Keychron is giving its popular mechanical keyboard designs to the community
Keychron, the manufacturer of popular value mechanical keyboards and mice, has released hardware source files for its products on GitHub. The files are released as “source available” rather than fully open-source, meaning they can be viewed and modified for personal or educational use, but cannot be used as the basis for commercial keyboard sales.
The release includes editable files for keyboard cases, plates, and keycaps. Combined with the fact that many Keychron keyboards already run open-source VIA or QMK firmware, this enables users to make substantial customizations to their hardware. The source-available licensing allows the community to experiment with modifications while protecting Keychron’s commercial interests by preventing direct commercial competition.
This move represents an unusual approach from a commercial hardware manufacturer, granting users significant control over the physical design of their peripherals while maintaining some constraints around commercialization.