Yo guys, I got a fat box to open up from Wuque and M.ONE.
And we of course have the Ginkgo 65 custom mechanical keyboard!
Inside the box we have some switch pads, which now has been changed to a sheet.
Our daughterboard.
Some hardware.
Poron gaskets.
I got an FR4 plate.
The said sheet for switches that replaces the pads.
An aluminium plate.
And finally the keyboard itself, and what a beauty.
I’ll just say it straight away, this starts at 249USD, which while is a lot of money,
we could say is towards the more affordable end for custom mechs.
But first impressions, it looks and feels really nice in the hands.
And check out that bottom.
Alright, let’s chuck on the rubber feet and open it up.
They included a Hex key, which you may need to use because the rear screw holes are pretty
deep.
And it comes apart like so.
Okay, let’s start from the bottom.
All the bases are made from aluminium, but mine is in this stunning copper ano.
Although it is a little scuffed on the inside.
I’ll put that down to it being a proto for now, but that’s what I have.
It’s pretty shallow, so the actual base is decently thick, which should help with
sound.
And the Ginkgo engraving is a nice little touch as well.
They refer to this as an isolation gasket mount keyboard.
So here are the Poron foam gaskets, which are approximately 2mm thick.
We have 2 different types.
There’s 6 full spots for the large ones, but the final piece is split by the USB port.
It doesn’t look like you need to cut it, but I did it anyway.
And then we have the 2 side gaskets.
This kinda gives you the idea of the clearance we have, but remember compression.
And finally we have our daughterboard.
Next up we have the PCB, in which the default is a hotswap one, with Kailh hotswap sockets,
so there is no soldering required.
However it has a fixed layout.
If you want more customability and layouts, like ISO, split mods, split space etc, then
you’ll have to purchase the solderable PCB, which is ONLY available as an add-on.
Therefore, if you want solderable, you will have both PCBs, which almost baits you into
getting another plate, just because.
Now to stabilisers.
Because we have a thinner 1.2mm PCB, instead of the more usual 1.6mm, some stabilisers
won’t sit properly on the PCB, depending on what brand you get.
In our case, the Durock V2’s have a lot of wiggle room, so they gave us these shims.
They’re kinda hard, so if you want to soften or dampen your mods, then you can use like
foam or fabric band-aids or whatever..
The default plate will be polycarbonate surprisingly, but here are the other plate materials that
you can add-on.
Obviously each will differ in sound and feel.
They gave me aluminium, FR4, and polycarbonate, and we’ll of course try them all :)
They’re all identical, in thickness and shape.
There’s a heap of cuts pretty much everywhere.
And we have our tabs that are sticking out, which sit on the gaskets.
Now we have some optional foam, which is included.
First one is this thin PE sheet which goes in between the PCB and the switches themselves.
This is not a necessary step, but will be a bit of work to remove later.
I did have to make a few cuts to make it fit.
Again prototype :)
On top of that, you can use the mid foam layer piece if you wish.
Again, not necessary for the build.
You’ll notice that there’s only 3 holes for each keyswitch, and that’s because the
pins will pierce through the foam and into the sockets.
I did also use the included standoffs, which basically help hold up the plate from the
PCB.
These are also optional.
And you can leave them out for a little more flex.
Yet another optional foam layer on the bottom.
Then finally our top aluminium piece which house the same 6 gaskets as the bottom piece.
And here is the Ginkgo 65 custom mechanical keyboard.
I feel like I say this all the time, because that’s just how I am.
But it really is quite an attractive looking keyboard.
Very clean design, but manages to spice it up a little bit with a few little things.
We have reasonably sized bezels but they have this stepped design that gives it a bit more
dimension with different lighting as well.
One thing that I did notice from some angles was that it made the bottom bezel look quite
thin because of the step, making it look a little unproportionate to the thicker top
bezel.
I dunno, that’s just me, but still very nice.
The copper colour comes through nicely all the way round.
Looks great, we don’t see any screw holes or anything.
Just that strip of colour.
Looking at the side profile, we have that seamless design, with a comfortable 7 degree
incline.
And on the rear there’s an indented centred USB type C port, with a feint Ginkgo leaf
engraving.
