[GB] Gateron Switch (CLOSED)

[leesofi]

Yeap, I read about that. I mean switch top issue with  keycaps.

[ideus]

Does filing the switch top fix the problem? If so, that means each switch should be disassembled? I wonder, why the first reviews on the switches did not report this issue, does this GB include a defective batch? or is it a "feature" of these switches.

[drojf]

Wow I'm dumb...ordered 100 Blacks instead of Browns (I checked the receipt, it's exactly what I put on the form :S)

I want to swap my BLACKS for your BROWNS - I don't care whether they're Gateron, Cherry, any type of browns are fine. I'd be willing to swap 50-100 of them. Please note I'm located in Australia, so shipping may be long/short depending on where you live.


Never mind, worked something out.

[StarWarsAs]

Anyone knows what value he declared on the customs bill?

[CG]

I'm using gaterons with granite dsa and haven't noticed the keycaps catch on the housing (I'm not using leds), but they do feel sluggish when pressed off center.

[Sirakain]

Anyone knows what value he declared on the customs bill?

Mine was 25$ for 200 switches labeled as 'keyboard parts', and he ticked the 'gift' box

[StinkyTheDonut]

Looks like the customs cut the tape and pressed down one flap to peek inside...and then left the box like that with a gap open and sent it off for delivery...
Then the mailman came yesterday for a failed delivery and left a pickup notice yesterday. That is according to the online tracking, but said notice didn't arrive until today... I think some lazy mailman is trolling.
Anyway, it seems I ended up with a couple extra blues and clear covers =)

I played around with the switches for a bit and made some observations (as someone that has never handled switches in this detail before):

The springs from clear switches are not strong enough to work in blues after adding the weight of a keycap. =P

The scratchy feeling comes from the top cover. It looks to me that the sliders stems don't even make contact with the slider rails from the bottom casing. The parts that the stems rub against are all from the top cover. There's a hood on the top cover that envelops around the slider rails. Those hoods on either sides actually jut out more than the walls of the rails. There are also the two ribs that go down from the logo side and the opposing two on the led side that run down the top cover. The ribs and the hood together are what the slider stem touches and make the switch feel scratchy. It may not be the same for cherrys, but it almost seems to me that people have been lubing the wrong places?!?!?

Clear top covers are a harder and smoother plastic. They make the switches smooth - almost like they are on ice.

Observing blue switches through the translucent housing and playing around with them with the top cover off made me realize it was the copper leafs that were making the click and not the white slider part as people have been saying.

Also, trampoline gateron is awesome =)
Now I just gotta find some parts to make some jailhouses. =D

EDIT: Maybe I was wrong about the blues clicky mechanism. It seems that both do the clicking, but the slider does far more of it

[RavenII]

It's not the keycaps, it's the switches.  If you examine the tops, and compare the two sides against a Cherry MX, the issue becomes clear.

With imsto pbt is fine(gateron clear) but have same issue with gmk keycaps.(gateron brown)

Some have reported issues when Gateron switches are used with Cherry (GMK) caps. Has someone tested them with SP's DSA caps?

I have my Dolch DSA caps on my Gaterons.  It has the same problem.  If you press the key off-center, the cap will catch on the housing.  This only happens on the LED side. (south for most keyboards, but sometimes north)

Is this a problem with all switches or just some of them? I wonder if it's better when you use a stock cherry or gateron clear top?

I was going to solder a bunch of these onto my new board...but now I'm a little worried.

Some have reported issues when Gateron switches are used with Cherry (GMK) caps. Has someone tested them with SP's DSA caps?

I have my Dolch DSA caps on my Gaterons.  It has the same problem.  If you press the key off-center, the cap will catch on the housing.  This only happens on the LED side. (south for most keyboards, but sometimes north)

Is this a problem with all switches or just some of them? I wonder if it's better when you use a stock cherry or gateron clear top?

I was going to solder a bunch of these onto my new board...but now I'm a little worried.

Now I'm worried!  I already soldered half of the keyboard that is waiting on the granite dsa keycaps to come in! Oh noooooo.  I hope someone with DSA keycaps can test this a little more.

