Keychron's Hardware Design Repository: What You Actually Get in the CAD Files

The gap Keychron is filling with published CAD

Mechanical keyboard modding has always run on measurements taken by hand. You buy a board, caliper the plate, guess the screw boss depth, and print a case that almost fits. Keychron's repository attacks that directly: it publishes the industrial design files for its own keyboards and mice, in STEP, DXF, DWG and PDF, so a plate or a case can be derived from the same geometry the factory used. The README frames the intent plainly: study real CAD, remix plates and cases, design compatible accessories.

The audience is narrower than the badge count suggests. It is for people who already own or repair Keychron hardware and want a bracket, a plate, a wrist rest, a replacement bottom case, or a printable shell. It is also useful for anyone learning how consumer hardware is packaged, because the files include component integration, not just an outer shell. It is not a firmware repository, despite the qmk, zmk and zephyr topics attached to it. The files here are mechanical.

How the repository is organised across series folders

The top level is a set of series directories: B-Pro-Series, C-Series, C-Pro-8K-Series, J-Series, J-HE-8K-Series, K-Series, K-Pro-Series, K-Max-Series, K-HE-Series, K-QMK-Series, K-Ultra-8K-Series, L-Series, Mice, P-HE-Series, P-Ultra-8K-Series, Q-Series, Q-Pro-Series, Q-HE-Series, Q-HE-8K-Series, Q-Max-Series, Q-Ultra-8K-Series, V-Max-Series, V-QMK-Series, V-8K-Series, V-Ultra-8K-Series, Z-Ultra-8K-Series, plus Keycap Profiles and docs.

Inside a model folder the contents vary by series. The README's own table lists components per series: the C Series gives plate, PCB, top case, bottom case and full model; the Q Series adds encoder, stabilizer and OSA keycap; the Q Pro Series adds KSA keycap. The B Pro Series lists case, PCB and full model. The J Series lists plate, PCB, bottom case and full model. So the granularity is not uniform. A Q-series owner gets keycap geometry; a B Pro owner does not.

One structural detail matters more than it looks. On 2026-05-07 the project moved download links into a Downloads section of the README inside each product model folder. If you are scripting a fetch, do not assume a fixed filename at the series root. Read the model README and follow the link it gives.

Opening a Keychron STEP file and taking a first measurement

There is no package to install. The repository is CAD data, so the setup step is choosing software that reads the formats. The docs/file-format-guide.md in the repository covers STEP, DWG, DXF and PDF compatibility, and that is where to check before downloading a viewer.

The README's Start Here section lists the entry points: browse keyboard files, browse mouse files, open the files in CAD software, learn how to remix or modify a design, see the current filesystem inventory, contribute fixes, join the community, and understand the licence before building. Each of those points at a document under docs/, including the Getting Started Guide and the Repository Inventory generated from the repo itself.

Because the download links sit inside each product model folder, the first real use is a reading task rather than a command. Open the series folder for your board, open the model folder inside it, and read the README there. It will point at the CAD files for that model. Open the STEP file in any STEP-capable CAD tool, and the DXF or DWG plate file in a 2D drafting tool. A practical first check is to measure the plate cutout spacing against your own board before modelling anything on top of it.

Coverage is uneven, and some folders are announcements

The largest limitation is not file quality, it is presence. The README states that the Q HE Series has published files for selected models, and that newer Q HE folders also include README and model pages for future CAD uploads. The Q HE 8K Series entry says published files exist for Q1 HE 8K, with README and model pages prepared for the remaining models. A folder can therefore exist, be named correctly, and contain no CAD at all.

That changes how you plan a build. If you are designing an accessory for a specific board, the folder's existence tells you nothing. You have to open it, read the README, and confirm the case, plate or PCB geometry is there. For a small number of models you will find a page describing files that have not been uploaded yet.

The update log shows the same pattern from the other direction. Entries read added, added more, moved the download links, update links. Work is ongoing across many series at once, which means depth per model accumulates over time rather than arriving complete. Treat any single model as a snapshot, and re-check the folder if your design depends on a dimension you measured months ago.

The licence allows accessories, not clone keyboards

The repository is source-available, not open source in the usual sense. The README states that personal and educational use is allowed, that original compatible accessories and add-ons are not subject to the commercial-use restriction, and that you may not copy and sell Keychron keyboards or mice, and may not use Keychron trademarks as your own branding. GitHub reports the licence as NOASSERTION, so the terms live in the LICENSE file and in the docs/license-faq.md rather than in a standard identifier.

For an accessory maker this is the interesting clause. A plate, a case remix or a printable add-on that you designed yourself can be sold, per the README, while a reproduction of the keyboard itself cannot. The line between the two is the thing to read carefully, and the License FAQ is the document the project points you to. This is a description of what the repository says, not legal advice; if your product sits near that boundary, the LICENSE file is the text that governs.

Where it sits against community CAD collections

The obvious alternative is the pool of community-published plate and case files that circulate on keyboard forums and print sites. The difference is provenance. Community files are usually reverse-engineered from a purchased unit, so they carry the author's measurement error and often cover only the plate outline. Keychron's files come from the manufacturer and, for the richer series, include the PCB, the stabilizer, the encoder and the keycap profile in the same package.

The trade-off runs the other way too. Community collections frequently cover third-party and custom boards that Keychron will never publish, and they often ship a ready-to-print STL rather than a STEP you have to re-model. If your goal is a finished printable part for a non-Keychron board, this repository is the wrong tool. If your goal is a dimensionally trustworthy base for a Keychron accessory, manufacturer geometry beats a forum upload.

Maintenance, upgrades and what to re-check

The last push is dated 2026-09-23, and the README's update log runs through that same date with entries for K5 QMK files, J2 HE 8K, G9 HE mouse files and K5 Ultra 8K. There are no retrieved releases, so the update log and the commit history are the changelog. Upgrading means pulling again and comparing the model folder you depend on.

Cost is storage and re-verification, not licensing fees. The README notes that more milestone updates will be published in GitHub Releases, so the release page is a second place to watch alongside the update log. Because files are added per model over time, a plate you modelled from an older snapshot may sit next to a newly published revision. There is no version number in the folder naming scheme visible in the README, so the practical discipline is to record the commit you built from and compare it against the folder before you cut material. The docs/repo-inventory.md file, described as generated from the repo itself, is the quickest way to see what currently exists without cloning everything.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt this repository if you are designing a plate, a case remix or a compatible accessory for a Keychron board, and check the model folder first: coverage is uneven, with some series holding full CAD while others only hold README placeholder pages. Do not adopt it if you want to copy and sell a Keychron keyboard or mouse, or if you need firmware sources, which live in separate QMK and ZMK repositories. Before you commit to a model, open its folder, read the README inside it, and confirm that the case, plate or PCB file you need is actually present rather than announced.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. Keychron/Keychron-Keyboards-Hardware-Design on GitHub
3. Project website
4. README