Project Zealio - 62g/65g/67g Purple "MX Clear" Switch in transparent housing

[Zeal]

It seems that these tick all the boxes, including some boxes that didn't exist!

Are they going to be generally available for purchase after the GB?

Yes, I plan on stocking them on my site after the GB.

This is incredible Zeal! The hype for this is real.

Thanks!

Zeal, you are amazing.  Holy amazeballs.
Right down to the purple.  !!!!

Yeeeeeee purple!

[nubbinator]

Wow!


Where is the purchase link??!?

After receiving some samples hopefully next week, I'll be sending a few out to builders/reviewers. After that phase, a GB will be made.

Send me some samples bro??

This is a list I need to be on as well.  Damn those are sexy.

[HoffmanMyster]

Oh god I need these.      Absolutely incredible.

Wow!


Where is the purchase link??!?

After receiving some samples hopefully next week, I'll be sending a few out to builders/reviewers. After that phase, a GB will be made.

Send me some samples bro??

This is a list I need to be on as well.  Damn those are sexy.

+1 

[asgeirtj]

Very nice!

Questions:

1. Was anyone breaking their switches because of the tight stem on the clears?  I didn't see any disadvantage to those fat stem crosses but I liked that it make me feel that my caps weren't loose (I've had some trouble with loose caps, maybe I got a faulty batch of browns), but I won't mind if the stem isn't fat if it doesn't have any advantage to it.

2. How is the stem different from stock stems apart from the other color and nonfat crosses?  Are the sliders shaved like some people seem to do to supposedly make them smoother?

3.  Is the housing made from different materials than regular MX switches?  And if yes does that pose a problem?  I know that Lastpilot mentioned that when he made a board with transparent housings on the switches he lubed the upper housing because it made for a more silent upstroke (this is not a problem with stock mx housing, lubing the upper housing is irrelevant).

[kennardsmith]

I would like a lot of these.

[Zeal]

Very nice!

Questions:

1. Was anyone breaking their switches because of the tight stem on the clears?  I didn't see any disadvantage to those fat stem crosses but I liked that it make me feel that my caps weren't loose (I've had some trouble with loose caps, maybe I got a faulty batch of browns), but I won't mind if the stem isn't fat if it doesn't have any advantage to it.

2. How is the stem different from stock stems apart from the other color and nonfat crosses?  Are the sliders shaved like some people seem to do to supposedly make them smoother?

3.  Is the housing made from different materials than regular MX switches?  And if yes does that pose a problem?  I know that Lastpilot mentioned that when he made a board with transparent housings on the switches he lubed the upper housing because it made for a more silent upstroke (this is not a problem with stock mx housing, lubing the upper housing is irrelevant).

1. Yes, it's a huge problem that's quite widely known. Especially happens on tight keycaps (GMK ABS, Gateron PBT, etc)
If you were using imsto keycaps, those are generally very loose keycaps. That may be why it felt "just right" on MX Clears.


2. It's the same other than the cross-stem. However, you can expect a smoother feeling that we all appreciate from Gateron. I'm not too sure what you mean by shaving the slider...that would make it rougher.

3. Slider is POM, housing is Nylon. Pretty much same materials as Cherry switches. I think the clear housing that Lastpilot used where from another manufacturer, that used a different more brittle material.

[swimmingbird]

I am so excited for this! Thank you for making this happen Zeal!

Not just to find a pcb with the 4 pin socket!

[Lastpilot]

3.  Is the housing made from different materials than regular MX switches?  And if yes does that pose a problem?  I know that Lastpilot mentioned that when he made a board with transparent housings on the switches he lubed the upper housing because it made for a more silent upstroke (this is not a problem with stock mx housing, lubing the upper housing is irrelevant).

3. Slider is POM, housing is Nylon. Pretty much same materials as Cherry switches. I think the clear housing that Lastpilot used where from another manufacturer, that used a different more brittle material.

QFT. Correct! Those were abostudio tops and were sort of loose and brittle. I haven't had any problem with the gateron tops, they've been really nice and I've done 4 builds with them.

[Air tree]

Holy ****. This is brilliant. Going to pick up a heap of these for projects. 

[Cameron]

How much are these going to cost though?

Can we expect them to be around the same price point of cherry switches or is it going to be significantly higher?

