Akko MOD 003 Kit Part 2

Disassembling the kit is quite simple if you have a matching Allen key for the eight screws on the back. This allows the entire case to be taken apart, and there are no internal USB cables to worry about, either. A closer look at the top piece shows the CNC machining in full force, as well as the excellent anodized finish that leaves no marks inside or out. The middle piece consists of the plate and PCB, which we will examine soon, and the bottom piece has a foam sheet.


This relatively thick foam piece absorbs typing noise and reduces case reverberations, which is always a good thing if prioritizing how the keyboard sounds, and whether the sound signature is only that of the switches. The foam dampens the resonant frequencies of the switches bottoming out and keycaps striking the plate, which keeps the fundamental sound signature intact. Removing the foam, eight more screws keep the plate insert in place on the back. This means the Akko MOD 003 easily supports modding and adding your own plates, and I would have liked some more replacement plates as first-party options.


The middle section is what makes this a gasket-mount kit, evidenced by the various pieces of flexible, pressure-absorbing high-density foam around the periphery. I would like more to be added to the space beneath the Fn key row, especially as pressing down there will result in a noticeable gap. Regardless, the gaskets on either side and sheet between the plate and PCB further cushion the keyboard when pressing down on keys, and isolate the various elements from each other for a cohesive typing feel and sound.


Should you want to swap the plate out for one of a different color or material, the hot-swappable switch sockets mean you are a few more screws away from it as well. The PCB is black and very similar to the one in the Akko Black&Gold 3098B, down to the primary components and where they are placed. Soldering quality is quite good, including for the TTC hot-swap sockets I was expecting since the company has a history with TTC. Akko is clearly banking on using this new platform for at least a couple of years, so much so it has partnered with a USB microcontroller manufacturer to have its own branding on the chipset. This is a good way of hiding what is used, and the same continues with the (presumably) dedicated hardware LED drivers that also have no identification on them. Unfortunately, we don't get hybrid wireless connectivity despite there being room on the PCB, so this is a wired-only kit. All the components, including the switch sockets, SMD RGB LEDs, and capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered PCB.