Montech MKey - Dipping the Toe in the Modern Keyboard Scene

Montech MKey Full Size Darkness (Stock)

My first post on this blog was about keyboards, namely the IBM Model M keyboard. At the time I thought it was the greatest keyboard that was ever made or will ever be made. As a mechanical buckling spring keyboard it was one increasingly few such keyboards that, even in reduced form through Unicomp, survived the push to cheap, disposable rubber dome membrane keyboards of the 1990s and 2000s. Mechanical keyboards have made a comeback with Cherry switches and their clones and advancements and improvements in keyboard design have compelled me to take a look and see if I can replace my beloved Model M as my desktop weapon of choice. Starting with a relatively inexpensive keyboard, the Montech MKey, let me explain in this blog entry the experience I have had customizing this keyboard.

One Foot in the Grave?

Occasionally one should try new things to keep one's perspective fresh and, in many instances, remind us of how great things were and could still be again. The mechanical keyboard renaissance has been in full swing for about ten years now, but during that time I have almost exclusively used IBM Model Ms from the late 1980s. A few things have begun to make me think a little differently about the venerable M. First, one of my Model Ms had a failure in its membrane that could not be repaired without replacing the membrane. This required a bolt mod which I tried but ended up cracking the plastic piece that holds the springs in plates in several places. That Model M remains on the repair pile.

Second, during the pandemic I needed to replace my computer, which had components from 2014. At the time building a computer with a decent graphics card was prohibitively expensive. I had to buy an HP OMEN and its motherboard did not come with a PS/2 port. This required me to use a Soarer's Converter to interface my Model M to the modern computer. The Soarers converter works very well and can translate not only Model Ms to USB but also my Model F XT and AT keyboards.

The Model F keyboards are better built than the Model Ms. They do not use plastic membrane contacts but real PCBs with capacitate switches. Not only does this make them more durable but also provides for n-key rollover. For the uninitiated, the number of keys which can be recognized when pressed at a single time is known as rollover. The Model M can recognize 2 keys pressed simultaneously at a time, so it is said to have 2-key rollover. Due to the differing signal technology the Model Fs have no limit on how many keys it can recognized when pressed at once. You can easily have 10-key rollover on a Model F keyboard. This is what is referred to as n-key rollover or NKRO.

Modern Mechanical Keyboard Trends

Modern keyboards usually use a switch manufactured by, cloned or derived from a Cherry keyswitch. Cherry-style keyswitches have a plunger which sits over a spring and against a pair of plates. When the plunger is pushed down, it pushes one plate against another and when the plates make contact, a make signal is sent to the keyboard controller. Cherry switches have a cross-shaped stem onto which the keycap sits.

Cherry-style switches come in three basic styles, clicky, tactile and linear. They are often color coded, blue and green switches are clicky, brown and yellow are tactile, red, silver and black are linear. Other companies like Gateron and Kaihl make compatible switches. There are dozens of manufacturers making switches and hundreds of different switches to choose from at all kinds of price points and availability. It can be difficult to keep track of individual switches due to the sheer number available.

Even though the USB interface supposedly only supports 6-key rollover, any USB keyboard can support n-key rollover. However, in order to support NKRO with a Cherry-style switch, there must be a diode on the PCB in line each switch to make sure that the current between the row and column on the keyboard's PCB matrix only goes in one direction and is not redirected when another switch is pressed. Cheap membrane USB keyboards may be limited to 2-key rollover but that is due to the limits of their technology, it is hard to embed diodes on a plastic membrane.

Another innovation of modern keyboards is that of the polling rate. By default, a USB keyboard can poll at 125Hz. This was the polling rate of the PS/2 interface and should be sufficient for all but the fastest typists, but gamers demand more. These days the standard polling rate for any gaming-grade USB controller, whether mouse, keyboard or gamepad, is 1,000Hz. While some devices may advertise even faster polling rates, being able to give a report of inputs at 1000 times per second is sufficient for gaming and low latency responses.