[ImBZppl]

I need these for my future smart 68

[Zeal]

How much are these going to cost though?

Can we expect them to be around the same price point of cherry switches or is it going to be significantly higher?

It will be priced higher than Cherry switches, but under $1. Pricing is still being finalized.

[sethk_]

How much are these going to cost though?

Can we expect them to be around the same price point of cherry switches or is it going to be significantly higher?

It will be priced higher than Cherry switches, but under $1. Pricing is still being finalized.

I would also like to point out that these come with gold springs in them already, and with clear tops, so the higher pricing makes sense. I also missed the clear bottoms

[Latin00032]

I'm ready for this

[KatzenKinder]

Oh my god... COUNT ME IN.

[Dodgy]

I'm about to do a build- I'll take samples 

No way I'm going to miss this GB.

[ileben]

So I'm a bit new here. What does this mean for the future, is this going to be available only withing a GB, or is it possible that a manufacturer would pick these up and put them in a keyboard?

In other words, how would I ago about acquiring a keyboard with these. I have 0 soldering skills and I don't wanna buy a random pcb mounted kb just to be able to open the switches and replace the spring (I prefer plate mounted) so ergo-clear is not possible for me.

Can I pay someone to make me one? I NEED more MX tactility in my life, browns are not enough.

[FrostyToast]

So I'm a bit new here. What does this mean for the future, is this going to be available only withing a GB, or is it possible that a manufacturer would pick these up and put them in a keyboard?

In other words, how would I ago about acquiring a keyboard with these. I have 0 soldering skills and I don't wanna buy a random pcb mounted kb just to be able to open the switches and replace the spring (I prefer plate mounted) so ergo-clear is not possible for me.

Can I pay someone to make me one? I NEED more MX tactility in my life, browns are not enough.

Switches will likely be kept in constantly replenishing supply at Zeal's store and will only be sold officially through there and nowhere else.
I don't expect them to be picked up by any manufacturer so you would need to get someone to solder these in for you.

These switches have stock 62g springs meaning that they are already ergo clears.

[nathanrosspowell]

So I'm a bit new here. What does this mean for the future, is this going to be available only withing a GB, or is it possible that a manufacturer would pick these up and put them in a keyboard?

In other words, how would I ago about acquiring a keyboard with these. I have 0 soldering skills and I don't wanna buy a random pcb mounted kb just to be able to open the switches and replace the spring (I prefer plate mounted) so ergo-clear is not possible for me.

Can I pay someone to make me one? I NEED more MX tactility in my life, browns are not enough.

Switches will likely be kept in constantly replenishing supply at Zeal's store and will only be sold officially through there and nowhere else.
I don't expect them to be picked up by any manufacturer so you would need to get someone to solder these in for you.

These switches have stock 62g springs meaning that they are already ergo clears.

Yeah, what Frosty said.

To add; PCB mounted switches turn into plate mounted with the snip of some clippers. The difference is just two tiny plastic legs that you can clip off. I only had highschool soldering experience from 10+ years ago and soldering up my first KB was one of the funnest things I've done in the past few years

[nmur]

oh my god

this means we can probably eventually have 60% boards with RGB ergo clears....

[ileben]

So I'm a bit new here. What does this mean for the future, is this going to be available only withing a GB, or is it possible that a manufacturer would pick these up and put them in a keyboard?

In other words, how would I ago about acquiring a keyboard with these. I have 0 soldering skills and I don't wanna buy a random pcb mounted kb just to be able to open the switches and replace the spring (I prefer plate mounted) so ergo-clear is not possible for me.

Can I pay someone to make me one? I NEED more MX tactility in my life, browns are not enough.

Switches will likely be kept in constantly replenishing supply at Zeal's store and will only be sold officially through there and nowhere else.
I don't expect them to be picked up by any manufacturer so you would need to get someone to solder these in for you.

These switches have stock 62g springs meaning that they are already ergo clears.

Thanks for the info. Yep, I understand these are already ergo clears, what I meant was if I could do it to a plate mounted board without desoldering I'd go that way, but since I'd need to desolder I can't do it. Well, looks like if these aren't picked up by a board manufacturer I will have to learn soldering either way. Time to learn a new skill

[Evo_Spec]

Welp! looks like i'm gonna need to start getting some money in my PayPal.....

