Drop Mech Keys Meetup Recap - Thanks for Visiting!
As you may have seen, we just hosted our first meetup in quite a while here at Drop HQ (Corsair HQ, but they seem to like us enough :) )! It was a blast to get to meet so many enthusiasts local to the bay area—it had been 10 years since I was last hanging out with keyboard nerds in the bay, at KeyCon 2014. We had a great time hosting everyone at the offices, checking out all the very nice boards y'all brought, and sharing some of our own projects/spaces! I knew it would be fun to host in the Game Room when I first saw it in person, but seeing it come to fruition was still so cool. Alright, I'll stop blabbering on now. xD Picture time! (Oh, real quick - there will be more of these! Stay tuned for more info and to catch the next one!)
May 15, 2024
Cylindrical Profiles To recap the previous article on the topic, one of the most basic ways to separate various keycap profiles is by shape (cylindrical, spherical, or flat). DCX, DCD, and DCL are all cylindrical profiles. The most famous cylindrical profile is Cherry profile, as defined by the original manufacturer of the keycaps—Cherry. GMK now owns those tools, and as such, only they can technically claim to produce “Cherry” profile keycaps. Similar keycap profiles are often called Cherry profile colloquially, but are in actuality slightly different. For the sake of not splitting hairs, all of the cylindrical profiles discussed here are “close enough” to Cherry that you would probably not be able to tell a difference from shape alone when typing. What differentiates DCX, DCD, and DCL then?
DCX - Drop Cylindrical “X” (ABS or PBT, double-shot (PBT can also then be dye-subbed as well)) DCD - Drop Cylindrical Dye-Sub (PBT, dye-sub) DCL - Drop Cylindrical Lumen (ABS, laser-ablated shine-through) Keysterine - Transparent ABS, UV thermal legends (unlikely to be confused for the others, included for completeness)
Left: DCD, Right: DCX A combination of material options and legending methods are what ultimately separate the three “DC” cylindrical profiles. DCX tooling can be used to make either ABS or PBT keycaps, and they will always be double-shot. DCX PBT can then be dye-subbed after injection, since the material is compatible. DCD, on the other hand, is limited to PBT material, single shot—so must be dye-subbed to impart legends on the caps. DCL is focused solely on shine-through capabilities, featuring a coated translucent base which is exposed in the legending process.
DCX Novelty Tooling
Spherical Profile Rounding out Drop’s profile portfolio is MT3, our in-house spherical profile developed in partnership with Matt3o. There are actually two different sets of MT3 tooling, for the two types of materials/legends available. This is one reason why kitting can sometimes be different depending on material choice for the keycap set. MT3 ABS - ABS, double-shot MT3 PBT - PBT, dye-sub
Image credit: @modest.gg Which profile is your favorite? What sets should be re-run in a new profile?