Disassembly

One of the advantages of using all-metal housing for a keyboard is that the manufacturer can't use interlocking tabs anymore, and screws are really all that hold the components together. In this case, it is made all the easier with the use of ten screws on the back that need a 2 mm Allen key. Once all screws are removed, the top, PCB/plate, and bottom pieces can all be separated by enough. There is still an internal connector cable that needs to be dislodged from the PCB to separate the bottom piece from it, so be sure to do so if you end up having to take this keyboard apart for some reason.


It is at this stage where you truly appreciate the aluminum housing used here, and also note one of the main changes done in this V.2 that the first version had not with a reinforced connector for the micro-USB port, which in turn connects to the PCB via the cable dislodged in the previous step. This connector was prone to coming loose in the first version, which iKBC rectified by encasing it in thick plastic that is held in place by screws. This should have been the case from the get-go, but at least it has now been corrected, which means you should be good as long as you make sure to buy the V.2. We can also see that the PCB/plate piece has three indicator LEDs here that were mostly hidden underneath the case, which has their light shine through three pin holes instead.


The middle piece is the PCB with a steel plate on top through which the switches are soldered in, and the plate adds even more structural integrity to the keyboard. The PCB is red in color, and the model name as well as the date of design finalization have been printed on, and overall solder quality is good. Notice that the PCB design is identical to the F108 here, which explains the older date. Each switch has otherwise neatly soldered points, as do the LEDs for this specific 108 key configuration.


Another change to the PCB here is the addition of insulating foam pads across the length of the PCB to prevent shorting issues from any contact with the metal case, which will also prevent early deaths of the SMD LEDs used. Powering the iKBC MF108 RGB V.2 are three separate Macroblock MBIA043GP LED drivers, a Holtek HT32F1654 32-bit ARM Cortex MCU, and 4 MB of flash memory from the 25Q41BT flash module. The LED drivers have been used before with other RGB keyboards without any issues, including the iKBC F87 and F108 RGB. Everything is limited to hardware lighting control only in this case, which limits the customization options and complexity of those tasks these drivers have to handle. As per usual, the iKBC MF108 RGB V.2 uses a multi-layered PCB.

Before we move on, be advised that disassembly will void the warranty and that TechPowerUp is not liable for any damages incurred if you decided to go ahead and do so anyway.