[asgeirtj]

2. It's the same other than the cross-stem. However, you can expect a smoother feeling that we all appreciate from Gateron. I'm not too sure what you mean by shaving the slider...that would make it rougher.

I'm sorry but I don't understand then, what is it that's different about the switch then that makes is smoother than stock cherry?  Is it because of the springs ?

[Zeal]

2. It's the same other than the cross-stem. However, you can expect a smoother feeling that we all appreciate from Gateron. I'm not too sure what you mean by shaving the slider...that would make it rougher.

I'm sorry but I don't understand then, what is it that's different about the switch then that makes is smoother than stock cherry?  Is it because of the springs ?

Newer / smoother / better made molds = smoother plastic parts that are made. If you've ever done some fancy chocolate art making, you'd know that layering melted chocolate on a shiny stainless bowl will result in a shiny chocolate semi-sphere on the inside. If the surface of the bowl was scratched up and matte, the chocolate would form a matte and rough surface.

Same concept goes to molds and injected plastic. The switch molds created today are newer and should be smoother than old Cherry molds that Cherry has reused for decades.

The surface finish of the metal leaf on Cherry/Gateron bottom housings could be different as well. The leaf plays a huge role in whether a switch feels smooth or not. There's a bunch of possible factors that could also lead to a smoother Gateron switch.

[asgeirtj]

2. It's the same other than the cross-stem. However, you can expect a smoother feeling that we all appreciate from Gateron. I'm not too sure what you mean by shaving the slider...that would make it rougher.

I'm sorry but I don't understand then, what is it that's different about the switch then that makes is smoother than stock cherry?  Is it because of the springs ?

Newer / smoother / better made molds = smoother plastic parts that are made. If you've ever done some fancy chocolate art making, you'd know that layering melted chocolate on a shiny stainless bowl will result in a shiny chocolate semi-sphere on the inside. If the surface of the bowl was scratched up and matte, the chocolate would form a matte and rough surface.

Same concept goes to molds and injected plastic. The switch molds created today are newer and should be smoother than old Cherry molds that Cherry has reused for decades.

The surface finish of the metal leaf on Cherry/Gateron bottom housings could be different as well. The leaf plays a huge role in whether a switch feels smooth or not. There's a bunch of possible factors that could also lead to a smoother Gateron switch.

Sweet! Thanks for info, will definitely buy

[filphil]

Will these switches have a high actuation point compared to cherry?  For some reason that bothers me about all the other Gateron switches and, on paper, doesn't sound like my preference.

[azhdar]

Will these switches have a high actuation point compared to cherry?  For some reason that bothers me about all the other Gateron switches and, on paper, doesn't sound like my preference.

Really I don't notice it at all when switching between gaterons and cherries.

[CPTBadAss]

Agreed with azhdar, the actuation point as I remember it on Gaterons isn't different from Cherry.

[sethk_]

Will these switches have a high actuation point compared to cherry?  For some reason that bothers me about all the other Gateron switches and, on paper, doesn't sound like my preference.

Gaterons have the same actuation point as cherry, don't they?

[strict]

I'm using two Dell SK-8115's. One at home, one at work. I win. )

I've long said if I were going to go back to "normal" keyboards it would either be the SK-8115 or the SK-8135. IMO they're some of the best rubber dome membrane boards.

As far as the actual topic at hand, are these "Zealio" switches made by Gateron? Can we expect a similar level of smoothness found in their linear switches except with the tactility of a Cherry Clear stem? If so, I can see myself ordering wayyy too many of these  )

[Zeal]

I'm using two Dell SK-8115's. One at home, one at work. I win. )

I've long said if I were going to go back to "normal" keyboards it would either be the SK-8115 or the SK-8135. IMO they're some of the best rubber dome membrane boards.

As far as the actual topic at hand, are these "Zealio" switches made by Gateron? Can we expect a similar level of smoothness found in their linear switches except with the tactility of a Cherry Clear stem? If so, I can see myself ordering wayyy too many of these  )

Tactility is modeled after the Cherry MX Clear stem. Yes, Gateron and I partnered up to have these switches exclusively made for me.

