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Author Topic: Hot gluing switches?  (Read 2145 times)

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Offline Me

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Hot gluing switches?
« on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:06:26 »
So I finally have gotten all the parts for my handwired keeb, and have started by putting in all the switches and keycaps and trying to type(I have never had a mechanical kb before, and I wanted to feel it before I started anything), but while I was struggling to get the right profile of each keycap, and repeatedly taking off the keycaps, whenever I pulled the keycaps off, the switches came out with them. My plate is 1/16th of an inch thick, and I thought that that the switches would be pretty snug with that, but should I be gluing the switches to the plate?
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Offline pixelpusher

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:18:27 »
Quote from: Me on Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:06:26
So I finally have gotten all the parts for my handwired keeb, and have started by putting in all the switches and keycaps and trying to type(I have never had a mechanical kb before, and I wanted to feel it before I started anything), but while I was struggling to get the right profile of each keycap, and repeatedly taking off the keycaps, whenever I pulled the keycaps off, the switches came out with them. My plate is 1/16th of an inch thick, and I thought that that the switches would be pretty snug with that, but should I be gluing the switches to the plate?

Ideally they should clip in.  What switches are you using?  I've noticed that a lot of the newer switches (the endless Panda variants) and JWK are not to spec with OG Cherry and don't clip in to plates fully that are 1.5-1.6mm as they should.
« Last Edit: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:25:47 by pixelpusher »
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Offline nevin

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:21:27 »
i would try it with just one to start.

you might have to get a stiffer plate or the tolerances for the switch cutouts are slightly too big. they should snap/clip into place. but the POM is pretty flexible, so i'm not positive what the issue is yet.

also, what switch opening did you go with? (mx, mx/alps, mx switchtop opening, alps)
« Last Edit: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:24:07 by nevin »
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Offline Me

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:25:17 »
They clip in, I just feel like they are loose and whenever I take a keycap off the switch comes out with it. I don't know if that is normal or....


(I am using kailh box pale blues btw)
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"In the end...the keyboard's most grand form of existence is as an ethereal bridge between man and machine...Each depression of the keys, evanescent.. Our transitory thoughts crashing into the web, carving canyons through the internet wasteland such that life may once again flourish..."

tp4, compendium of speed, 2015

Offline Me

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:25:31 »
accidental message
« Last Edit: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:28:41 by Me »
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"In the end...the keyboard's most grand form of existence is as an ethereal bridge between man and machine...Each depression of the keys, evanescent.. Our transitory thoughts crashing into the web, carving canyons through the internet wasteland such that life may once again flourish..."

tp4, compendium of speed, 2015

Offline Me

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:26:02 »

also, what switch opening did you go with? (mx, mx/alps, mx switchtop opening, alps)
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mx:3
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"In the end...the keyboard's most grand form of existence is as an ethereal bridge between man and machine...Each depression of the keys, evanescent.. Our transitory thoughts crashing into the web, carving canyons through the internet wasteland such that life may once again flourish..."

tp4, compendium of speed, 2015

Offline pixelpusher

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:27:03 »
Quote from: Me on Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:25:17
They clip in, I just feel like they are loose and whenever I take a keycap off the switch comes out with it. I don't know if that is normal or....


(I am using kailh box pale blues btw)

Kailh box switches usually snap in very well and don't come out.  I wonder if the plate cutouts are just a tad too large.  I suppose you could test glue out :)
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Offline Me

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:29:48 »
ok, i can measure the length of the switch cutouts and then get back to you, would that information help answer my question?
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"In the end...the keyboard's most grand form of existence is as an ethereal bridge between man and machine...Each depression of the keys, evanescent.. Our transitory thoughts crashing into the web, carving canyons through the internet wasteland such that life may once again flourish..."

tp4, compendium of speed, 2015

Offline Me

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:32:44 »
Also, just to clarify, they only come out if I put pressure on the bottom of the switch or pull on the keycap attached to the switch, the reason why I came here is cuz I feel like they pop out too easily.
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"In the end...the keyboard's most grand form of existence is as an ethereal bridge between man and machine...Each depression of the keys, evanescent.. Our transitory thoughts crashing into the web, carving canyons through the internet wasteland such that life may once again flourish..."

tp4, compendium of speed, 2015

Offline nevin

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 26 April 2021, 10:53:13 »
you should be able to pull a cap without the switch coming out.

if you're just testing the plate, are you sure your not accidentally putting downward pressure on the plate (pushing the switch out) when you're pulling a cap? 
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Offline Leopard223

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 27 April 2021, 19:30:50 »
Did you happen to 3D print or make your own plate by any chance? unless the switches are not to Cherry spec as pixelpusher said, the problem could be the plate being a bit thicker or the cutout being too tight resulting in the tabs not being able to snap onto the plate.
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Offline nevin

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 27 April 2021, 22:20:52 »
thickness should be correct at 1.5mm
plate is POM and he is handwiring (might be a little flimsy, but might be ok if he does a layered/sandwich style case with some standoffs or some other kind of support)
hopefully he was just testing it and was accidentally putting pressure on the plate against the table or something when trying to pull a keycap.

@me, if you do glue, just a little dab on opposite corners should be enough. that way it's not too hard to pick off the glue if you decide to redo it or change switches or something.
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Keeb.io Viterbi, Apple m0110, Apple m0120, Apple m0110a, Apple 658-4081, Apple M1242, Apple AEK II, MK96, GH60/Pure, Cherry g84-4100, Adesso AKP-220B, Magicforce 68

Offline Me

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 09:48:19 »
Ok, you guys are great! My dad wants me to build him a keyboard too and he loved the pale blues, so I am giving him them and getting some navies for myself and swapping the springs. So that's something. But anyway, for some reason I tried to pull out the keycap and it doesn't pull out the switch anymore. Maybe it was the issue you were talking about with putting the pressure on the plate, but now that I am looking at it it seems that only a few of sides of the switches are being pushed in by the plate, almost as if the fitting is too tight. Maybe the plate is a little too tight and is popping out the switches cuz they aren't in properly?
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"In the end...the keyboard's most grand form of existence is as an ethereal bridge between man and machine...Each depression of the keys, evanescent.. Our transitory thoughts crashing into the web, carving canyons through the internet wasteland such that life may once again flourish..."

tp4, compendium of speed, 2015

Offline nevin

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Re: Hot gluing switches?
« Reply #13 on: Wed, 28 April 2021, 10:12:13 »
that could be.
yes, there are only clips on two sides of the switch that snap into the plate (two sides have clips to hold the switch together, the other two sides hold the switch in the plate)

i know there are some switches that are a tight fit in most plates. not positive what the whole list is and will probably vary somewhat with retooling versions. i know the kailh box switches have gone through a couple revisions, but i believe that was mostly stem issues. but they do have a slightly different fit than cherry/most gateron.
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Keeb.io Viterbi, Apple m0110, Apple m0120, Apple m0110a, Apple 658-4081, Apple M1242, Apple AEK II, MK96, GH60/Pure, Cherry g84-4100, Adesso AKP-220B, Magicforce 68
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