Disassembly

Given Redragon threw in extra switches and we have removable switches here, I wanted to take one apart to show you what is inside. Choosing which one was easy enough since the keyboard only comes with the Red switches out of the box. This is a linear switch adopting the Cherry MX design with a clear top, red stem, metal spring, and base housing that also houses the metal leaf contact. As the stem travels down, it touches one side of the metal leaf, which in turn is pushed towards the other side. This metal contact then triggers the actuation of the keystroke on the PCB itself, and off it goes to your computer to be reflected as an action.


As far as plastic case keyboards go, disassembly of the Redragon K596 is among the easiest. Eight Phillips head screws on the back keep the top plastic panel screwed in place, and removing these makes removing the top easy. This gives us a closer look at the ABS plastic construction with cutouts for the smaller plunger keys above and the volume wheel as well as the rubber layer on the PCB for part of the tactile feedback.


Further disassembly requires separating the plate/PCB piece from the bottom plastic panel, and there are more screws to remove. Access to these can be had after removing specific keycaps as seen above, and a total of 12 screws need to be taken off before carefully lifting the plate/PCB upwards to where the internal cable connecting these two pieces can be unplugged.


Once the cable is dislodged, we can get a better look at the ABS plastic bottom panel and the light diffuser pieces on the sides for the side lighting. We also get a 3000 mAh battery, which is where that cable came from, and there is a foam piece over the battery for electrical isolation. Finally, we also see the embedded magnets for the wrist rest.


The top of the PCB houses the other keys we saw before and the volume wheel going to the programmed encoder. The wheel is knurled and fits into the housing in a specific manner only. The PCB itself is green and solder quality is alright. A lot more hot glue than necessary is used on some of the larger components, and we don't see any of the fancier hot-swap sockets from Kailh or Gateron that some others have used to good effect. There is lacquer on the MCU and what looks to be a dedicated hardware LED driver, so identifying these is not easy. As is the norm, all the components are soldered onto a multi-layer PCB.

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