Beam Spring Switch Reproduction Project

[superfoil]

Howdy!
I might be jumping the gun a bit here, but I've just been too excited to not share my quarantine project.

Some unnecessary preamble:
At the beginning of last year my wallet had the misfortune of falling into the rabbit hole of vintage mechanical keyboards, thanks to the lovely Chyrosran22. In the journey to build my collection I eventually started working towards owning an IBM 5251 Beam Spring. While I did eventually have the pleasure of purchasing and fully restoring one, the price was astronomical compared to all my previous buys. With the average price of a single Beam Spring switch somewhere in the neighborhood of $40, and seeing first hand the rust damage these switches can endure when not properly cared for, I set out to attempt a modern production.

The Project:
My primary goals were: to create a cheaper, functionally identical, replica of the original Beam Spring switch and to update the compression spring and key stem to a stainless steel variant to prevent future rust issues.

This effort is still very much a work in progress, but after hitting a major milestone (finalizing the key module mold), I figured I'd start this thread to share my progress.

Currently, I have completely and accurately created CAD models of all the components in a Beam Spring switch assembly.
I have also:

• Created and finalized the key module injection mold
• Produced replica beam spring components
• Produced replica compression spring components

Going forward, I plan to:

• Finalize production of the fly spring (currently in progress)
• Design and produce injection mold for the key column
• Design and produce injection mold for the fly plate
• Begin production of the key stem
• Procure compatible O-rings

Below are some comparison photos of original and replica components:


<sub>The key module. The replica is a sample mold, and the finish isn't final.
The finalized mold will be more consistent with the glossy surface of the original.


The compression spring. The replica is shiner due to age and material.
The replica is made using stainless steel, while the original uses music wire (which is prone to corrosion).


The beam spring. This part was particularly hard to produce due to its extremely thin height.


The key Column. As the injection mold for this part will be quite complex,
I only currently have a 3D printed version.


Rendered assembly</sub>

Once I have all components produced, I plan to fully release all the design files.
In the meantime, I'm more than happy to answer any questions or take any feedback.

As a side note:
I've always been the kind of person who likes making t-shirts or hats based on whatever has my interest captured at the moment.
Consequentially, I think I have a design I'm pretty happy with for such a purpose. If people are interested, I might explore producing some items with the design.
Ideally I'd like to use the funds to further the development of this project, as I've already spent thousands of dollars and the really expensive parts are yet to come...

_{Possible T-shirt or poster design}

Thanks! - superfoil

[Ellipse]

Based on the posting of this great project I have publicly posted the Brand New Beam Spring Keyboards reproduction project that I've been working on for a few years now and sitting patiently until the Model F project is finished. https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=26174&p=491823#p491823

I think there is a demand for replacing some of the old IBM beam spring modules on the existing keyboards, especially now that these keyboards have often sold for more than $1,000 each in recent months. The thin metal pieces in the module are easy to break - I've had a few broken in my own two beam springs and had to get extras from orihalcon in years past.

As noted there, I will reiterate that my new beam springs did not delay the new Model F project and that they will not ship and are not a focus until I've sent out the new Model F Keyboards. Additional details are in the above link.

My project is not in direct competition to your project as my modules are not backwards compatible with the original IBM beam spring keyboards. They have been redesigned to be used with Cherry MX type keys natively and to remove all of the wasted space in the modules and in the beam spring cases, while maintaining 100% original key travel and the same exact specifications for the fly plates, beam module footprint, etc.

Also you noted a production cost of about $12 per module, possibly less with more quantities. My new Beam Spring keyboards will be selling for about $4 a module (obviously plus the cost of the case, PCB, etc.). A keyboard with a cost of $12 per module would have to sell for more than $1,000.

I will be following this project with interest and hope that you will be able to continue pursuing it. I would be happy to discuss offering my capacitive beam flippers, metal fly plates, and the like if you so need them as I've made some extras and have all of the tooling already made. The most important part you can make is the reproduction white inserts in the modules, with the new metal part attached as those are the most fragile in my experience.

[Rezkian]

Howdy!
I might be jumping the gun a bit here, but I've just been too excited to not share my quarantine project.

Some unnecessary preamble:
At the beginning of last year my wallet had the misfortune of falling into the rabbit hole of vintage mechanical keyboards, thanks to the lovely Chyrosran22. In the journey to build my collection I eventually started working towards owning an IBM 5251 Beam Spring. While I did eventually have the pleasure of purchasing and fully restoring one, the price was astronomical compared to all my previous buys. With the average price of a single Beam Spring switch somewhere in the neighborhood of $40, and seeing first hand the rust damage these switches can endure when not properly cared for, I set out to attempt a modern production.

The Project:
My primary goals were: to create a cheaper, functionally identical, replica of the original Beam Spring switch and to update the compression spring and key stem to a stainless steel variant to prevent future rust issues.

This effort is still very much a work in progress, but after hitting a major milestone (finalizing the key module mold), I figured I'd start this thread to share my progress.

Currently, I have completely and accurately created CAD models of all the components in a Beam Spring switch assembly.
I have also:

• Created and finalized the key module injection mold
• Produced replica beam spring components
• Produced replica compression spring components

Going forward, I plan to:

• Finalize production of the fly spring (currently in progress)
• Design and produce injection mold for the key column
• Design and produce injection mold for the fly plate
• Begin production of the key stem
• Procure compatible O-rings

Below are some comparison photos of original and replica components:

(Attachment Link)
_{The key module. The replica is a sample mold, and the finish isn't final.
The finalized mold will be more consistent with the glossy surface of the original.}

(Attachment Link)
_{The compression spring. The replica is shiner due to age and material.
The replica is made using stainless steel, while the original uses music wire (which is prone to corrosion).}

(Attachment Link)
_{The beam spring. This part was particularly hard to produce due to its extremely thin height.}

(Attachment Link)
_{The key Column. As the injection mold for this part will be quite complex,
I only currently have a 3D printed version.}

(Attachment Link)
_{Rendered assembly}

Once I have all components produced, I plan to fully release all the design files.
In the meantime, I'm more than happy to answer any questions or take any feedback.

As a side note:
I've always been the kind of person who likes making t-shirts or hats based on whatever has my interest captured at the moment.
Consequentially, I think I have a design I'm pretty happy with for such a purpose. If people are interested, I might explore producing some items with the design.
Ideally I'd like to use the funds to further the development of this project, as I've already spent thousands of dollars and the really expensive parts are yet to come...
(Attachment Link)
_{Possible T-shirt or poster design}

Thanks! - superfoil

Hey, any updates on this?