Page 3 - A Closer Look - Disassembly and Internals
The disassembly process of the MechLands Vibe99 is quite simple. There are no screws in this case, rather the top and bottom frames are simply clipped together. As such, you can use any flat tool or card to slide and unclip the frames from each other. While I could start by removing all the keycaps, I typically have a preference to remove keycaps and switches after disassembly if necessary. In this case, it is necessary if you want full access to the PCB and plate. Upon fully unclipping, I was able to simply pull it completely apart. This disassembly process was quite simple and comparable with many other plastic cases. It was a good experience to take it apart. Upon exposing the interior design, I was quite pleased with the design. As this is a wireless keyboard, there is a nice slot for the 4000mAh battery and the daughterboard in the bottom case. The silicone inside has a nice cutout for the battery as well.
The interior design was really quite good in my opinion. Taking a quick look, the design is quite simple. The MechLands Vibe99 is a gasket mounted keyboard. There are gasket sleeves placed on the edges of the plate to better cushion and remove any friction. The implementation is quite good, as we have a decent amount of space to work with to allow for some bounce when typing. Generally speaking, the gasket mount structure of this keyboard is quite standard with its implementation.
The foam in the case is done well. MechLands does not hold back when it comes to foam in this case, as inside, you will find foam for the bottom of the PCB, switches, plate, as well as some silicone to fill up the case. Foam usage in keyboards is quite important, so having access to this much foam is excellent. To explain simply, the more foam you use, the more muted your keyboard will be for the most part. The Vibe99 uses poron foam for the plate and below the PCB. Regarding the switch foam, this case uses IXPE foam rather than the PE foam used in the ever so popular Jelly Epoch. I have noticed the usage of IXPE has been becoming more popular in keyboards. Switch foam is a strange usage of foam that I personally find to be a cheat code to premium sound with no science to back up my claim.
The plate inside of the MechLands Vibe99 is polycarbonate or PC for short. PC is a very popular choice when looking for a deeper sound type for your keyboard. This plate material will provide a deeper tone of sound and in this case, a deeper “clack”. As an independent factor in the keyboard, the plate properties that affect its sound include its stiffness and density. To be more specific, we want the specific modulus or specific thickness, which is also known as the stiffness-to-weight ratio. The lower this number is, the more “thocky” this material will be for a keyboard. As of writing this review, I have not seen any material with a lower specific modulus than PC.
Upon closer inspection of the MechLands Cream Mint switches, I hope to provide you with more detail in the makeup of the switch. MechLands does not provide any information about the makeup of the switches itself, but I suspect it to be a polyoxymethylene, or POM for short, stem. In terms of the housing, there is a much wider range of options, with nylon being the most common. I will not bore you with the specifications of these plastics, as the materials are not confirmed, but to put simply, POM is a material with a low coefficient of friction making it a good choice for stems as they are constantly being rubbed against the outer housing. Nylon also has a pretty low coefficient of friction, being a good pair for POM. I will note that the pole of the switch is slightly longer, as indicated by the shorter total travel. The spring is slightly longer than the usual switch stem at 18mm.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. A Closer Look - Disassembly and Internals
4. Conclusion
