) I was so excited to be able to find a board with my preference of having a rotary dial, a OLED screen, RGB LEDS, plus a modest modular design. But with that being said, I'm rather disappointed that my backlight LED's and OLED screen refuse to work properly. After a months use the items above stopped working and profusely checking the board for soldering issues and flashing this board enough times that I should be arrested for indecent exposure (a joke). I can't seem to get either items to work. If you plan to buy this board, just remember you might (or will) have to troubleshoot after you complete your build via git hub and discord, even then if still you have a issue with your add-ons. The issue might only be unique to you rendering online support to be null. For me, I felt that only option I had left was for yourself rely on the community on Discord and GitHub. Overall, if you plan to buy this board, I recommend that you have a strong building and coding background to able pinpoint issues with your board.TL;DR Majority of the keyboard works fine, just the LEDs and OLED is finnicky. 2 Stars is a fair score for this IMO.