Disassembly

Since we already have a loose switch from before, I figured we might as well take a peek inside. The Hako Clear is a Box switch as well, with the box here being the plastic cover over the tactile feedback mechanism (a small plastic nub the slider has a path on to and pushes inward) and the contacts for actuation. This design allows for plastic-on-plastic contact for increased durability and reduction in any moisture making contact with the metal underneath. Kailh and Input Club also claim reduced wobble in use vs. non-Box switch designs, although your mileage may vary here as to whether you will actually perceive the difference.


This is not so much a disassembly as much as simply knowing that the frame is only held in place via magnets along the edges, and that these can easily be lifted off. Another part of the highly modular nature of the Kira, It allows Input Club to easily switch between the two frame options depending on which order is placed.


You can, if you so desire, use the Kira keyboard without the frame, and above is a look. We can now better appreciate why the company made sure the steel plate had a good finish as well, as it makes this a viable option for those who would prefers this look from time to time. We can also better see the indicator LEDs on the side. Further disassembly requires the removal of certain keycaps, which is easier with the frame removed for access to the screws we saw before. All screws have countersunk Phillips heads, and a precision screwdriver helps here.


With the screws removed, the two main pieces of the keyboard can be separated, although not completely. There is still an internal cable connecting a daughter PCB in the bottom plastic housing to the primary PCB, which is how the USB power and data is transferred from the Type-C connector on the daughter PCB. We can also see that the plastic bottom half is translucent, which is how the under and side-glow lighting on the Kira come into effect.


Both PCBs are a matte white in finish, which means that any imperfection is just that much easier to spot. The modular nature of the Kira, especially the hot-swappable switch, is made possible through the new Kailh hot-swap switch socket that came out last year. This means that there is a lot less soldering to worry about, and overall, this might well be the neatest-looking keyboard PCB I have had my hands on. I also appreciate that the PCB specifically calls out the company and designer for bringing it to fruition, knowing full well that most people will not see it; that is, unless you buy the Kira as a kit you assemble yourself, of course.


A closer look at the various components of interest begins with the button that is accessible on the back, which is used to flash the keyboard firmware. The open-source nature of this keyboard and very few others means that nothing is kept behind a wall, and there is an ERASE notice underneath to make sure you know what it is too. The Input Club Kira is powered by an Atmel (now Microchip) ATSAM 48SC ARM Cortex-M4 USB microcontroller running at 120 Hz with 512 KB embedded flash memory for the firmware on board, 128 KB SRAM, and 16 KB ROM. As per usual, all the components are soldered on to a multi-layered PCB.

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