A final, must-have innovation is backlighting. Backlighting, which generally has an LED above or below each key, helps illuminate the keyboard in a dark room. RGB LEDs became available in the mod 2010s and as they came down in price even budget keyboard support per-key RGB LEDs. The keyboard can be instructed to show a variety of color patterns and effects. Single color LEDs are a thing of the past.

Modern keyboards are generally customizable in two ways. The Cherry stem allows a variety of keycaps to be used to replace whatever keycaps the keyboard comes with. Individuals can make their own keycaps and try to garner enough interest in them from enough people for a group buy in order to finance their creation. If you want a set of keycaps which illustrate The Great Wave Off Kanagawa or have a character from SpongeBob SquarePants on each key, you can find them. If you want keycaps with bubble gum or forest colors, they can be easily found. You may also find keycaps with different profile heights and shapes than the standard Cherry and OEM profiles.

Keycaps use two types of plastic, ABS and PBT. PBT is more resistant to wear and shiny keys but is more expensive and difficult to work with. ABS is frequently found on "gamer keyboards" from major companies, especially ones with shine-through keycaps for RGB lighting. The key printing on custom keycaps is either dye sublimation or double shot. Dye sublimation can produce some very sharp keycaps but cannot produce white text on a black background while double shot keycaps are more expensive.

Many keyboards now allow you to change out your keyswitches. In the past, keyswitches were generally soldered to the board and while you could build a keyboard from a component kit, it meant breaking out the soldering iron. Most modern keyboards and kits now have sockets that allow you to hot swap the switches with just a pulling tool. You can now mix and match keyswitches to your heart's content if your keyboard sports hotswap sockets.

Not all keyswitches are created equal. Factory tolerances, machining precision and material quality can all have an affect on how the switches feel. Even at quality factories the vagaries of the manufacturing process can lead to switches which may feel rough, scratchy or not pleasant to type on. Moreso in the past than in the present, it was common practice to open up the switches and apply a lubrication agent like Krytox 205G on the switch body and stem. These days most switches come from the factory pre-lubbed and do so well enough that most users will not feel the need to engage in the laborious process of taking apart each switch and lubbing the friction-causing components by hand.

The sound a keyboard makes has become increasingly important. One reason why mechanical keyboard declined in the first place is because they used to be rather loud, unwelcome in a busy office or at a desk next to an apartment bedroom. Modern keyboards, especially the ones with non-clicky switch types, can be rather quiet. Many of them have a layer of gasket foam to reduce higher frequency sounds generated by the keyboard. It is generally preferred to eliminate high pitched pings and rattle to permit a "bassier" or "thockier" feel to the keypress sounds. Sometimes this sound requires modding a keyboard by opening it up, adding foam, painter's tape or some other sound dampening material to the rear of the keyboard PCB. Metal keyboard enclosures may benefit from having strips of electrical tape placed between the two halves of the enclosure to reduce or eliminate an annoying metallic clang. 

While redefining the function of keys has always been of interest, and Windows makes it easy enough to do with software programs, today's keyboards typically have special software which let the user customize what responses his keyboard reports to the system without the need of software specifically designed for interception. In other words you can assign key responses different to the keycap's legend for that key, unplug the keyboard and connect it to another system and expect the key to respond as you indicated on the first system. This does not add any lag to the key response, unlike the software interception method. Keyboards can come with their own configuration software or use an open source software solution like QMK and VIA. QMK is not the easiest solution, VIA is much more friendly and the two are cross compatible. These software support hundreds of keyboards and new keyboards are being added frequently.

Keyboard layouts are no longer nearly as standardized as they used to be. The IBM Model M established the 101 key layout and Windows 95 added three more keys to that layout, but otherwise the key positions have remained fundamentally unchanged. These keyboards are called 100% or full-size keyboards. The tenkeyless (TKL) 87-key keyboards were popularized by the IBM Model M SSK (Space Saver Keyboard) by eliminating the numeric keypad and sometimes referred to as an 80% layout. 75% is also pretty popular, it keeps the cursor keys but ditches the Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause and some of the editing keys. 65% keyboards eliminate the function keys and 60% condense the keyboard to just the center five rows. A 60% keyboard may or may not have cursor keys. Sub-60% layouts exist but are really only for the most extreme reductionists.

