The Pavlov
The Process
The Pavlov was my first project dedicated to a family member. During our initial conversations, I gathered information about the aesthetic, sound, and keyboard profile they desired. Overall, it was enjoyable to create something outside of my personal sound preferences. The resulting sound profile was poppy and almost clicky.
For this build, I wanted to ensure everything was high-quality and wouldn't cause any issues in the future. I was using Durock V3 stabilizers and having trouble with the space-bar wire. It was wobbly and made a metallic sound when the space bar was pressed. First, I tried to balance the wire and make it as flat as possible, but that didn't work, so I tried a modification called the Holee Mod. The Holee mod is the process of adding a piece of fabric to the inside of the stabilizer stem to eliminate any wobble or metallic sound. It was so infuriating to put in for the first time, and it took me a couple of tries, but after a while, I was able to put it in successfully. This reduced the rattle and metalic noise and was secure so I was pretty happy about the results.
Aluminum Plate
The keyboard I chose had a slick design with an angular side profile, an E-white coating, and a case- or gasket-mounted system. Since the person I was building this keyboard for wanted a more poppy, loud sound, I opted for a gasket-mount setup with a hard aluminium plate to get the most sound out of the board. I also did not include case foam because I did not want to dampen the sound in any way.
For this build, I was unsure what sound profile this keyboard would produce. I have noticed in many builds that, despite the sound tests and various YouTube videos, each switch sounds different on different boards. What I did know is that my family member likes a deeper, poppy sound with a nice tactile feel when they press down on the keys. So I opted for a switch with a long stem pole that deepens the sound but a hard PC plastic casing so that the sound is still loud and poppy.
BOW keycaps
The outer body was powder-coated white, so I wanted to go with something simple and sleek. The black and white theme was a clean and crisp design. I also personalized the board with an artisan cap that had their logo on it as the escape key. This was my first time doing any type of customization, but the company I used was great, and I highly recommend visiting their shop, Capsmiths Inc.
