DCX vs DCD vs DCL - Drop’s Keycap Profiles Explained
We’ve covered the basics of keycap profiles before—spherical/cylindrical, sculpted/uniform, etc. One thing that has come up more and more over the years as we’ve expanded our portfolio of offerings here at Drop is the distinction between some of our similar profiles. Specifically, what is the actual difference between DCX, DCD, and DCL? Cylindrical Profiles To recap the previous article on the topic, one of the most basic ways to separate various keycap profiles is by shape (cylindrical, spherical, or flat). DCX, DCD, and DCL are all cylindrical profiles. The most famous cylindrical profile is Cherry profile, as defined by the original manufacturer of the keycaps—Cherry. GMK now owns those tools, and as such, only they can technically claim to produce “Cherry” profile keycaps. Similar keycap profiles are often called Cherry profile colloquially, but are in actuality slightly different. For the sake of not splitting hairs, all of the cylindrical profiles discussed here are...
Apr 9, 2024
Here is the standard keyboard layout (ANSI and ISO). I have color coded the graphic in this way:
- 60% - Light Blue
- TKL/80% - Green
- TK/Fullsize/100% - Yellow
- ISO - Dark Blue (Keys that differ from standard ANSI)
So, with this system any keyboard that is covered by light blue/green/yellow caps alone SHOULD be covered by a standard 104 keycap set (like Ducky, Tai Hao, etc). Keep in mind a few more boards can be covered by these sets, just not with the correct profile for each key.At the end of this article will be a Download section where I will link all of the Raw data so you can import any of these layouts into Keyboard-Layout-Editor.com for further inquisition of any layout. You will be able to see the exact keys sizes through doing this as well.
There are many different ISO layouts in terms of legends that I won't even go down that rabbit hole, but this is simply a representation of the physical layout of the keyboard. Obviously the number row keys can EASILY be replaced with the ANSI keys, as this isn't a physical layout difference, but often requested keys, same for ALT and ALTGR.
Now, for my examples I will be marking keys in RED that are non-standard sizes. I will also take key rows into consideration for this discussion. (See WhiteFox Vanilla example below for more info). Keys that may be included in other standard kits will be colored accordingly.
Let me use the WhiteFox Vanilla layout as an example:
Keep in mind designers don't generally split up keysets by 60%/TK/TKL anymore, but this example is more to give you an idea of what to look for in other child deals/kits when buying or designing keysets. Designers can use this to easily see what keys cover multiple boards and could be grouped together to be the most cost effective, and as a consumer you can easily determine what child deals/kits will be needed to give you full and proper coverage of your board, if it is even possible.
Due to the fact that keyboard layouts seem to come out almost daily, I will be maintaining this thread and a thread on KeyChatter.com with these layouts, adding them as they come. It will probably take me a few days to get all layouts right now up and correct any errors I may make (starting at layouts for hours can make it very easy to overlook things!) Also keep in mind many keyboards that come as a kit can be build with various layouts, but if you are doing a build I expect you will know what you need cap wise ;)
If you have suggestions/keyboards to add/fixes/etc just leave a comment here for me or PM me under the same name on GeekHack/Deskthority/Reddit or at andy@keychatter.com
40% Keyboards JD40 (below):
60% Keyboards HHKB (below):
65% Keyboards WhiteFox Vanilla/TADA68 (below):
75% Keyboards Duck Octagon/MK84/Keycool 84/Various (below):
TKL/80% Keyboards Winkeyless (below):
Fullsize Keyboards/Numpad Boards RS96 w/o arrows (below):
- Note: The PgDn key can easily be filled by a standard Scroll Lock key to fill the space with a correct profile cap
RS96 w/arrow keys (below):Various/Split Keyboards/Misc. **MORE to be added soon**
ErgoDox/ErgoDox Infinity (and ErgoDox Clones)
Atreus
Downloads/Raw Data https://gist.github.com/livingspeedbump To further inspect any layout and by loading it into Keyboard-Layout-Editor.com simply download the .zip file with the .json file from my github, and navigate to the "</> Raw data" tab on KLE and click on the green "Upload JSON" file in the lower right hand corner.
You can then select the "Properties" tab and click any key to see the height or width of a particular key.