So here’s a lesson learnt that I’d like to pass onto others that are starting out on the journey to build custom keyboards. If you buy individual keycaps, check the shape and size.
First, the required shape of the key will depend on where you want to place it, e.g. an escape key on the back row has a different shape to the Ctrl key on the front row. You’ll see codes like ‘R1’ and ‘R4’ which I think represent the back and the front row respectively, although I’ve also seen some vendors use those terms in the opposite way.
Second, figure out what size key you need. I actually didn’t know there were different sizes, so when I ordered this purple keycap from Drop to replace my escape key, I had no idea that my current keyboard uses cherry keys (which is different from cherry switches) and this Drop key is ‘SA’, which is a lot taller. And since I bought it out of ignorance, Drop won’t take it back, which is fine - I was the one who made the error, so I’ll treat it as a $35 lesson. I’ll ask my son if he wants it on his gaming keyboard, and if not, I’ll see if anyone on the forum is interested in it (no charge, except maybe a couple of dollars to cover a padded envelope and postage).