I've got https://www.massdrop.com/buy/two-tone-doubleshot-abs-keycaps/ and some caps cause this issues, some don't. For instance, the N keycap causes this issues BAD where as Y doesn't. I've tried it on a bunch out of my 330 black switches...and they all yielded the same result.

[CommonCurt]

With imsto pbt is fine(gateron clear) but have same issue with gmk keycaps.(gateron brown)

Yep, my GMK catch on some of my Blacks (about half. not all of them) when pressed from the front at certain angles, but my Imsto caps work just fine on those same switches.

[awhitedev]

Could someone put together a quick video on the switch sticking? I've not had this experience yet with cherry or dsa profile caps.

[RavenII]

Could someone put together a quick video on the switch sticking? I've not had this experience yet with cherry or dsa profile caps.

If no one has posted it yet, I'll do one when I get home from work in about 2 hours.

Here you go...

[rpeterclark]

Could someone put together a quick video on the switch sticking? I've not had this experience yet with cherry or dsa profile caps.

If no one has posted it yet, I'll do one when I get home from work in about 2 hours.

Here you go...

Yikes, that's pretty gnarly! I'm quite surprised that the issue seems involves the cap too, figured it would be mostly dependent on the switch top. I pity the guy that solders these onto a plate without switch top removal only to discover the issue afterwards.

[awhitedev]

Could someone put together a quick video on the switch sticking? I've not had this experience yet with cherry or dsa profile caps.

If no one has posted it yet, I'll do one when I get home from work in about 2 hours.

Here you go...

Thanks for sharing... that's pretty bad! I'll have to go test mine now...

Edit: I wonder what it's getting caught on?? I tested a couple Cherry profile N keys and none of mine are doing that... That row seems to get closest to the inner part of the keycap... perhaps between GMK's thickness and Gateron's girth it's just too much

Edit Edit: What keycaps are those that you are testing with?

[metalliqaz]

It's not that bad, guys.  For it to happen, you have to press the keys in a way you won't normally do.

[Grrizz]

Got mine yesterday down here in NZ, just wanted to say a big thanks to hwood34 and Shadovved! Great organisation and a fast and smooth buy overall, the effort is very much apreciated

480 browns and 240 blacks:


+ 120 reds from Massdrop, cherry PCB stabs and stickers from Gons and keycaps from Max:




 

[CommonCurt]

It's not that bad, guys.  For it to happen, you have to press the keys in a way you won't normally do.

Some are worse then others.  Just weird that it does it on almost half of mine, and not all of them.

I have plenty of Imsto sets I can use with them since they don't seem to have the issue.

[dashing_girlboy]

Does anyone have the catching problem when you mount the switch rotated 180 deg (like that in the poker2)?

[ideus]

It is a shame the Gaterons have this issue; otherwise, they would be a hit. Only a new fixed mold for the tops may fix the issue definitely.

[crazystu]

Just picked up my Gaterons from the post office, thanks for the great group buy!
For everyone having issues with the switches catching, they are reparable. I had a Cherry MX Red that had this issue, see:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70376.msg1696546#msg1696546

[RavenII]

It's not that bad, guys.  For it to happen, you have to press the keys in a way you won't normally do.

Not true, I initially put those switches in to type on them so I could decide whether or not I want lighter springs, then I noticed the issue. I was typing on the plate as I normally would...what ever normal is anymore...that's a different story.

[VanGhost]

It's not that bad, guys.  For it to happen, you have to press the keys in a way you won't normally do.

It happens for me just with normal typing. About half of mine are pretty much unusable, a quarter are just unpleasant, and the rest are OK.

[azhdar]

Got mine today thanks for the quick runtime.

[jorgenslee]

Got mine today, thanks for the GB.

A quick observation: seems like the bottom of the switch is from an old batch and only the top is new.

About the issue, does the bottom or the top cause this?

[Shadovved]

Oh Boy...
I just got a letter from the customs office about a package listed as 'keyboard parts' from Singapore (so Im guessing Gaterons).

