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Author Topic: Any SMK-88 mods  (Read 9406 times)

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Offline jayray999

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Any SMK-88 mods
« on: Mon, 30 March 2009, 16:29:44 »
I am a newbie so please excuse my ignorance. How hard is it to modify a SMK-88 to replace the black Cherry switches with blue Cherrys? I am moderately good with a soldering iron and following instructions and have done electronic projects and mods in the past. Does anyone have instructions and diags?
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"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed and they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) :: The Third Man (1949)

Offline bhtooefr

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  • Location: Newark, OH, USA
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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 30 March 2009, 18:04:02 »
Are the switches directly mounted to the PCB, or mounted through a plate?

If they're directly mounted to the PCB, get yourself a cheap PCB mount blue Cherry donor board (hint: G80-3000LSCRC-2s go for about $65.) On here, there's guides on opening PCB mount Cherry switches.

If they're mounted through a plate, get an Ione Scorpous M10 (about $50,) desolder the blues from the M10, the blacks from the SMK-88, and swap.
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Offline Chloe

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 30 March 2009, 18:16:30 »
The switches are plate mounted.
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Offline bhtooefr

  • Posts: 1624
  • Location: Newark, OH, USA
  • this switch can tick sound of music
    • bhtooefr.org
Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 30 March 2009, 18:37:11 »
In that case, take off every zig, move zig, for great justice, you know what you doing.
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Offline jayray999

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 30 March 2009, 18:46:49 »
Thanks guys. Presently feeling dissuaded by Karlito's despondence here: http://wiki.geekhack.org/?page=KBreviews-scorpm10-karlito although I do believe he finished the mod in the end.
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"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed and they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) :: The Third Man (1949)

Offline bhtooefr

  • Posts: 1624
  • Location: Newark, OH, USA
  • this switch can tick sound of music
    • bhtooefr.org
Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 30 March 2009, 18:52:20 »
I think his issue was with it being a lot of soldering. Which it would be, but...
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Offline karlito

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 31 March 2009, 01:40:56 »
it is a ton o soldering.  solder vapors will make you sick too so be careful. mask and well ventilated area is necessary.

Edit: I did finish the mod and sold the SMK-88 here on geekhack. :). the SMK-88 was replaced by a Filco tenkeyless w/ brown switches.
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Offline Chloe

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 31 March 2009, 10:56:53 »
It may be better to spend some more and buy new switches instead, or get the Cherry keyboard and make a tool like this to open them to swap the springs and stems. Desoldering two sets of switches is a pain and I think only worth doing with ALPS due to their unavailability.
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Offline jayray999

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 31 March 2009, 11:22:33 »
Thanks Chloe. Incidentally what's the difference between the part you have and this one: http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=CH197-ND
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"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed and they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) :: The Third Man (1949)

Offline Chloe

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 31 March 2009, 11:34:59 »
The MX1A-E1NW is for PCB mount, MX1A-E1NN for face plate mounting. They are the same internally but the bases are different:
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Offline jayray999

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 31 March 2009, 16:24:51 »
And just to confirm I need the MX1A-E1NN (face plate) right?
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"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed and they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) :: The Third Man (1949)

Offline Chloe

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Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 01 April 2009, 14:45:04 »
Yes. I found some pictures of the PCB and face plate:
http://musecine.textcube.com/114
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Offline jayray999

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  • Posts: 46
Any SMK-88 mods
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 01 April 2009, 20:48:44 »
Hey thanks Chloe.
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"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed and they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) :: The Third Man (1949)
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