Lowest Latency Switches

[derpdederp]

I want to pimp out my keyboard to be the lowest latency possible. So I'm going to do a 1000hz polling modification - but a big source of latency is the switch too.
These are supposed to be fast:
https://www.cherry.de/PDF/EN_CHERRY_MX_SPEED_Silver.pdf

What's the lowest latency switch out there? I've scored the internet for measurements - and found very little - and realize that such measurements are very difficult to make accurately. So this may be a question that needs to be deduced theoretically...
Thanks!

[ErgoMacros]

Depends on where the latency is coming from, but most Cherry switches (as I recall) are rated at 5ms settling time that needs to be debounced.
Optical and magnetic don't have the debounce problem so you might look there.

[derpdederp]

Hopefully some switch enthusiasts can chime in based on their familiarity with all of the spec sheets (like the cherry speed silver above). Which actually claim to have the lowest latency? Then I can buy 1 of each and see how I like the feel... Then I'll replace them all

[Findecanor]

All mechanical switches based on the Cherry MX design are the same in this way ...

I don't think that shorter actuation distance is any advantage, for most people.

[derpdederp]

OK, well once I collect a list of manufacturers besides Cherry that claim very low latency switches via non-mechanical (i.e. optical) switch mechanisms... Then I will purchase & test them.

[rxc92]

OK, well once I collect a list of manufacturers besides Cherry that claim very low latency switches via non-mechanical (i.e. optical) switch mechanisms... Then I will purchase & test them.

   
 
Not to rain on your parade, but when I tested via switch-hitter, the scissor keys on my laptop had a shorter actuation time than both my Topre and Cherry keyboards. They were all 1000 Hz.

[Sintpinty]

I want to pimp out my keyboard to be the lowest latency possible. So I'm going to do a 1000hz polling modification - but a big source of latency is the switch too.
These are supposed to be fast:
https://www.cherry.de/PDF/EN_CHERRY_MX_SPEED_Silver.pdf

What's the lowest latency switch out there? I've scored the internet for measurements - and found very little - and realize that such measurements are very difficult to make accurately. So this may be a question that needs to be deduced theoretically...
Thanks!

Steelserie's Apex Pro Optical switches can be adjusted to a actuation point even shorter than the speed silver. You should be good with either Wooting or Apex Pro

[derpdederp]

OK, well once I collect a list of manufacturers besides Cherry that claim very low latency switches via non-mechanical (i.e. optical) switch mechanisms... Then I will purchase & test them.

   
 
Not to rain on your parade, but when I tested via switch-hitter, the scissor keys on my laptop had a shorter actuation time than both my Topre and Cherry keyboards. They were all 1000 Hz.

Sorry, but can you explain to me why that is rain?

[rxc92]

OK, well once I collect a list of manufacturers besides Cherry that claim very low latency switches via non-mechanical (i.e. optical) switch mechanisms... Then I will purchase & test them.

   
 
Not to rain on your parade, but when I tested via switch-hitter, the scissor keys on my laptop had a shorter actuation time than both my Topre and Cherry keyboards. They were all 1000 Hz.

Sorry, but can you explain to me why that is rain?

 
 
Err, do you mean the expression? In essence, what I'm saying is that mechanical switches are not likely any faster (lower-latency) than rubber-dome ones and therefore your search for a low-latency switch may be a bit misguided.

[Findecanor]

I saw some figures some time, from measurements that showed that the real differences in latency between different keyboards depended on how their microcontrollers were programmed, not on their key switches. I think several keyboards in the test even had the same key switches.

[derpdederp]

I saw some figures some time, from measurements that showed that the real differences in latency between different keyboards depended on how their microcontrollers were programmed, not on their key switches. I think several keyboards in the test even had the same key switches.

Yes, this is commonly referenced... Basically all switches are way lower latency to even show up on that test - that's why this is so hard to test for (and no one does). The USB polling rate is top priority of course, but once it is at 1000hz (1ms) - keyboard switches are the next thing to look at... And we can really only go based on manufacturer claims of latency (due to the above described difficulty of accurate testing). Therefore, I'm looking for probably 1) the lowest latency switch claims on manufacturer spec sheets 2) of those, the ones that feel the best (I'll probably buy them all to test).

[derpdederp]

These are interesting:
https://www.razer.com/razer-opto-mechanical-switch