28 Feb 2011, 10:25

The 356 Custom Keyboard Series

The First: 356L (Limited)

The Second: 356N (Non-Click)

Third: 356CL (Classic)

Brass Plate

Fourth: 356CL Dark Gray Edition

Fifth: 356mini

Sixth: 356N MK2

Since a bunch of people always ask "omg what is that keyboard???" every few weeks, whenever someone links a picture from OTD, I figured it would be nice to write a summary about all the Korean custom keyboards released within the past few years. This first summary will take a look at the 356 series, not the first or oldest custom keyboard series, but most likely the most popular one.Many thanks to the admins of OTD for granting me permission to publish this information to the western community. Also thanks to soulbane for helping me to fill in empty gaps of information and translating the stuff I did not understand!Now with further ado, here is the summary.The 356 custom keyboards are a series of fully "community-developed" Cherry MX keyboards made by members of the Korean keyboard community OTD. The development started with the 356L in 2008.* Tenkeyless design* Full aluminium case (CNC carved)* Features and construction usually adjusted and tuned for the optimal feeling of a certain type of keyswitch* Distributed as kit containing of the housing, the switch backplate as well as the PCB and sometimes some additional parts.* PS/2 Interface (With the exception of the 356L, which is USB)* Usually available with and without steel plate, partial steel plate or partial acyrlic platePicture courtesy of 늙은Dell♨ March 2008Linear switchesBlackYesNoCherry G80-3000 USB60The 356L keyboard was developed for the use of linear switches. It was only available with a black aluminum case and did not come with a custom controller. The PCB was designed around the use of a Cherry G80-3000 controller and therefore is the only board from the series to use a USB connection. Being limited to only 60 pieces, this is by now one of the most rare keyboards from the 356 series. Every 356L has the serial number carved into the bottom of the case.2008Tactile Non-Clicky switchesSilver and ChromeYesNoHoltek IS628A40The second in the series, the 356N was developed to be used with non-click switches (Cherry MX Clear, Cherry MX Brown). As a result, the red-colored PCB is thinner and more flexible than on the 356L. There was no steel plate for the 356N and it was only available with a light aluminium plate or a partial acyrillic plate. The keyboard is most common in the silver version, with a few variants in a polished chrome look. The entire run was limited to 40 pieces. The 356N uses a custom controller based on the Holtek IS628.2009VariesGunmetal, BlackNoNoHoltek IS628A60 Gunmetal, 30 BlackThe 356CL is probably the most versatile in the series. The aluminum case has been designed to give space to an extra thick brass plate, located under the PCB in the bottom part of the case. The brass plate is mainly supposed to minimize the sound resonance (pinging and the like) caused by the Cherry MX switches. The PCB is much thicker and less flexible. In comparison to the other keyboards in the series, the brass plate also results in a massive weight increase. The 356CL has been available with a steel plate for the full keyboard as well as partial plates from steel and acrylic. The controller is still the same Holtek as used on the 356N series.2009VariesDark Gray (duh!)YesNoATMega16200+ (estimated)The 356CL Dark Gray Edition is considered to be a "value" or "budget" version of the 356CL. In comparison to its rarer brother the 356CL, it does not offer the possibility to increase the weight with an extra brass plate and uses a different controller. Hidden under the spacebar are 4 dip-switches, offering for some layout customization in a similar fashion as found on the HHKB (Swap CTRL/CapsLock, etc). With over 200 units made, this can probably be considered as the first "mass produced" keyboard from the series.2010VariesBlack, Red, KhakiYesYesController: ATMega16 (Protoype) or ATMega32~100The 356mini is an exception to the series, using a very space saving design, similar to HHKB in size. Similar to the 356CL, it also offers a brass plate to be attached in the bottom part of the case to increase the stability and weight. Designed for portable use, the brass plate is located at the outside of the case and not under the PCB as on the 356CL. The mini uses the same controller as the 356CL Dark Gray Edition, but also can be entirely customized using an online webapp . The 356mini uses a detachable PS2 cable that features a PS2 plug on one side, and a mini-usb plug on the other side. Despite this, the 356mini is not actually USB compatible.2011Non-Click switchesSilver, Black, RedYesYesATMega16~100 (10 red, rest silver and black)The MK2 variant of the 356N is a re-make of the original 356N with a lower quality case and a different controller. Unlike the original N variant, this one offers N-Key rollover.