Unboxing the KL-90 FE (Founder’s Edition) keyboard from Kiko’s Lab

Thursday, December 16, 2021

A breakdown of what’s included with the KL-90 FE (Founder’s Edition) keyboard from Kiko’s Lab

The Kl-90 is a 75% keyboard with macro columns, rotary encoder, and either second rotary encoder or OLED screen support.

The KL-90 aluminum edition group buy ran from November 21, 2020 to December 2, 2020 via the Kiko’s Lab website. The original interest check can be found on Geekhack.

The machining and coating of the case parts for this KL-90 aluminum edition is done in the U.S.

In addition to the aluminum edition group buy, a limited number of Founder’s Edition KL-90 keyboards were available via a raffle.

The KL-90 FE includes:

1 x Custom splash cerakoted OLED top case
1 x Custom splash cerakoted dual encoder top case
1 x Black or purple anodized bottom case
2 x KL-90 PCBs (hotswap and/or solder)
1 x KL-90 titanium anodized switch plate
1 x Titanium badge
2 x Zircuti encoder knobs (blend of titanium and zirconium)
3 x EC-12 encoders
1 x SSD1306 128x32 OLED screen
1 x Switch plate foam (from Stupidfish)
1 x Coiled cable with a custom splash cerakoted FEMO connector (from VoxelMods)
Gaskets for mounting
Stickers

Let’s take a look at all the parts! If you click or tap on the images, they will open in a new tab.

Included with the KL-90

The KL-90 FE includes two types of top cases: one that supports two encoders and one that supports an encoder on the left and an OLED screen on the right.

Here is the top case with dual encoder support.

Here is the top case with encoder and OLED support.

A closer view of the interior of the top case

These top cases feature a custom splash cerakote finish. Each one of the KL-90 FE top cases is unique as a result.

Here is a close up of the top case design:

The switch plate is made of anodized titanium.

The switch plate fits well into the top case.

Closer shot of the switch plate in the top case

The contrast of the switch plate against the top case is really great.

The bottom case is made from black anodized aluminum.

Starting with the interior of the bottom case, you can see the signatures of Kiko’s Lab and the case manufacturers. You can also see the well-designed plate cutouts.

Going to the exterior of the bottom case, you’ll find the anodized titanium badge.

This is a great looking badge, so here are a couple close-up photos.

Close of the badge logo

A keyboard doesn’t do much without a PCB, so let’s take a look at both the hotswap and solder PCBs.

First, the hotswap PCB.

Next, the solder PCB.

Here are a few close-up photos of the PCB.

OLED and encoder spots on the hotswap PCB

Kiko logo on the PCB

Finally, we can take a look at some of the additional components that come with the KL-90 FE.

Most awesomely, it comes with two zircuti encoder knobs. This is a beautiful blend of titanium and zirconium.

Even the interior of this part looks great.

Another part is the custom coated coiled USB cable. It goes well with the case.

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the KL-90 FE comes with other parts as well, shown in these photos.

Final thoughts

The KL-90 FE from Kiko’s Lab is a 75% keyboard with both an interesting layout and unique design. I’m excited to build and try out this keyboard, especially the macro columns and encoders.

One note: the colors on this case make it particularly important to color balance the photos, so if you are interested in comparing this keyboard against a reference palette, here’s a photo that includes one!