geekhack Community > Keyboard Keycaps

4u spacebars

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Netdewt:
I know there are not a lot of options out there right now for 4u spacebars, but I would really like the size.

I had an idea that a 4u could be made to directly replace 2x2u spacebars on boards that also have a single, centered spacebar option. I'm into little ortho keyboards, so I'm not sure how many boards this would apply to. It would include the MK Ultra Boardwalk and the OLKB Plank / Preonic.

Thoughts? Would it be marketable if I could get Signature to produce it in DSA?

Netdewt:
No one is into this?

taraskremen:
I would love to see ready-made 4u space bars, especially in the Cherry profile, and, more importantly, 4u stabilizers. I had to cut two slightly longer GMK space bars to fit the 2x2u layout, and I will probably have to do something similar to make 4u fit, including bending my own stabilizer wire.

taraskremen:
Aaaand, we're done. Not the best wire bending job, but it stayed within tolerances and ended up working well enough - no binding in the stabilizer or anything. The switch itself is in the right 2x2u position, and the 4u stabilizer straddles the outer "2x2u" positions. This is the only configuration that worked with the posts in the GMK space bar.

FWIW, I just ran across these Tecsee 4U stabilizers that look promising for future projects. https://mkultra.click/tecsee-screw-in-pcb-mount-stabilizers/

taraskremen:
A word of warning for others going down this path: the wire on the Tecsee 4U stabilizers is literally 4U-wide, that is the width is the center-to-center distance between the outer keys if 4 1U keys were lined up. They are too short to fit the outer mounting points for the 2x2U stabilizer configuration on the Preonic.

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