Wait, a low-profile switch that fits standard keycaps?A couple weeks ago I snagged samples of this low-profile mechanical switch design from Greetech. What really caught my attention was what looked like a standard Cherry MX stem for the keycaps.
At first I thought the switches didn't work with MX keycaps, but this week I figured they
do fit. If you don't force the keycap on too far, or you use an o-ring to reduce the stem length, they'll work.
Since there is some great potential here for a low-profile keyboard kit that can accept (some) standard keycaps, I want to know who else might be interested in checking them out.
So I'm strongly considering ordering a small batch (a few hundred) of switches and making some tester kits like this prototype:
The switch on the right is a standard-sized switch. Here is a better shot of the height difference, both keys are in the "UP" position:
And one without keycaps:
These low-profile switches are PCB mount only and use the same mounting pins as the standard Cherry switches. There is one electrical pin out of place, so they are not entirely a drop-in replacement. Any PCB designs will need to move one hole.
Here is a switch teardown:
It has a very generous opening for mounting LEDs too.
The Interest CheckFor around $10 I could put together switch tester kits with:
- 1x Low-profile blue 'clicky' switch
- 1x Low-profile red 'soft-tactile' switch
- 1x Low-profile black 'linear' switch
- 1x Bent acrylic switch tester for 3x PCB mount switches (fits standard-sized switches too)
- 3x Black rubber o-rings
- 3x Blank keycaps
Or I could just discount the kit ($7-ish) and go without keycaps and o-rings.
Between the lead time on getting the switches and a couple weeks I'll be out of town in July, these probably wouldn't be ready until early August.
Thanks!
