Questions about Mysterium TKL

Learning and discussion Custom keyboards
,
1

I’ve been seeing the Mysterium TKL pop up in threads from time-to-time, and it looks like an interesting budget option.

Seems minimalistic. Could be used for a cheaper build to try out new switches.

But I’m wondering about a few things:

  1. What aftermarket case options are there for other than black/white case?

I like their default GB case options, but already have black and white. Do others make gray or silver or some other solid-colour cases? I understand you can also manufacture your own from the design files.

(I also liked the acrylic cases that are available, but I already have a transparent KB).

  1. Are there aftermarket plate options?

I see it being sold with FR4, which is okay. Although I think I saw POM plates on some builds, so is there an aftermarket plate maker using POM?

  1. How do they sound and feel compared to other sub-$100 kits?

  2. Are they more or less difficult to build than other entry-level kits?

Thanks for looking at this, any input will be read.

1 Like
2

So the Black and White Mysteriums really weren’t cases - that was just the color of the FR4 used for the plate, PCB, and base. You can have Mysterium PCBs and plates made in any color available by your PCB manufacturer (JLCPCB for example offers Green, Black, White, Red, Blue).

You can also have plates cut from any material available on Ponoko, Sendcutsend, etc. just by uploading the plate file.

Just note that the stacked acrylic case and the standard FR4 Mysterium use different plate files.

I had a stainless steel plate cut for my stacked acrylic case to give it some heft.

Here is the thing about the Mysterium - the only reason to build it is for the through hole aesthetic and being able to see the components.

If you get a stacked acrylic case the Mysterium is not much cheaper than other boards when you factor in the cost of the case. The cheapest one is $135 on P3D. The Switch Couture case is like $250!

It is fairly easy to build, it just takes a ton of time to do all the soldering.

Also, if you don’t know how to flash an AVR microcontroller with a boot loader using AVRtools from the command line, be prepared for a lesson :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

Thanks! This is very helpful!

Looks like you really have to plan out the build, in terms of ordering the right PCB, plate, case. No problem, but the foresight is necessary.