Hey what’s going on you guys, today I’ll be showing you the
Tomo build which is a keyboard design collaboration between TGR and Monokei.
This 75% keyboard is for a client who is a now a good friend of mine.
Contents of this video will include discussion of the keyboard build process itself and a sound
comparison between the frosted polycarbonate and aluminum plate. I did acquire this keyboard
as an extra from Mekibo so if you do want one and you’re based in the US,
please visit the Mekibo website to see what’s in stock as extras are limited.
Starting off with the specs, the Tomo does come in a variety of anodized colors
which include blush pink, olive green, royal purple, titan grey, suave blue,
and silver. We opted for the olive green here by client’s choice and I think it has a very nice
earthly tone vibe to it. There is a special edition kit to this keyboard which actually
weighs a bit more at 2 kilos compared to the 1.6 on the standard kit which is what we have here.
The Tomo is held together via the top and bottom case by 8 hex screws which
can be accessed from the bottom. And there are 7 hex screws that hold the
plate onto the top case as this is a pretty straight forward assembly which you’ll see.
This is a top mounted style keyboard with enough space for an alternative O-ring mounted build if
the user chooses. The O-ring is supposed to wrap around and between the plate and PCB like so.
Personally, I went without the O-ring because I chose to use the plate foam which makes
installing switches a lot easier especially on softer plates like the default polycarb.
Also note that if you choose to use the plate foam,
it will interfere with the O-ring installation as the O-ring will
protrude too far out around the edges in order to fit inside the bottom case.
Sound wise, I personally didn’t notice a huge difference between using the plate foam and
without so I opted to lean towards using it as it yields a much easier switch installation process.
The top right corner of the top case utilizes a round anodized badge which
can be swapped out and accessed after removing the plate via two
screws with either the TGR or Monokei branding depending on your preference.
The daughterboard and JST cable for USB-C is connected in the center of the keyboard and
secured using four hex screws. When connecting the JST cable to the daughterboard, be mindful of
the orientation of the connector pins as you don’t want to damage it by forcing it in the wrong way.
Finally, there is a case foam that sits between the bottom case and the PCB to protect it from
any potential contact. For this build, I opted for a hotswap PCB instead of soldered because
my client is new to custom keyboards and this will allow him the ease of trying out
different switches. As for the plate, we’re going to go with the aluminum plate for the
heavier weight and also a more consistent sound across the board which I’ll talk about later.
Client’s switch preference is tactile so I’m using these Koala switches that are lubed with Krytox
205g0 but not filmed as the housings are already pretty tight. Stabilizers I’m using clear Durock
V2 and the PCB is also Band-Aid modded to prevent any potential ticking. Here are the sound tests.
As part of the linear gang, I have to say that these Koala switches are really good.
Even in stock form they were already 9/10 with light factory lube. I didn’t add a whole lot of
lube to them myself because I wanted to retain as much of their original higher pitch as possible.
One thing I will say is that now, I actually want to do a tactile build
in one of my next personal keyboards because of this Tomo build. Now the
only thing I would do differently is that I would use a linear switch in the
spacebar only. Because a tactile switch for spacebar feels a bit sticky to me.
Observing closely, you can see from the nature of tactile switches the stem hits
the leaf on the return stroke with a bump. This is not as prominent on shorter keycaps,
not even on the Shift, Enter and Backspace keys, it’s only the Spacebar where this
effect is enhanced due to its much longer length with stabilizer stems held farther
out on each side. Even the sound of this Tangerine linear switch sounds cleaner under the Spacebar.
Additionally, the Tomo overall provides a stiffer typing experience especially
with the top mount configuration. Even with the O-ring mount, there isn’t a whole lot of space
within the keyboard itself for flex and bounce if that’s something you’re pursuing in your build.
Personally, I didn’t hear a huge different between PC and the aluminum plate. Not
quite sure if you can hear it through my sound recording but at least in person,
the aluminum plate sounds a bit more consistent throughout the board. In terms of typing feel,
both are equally stiff in this board regardless of mounting style in my opinion.
Alright, that’s all I have for this. I do have the Geonworks Frog TKL and
Mode Sonnet videos in the works right now so stay tuned for that. If you have any
questions or comments about the Tomo build here, drop them down below. So as always,
thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one.