What the heck is “sparklinkplayjoy”?
Sparklink, or “Sparklinkplayjoy” is the domain upon which a whole host of web-based mechanical keyboard software can be found. The company behind it provides – at the very least – the firmware and configuration software for more hall-effect keyboards than you could shake a pointy stick at. They likely have some hand in the design, and perhaps even manufacture of the PCBs in these keyboards, too, but I’m not so worried about that.
The practical upshot of many hall-effect keyboards using the same firmware and the same drivers is that they are all, to some degree, cross compatible. The downside is that bug reports and feature requests sent to the manufacturer – be they Gravastar, Chilkey or others – must be raised up the chain to the folks actually writing the software. This can mean fixes and improvements are slow to happen, or simply never happen at all- and with some notable quirks in this software, at time of writing, you should take this into consideration when picking a board.
It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of mechanical keyboards I’ve tested have some awkward quirk with the software. Whether they’re side-loading configuration JSON files into VIA (if these words mean nothing to you, then you know exactly why that’s a problem) or shipping awkward windows-only drivers that feel like something from the 90s, the state of mechanical keyboard software – even among some of the more premium brands – is frankly abysmal.
I spelunked into Sparklink’s web servers to dig up every brand I could reasonably find using their software in boards either available today, or perhaps still in production. This involved enumerating all the web driver links on their website and, y’know, just glancing at them to figure out which brand they were for. Since they were usually branded it was easy enough to tell, though there exist at least five more driver links that I couldn’t load, or identify.
It’s also worth noting that some very generic boards (and sometimes even just plain PCBs on aliexpress) link “Sparklink”’s “hub”, a whitelabel, generic driver that works for more or less anything powered by their software.
What follows is a non-exhaustive list of those boards and, if I’ve got my hands on it, a very much abridged summary of my impressions-
Chilkey
Chilkey is a sister brand to the fancier Meletrix, and the fancier still Wuque studio. Chilkey’s boards are entry level, though they often have all the trappings of more conventional, hobby-grade mechanical keyboards.
Chilkey’s Slice 75 HE and Slice 68 HE – both of which I have tested – use Sparklink’s software. Both are competent boards with a solid build, nice sound – thanks in part to Wuque’s Flux switches – and interesting colour options. The latter leaning on a pair of Neon Genesis Evangelion inspired colour palettes. Despite the software, I’m a fan of Slice75 and hope some of my bug reports make their way through Chilkey to their partners and into the software.
FL ESports
Purporting to be established in 2004, though existing in Archive.org only since 2024 (honestly, I knew that was coming) and claimed to have founded in 2014 by AliExpress, FL ESports is by all appearance a low effort attempt to shift relatively vanilla boards under the veneer of a legitimate-sounding brand. Their keyboards look kinda okay and, let’s be real, they probably are.
It looks like FL ESports Geo75 HE and Geo65 HE are roughly analogous to the Slice variants and most likely are based on the same reference designs.
AJAZZ
You’ve probably heard of AJAZZ. They seem to have a keyboard at every price point in the low end and seem to pop up everywhere. Their current website has been around since 2022, but others show they have roots back to at least 2016.
I’m not sure which board they’re using Sparklink’s “solution” with, since their HE boards all seem to have software downloads. Perhaps something new is on the horizon?
Honorable mention for their ALUX 68 HE, which has a really cool thing goin’ with those side panels. Is it any good? I don’t know, I haven’t tested an AJAZZ board yet!
KZZI
I’ve not heard of KZZI before, their current store front seems to have popped up around 2023 and they have very few boards on offer. Like FL ESports they seem a little fly by night, but claim their factory was founded in 2014 (what’s it with 4s?). A little digging suggest that the company behind them – JingHengTengWei Electronic Technology Co. LTD – are also behind Royal Kludge (a brand that also make this.) All keyboard brands being the same company is something of an in-joke and sometimes – like Chilkey, Meletrix, Wuque – they absolutely own it. Others, not so much.
No prizes for guessing that the board using “Sparklink” is their Ares 98 “Hall Effect Magnetic Gaming Keyboard.”
Lomz
The less said about Lomz the better. Their entry into the fray seems to be the Lomz Thunder Demon “magnetic jade keyboard.” It looks like something only a mother could love, but hey it’s got shine through keycaps!
Mork Blade
IT’S MORKIN’ TIME!
The thug in a suit is sharp.
Mork Blade look like they haven’t quite broken out of domestic sales, which is a shame because their entry – the Bold TKL HE – looks cool as heck and seems to be posed with a rip-off of GMK CYL Redacted.
Dry Studio
Apparently honest about being founded as recently as 2023, being related to Angry Miao, and having some cool designs to show off, Dry Studio definitely raised an eyebrow. You might have heard of Dry Studio’s “Black Diamond 75”. Purporting to be the first leaf spring mounted gaming keyboard it’s… wild. Then so is Angry Miao’s Wukong keyboard. They don’t do anything by half measures.
I can’t identify what they might be using “Sparklink” for, but they’re in my list so maybe something is coming soon, or it was slated for the Ice Ring 63 RT and they scuttled the idea for better software at the last minute.
Piifox
It’s… it’s not pronounced pee, is it?
Okay they aren’t my cup of tea, but Piifox’s designs are loud and cool and weird and I’ve got to give them credit for that.
It looks like their Walker68 and Walker75 are in the list – the screenshots of the web software is a dead giveaway – and y’know… I kinda dig them.
Royal Kludge
Definitely up there with AJAZZ in the you’ve probably heard of these folks list. Royal Kludge’s entries are the C98 and the C68 which, despite their similar names, have very little visually in common. The C98 looks like trash, and the C68 is kinda cute actually.
Easzoo Studio
Putting Studio in your name doesn’t make you a cool, hip, keyboard artist, but from what I can find of Easzoo online they seem to have the chops. I suspect they’re on this list because they evaluated it as an option for the ESU67, and went elsewhere. The fact their “Sparklink” URL starts with SU67, but feels otherwise abandoned is kinda a giveaway either way. If anyone has this board and it has web software… let me know!
MonstarGear
Whew. This list just keeps on going. I’ve not heard of MonstarGear, but Archive.org pegs them as being around for a good few years. Honestly at this point it’s taking too long to load for me to really delve back.
I would have guessed their Guts SU64 was in this list, but looking at the PCB photos it’s not “Sparklink”. Another test, turned away for greener pastures?
WLMouse
WLMouse seem to be mice only at a glance, but a little poking around reveals the cool Ying 63 keyboard – either sold out, or not yet launched – and the Ying 75. These seem oddly adjacent to the other boards in this list, but software screenshots suggested they went a different route.
Gravastar
Actually the first “Sparklink” board I used, before I really knew what was what, and a fitting close to this… article… blog…. whatever it is. Gravastar gave out the “Sparklink” URL directly in their instructions, so they weren’t exactly concealing the source of their software.
Their stuff is weird, and cool, and it’s not my cup of tea, but I still have their HE board in my collection just ‘cos they fixed almost everything – aesthetics, mostly – I complained about with their previous board.
That’s it, that’s the list. Jog on and go test some of these!
Forgive me for not adding pictures into this article… you know how to use Google, I presume. Lomz is a real treat.