Disassembly

Given the hot-swappable nature of the switches, it only made sense to take one of the Gateron Red switches apart. This 3-pin mechanical switch employs the Cherry MX stem design, so we have the usual construction with the top, a crosspoint stem/slider, spring, and housing that has the metal leaf for the actuation mechanism. The switch does not come pre-lubed, which is reason enough to take these apart and lube and even film them if that interests you. This is otherwise a standard linear switch with no bumps or protrusions along the path of the stem as it meets the metal contacts to initiate switch actuation.


Disassembly of the XVX M84 is relatively simple for a plastic case keyboard given the single-piece case construction. Simply remove some specific keycaps as seen above to access just six Philips head screws keeping the keyboard together. A precision screwdriver comes in handy, and you may now lift the plate and PCB section up far enough to fully separate the two pieces after removing the internal cable connecting them.


This internal cable leads to a daughter PCB that acts as a switcher between wired and wireless mode and is connected to the 1850 mAh battery for power when using the 2.4 GHz connection. I wish XVX had gone with a larger battery, as has become the norm with many such wireless keyboards, and the otherwise empty case would have benefited from a foam sheet to reduce typing noise reverberations. It is also at this point that we see a simply vinyl wrap over the plastic case for the design we saw before, which keeps cost low. It does mean you have to take more care not to scratch or tear into the exterior, although there's no need to baby the keyboard—just use it normally. The PCB is green and has the switch sockets soldered in place, but you can fully separate the steel plate from the PCB by removing every single switch for further modding, such as replacing the stabilizers or re-lubing.


XVX is using Gateron 5-pin hot-swap sockets. Based on my previous experiences with keyboards using the same, these are excellent in practice. Solder quality is generally very good, and the PCB is definitely machine-assembled. Powering the keyboard is an HFD1101KBA 64-bit USB microcontroller, about which I couldn't find much useful information online, but it has been used in the past and does the job just fine. Wireless connectivity comes from the Beken BK2425 low-power, high performance 2.4 GHz transceiver. There are no dedicated LED drivers, so the USB microcontroller does double duty by also being the lighting controller. All the components, including the switch sockets, SMD RGB LEDs, and capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered 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.