The above summary just barely scratches the surface of the modern mechanical keyboard scene. I could go on about gasket mounting and plate materials which may dampen the sound versus impacting the key response. There are also advanced topics such as the use of optical and hall-effect switches for genuine analog input. While aluminum bases used to be a feature only found on high end keyboards, they are now increasingly affordable compared to keyboards that use cheaper plastic bases. Custom "artisan" switches and exotic switches may only be purchased via a group buys, and the process for joining one usually requires watching the Geekhack and Deskthority forums like a hawk. For this review I believe that the above summary covers the bases of what this keyboard is designed to accomplish.

The MKey's Hardware

I had several requirements for a new keyboard. First it must be affordable, if I don't like it I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on it. Second it must be a full size keyboard. Third it had to have customizable keycaps and switches, I may not like the switches or keycaps it comes with. Fourth it had to have programmable software and RGB lighting. Fifth I wanted to steer clear of big name brands like Logitech, Razer, Das and Corsair. I feel those brands are tired and focus too much on the gaming aspect of mechanical keyboards while ignoring the productivity requirements for a keyboard. 

I looked long and hard for a keyboard which would suit the above criteria. While I was not completely satisfied with any modern choice I could actually order today, I decided to save money on the base keyboard itself and spend extra on keycaps and switches. The Montech MKey looked interesting, it was reasonably priced, fully featured and had good reviews. Montech is mainly known for making PC enclosures and this was a new venture for the company. They make the MKey in the Full and the TKL layouts and with either "Darkness" or "Freedom" color schemes. Darkness is black, Freedom is blue. There is no ISO-style layout with the vertical enter key available for the MKey line, so European users may need to look elsewhere.

The full layout keyboard versions were $64.60 on Amazon when I bought them in May, and for that price I could hardly resist. The TKL versions can be had for a few dollars more. (One of the weird things about modern keyboards is that keyboards with fewer keys and smaller layouts often cost more than full size and even TKL keyboards.) The layout was a bog-standard 104 key layout, even some full size keyboards can tamper with the proper layout. For this review I have imposed a requirement that I type it up completely using the keyboard. 

I will voice a minor gripe here that Amazon shipped the keyboard without any packaging covering the box, so everyone who handled it could see what it was. No one would have to risk prosecution for stealing a mystery box with a package that says exactly what is inside it. Amazon did slap a trio of shipping labels on the rather nice box itself but I was able to remove them and the residue left behind with Goo Gone. 

For that cheap price, the MKey comes stacked with features. It is a heavy keyboard, weighing in at 3.3 pounds. I believe the keyboard is weighted down with metal inside it, but I have not seen a video of it fully opened. The plastic top is black and the bottom is red but does not feel cheap. There is very little flex when the keyboard is twisted. The detachable USB cable is 6.2 feet.

The MKey has removable keycaps and hot swappable switches. It comes with dye sublimated keys using the MDA keycap profile. The switches can be had in Gatreon Pro 2.0 Reds, Browns or Yellows. These switches are pre-lubbed. The keyboard comes with height adjustable flip out feet, giving the keyboard three height settings. There is a braided USB Type C to Type A cable with channels cut into the keyboard base to direct the cable to the left, right or center. There are four status LEDs, Num Lock, Macro Recording, Caps Lock and Windows Key Lock. Finally there is a rotary dial that allows you to select the RGB lighting scheme. The keyboards come with a few extra keycaps for those who would like to use the Osaka Castle-inspired pattern keys and a keycap and key switch puller.

The low price point does involve some downsides, but only two of them are major issues. The first is that the keyboard uses its own software to customize key functions, RGB effects and complicated macro recording. It is not QMK/VIA compatible. The second is that the keyboard is held together using plastic clips instead of screws, so repairs and mods to the keyboard are less convenient and more risky than a Keychron keyboard for example.

The keyboard comes with a two sided function layout out the built-in functions and the rotary knob's functions. Some of the key combinations affect the lighting effects, others function as Window Media keys. Unfortunately the keycaps do not have front printed legends on them identifying which function is assigned to which key. The Fn key takes the place of the Right Windows Key and cannot be remapped in software. 

