cherry top + bottom LED

[radish]

hey guys just a simple discussion.

i have two things i want to get done.
1st figure out how the esc switch has an led on top and bottom. see if its possible to do for the entire board.

i want to see if anyone knows or can guess at how this switch got dual leds. Is this a mod someone did by routing the led to the top of the switch as well as the bottom or is there a cherry variant that has two led support that ive never seen.

[nubbinator]

I seem to remember seeing two different ways this has been done.  One, someone made a PCB with SMD LEDs that sat on top of the switch.  Two, someone did a mod with copper tape and SMD LEDs.


And found the link I was looking for.  I knew I had seen some explanations about this.

[radish]

thanks for that. i ready over all the threads... didnt see any kind of resolution to the leds being constantly smacked around but the bottoming out keycap. :\

[Oobly]

thanks for that. i ready over all the threads... didnt see any kind of resolution to the leds being constantly smacked around but the bottoming out keycap. :\

The PCB ones could have cap interference issues, but the copper tape version shouldn't. The keycaps don't go down that far. "Bottoming out" is when the slider inside the switch hits the bottom. The only caps it could possibly happen on are Cherry profile, where there isn't much clearance space to start with, or if the user adds orings, but orings would get in the way of the light, too.

[radish]

thanks for that. i ready over all the threads... didnt see any kind of resolution to the leds being constantly smacked around but the bottoming out keycap. :\

The PCB ones could have cap interference issues, but the copper tape version shouldn't. The keycaps don't go down that far. "Bottoming out" is when the slider inside the switch hits the bottom. The only caps it could possibly happen on are Cherry profile, where there isn't much clearance space to start with, or if the user adds orings, but orings would get in the way of the light, too.

yea i was thinking if it comes to it... ill have to take a notch out of the webbing under the keycap. or cover it with nail polish to absorb the shock. either way i think the copper tape is going to be the main solution for my problem. i am just dreading doing the 1800 layout with it. 104 keys? *shutter*

[Oobly]

You could also do a triple LED conversion, with two LEDs on the top part of the switch, so they miss the webbing of the caps.

A "simpler" version than using copper tape is to use superglue to glue the LEDs in place and use magnet wire (very fine enameled copper wire) to wire them up. With this method you can even put the LEDs inside the caps, although you have to check that the wire is routed so it doesn't get fatigued with the presses, and I don't see any real benefit to doing that, it's just nice to know it's possible.

[radish]

yea i was just going to do a wires superglue method. dealing with copper tape seemed a bit excessive. the only thing is having to figure out how to reproduce the mod on 104 switches in a reasonable time frame.

[njbair]

yea i was just going to do a wires superglue method. dealing with copper tape seemed a bit excessive. the only thing is having to figure out how to reproduce the mod on 104 switches in a reasonable time frame.

Malaysian children. It's one of the more popular production methods.

[radish]

yea i was just going to do a wires superglue method. dealing with copper tape seemed a bit excessive. the only thing is having to figure out how to reproduce the mod on 104 switches in a reasonable time frame.

Malaysian children. It's one of the more popular production methods.

That both horrible and hilarious... Mostly horrible though. You should feel bad.