I’ve been doing more builds these days on and off camera, and one thing that many of
them have in common is that a lot of the stuff comes from KBDfans.
So today we have the new and exciting Tofu case from them, and some other interesting
parts to chuck in there.
To start off we have the dependable DZ60 PCB.
I’ve used this many times in the past, and it’s just a great all round 60% PCB, providing
a decent range of layouts, having RGB underglow lighting, supporting the QMK firmware, and
just being very easy to acquire.
We got the USB C version, but this is also available in mini USB which is also 5 bucks
cheaper.
We have some GMK screw in stabilisers, and they came just like this.
I don’t remember if they usually come with the nylon washers, but these ones in particular
did not.
And the reason why we want washers, is to prevent potential shorts from the screws.
So as a precaution I just used some electrical tape over some of the points where a short
could happen.
So for like the spacebar, it’s fine as there’s nothing around the holes, and probably even
the LED holes would be fine, but I covered them anyway.
And I also clipped and lubed the stabs.
For the plate, we treated ourselves to a brass mounting plate, rather than aluminium or steel.
It’s a bit more expensive, but you kind of get a combination of the other two, where
it’s heavy, coming in at about 145g, but at the same time, being a bit soft.
It’s 1.5mm thick, and feels great.
It comes in a quite reflective finish, but it isn’t the cleanest as you can see.
It doesn’t have the same bottom row compatibility as the steel or alu versions, but it’s perfectly
fine for what we’re making today, and for majority of people.
Now for the keyswitches, we’ve gone with some 65g Zilents, but we’ll change the springs
later.
And these are basically a silent version of the well known tactile Zealio switches from
ZealPC.
So just like the Cherry MX Silent switches, we just have some little dampeners on the
stem which dampen the bottom out and top out sounds, creating a very silent switch, hence
the name.
I also applied some thick lube to each switch, and chucked in some 72g Sprit springs.
I won’t go through soldering, but it’s all very simple through hole soldering that
you can learn.
If you want to learn how to solder, I’ll put links in the description, plus it’s
just a great skill to have.
Although you can buy this assembled with a switch of your choice for a bit more money.
And there will be a hotswappable HHKB layout version which looks absolutely amazing.
Now to the case, which is something I’m pretty excited about.
KBDfans have been treating us with budget options for a while now.
And while their 5 degree case and Tina case were fine, they still weren’t that kind
of standard case that you could recommend to everyone.
But the Tofu is something that I think will be very popular for an affordable aluminium
60% case.
It feels super solid in the hands as CNC’d aluminium would, and it comes in at just over
800g.
But it is a stunningly simple and solid case.
The anodisation is clean and looks quite even, but as you can see, it does take them fingerprints.
It is available in a good range of colours to match any setup which is really great to
see, but for class, we just have the black version.
Being a solid case, we of course won’t get to actually utilise the RGB underglow lighting
on the DZ60, but that’s fine.
And to make it feel extra nice, and perhaps a bit more quiet, I cut up some foam and put
it under the PCB with the appropriate cutouts.
We took a while to reach a conclusion on what keycaps we would get, especially since we
weren’t sure on what case we were going to use.
But with the sharpness and simplicity of the Tofu, I think that these EnjoyPBT Cherry profile
keycaps work perfectly.
This is a 148 key keyset, so we get most of the compatability that you will need for the
most part.
And these are great quality PBT plastic keycaps, having a thickness of 1.5mm, and these are
dye sublimated which will be durable over time.
And here it is all done.
And I’m really digging how it looks.
The word that comes to mind for me is classy.
Colour wise, it’s very simplistic.
We have that clean black anodised case, which matches the very clean black legends on the
keycaps.
And then we have the actual white plastic of the keycaps that gives that real contrast
to the case.
The light grey modifiers show a little bit of a classical vibe, while not being much
of an accent that stands out.
It’s a kind of warm white and grey that mellows it down a bit.
To give it a bit of character, we do have these Japanese sub-legends, which happens
to kind of fit that Tofu name.
I personally really like it.
It manages to fill up the board up a bit more and give it a bit of edge, and just make it
look less plain, but at the same time, staying clean.
The shape of the case is completely stripped down to a slanted rectangle.
The lines are super sharp, and the corners are indeed pointy.
We have sizeable bezels, with the sides being about 4mm, and the top and bottom about 7mm.
Looking at the side profile and we have that natural inclination to it, as there are no
external feet.
The completely flat sides give it a more monumental look, and makes it look thicker and bigger
than what it actually is.
And what tops it off for me is the brass mounting plate.
The shiny reflective gold surface peeks through just enough that you can see it, and since
with have that monochromatic theme, the gold fits in just perfectly.
Interestingly the RGB underglow lighting isn’t totally wasted, as it actually does come through
the top a bit.
So in a well lit room, you can’t really see it, but when you turn the lights off you
do see that RGB lighting, which you can turn off of course.
And this is because of the clear housings of the Zilent keyswitches, and a couple of
gaps in the plate and PCB.
And yeh, these Zilents are for sure an interesting experience.
Zealio’s are arguably one of the best, if not the best MX tactile switches, known for
their tactility and smoothness.
And then having these dampeners like the MX Silent switches, which I also really enjoy,
make for a unique keyswitch.
I of course put in the 72g springs, so the weight and tactility is different to stock.
So I’ll just talk about this current setup.
The familiar smooth travel is still present, which is helped by the lube.
The tactile bump is prevalent, much like it’s Zealio counterparts, although the lube does
take just a bit of that away.
It’s similar to the tactile bump of a Zealio, but it’s a bit difficult to compare as the
dampeners change the overall feel of the switch.
It feels more full in a way.
Usually MX tactiles feel kind of empty to me which I don’t really like.
And as with silenced switches, they’re much softer feeling, especially with that cushioned
bottom out.
So some may say that it’s perhaps a bit mushy, and that’s just how it is.
You won’t get the sharpness that a normal switch would have, but this is something that
I actually enjoy.
And of course these are very very quiet.
The loudest part of the keyboard are the stabilised keys, because of the actual stabs not being
silenced.
So you mainly hear that top out sound from the upstroke, and that’s about it.
And I’m still trying to eliminate that touch of rattle, which is annoying.
I’m not much of a switch connoisseur, so if you want to learn more about Zilents in
depth, I’ll put in a link in the description for that.
We did make just a tiny change to the layout, as the user has gotten used to the HHKB layout.
So we have the split backspace in the top right hand corner.
So now the backspace is 1 row lower with the appropriate keycap which is the correct row
profile.
And I really do like having it like this and it’s super easy to adapt to, and just makes
reaching backspace that much easier and comfortable.
So overall, this was a really satisfying build.
I am in love with the Tofu case.
I think that it’s just a really good solid quality option that is so simplistic yet beautiful,
that it will appeal to many many people.
Especially with all the different colours it comes in, and of course the value for money.
The Zilent’s deliver great smoothness and tactility, while being very very quiet.
With the lube and 72g springs, it’s a tad heavy for me, but that’s just me.
But I still have really enjoyed typing on it.
And just the overall aesthetic of it is just so appealing to me, from the Japanese sub-legends,
to the shiny brass plate underneath.
It just exudes class while still being expressive.
Thanks to Toasty for letting me build this keyboard for him, I thoroughly did enjoy it,
and I hope you guys did as well.