The dial can change the RGB lighting effect by turning it left or right but can also, by pushing it down, be set to change the speaker volume of the attached computer or, with another push, be used as a zoom in and out function. The dial's functions cannot be remapped in software, it only performs one of these three functions. It would have been nice to be able to use the dial to control the VAUS in Arkanoid. The RGB lighting effects of the keyboard can be completely turned off with Fn + Esc, but to turn off the RGB led surrounding the knob, you use Fn + F4. You can turn off the annoying function of the Windows key by pressing Fn + Windows, this will also turn on the Windows Lock status LED. A downside is there is no status LED for the Scroll Lock or any way to show its status with the keyboard. MAME uses Scroll Lock as a toggle to allow the keyboard to activate menu functions, but the toggle does not correspond to the state of the status LED.

Recording macros is possible using the keyboard without the custom software. You can record macros to some extent with the keyboard's Fn key and without needing to use the software. The only time the Macro Recording status LED will turn on is when a macro is being recorded using the keyboard's function. Macros can be assigned to the 0-9 keys on the number row of the main keyboard area and are invoked with Fn + #. Holding down Fn + Shift + Esc will factory reset the keyboard and clear all macros. A number key with a macro assigned to it by the keyboard will appear light purple in color regardless of the color scheme selected. Only turning the backlight off with Fn + Esc turned the LED under that number off, but that did the same for all others. I did not understand this at first and almost sent my keyboard back, thinking it was a bad LED, until I saw a reddit post complaining of the issue. Montech does not really have a manual to advise a user about this feature, it would have saved them my emails to customer support. I believe I was not holding the factory reset key combination long enough because the factory reset was not working at first.

MCORE105 Customization Software

The MKey's Software

The software is called MCORE105. The closest thing this keyboard has to a manual is here but it does not offer instruction on how to use the software. When launched it presents four tabs, light setting, button settings, macro management and other settings. Light setting allows you to change the lighting schemes, the colors for some of the schemes and the brightness of the schemes and the speed at which the effects work. Changes may not take effect instantly. There are 18 built in RGB color schemes, the software lets you set each key to a particular color using the Custom option. 

The button setting allows you to set the function for each individual key. If you would like to reassign the annoying Windows and Menu keys to some more useful function, you can reassign it to any other standard key, an office key like copy or paste, a multimedia key like play or pause, a power or wake key, a mouse key or gamepad fire button. You also assign macros to keys using this tab.

The third tab, macro management, allows you to record macros. You hit record, then enter the combination of keys you wish to assign to a macro, then save it as a name. The macro function will measure how long a key is pressed down in milliseconds and you can adjust the timing or rearrange the key press order in this tab. Return to button settings to assign the macro to a key. You will have to export your macros to the keyboard, which makes them available even when the software is not in use.  You can also save your stored macros with the software's import command.

The final tab, other settings, allows you to set NKRO and the USB polling rate. There is no need to lower the USB rate from 1000Hz and no reason not to enable NKRO. I have read some older BIOSes may have trouble with NKRO as opposed to 6-key rollover, but unless you need to access such a BIOS, keep it unlimited.

The software allows you to engage a factory reset, but it will not reset the macros recorded by the keyboard itself. You can also load and save multiple profiles with settings made with the software.

Modded with Mistel Keycaps

Customization

As a "budget keyboard", the MKey does not have a full range of customization options, but what can be done should satisfy most people. The two biggest options are the keycaps and keyswitches. I was not a huge fan of the stock MKey keycaps, the key legends especially annoy me with their different font size descriptors. "Caps Lock" and "Control" are printed in a smaller font than "Enter" and "Shift". For my own build I bought the Mistel Classic Black Keycaps Set with white lettering off eBay. I wanted the key legends to look "business-like", a.k.a. as close to the IBM Model M's keycaps as opossible. I also bought a corresponding Mistel Classic White Keycaps Set with black lettering so I did not have too much of a boring "black-on-black" experience.

