Is building a keyboard so expensive?

Shouldn't it be a PCB, switches, close-enough keycaps, and a tiny controller? I'm imagining a 3D printed case, with screw inserts and supports for the board on the bottom part. I never designed a keyboard though, but if it's prohibitively expensive, this throws a wrench on a bunch of retro keyboard projects I have.

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unimplmntd_trap 6 hours ago | parent [-]

It depends on what you'd consider "expensive", for mine the keycaps were £25, plus the keyboard itself (Epomaker EP84) was £21 secondhand. I think you'd be starting at £150 if you were to design one from scratch, and that's at the low end.

	▲	rbanffy 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That’s painful. Are there standard PCBs with placement for Cherry switches that cover the most common arrangements (such as 65%, TKL, and such)? From there it’d be just the board, the switches, and the controller, with case being 3D printed. I guess I have to learn how to design keyboards and do something about this project.