I've decided to wait another week before receiving samples so Gateron could make the bottoms PCB mount (forgot to mention that when the tooling was being made...Oops). Sorry for the wait guys!

[sethk_]

I'm using two Dell SK-8115's. One at home, one at work. I win. )

I've long said if I were going to go back to "normal" keyboards it would either be the SK-8115 or the SK-8135. IMO they're some of the best rubber dome membrane boards.

As far as the actual topic at hand, are these "Zealio" switches made by Gateron? Can we expect a similar level of smoothness found in their linear switches except with the tactility of a Cherry Clear stem? If so, I can see myself ordering wayyy too many of these  )

Tactility is modeled after the Cherry MX Clear stem. Yes, Gateron and I partnered up to have these switches exclusively made for me.

I've decided to wait another week before receiving samples so Gateron could make the bottoms PCB mount (forgot to mention that when the tooling was being made...Oops). Sorry for the wait guys!

will the pcb bottoms work like cherry ones, or will they be like stock gateron

Edit: I actually only heard about this and never tried it. After trying it, they seem to work, sorry

[Zeal]

Some aftermarket PCB manufacturers choose to make their PCB holes a tiny bit smaller for a snugger PCB mount feel. Due to manufacturing tolerances, this can sometimes make the Gateron PCB mount seem too tight. I've brought this issue up to Gateron as well, and they'll try to make the microfins a tiny bit smaller. However too small, and some PCBs may be too loose for the switches.

[njbair]

Some aftermarket PCB manufacturers choose to make their PCB holes a tiny bit smaller for a snugger PCB mount feel. Due to manufacturing tolerances, this can sometimes make the Gateron PCB mount seem too tight. I've brought this issue up to Gateron as well, and they'll try to make the microfins a tiny bit smaller. However too small, and some PCBs may be too loose for the switches.

You can always ream out tight PCB holes. Makes more sense to keep the switches standard, as it's harder to add material to a switch bottom than to take it away from a PCB.

[Zeal]

Some aftermarket PCB manufacturers choose to make their PCB holes a tiny bit smaller for a snugger PCB mount feel. Due to manufacturing tolerances, this can sometimes make the Gateron PCB mount seem too tight. I've brought this issue up to Gateron as well, and they'll try to make the microfins a tiny bit smaller. However too small, and some PCBs may be too loose for the switches.

You can always ream out tight PCB holes. Makes more sense to keep the switches standard, as it's harder to add material to a switch bottom than to take it away from a PCB.

Agreed. Easier to make a hole larger, not smaller.

[Latin00032]

I don't know if this was asked but:

1. Are these pre-lubed in anyway?

2. Cherry mx switches had a little wiggle between the top and bottom halves. Gateron has less wiggle. How do these purple switches compare?

Thanks.

[Zeal]

I don't know if this was asked but:

1. Are these pre-lubed in anyway?

2. Cherry mx switches had a little wiggle between the top and bottom halves. Gateron has less wiggle. How do these purple switches compare?

Thanks.

It will only come stock factory lubed on the legs like every other switch (both Gateron and Cherry). Lubing ergoclears is subjective, and everyone has their own tastes on where to apply lube, and how thick the lube should be. I've left that for the end users to decide and mod.

Given that these switches are manufactured by Gateron, you can expect the little to no wiggle room between the two halves.

[Invaderevan]

I don't know if this was asked but:

1. Are these pre-lubed in anyway?

2. Cherry mx switches had a little wiggle between the top and bottom halves. Gateron has less wiggle. How do these purple switches compare?

Thanks.

It will only come stock factory lubed on the legs like every other switch (both Gateron and Cherry). Lubing ergoclears is subjective, and everyone has their own tastes on where to apply lube, and how thick the lube should be. I've left that for the end users to decide and mod.

Given that these switches are manufactured by Gateron, you can expect the little to no wiggle room between the two halves.

would that make stickering these kinda useless? other than cosmetic i guess

[Zeal]

I don't know if this was asked but:

1. Are these pre-lubed in anyway?

2. Cherry mx switches had a little wiggle between the top and bottom halves. Gateron has less wiggle. How do these purple switches compare?

Thanks.

