Drekiskip Mounting Plate

Want to further customize Drekiskip's feel and sound profile?

With mounting-plates of different materials, new possibilities for customization are unveiled.

• Dimensions: 319.4 x 138.4 x 1.5 mm
• Layout: 75% ISO - compatible with Drekiskip mechanical keyboard
• Material: Carbon fiber, brushed copper, frosted polycarbonate or FR4
• Only FR4 has flex/acoustic cuts

What is the difference between the plates?

In short; the sound and feel.

Sound profile

When you press the keys on a keyboard, the force exerted is transferred through the keycaps, switches, and onto the plate, causing it to vibrate and produce sound waves. The plate's vibration frequency, which determines the sound it produces, is influenced by its weight, density, and stiffness. A heavier and denser plate will yield a deeper sound, whereas a stiffer plate will produce a higher-frequency sound.

To compare the materials in a simple and clear way, we can use the ratio between stiffness (modulus of elasticity) and density. This ratio gives an indication of how a material will behave in terms of vibration and sound production (middle column).

In practice, one would expect that materials with higher numerical values would vibrate at higher frequencies, thereby contributing to a brighter, higher-frequency sound. Conversely, materials with lower numerical values would be expected to produce a deeper sound.

Feel

When it comes to feel, the softer materials will  usually give a softer feel when typing, while harder/stiffer materials will give a more pronounced, less flexible feel. If we rank the materials based on elasticity, the order is slightly different (higher numbers indicate higher stiffness, lower numbers indicate softer material).

Not surprisingly, the metals are softer than carbon fiber, but stiffer than all plastic materials.

Keep in mind that both the soundprofile and the feel are affected by many other factors as well. Switches, keycaps, and dampening materials will all have an impact on the overall experience. This overview does only give an indication of the objective properties of the various platematerials.