SPC Gear GK540 Magna Kailh Brown RGB

 

Visual inspection

The GK540 Magna has a simple design with an all-black plastic body and a metal plate that covers the PCB and the top surface of the keyboard. The layout used on this keyboard is standard, with no dedicated keys, such as macro or system volume. The GK540 Magna is available in three different versions, each using a different Kailh switch, Brown, Red or Blue.

 

The keyboard has a weight of 1.18kg thanks to the usage of a metallic plate that covers the front side of the keyboard body. Thankfully this plate does not have a brushed texture which will attract fingerprints, it has a matte black finish. In addition, the usage of a metal plate also increases the overall stiffness of the keyboard, the flexing of the body is minimal.

 

The backside of the keyboard has four rubber pads to keep the keyboard in position and prevent scratches. At the center there is installed a keycap remover, to remove it from its holder, simply slide it towards the left.

 

A channel is present on the rear of the keyboard, this is used to route the cables in three directions: to the left, right or center of the keyboard. This feature is especially useful when a large stand monitor is used with the keyboard, as the cable can be cleanly be routed around it.

 

The GK540 Magna has two adjustable feet, that will raise the back of the keyboard by 14mm. This means that when the feet are folded, the keyboard has a height of 36mm, and when fully extended, it has a height of 50mm. In addition, these feet have rubber pads to provide more grip and stability to the keyboard.

 

The cable has a length of 1.8m and is covered in hard textile sleeving which is also braided. The keyboard uses a USB 2.0 connector that is gold plated for increased reliability, there is also a plastic cap which is attached to the connector.

 

The mechanical switches used by the GK540 Magna are manufactured by Kailh, and can be the Brown, Red and Blue models. The keyboard featured in this review uses the Kailh Brown switches, which have an actuation force of 55g. Each switch has its own LED integrated into the switch housing.

 

The soldering quality is very good across the entire PCB, the metal plate, mechanical switches and the PCB are one single assembly. This reduces the risk of the PCB flexing and the contacts being damaged during usage.

 

The center of the GK540 Magna is the Vision VS11K09A USB microcontroller, a controller that has little to no information about it available on the web. The other controller present on the PCB, presumably an LED controller is also made by Vision, and is called VS01.

 

The USB cable is connected to the PCB through a simple 4 Pin connector. The usage of a connector and not directly soldering the cable to the PCB makes the replacement and servicing of the entire USB cable and connector assembly easier.

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