The headlining feature of the upcoming CSTM80 keyboard is the magnetically attached (and easily swapped) top case, allowing you to easily customize the aesthetics of your board on a whim. That said, there is a lot going on under the hood of CSTM80 to create a full-featured board out of the box, and we'll focus on those features in this story.

Typing Feel and Sound
CSTM80 features a peg-type gasket-mounted plate design, shipping with a polycarbonate plate by default for both the fully-built and barebones versions. The PC plate offers a satisfying typing sound and allows for a good amount of flex to take advantage of the gasket-mounting construction. The stock sound with the included linear switches (Gateron Yellow KS3) has a subtle marbly-ness while not sounding overly muted or deadened, and the included tactile switches (Gateron Browns) sound surprisingly similar while maintaining a strong tactility. We'll let the (soon-to-come) typing tests show the sound better than our descriptions, though—stay tuned for those.For further customization (an unsurprisingly common thread you'll find with this keyboard), additional plates will be available in Brass, FR4, Carbon Fiber, and POM materials. Swapping plates will be just as easy as other hotswap boards for quick modification and testing of new configurations.

In addition to plate and mounting considerations, a full assortment of foams will be included with the CSTM80 by default. PORON plate foam between the plate and IXPE foam, IXPE switch foam between the switches and PCB, and PORON case foam beneath the PCB; as well as a silicone pad beneath the whole setup to fill the rest of the case and act as a bottom gasket for the keyboard.

South-Facing Switches
We know that many enthusiasts prefer south-facing switches to ensure zero keycap compatibility concerns; we also like to include LED-focused features and considerations whenever possible. With CSTM80, switches are all mounted in the south-facing orientation (5-pin support standard) to maximize compatibility.

We have also gone one step further and included laser-etched front shine-through keycaps with the fully-built keyboards to allow them to really shine. Should you choose to turn off the LEDs with these keycaps installed, the subtle legends make the keycap set appear as a classy blank set with only barely-visible legends.

QMK, VIA, and Vial
As has become standard, CSTM80 will be compatible with our own new Drop Keyboard Configurator, QMK, VIA, and Vial (after launch). VIA and Vial-supported firmwares can be easily flashed to the keyboard via our configurator application, which also includes the same keymapping support.Case Weight
Speaking of under the hood—all the way at the bottom of CSTM80 is an aluminium weight to add some heft and help CSTM80 feel more substantial, like the fully-aluminium keyboards many of us know and love. Additional finishes and materials are on the way for further customization, including stainless steel with black PVD coating, stainless steel with chromatic PVD coating, and brass with clear coating (to prevent oxidation).

CSTM Top Cases
As for above (or, more accurately, on) the hood? We've got a few top case colors, designs, and materials in the works. We are also planning to work with designers to expand designs from keycaps onto the top cases. Stay tuned for more information on top cases in the next Story!

What features are you looking forward to most with CSTM80? Is there a particular keycap set that you're most eager to see a matching top case for?