It will only come stock factory lubed on the legs like every other switch (both Gateron and Cherry). Lubing ergoclears is subjective, and everyone has their own tastes on where to apply lube, and how thick the lube should be. I've left that for the end users to decide and mod.

Given that these switches are manufactured by Gateron, you can expect the little to no wiggle room between the two halves.

would that make stickering these kinda useless? other than cosmetic i guess

Pretty much. You might even be adding unecessary stress to the housings by adding a film in between.

[nmur]

I don't know if this was asked but:

1. Are these pre-lubed in anyway?

2. Cherry mx switches had a little wiggle between the top and bottom halves. Gateron has less wiggle. How do these purple switches compare?

Thanks.

It will only come stock factory lubed on the legs like every other switch (both Gateron and Cherry). Lubing ergoclears is subjective, and everyone has their own tastes on where to apply lube, and how thick the lube should be. I've left that for the end users to decide and mod.

Given that these switches are manufactured by Gateron, you can expect the little to no wiggle room between the two halves.

would that make stickering these kinda useless? other than cosmetic i guess

imo stickering is considerably more for aesthetics rather than the added rigidity, especially when stem wobble usually overshadows it's benefits anyway. it can even just be a thing to do if you're opening the switches anyway.

I've also just realised that I never thought to buy purple stickers before, because they wouldn't match any stems....

[digi]

Sorry if this has been asked already and I'm sure it depends on how many switches are ordered but might there be a rough estimate of cost per switch on these? thanks Zeal!

[CPTBadAss]

Sorry if this has been asked already and I'm sure it depends on how many switches are ordered but might there be a rough estimate of cost per switch on these? thanks Zeal!

How much are these going to cost though?

Can we expect them to be around the same price point of cherry switches or is it going to be significantly higher?

It will be priced higher than Cherry switches, but under $1. Pricing is still being finalized.

[digi]

Sorry if this has been asked already and I'm sure it depends on how many switches are ordered but might there be a rough estimate of cost per switch on these? thanks Zeal!

How much are these going to cost though?

Can we expect them to be around the same price point of cherry switches or is it going to be significantly higher?

It will be priced higher than Cherry switches, but under $1. Pricing is still being finalized.

Thanks CPT. Damn, purple LEDs on these purp switches, gonna be so purp'd out. I'm freaking out maaan!

[cooldiscretion]

Don't know if anyone has asked this yet, but is the switch housing plastic durable?  After ripping multiple stems through
AboStudio switch tops, I would hate to have that happen again with these.

[Bloo]

Are there pcbs that support this pin layout or have controllers that can push these leds?

[Zeal]

Don't know if anyone has asked this yet, but is the switch housing plastic durable?  After ripping multiple stems through
AboStudio switch tops, I would hate to have that happen again with these.

Gateron switch tops are miles more durable than the brittle abostudio ones. You don't have to worry about ripping the stems out. The purple stems don't have the cross-tightening stem mounts found on Clears, so there really isn't anything to worry about.

Are there pcbs that support this pin layout or have controllers that can push these leds?

There isn't an aftermarket PCB that supports 4pin RGB LEDs yet (it's in the works). However these switches will still be backwards compatible with regular 3mm, 2x3x4mm, 1.8mm LEDs.

[cooldiscretion]

Don't know if anyone has asked this yet, but is the switch housing plastic durable?  After ripping multiple stems through
AboStudio switch tops, I would hate to have that happen again with these.

Gateron switch tops are miles more durable than the brittle abostudio ones. You don't have to worry about ripping the stems out. The purple stems don't have the cross-tightening stem mounts found on Clears, so there really isn't anything to worry about.

Good to know thanks for the quick answer.

[njbair]

So, silly question maybe, but when you say these switches will be 4-pin LED compatible, you're talking about 4 thru-holes for the LED to sit on the top of the switch like normal LEDs?

[Zeal]

So, silly question maybe, but when you say these switches will be 4-pin LED compatible, you're talking about 4 thru-holes for the LED to sit on the top of the switch like normal LEDs?

This variant:

[njbair]

So, silly question maybe, but when you say these switches will be 4-pin LED compatible, you're talking about 4 thru-holes for the LED to sit on the top of the switch like normal LEDs?

This variant:

Show Image

OK, so the LEDs will still sit on the switch top, and not just shine through from underneath the clear body?