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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: sandywind on Fri, 03 September 2021, 12:24:59
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I was about to replace some chattering switches on a Varmilo TKL. The board currently has Gateron plate-mounted blacks. However, I am now wondering whether it would be worth replacing all the switches with some more recent ones. Looked around and found many options but they all seem to be PCB mounted. The question is, do JWK/Durock or Gateron even manufacture the 3-pin version of their latest switches?
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You can certainly get better switches than Gat Blscks, Alpacas, Durock Linears and Ink Blacks are great examples.
You can just clip the legs, but make sure to make it as flush as possible so it won’t have any interference.
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I considered clipping the pins. Would I be able to reuse them one day on a board supporting PCB mount? Maybe they could become unstable or crack the soldering.
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I considered clipping the pins. Would I be able to reuse them one day on a board supporting PCB mount? Maybe they could become unstable or crack the soldering.
You could use them with no issue, but you might face crooked switches if you’ll use it plateless.
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Thank you.
I am now choosing a switch and surprisingly I cannot find any good picture of the JWK / Durock switches showing if they are compatible with my keyboard's leds. In this Varmilo, leds are south mounted and their legs pass through the switch casing.
Finally I am also considering silent switches, like silent Alpacas or silent Dolphins. Are they less smooth than their standard linear counterparts?
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Using them later could cause premature wear/failure as well.
But... How many boards are pcb mount plateless?
And by then there's a chance there will be a different switch you want to try anyhow. I get the idea of cutting them stinks, I've complained as well, but really, what are the odds you will and want to leave this keyboard empty, and if you're making enough money to buy a new board to re-use them you're probably making enough to buy new switches again anyhow.
Edit: wrong term, sorry.
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But... How many boards are pcb mount?
Not only pcb mount but plateless too! I feel like you would only run into a crooked situation with 1) plateless pcb mount or 2) half plate pcb mount.
I would avoid those boards in either case. Snipping can be annoying but I have a hard time imagining a situation where it’ll come to bite you down the road, OP
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But... How many boards are pcb mount?
Not only pcb mount but plateless too! I feel like you would only run into a crooked situation with 1) plateless pcb mount or 2) half plate pcb mount.
I would avoid those boards in either case. Snipping can be annoying but I have a hard time imagining a situation where it’ll come to bite you down the road, OP
Sorry, I meant "how many boards are plateless".
I edited the original for clarity.
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Ok, I'll cut those extra pins with no regrets.
Durock's pre-lubed L4s have just been delivered to me. One more question, I understand that filming and lubing generally improves sound and smoothness of almost any switch, however, I am wondering if it is worth doing that with these switches.
(I also understand it depends on one's expectations. Mine aren't very high, I am replacing stock Gateron blacks, which could have been ok, they just chatter. Surely they seem to have twice the stem wobble of the L4s, if that is confirmed, it will be a significant improvement anyway, aside from not chattering.)
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Ok, I'll cut those extra pins with no regrets.
Durock's pre-lubed L4s have just been delivered to me. One more question, I understand that filming and lubing generally improves sound and smoothness of almost any switch, however, I am wondering if it is worth doing that with these switches.
(I also understand it depends on one's expectations. Mine aren't very high, I am replacing stock Gateron blacks, which could have been ok, they just chatter. Surely they seem to have twice the stem wobble of the L4s, if that is confirmed, it will be a significant improvement anyway, aside from not chattering.)
Yeah for one the Durock linear switches have some of the best stem wobble I've seen on a switch, but it does have one drawback that is a slight jamming when pressing off center towards the north side (when the switch is south facing, meaning the LED is facing downwards).
Lubing them will get rid of that and will make the switch significantly smoother than it already is, I'm unsure if filming will have any effect as the switch housing is already tight even after opening it.
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I have just tried to press the stem pushing it slightly sideways, left and right, and slightly towards north, and yes, it less smooth than it is pressing and pushing it south. These are pre-lubed, however, should I try to lube them anyway?
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I have just tried to press the stem pushing it slightly sideways, left and right, and slightly towards north, and yes, it less smooth than it is pressing and pushing it south. These are pre-lubed, however, should I try to lube them anyway?
Depends on the factory lube. A lot of switches have a thin factory lube that you can "lube over" or just wipe off. I personally like using switches for a bit before lubing them (for hotswap boards at least), but yeah lubing them yourself -- if done right -- will make things smoother. I usually go for 205g0 for linears