They claim it wasn't labeled correctly with a bill on the outside of the package and therefore took it hostage.
So in result I will have to pick it up there, and unbox it in front of their eyes within a deadline and then most likely
pay import taxes according to what they classify it as... xD

It's not too bad tho I guess and it had to happen one day. Just have to find time to go there within their business hours and the deadline.

Tell him the CN22 custom's declaration is on the sticker together with the address.

The declared amount and qty are on it. You should be able to use it to pass.........

[tjweir]

My switches arrived (did not count them) after a circuitous route that only Canada Post can understand.

Thanks hwood and shadovv!

[FoC_Tow]

Oh Boy...
I just got a letter from the customs office about a package listed as 'keyboard parts' from Singapore (so Im guessing Gaterons).

They claim it wasn't labeled correctly with a bill on the outside of the package and therefore took it hostage.
So in result I will have to pick it up there, and unbox it in front of their eyes within a deadline and then most likely
pay import taxes according to what they classify it as... xD

It's not too bad tho I guess and it had to happen one day. Just have to find time to go there within their business hours and the deadline.

Tell him the CN22 custom's declaration is on the sticker together with the address.

The declared amount and qty are on it. You should be able to use it to pass.........

Thx Shadovved! 

I'm trying to catch some time to go and pick them up tomorrow! 

Edit: Wait... Two days whoops! Monday xD

["Edgar Allen Pho is Dead."]

Does anyone have extra black gateron switches that they would like to sell? I need about 95 switches. Thank you.

[Moderate]

All switches finally arrived on Wednesday after floating around in limbo for a week. Pretty pleased! Numbers look good. Noticed the 'catching' people have been mentioning with some of the switches, only happens if I push the stem against the reverse side as I depress it. Some are more buttery smooth than others. I'll be interested to see how they go in a build, once I can decide what to build..  )

Thanks again to hwood34 and Shadovved for organising this and handling it so well! 10/10 would groupbuy again

[rpeterclark]

Switches arrived yesterday! It looks like there was a mistake in my favor, received an extra 100 blacks and 100 clears. PM me if that's an issue, otherwise I will put them to good use!

[ideus]

Switches arrived yesterday! It looks like there was a mistake in my favor, received an extra 100 blacks and 100 clears. PM me if that's an issue, otherwise I will put them to good use!

wow, 200 extras, that is very cool, I hope you can keep them.

[hwood34]

Switches arrived yesterday! It looks like there was a mistake in my favor, received an extra 100 blacks and 100 clears. PM me if that's an issue, otherwise I will put them to good use!

PM'd

[nathanrosspowell]

Just want to say thanks for running the GB, guys! I got my package while on vacation and it was just the right size to go into my mailbox 

[CyriusG]

Got mine today, thanks for the GB.

A quick observation: seems like the bottom of the switch is from an old batch and only the top is new.

About the issue, does the bottom or the top cause this?

It seems to be the top that's causing it because I've tried switching tops with original Cherry switches and also sanded the Gateron top and both fixed the issue.

[animated]

Got mine today, thanks for the GB.

A quick observation: seems like the bottom of the switch is from an old batch and only the top is new.

About the issue, does the bottom or the top cause this?

It seems to be the top that's causing it because I've tried switching tops with original Cherry switches and also sanded the Gateron top and both fixed the issue.

Where did you sand on the gateron switch?  I'm using desko RGB's and they 're slightly catching.  My IMSTO keycaps work fine though.

[metalliqaz]

You just remove some material where it catches.  Look at the switch tops.  One side has a round indentation for where the stem goes, the other side doesn't.  Cherry has cutouts on both sides.  Not sure what's wrong with Gateron.  Pretty obvious design flaw, really.

[CyriusG]

Got mine today, thanks for the GB.

A quick observation: seems like the bottom of the switch is from an old batch and only the top is new.

About the issue, does the bottom or the top cause this?

It seems to be the top that's causing it because I've tried switching tops with original Cherry switches and also sanded the Gateron top and both fixed the issue.

Where did you sand on the gateron switch?  I'm using desko RGB's and they 're slightly catching.  My IMSTO keycaps work fine though.

