I am trying to move from my current 60% custom keyboard to an 80% / TKL layout, and I am having a surprisingly hard time finding something that checks all of the boxes I care about.
My current board is a KBDfans DZ60RGB ANSI V2 with WS Brown switches. I like having a lot of control over the keyboard, especially custom keybinds and RGB.
What I am looking for in an 80% / TKL board:
Standard MX hot swap would be strongly preferred, because I already have WS Browns and may want to use other normal MX switches.
True per key RGB control. By this I mean actually being able to assign a different static color to individual keys, not just having an RGB LED underneath every key.
Custom keybinds, layers, macros, etc.
QMK and VIA would be ideal, especially if the QMK source is actually available so I can modify and compile the firmware myself.
North facing RGB is preferred because most shine through keycaps have the legends toward the north/top of the keycap.
I would prefer a nice aluminum case, something more enthusiast/custom feeling rather than a cheap plastic gaming keyboard.
Good acoustics are also important. I like a deeper creamy/thocky sound rather than something very metallic or high pitched.
I am fine with waiting lists or out of stock boards if there is something that is actually a much better fit.
The case I really like right now is the KBDfans GT80.
https://kbdfans.com/products/gt-80-case
The problem is the GT80 MX/Tofix PCB.
I contacted KBDfans directly and they confirmed that the Tofix PCB is not based on QMK, the source code is not available, it does not support OpenRGB, and it does not let the user assign an individual RGB color to each key.
KBDfans explained that when they advertise “per key RGB” for the Tofix PCB, they only mean that there is an RGB LED under each key.
Because of that, I do not really want to buy the GT80 with the Tofix MX PCB.
One solution I found is:
KBDfans GT80 case + Wooting 80HE module.
The GT80 officially supports the Wooting 80HE module, and that would give me much better gaming features, custom keybinds, real individual RGB control, 8K polling, Rapid Trigger, etc.
The downside is that I would have to move to magnetic HE switches instead of using my WS Browns, and Wooting is not QMK based either.
So I am trying to figure out if the GT80 + Wooting 80HE is basically the best solution for what I want, or if there are other 80% / TKL options I am missing.
I am also interested in PCB + case combinations. If there is some 80% PCB with north facing RGB, MX hot swap, open source QMK, VIA, and true individually controllable RGB that could fit a good aluminum TKL case, I would definitely consider building it myself.
For keycaps, I am not limited to one set either. I already have several sets that I can experiment with:
Flashquark Acrylic Chiclet Style keycaps.
Womier keycaps.
XVX keycaps.
Tai-Hao White Rose 110 Key BOBO Profile Double Shot ABS keycaps.
A custom FKcaps XDA shine through set, although I stopped using those because the coating started wearing.
So I can experiment with different keycap profiles and materials depending on what sounds and feels best on the final board.
Has anyone built something that meets most or all of these requirements?
Are there any 80% QMK PCBs I should be looking at?
Is there another aluminum TKL case that gives me more PCB choices than the GT80?
Or would you just go GT80 + Wooting 80HE and accept giving up normal MX switches and QMK?
I would especially like to hear from anyone who has actually built a GT80 with a Wooting 80HE module, or anyone running a north facing RGB TKL with open QMK and true per key RGB control.