Cherry Profile incompatible Boards?

[ndakota79]

Hello guys,

I am refering to this https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=82577.0 topic.

There seem to be a problem with wrong side mounted cherry switches and keycaps in cherry profile. That would mean, that all Ducky Shines and Pokers and so on are not compatible with cherry profile caps, because some keys are prevented from bottoming out.
Any of you can confirm or refute this? I think that would be a major deal ...
Still it's possible I think. There aren't that many people who invest the money for a cherry profile keycap set. And many of them with clicky switches may have just not noticed that some keys don't bottom out properly.

I am asking this, because I want to buy the GMK Carbon set in cherry profile. But since my most loved boards are Shine 3 and Pok3r ... You get the thing. Here the link for the carbon set thread, I already asked the same question there: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=79693.650

Thanks for your answers!

[rowdy]

I have three Ducky Shines and haven't had any problems with any sets.

[Tactile]

It depends on the keycap. Some thick Cherry profile caps on the underside have reinforcing ridges from the stem to the edge (I have a set of PBT like this). The ridge on the spacebar side hits the switch top when the switch is mounted "flipped around". And usually not all the caps, either, only the lowest ones. I also have a set of genuine Cherry doubleshots with the ridge & they have the problem (and the ridge), also.

On the other hand, I have a set of SP double-shots in DCS profile, which is pretty close to Cherry profile. These are thin and don't have this ridge on the underside. They work fine.

[ndakota79]

You mean this ridges?



All my thicker PBT Caps got them and the GMK Set definitely got them, too.

[Tactile]

You mean this ridges?

(Attachment Link)

All my thicker PBT Caps got them and the GMK Set definitely got them, too.

Yep. And on both my Cherry set & the PBT set I mentioned the interference is apparently slight because even across the A-S-D-F row, most will hit the switch top and some won't. Everything works, it just feels like some keys have o-rings installed and some not.

[ndakota79]

I hate o-rings 

And the inconsistent feeling across the board ...
I really have problems believing that such a big problem is not well known. But it definitely seems that way.

[Tactile]

To our viewers tuning in late, Genuine Cherry MX keyboards have the switches mounted with the LED cutout on the spacebar side, so this ridge has plenty of clearance.

[swornxin]

I have noticed the underside of GMK keys hit the switches on my KC60, which have switches mounted the wrong way.

[Hypersphere]

Yes, I have encountered various issues with the various profiles that are available for keyboards with Cherry mx compatible switches, including the cruciform stems on the Topre-switch CM Novatouch.

For example, I have found that some stabilized keys on a WASD keyboard do not bottoming out correctly with thick PBT caps in "Cherry" profile and Cherry profile keys not bottoming out correctly on some rows of a KC60 board. In addition, to avoid bottoming out noise on the Novatouch, I have found that OEM profile works best.


My understanding that the true Cherry profile is found on original Cherry keyboards and keysets made by GMK.

Thus far, I have found various distinct profiles for Cherry mx (or clone) switches:

+ Cherry

+"Cherry-like"

+ "OEM" (Filco, etc. profile)

+ Gateron

+ Leopold

+ SP (DCS, DSA, SA)

These various profiles can cause problems when you are trying to match profiles when using two different sets on the same keyboard. For example, I like to use blank black modifiers and a contrasting color for the alphanumeric keys. Sometimes two sets that are advertised as "Cherry profile" do not match in height when installed on the keyboard. You have to look at both the skirt length and the stem length relative to the skirt length of the cap. If you compare heights with the keycaps on a flat surface, they can appear to be the same height, but if stem lengths are not the same, the caps will sit at different heights when mounted on the keyboard.

[user 18]

I have a few boards where at least some of the switches are mounted wrong-way around. I've never noticed this issue with any of them. However, none of my boards have LEDs, so that might make a difference.

[Tactile]

I forgot to add something. And this applies only to switches without LEDs. If you think you might have this interference on a keycap but you're not sure: pull the keycap, rotate it 180 degrees and put it back on "upside down". Does it feel different now? (hint: it shouldn't) Well, there you go.