ghetto cherry browns from cherry blue

[Lanx]

if you have a cherry blue board and are tired of the "click" go make ghetto cherry browns.


cherry blues are basically just clicky of cherry browns (except for the 5force difference)
start by locating the 4 tabs on the switch, 2 on each side


i made this tool it was a $1 tweezer, idk where i got it from, just bent some pins and you can "rock" it into the tabs on a soldered board and pop open a cherry.


here's the only physical difference between a brown and blue, the blue has the split white thing it "clicks" upon the leaf spring releasing and there's your sound.


so simply just glue the white thing to the top of the blue stem and you have ghetto browns no more noise


why this mod? may ppl bought a blue cherry and now regret the noise, and don't want to desolder blue cherrys and replace with brown cherries.

or ppl want to make other switches.

Ripster says a black spring and brown stem=ghetto cherry red so you can have fun with that too.

[Arcanius]

Great idea, and perfect for people buying Blackwidows or Rosewills, and don't have an option to buy Browns!
Does the feel vary between these modded blues and browns? Isn't there a difference in tactility? Also, I thought the springs between blues and browns was different?

[panda-R]

The tactility of the browns and blues are definitely different, at least to my untrained fingers and supported by the graphs that have been floating around. I wonder if this mod changes the feeling of the blues?

[nanu]

I thought the springs between blues and browns was different

This post supports that statement. And the article doesn't deny it, too.

[Lanx]

take note the tactility is probably also including the "clack" from the noise. felt the same to me, i only gorilla glued one switch so it's not like i tried a whole sentence. it is gonna be a mod for life, unless you can slice it off and even get rid of the glue residue. Maybe a tiny drop on the corner is all you need. Depends on your glue of choice.

[laden3]

black stem+ brown spring= ghetto red; brown stem+ black spring= ghetto white (sounds funny, brown+black=white??)

[Soarer]

Having tried both clear and the black spring / brown stem combo, I can say they are noticably different. I quite like the combo.

Black spring + brown stem is to browns as greens are to blues... so applying the same shift in hue they are ghetto purples :-D

[Arcanius]

One quick Q:
Is it possible to do this without actually removing the switch? If it's plate mounted, for example?
I know I saw a link to a vid where a guy pops switches without desoldering.... But is that viable?

[Findecanor]

Argh. Don't do this! I want cheap cherry MX blue switches to replace my cherry browns ...

[8_INCH_FLOPPY]

I thought blues were more expensive.  Why would you do this?

[taswyn]

If anyone actually does this to an entire board, it would be *great* to hear how it feels in comparison to normal browns ^.^

[J888www]

I thought blues were more expensive.  Why would you do this?

Previously, people prefer the Browns as the "ckicky" Blues were not as popular due to the distraction, but trends tend to change with Time. Don't let on that it is Blues which are now more popular else they'll change the pricing even sooner.

There is a clicky switch which is similar to the MX Blues, but much more demure/refined/not as distracting.

Edit: The Poll have changed to Browns are now more popular, tomorrow is another and it may change yet again so please do not quote me.

[taswyn]

Don't let on that it is Blues which are now more popular else they'll change the pricing even sooner.

Also, most of the more broadly commercialized (in the US) mechanical keyboards use blues, especially the slew of them hitting the market lately. It's very frustrating when you want a reasonably quiet, light force tactile keyboard that you don't have to bottom out on something of a budget. "Oh look, another consumer mechanical keyboard with... blues =(" It's either pay nearly twice as much (of course, it's *usually* not wasted, you often get better quality overall) or mod something. Unless I've been missing some ^^;

[ricercar]

a lot of the old timer Geekhack Cherry Brown lovers were real whiners.

What? What?

[woody]

There is a clicky switch which is similar to the MX Blues, but much more demure/refined/not as distracting.

Which one should that be?

[ricercar]

Complicated white ALPS.

[itlnstln]

Hey, you didn't give credit to MW for that pic.

[symphonic1985]

Has there been any progress on this front? I just received another Cherry blue board in the mail. I'm pretty tempted to do some gluing instead of spending yet more money to buy a brown board.

...spending...too...much...money.

[Findecanor]

I am curious.. Does the glueing change the feel of the blue switch in any way except for removing hysteresis on the upstroke? How is the sound?

At first, I disliked this idea.. but now I am thinking that perhaps this is what I am after... Something close to browns, but more tactile.

[symphonic1985]

Since I'm in Germany, I'm on the opposite side of the clear/brown sourcing problem.  The clears shouldn't be hard to get here, if I stalk ebay for long enough.

Was the feeling of blue spring + clear stem very similar to the browns? Near enough might be good enough if I can save a bunch of money with a used LQC board.

[Findecanor]

I have tested Cherry Clear stem and Blue/Brown spring. It is not that much like a Brown. The longer tactile bump and steep increase in force of the Clear is still there, just softer.

I would like to know if Cherry Blue stem that has been glued together would retain the feel on the downstroke, but lose the click sound and the hysteresis. If I had any spare Blues not in any keyboard I would test it myself, but I don't.

[J888www]

Which one should that be?

The ones on my ONE.

What? What?

You have just been called a Winner. :biggrin: or was it a whinner ? same same whatever, winners always do the talking and write the History books.

[dogcrapau]

since alot of people are now into getting clear switch mods, i wonder if anyone has tried this mod by now and if they could update us on their opinion?