Visual inspection
The Genesis THOR 401 RGB has an interesting design with an aluminum top casing and half size keycaps. The keyboard features RGB LEDs installed underneath each keycap with Kailh Brown m mechanical switches.
The THOR 401 RGB has 108 keys and additional media control buttons with an extra dial for both system sound and RGB LED control.
The keyboard has the dimensions: 435 x 193 x 34 mm with a weight of 810g.
The keyboard has a simple 160cm long cable which is protected by thick sleeving. This cable is simple and works. Unfortunately, thanks to the thick sleeving, the cable is not as flexible as it could have been.
The back side of the keyboard has an interesting striped pattern which has a glossy texture on its lower part. While many keyboards have channels on their underside to channel the cable on one side, the THOR 401 RGB does not have such channels.
The THOR 401 RGB has two height adjustable feet at the rear. Both have small rubber pads in place to keep the keyboard secure. At the front, the keyboard has two larger rubber pads acting as its feet. Weirdly, the rear wide feet are not made from rubber, but instead they are solid plastic.
The switches used on this keyboard are made by Kailh and are the Brown variant. These mechanical switches have an operating force of 45g and a travel distance of 3.6 mm. The benefit of these switches is the lower-than-average noise output, especially when compared to blue mechanical switches. The lifespan of these switches is over 50 million presses.
The keycaps of the THOR 401 RGB are made from ABS plastic and have a half size form factor. These keycaps are well made but, the usage of ABS plastic is unfortunate, especially for a keyboard that is over 80 USD or EUR. While ABS is widely used for keycaps, in time it will wear down into a glossy texture that has an oily feel on the fingers.
The dedicated media keys are located on the upper right corner of the keyboard. These are round in shape and easy to differentiate from the rest of the keys. The three buttons have the simple media functions: backwards, pause, forward.
The highlight of this keyboard is the dial installed on the upper right corner. This dial not only controls the volume of the system but with a press of the dial, you can control the RGB LEDs of the keyboard.
With the dedicated media buttons installed on the upper right of the keyboard, the status LEDs have been moved. While many keyboards would have these status LEDs completely removed, the THOR 401 RGB has them installed next to the arrow keys.
The disassembly process is simple, as you only need to remove 13 Phillips screws from the top aluminum plate. With the rear casing removed we get a glimpse of the internal construction of this keyboard.
The main chip which has the model number: BYK816 is in fact the RGB controller of the keyboard. This controller has been widely used on budget RGB keyboards and it is surprising to see it here, on an 80 USD or EURO keyboard but it works well enough.
The soldering quality on the PCB is good but I have seen better in cheaper keyboards and thus, this needs to be addressed in future keyboards.
