Mini Keyboard Switch Tester

A mechanical switch tester designed to feel more like a real keyboard and less like the usual grid of identical 1U keys.

The keyboard-style layout provides a more natural typing surface while testing different switches, and also makes it possible to evaluate how they feel under larger keycaps — something traditional switch testers often overlook.

The layout includes nine 1U keys, plus 1.25U, 1.5U, 1.75U, 2.25U and 2.75U keys, as well as an ISO Enter, offering a good range of key sizes and shapes for comparing switch feel in different positions.

The larger keys — including Shift, Space and ISO Enter — support 2U PCB-mount stabilizers, allowing you to evaluate not only the switch itself, but also how it behaves under a stabilized key.

It obviously can't reproduce the exact acoustics of a full keyboard, but the goal is to provide a much more realistic and familiar feel than a conventional switch tester.

Printing Tips

Two versions are provided: one without supports and one with custom supports designed specifically for this model.

I strongly recommend printing the supported version, as the custom supports help achieve better tolerances and cleaner surfaces while also making post-processing easier. They are designed to be removed easily: simply insert a pair of pliers or a screwdriver into the dedicated opening and gently pry them off.

For a more solid and substantial feel, I also recommend using at least 3–4 perimeters and a reasonably high infill percentage. The extra mass makes the tester feel denser and more keyboard-like, rather than light, hollow or cheap.

For those chasing the best possible surface finish, I personally enabled ironing only on the top surfaces of the custom supports. This helps improve the finish of the underside surfaces resting on them, while avoiding the extra print time of ironing the model itself, which doesn't really need it (in the slicer simply use Split to Parts and apply ironing only to the upper surfaces of the support parts).