I had to buy my keycap sets off eBay due to supply issues. The keycaps were not cheap at about $47 + shipping each, but I despise legends on my keyboard which look like they use Comic Sans or do not have the letters in the upper left corner of the keycap. These keycaps were made from double-shot PBT, which costs more than other options but has two really big advantages. First, double-shot printing means that the key legends will not wear off the keycaps, unlike pad printed or silk-screened keys. Second, double shot printing allows for allowing key legends with lighter colors to be printed onto darker keycaps, unlike regular dye-sublimination printing. (Reverse dye sublimination does exist but it is still a bit of a rough process). Third, because PBT is a stronger type of plastic, it will not wear away and leave you with shiny, slippery keycaps nearly as quickly as ABS keycaps. ABS plastic can yellow over time if the plastic formula is not correct, this is an issue not seen with PBT plastic.

Now onto the keyswitches. I found that the keyswitches were not the best for typing. I am using to a tactile click of a Model M keyboard, and these lubricated linear red switches are almost as far from that experience as you can get. So I wanted to find a tactile and clicky switch that gave a premium feel. Naturally this can be difficult buying switches blind, so I watched many reviews until I found a set of promising switches, the Zeal Clickiez.

The Clickiez' design was inspired by vintage Alps White and Blue keyswitches. These switches were highly prized back in the day for their quality but do not age as gracefully as a buckling switch. They get scratchy and unreliable when dust or dirt enters the key body, and they are by no means impenetrable. The Alps switches are not made anymore, and while Matias makes a similar switch with an Alps-compatible keystem mount, the Matias' switches are not compatible with hotswap keyboards. The Clickiez' use Cherry cross-stem mounts but have a click leaf inside them similar to the click leaf in an Alps clicky switch. 

The Clickiez are not cheap switches, Zeal sells them for $12 for 10 switches and wants $17 shipped regardless of whether you buy 10 or 110. I would need to buy 110 to replace every keyswitch on my 104-key keyboard. I did not want to drop that much money if I did not end up liking the switches, so I decided to replace only the letter key switches and a few more. I bought 30 keyswitches and I can say that the number of mistypings has decreased. The switches' click does not sound offensive to my ears. I do not personally yet see a good reason to use the Clickiez' on lesser used or larger switches except for Caps Lock. I would prefer to have my arrow keys remain linear.

One "hidden" benefit of the Clickiez is that they can be modded to be a linear or a tactile/non-clicky switch. In order to change their behavior you have to open up the body with a special tool and either shift the click leaf's position (to eliminate the click) or to remove the click leaf (to make it linear).

The main limit to the customization of the MKey is that it is not really amenable to having itself deconstructed. The top plate is held to the bottom by plastic clips instead of screws like you would find on a Keychron board. It can be opened but the process looks like its more trouble than its worth. It already has gasket mounting and two layers of silicon absorbing foam, so in terms of the thock department it cannot get that much better. I do not know how easy it might be to replace the stabilizers but I don't have an issue with them. There is no "give" to the keys when pushed down, the keyswitch PCB does not use a flex-cut PCB. This is fine for me because I am used to the Model M which used a steel plate behind and hard plastic over the keyboard membrane.

Conclusions

Can I recommend this keyboard? As an entry-level full size option for a mechanical keyboard, for the price point I can absolutely recommend it. The build quality is excellent, the key sound is very pleasant and quiet (except for the spacebar, which is a little rattly). The keyboard is customizable in the most important ways, namely switches and keycaps. The base is generic looking enough that most custom keycaps will not clash. The software is adequate for the regular tasks of remapping and macro recording if not as fully featured as QMK or VIA. The switch puller included with my keyboard bends when removing a switch, so I recommend getting a dedicated tool if you plan on replacing all the switches. 

Replacing the keycaps addressed the few aesthetic issues I had with the keyboard. I wanted a very different experience from the Model M but for the main letter keys, the linear reds were not giving me the feedback I needed to avoid too many mistakes. The Clickiez have helped significantly in this regard. I am not sure if this keyboard will be a permanent replacement for my main PC but it would make an excellent keyboard for other devices I own which take a USB keyboard, including my Analogue Pocket's Dock and MiSTer setups.