The bottom of the board is stunningly simple, especially in this copper colourway, it exudes
class and pairs so well with the black.
It kind of gives the vibe of having a weight, but not actually, almost as if it wasn’t
aluminium.
And the Ginkgo leaf.
Beautiful.
Just so simple, but I love shapes like that, nature, leaves in particular, I’ve always
liked.
Probs won’t be an issue to anyone, but if you run your finger up from the bottom, it
can be a little sharp.
Everything on the outside is just so nicely done.
The fit and finish.
Even on the underside there’s chamfers on all the edges, making it feel more refined.
Nothing feels unfinished.
65% form factor, pretty standard with the fixed hotswap layout.
All programmable via VIA.
And, let’s have a quick listen.
We’re gonna hear in order, polycarbonate, FR4, and aluminium plates, with aeboards All
Clack switches for tactile, and Banana Splits for linear.
All foam installed.
Very very solid performer.
Across the board, I really liked all the combinations.
Keep in mind, all of this was with all the foam, which definitely brought the configurations
closer together, so I think without the foam, the differences would be more noticeable and
clear.
And I do apologise for using the leather deskmat.
It gave the sound tests a more thuddy sort of sound that didn’t come up when I tried
a normal cloth deskmat.
Starting with polycarbonate which is the default plate.
This, as well as POM will provide the softest experience for most switches.
It has quite a dampened bottom out in feel and sound, which is quite pleasant to use.
But the foam is definitely compacting everything, bringing everything towards the top, rather
than being dispersed throughout the case, which results in that tighter and poppier
sound and feel.
I actually really liked the All Clack tactiles in this, because it mellowed them out a bit,
made them a little more rounded, not as sharp.
But as a default plate, it’s nice and safe, and I feel it’ll align to many people's
preferences.
Onto FR4, and this is the material PCB’s are made out of.
And it’s just a slight bump in hardness from the poly.
From what I could hear, it’s pretty similar to the poly, but a bit tighter, less vibrations
and sound going through the board and onto the desk, and I can see that in my spectral
display.
I dunno, sounds a bit dead and flat, so not my favourite.
The difference is more noticeable with the tactiles.
There’s a touch more sharpness to it, and is a little higher pitched.
And finally aluminium.
This was the stiffest feeling from what I had.
So the bottom out was slightly harder and clackier.
But that brought out more pop and vibrance which you can hear.
The spacebar in particular really came to life.
Once again, a tighter and cleaner sound.
If you don’t want to muddle your tactiles, alu is a pretty balanced choice, and you can
really feel that tactility.
So what I found was that I liked the feel of poly, but the sound of alu.
The other 3 plate materials include brass, carbon fiber, and POM.
Remember that you will receive polycarbonate with your keyboard, so any other materials
will be add-ons.
Also remember that I had all the foam installed.
Later on, I did try it without the thick mid foam piece, and it does allow for a bit of
flex, especially in the middle where there is very little flex for all the plates, doesn’t
matter what material, with the foam underneath it.
And in doing so, it introduces some bounce and vibrations, bit of springiness.
Fortunately the foam is not an acoustic fix.
Even without it, there was no noticeable case ping or hollowness.
So all round, very very solid with a range of configurations.
I don’t think it will absolutely wow, but I’m absolutely sure it
Again, a lot is dependent on the switches you use.
Your setup, and everything else in between.
And that’s the Ginkgo 65.
Amazing, again, we’re always making progress, and even with keyboard prices getting higher
because of various material shortages and whatnot, we still get stuff like this.
At the time of this video, you will struggle to find something this nice at around 250USD.
Obviously still a lot of money, but as always, perspective.
Although personally I’m not the biggest fan of being locked into a polycarbonate plate,
and a hotswap PCB, because if you want say an alu plate with an ISO layout, that’s
gonna cost you an extra $65.
And then you’re left with a spare plate and PCB, that you may or may not use.
I understand it makes it easier for them, but on the other hand it affects the customer.
Otherwise, there’s not much bad to say about this at all.
It looks great, feels great, performs well.
Some really attractive colours to match whatever you want.
And just a solid allrounder.
The GB will end in like 3 days or so from this video, so pretty soon.
I’ll link all you need in the description.
Bless.