Typing my way through the rabbit hole of the mechanical keyboard with Drop CTRL

The keyboard is one of two parts of a computer setup where flesh and blood meet plastic and metal. (The other is the mouse or trackpad.) Using a keyboard effectively means moving your fingers with the precision that a computer can understand, usually doing so faster than the speed of conscious thinking. So while many people like a cheap or standard keyboard – as long as it reliably records keystrokes – others don’t mind spending a little more on something better.

And then the real connoisseurs spend hundreds of dollars buying parts from around the world to build their own dream keyboard – a mechanical keyboard, of course, where each key has its own mechanical switch.

I didn’t want to go too far when recently, I finally immersed myself in the custom keyboard. So I decided to get the Drop CTRL pre-built, but very customizable. Drop CTRL is a voltage-free device with individual 100 Hz RGB LEDs that supports auto-switching Cherry MX style switches (board mount only) running QMK firmware. It comes with OEM profile PBT double-shot keycaps and switch options. Ufa. But, no, none of this is meaningless marketing talk.

I paid $ 225 for a sophisticated black model with Cherry MX Brown switches installed (plus $ 15 for shipping from the U.S. to Europe; surprisingly cheap). And after 33 agonizing days of waiting, I finally started my journey through the rabbit hole of the custom keyboard.

USB-C 1.1

Release CTRL

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The first indication that Drop CTRL is not an IBM Model M surviving since the PC AT era through the sheer strength of build quality is the fact that the CTRL connects to a computer using USB-C. And what could be better than a small USB-C port, suitable for any orientation and looking to the future? Two USB-C ports. There is one on the left rear and one on the right rear of the keyboard. You can use either one to connect to a computer; the keyboard then acts as a one-port USB hub, so you can connect an additional accessory through the other port.

However, although the connector is the latest and greatest, the protocol is USB 1.1 full speed. This means only 12 Mbps and the keyboard consumes only 500 mA of power. The second port charges my iPhone at about 2 W, and charging continues when the computer and keyboard are hibernating.

The included cable is a USB 3.0 type A to USB type C. I tried some cables with USB-C at both ends, but it often didn’t work. Notably, Thunderbolt-compatible cables connected to a Thunderbolt-compatible port did not work. Some charging / USB 2.0 cables connected to a Thunderbolt port on the computer worked, and the connection to the USB-C port on my monitor also worked with several cables.

RGB LEDs

After connecting the cable, the LEDs under each key and around the sides of the keyboard lit up in a wavy rainbow pattern. This colorful lighting certainly adds a touch, but it is also functional: with the LED lighting off, it is very difficult to distinguish the legends on the keys.

Each key has its own set of RGB LEDs that can create 16 million color combinations. On cheaper keyboards with this feature, the LEDs may flash to some degree, but the LEDs on the CTRL are updated at a rate of 100 Hz, which means that there is no noticeable oscillation. You can change between a handful of animations and various solid colors, and you can change other settings for the LEDs with key combinations. I found that I didn’t care about the RGB animations happening in my peripheral vision, especially with the slightly reduced speed.