Disassembly

Disassembly of the Mistel MD870 SLEEKER is extremely simple due to the use of just eight easily accessible screws on the back. You will need an H2.5 Allen key, and removing all the screws will allow you to lift upward and off the top case piece. For some context, my finger is on top to show how thick it is.


The switches are plate mounted through a stainless steel plate and, just as if that wasn't enough, into the PCB underneath for some more structural integrity. This piece is screwed into the bottom piece via a few Phillips head screws and, removing them, we can separate these two components to get a better look at the two. Mistel has added a plastic insulating sheet between the PCB and metal case to prevent shorting, so remember to put it back during re-assembly. The bottom piece is even thicker than the top piece, and combined, these make up a large portion of the keyboard's cost.


The switches can't be taken out unless you are willing to de- and then re-solder. As it is, we see the PCB is red in color with excellent solder work throughout. This seems to be machined rather than hand-assembled given the neatness, and it is good to see Mistel retain the high build quality both inside and out. The female USB Type-C port can be seen on a corner, with some tantalum capacitors for company.


Powering the Mistel MD870 SLEEKER is a Holtek HT32F523 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller with up to 128 KB of onboard flash memory and 16 KB of SRAM. In addition, there appears to be a dedicated 256 KB flash memory module to store the pre-programmed functions and lighting options built specifically for this keyboard. As is the norm these days, everything is soldered on to a multi-layered PCB.

Before moving 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.