I  sanded the bottom part of the housing.

[Eszett]

When I understood this thread right, there are two issues with Gateron switches
1) the leg is abit to thick for most PCB holes
2) the housing top (at the point where LEDs are mounted) touches and rubs against the keycap
correct?

[CPTBadAss]

I'm confused where this thing about Gateron's not fitting PCBs came from. Tested it on a TechKeys business card and a Leeku 3000 PCB that I have. Both are fitting fine. I have to put a little more force on them versus MX but it's not that bad.

[hwood34]

I'm confused where this thing about Gateron's not fitting PCBs came from. Tested it on a TechKeys business card and a Leeku 3000 PCB that I have. Both are fitting fine. I have to put a little more force on them versus MX but it's not that bad.

I think that was pretty much the extent of the problem most people were having, it they just fit a little more snuggly

[Eszett]

@Captain Thanks for your experience report. As soon as I get my Gaterons (next weeks), I'll check for myself if the Gateron switch leg thickness is a real problem, and give report.

[CPTBadAss]

I'm confused where this thing about Gateron's not fitting PCBs came from. Tested it on a TechKeys business card and a Leeku 3000 PCB that I have. Both are fitting fine. I have to put a little more force on them versus MX but it's not that bad.

I think that was pretty much the extent of the problem most people were having, it they just fit a little more snuggly

Exitfire's build log included sandpaper so I was super confused...

[ideus]

When I understood this thread right, there are two issues with Gateron switches
1) the leg is abit to thick for most PCB holes
2) the housing top (at the point where LEDs are mounted) touches and rubs against the keycap
correct?

That is right:


Gateron's legs are thicker and stem clearance is smaller than Cherry's causing interference with PCB holes, the first, and with cap stems the last. A small jewelry file tool may be handy to fix both, another additional step before soldering them.

[Eszett]

@ideus It is good to know about these issues beforehand. That is,that I have to sand / file the parts before soldering!

[CyriusG]

Has anyone experienced the issues with the clear tops? I was planning to later purchase some for my Orion but I'm now wary about Gateron tops after the issues with regular Gateron tops.

[wlhlm]

Has anyone experienced the issues with the clear tops? I was planning to later purchase some for my Orion but I'm now wary about Gateron tops after the issues with regular Gateron tops.

The Clear tops appear to be the same mould, so the issue applies there as well.

[CyriusG]

Has anyone experienced the issues with the clear tops? I was planning to later purchase some for my Orion but I'm now wary about Gateron tops after the issues with regular Gateron tops.

The Clear tops appear to be the same mould, so the issue applies there as well.

That's unfortunate. Might have to skip those or get some from another make in that case.

[wlhlm]

Has anyone experienced the issues with the clear tops? I was planning to later purchase some for my Orion but I'm now wary about Gateron tops after the issues with regular Gateron tops.

The Clear tops appear to be the same mould, so the issue applies there as well.

That's unfortunate. Might have to skip those or get some from another make in that case.

I don't think this issue is that prevalent as it might sound. People have been trying Gateron switches and tops before this group buy with a diverse set of keycaps and I haven't seen any reports before.

[whentheclouds]

the Clear tops are less wobbly than the originals, or did i misremember something?

[CyriusG]

Has anyone experienced the issues with the clear tops? I was planning to later purchase some for my Orion but I'm now wary about Gateron tops after the issues with regular Gateron tops.

The Clear tops appear to be the same mould, so the issue applies there as well.

That's unfortunate. Might have to skip those or get some from another make in that case.

I don't think this issue is that prevalent as it might sound. People have been trying Gateron switches and tops before this group buy with a diverse set of keycaps and I haven't seen any reports before.

I guess we just hit a bad batch.

[awhitedev]

the Clear tops are less wobbly than the originals, or did i misremember something?

I didn't notice any difference with my clear tops. They're just a rigid as the stock ones.

I'm thinking that between the rigidity and the lack of spacing on the LED side (as metal pointed out) is what is causing the issue.

I wonder if it's more prevalent with a specific slider?