Epomaker GK61XS: Closer Look

As the name suggests, the GK61XS is a 61-key, 60% form factor keyboard. It is available as a pre-built keyboard with different switches or a case/kit for you to assemble yourself. It is similar in design to the pre-built SK61 we recently saw, which was the optical switch version of this mechanical-switch GK61. The XS at the end of the name also signifies wireless connectivity support, which is handy for such a small form factor keyboard. The GK61XS typically comes with a plastic case, so to switch things up (pun intended), I went with the wood case option instead.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see more of the case design; it has been nicely machined out of a single piece of wood and given a smooth finish and varnish. There are no certification labels, which would almost be a crime on this case, and we don't get any keyboard feet as with the acrylic or aluminium case options either. Four rubber pads at the corners add friction against the resting surface and prevent any scratches to the case itself.


There is an inset USB Type-C port in the top-left corner facing away from the user for the cable to plug into, which also charges the internal battery for wireless keyboard connectivity. The cable has a braided black finish, which I suppose is a safe choice for a wood case. You will need a spare USB Type-A port on your PC for wired connectivity, and USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data alike, although USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) is recommended.


A look from the side confirms the built-in elevation with the case, which itself is high-profile to make up for the lack of any keyboard feet. It is fairly tall even at the bottom, so a wrist rest might be handy for those not used to touch typing with their hands hovering above the keyboard. Four screws hold the removable space bar guide plate, which can then be swapped out for the other one, in which case you also need to peel off the foam supports currently blocking the other two switch slots. The foam pads dampen the downstroke with the space bar, especially since it uses a separate plate from the rest of the keyboard.


Two sets of Phillips-head screws hold the plate and PCB on the case, removing all of which helps get a closer look at the polycarbonate plate used by default. I am not a fan of this plate even for smaller form factor keyboards since it tends to flex more than a metal one. As we will see shortly, the split plate design also makes this worse. The PCB itself is still connected to the case owing to an internal cable going from the built-in 1900 mAh battery glued to the case, so disconnect it to fully separate all the pieces.


We can now better appreciate the wood case, which I will say has the varnish smell when you take it out of the box. It might be too strong for some, so leave it outside for a couple of days. The machining is quite well done, and we have brass threads for the actual screw holes to ensure the wood doesn't split. The PCB is black and chock-full of components owing to the deep feature set aboard.


There are a lot of soldered components, including the USB Type-C connector alongside several tantalum capacitors. We also see Kailh hot-swap switch sockets, which is fitting given the use of Kailh switches. For lighting customization, each switch has an SMD 5050 RGB LED. Powering wired mode is a Weltrend WT59F164 32-bit USB microcontroller based on the RISC microarchitecture with up to 64 KB flash and 8 KB RAM. There are also three separate Shenzhen Sunmoon SM16159 LED drivers to help run all the RGB LEDs on the keyboard. Wireless connectivity is powered by a Cypress CYW20730 Bluetooth 5.1 processor and integrated 2.4 GHz transceiver. All the components, including the sockets, LEDs, and capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered PCB.