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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: The Solutor on Tue, 19 April 2011, 15:53:41
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Finally I have the KB I dreamed for long time, after a day spent in testing various switches and combinations I decided that clears with brown's springs is (by far) the best combination.
Then I had to swap the stems which, on a plate mounted and backlit KB, means 103 switches + 103 LEDs to desolder, 200+ switches to open, 400+ soldering islands to clean, 103 switches to reassemble, 103 LEDs to put in place, 400+ soldering points.
I haven't counted the hours, but likely are 5 o 6, for the whole process.
But the result is really worth.
The keys are soft but with a definite tactile point, the hysteresis is almost non existent, the keyboard has a nice sound, but w/o the high pitched click of the blue switches.
You can think to beige switch (this is the way I like call it ) as a blue switch, w/o the click and w/o the hysteresis, or if you prefer, as a brown switch with a more definite tactile feedback.
Although the images cannot show anything about the tactile feedback, I've uploaded a couple of them.
(http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/8253/imag0165k.jpg)
(http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6126/imag0166k.jpg)
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2301/imag0185t.jpg)
Edit: I used a gray stem (that looks almost identical to the white one) with the spring taken from a white switch, to give more consistence to the keys feedback, the original switch was just a plain brown, also the Black widow has a plain blue on the spacebar.
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I think this one isn't yet in the Wiki, better add it. What combination was your second and third best?
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The combination of clears with a weaker spring is mentioned on the wiki, although not specifically referred to the brown springs.
ATM my revised Cherry rating is:
#1 Cherry beige. Almost perfect
#2 Cherry blue, still pleasurable, but affected by the hysteresis, the not so pleasant click, and the 2 stroke activation is somewhat perceptible.
#2 (ex aequo) Cherry Clear, the tactile feedback is a bit minimized by the stiffer springs, but they are overall a good choice
#3 Cherry Brown: a compromise between tactile and linear, more linear than tactile in my opinion, you can't go wrong with browns, but hardly you will get the best choice for you, whatever are your likings.
#4 Dark Browns (white spring + brown stems) I don't like the result, but is still better than a plain black, they feel like a black with a sliiiight tactile feedback, could be an interesting option for the stiffer keyboards lovers.
I left out blacks and reds: i don't like the linears at all
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Very nice work :)
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The combination of clears with a weaker spring is mentioned on the wiki, although not specifically referred to the brown springs.
ATM my revised Cherry rating is:
#1 Cherry beige. Almost perfect
#2 Cherry blue, still pleasurable, but affected by the hysteresis, the not so pleasant click, and the 2 stroke activation is somewhat perceptible.
#2 (ex aequo) Cherry Clear, the tactile feedback is a bit minimized by the stiffer springs, but they are overall a good choice
#3 Cherry Brown: a compromise between tactile and linear, more linear than tactile in my opinion, you can't go wrong with browns, but hardly you will get the best choice for you, whatever are your likings.
#4 Dark Browns (white spring + brown stems) I don't like the result, but is still better than a plain black, they feel like a black with a sliiiight tactile feedback, could be an interesting option for the stiffer keyboards lovers.
I left out blacks and reds: i don't like the linears at all
Wouldn't the Dark Browns be almost the same as Black Spring - Brown stem?
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Wouldn't the Dark Browns be almost the same as Black Spring - Brown stem?
I presume very close, I haven't dismantled a black switch because the black KB I tried is from a friend's keyboard, so I haven't compared side by side the black's spring with the clear's one, but the modded donor board feels very similar with a black one, just a bit of tactile feeling added.
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We need some kind of spring by stem matrix to track the different combinations, known keyboard mods and personal impressions from those who've used them.
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Great mod + great switch choice! (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:17248) =)
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Great mod + great switch choice! (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:17248) =)
Thanks, mate !
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BTW I like more the beige definition, because even if the mod can be made with the blue or red springs, beige tells something about the feeling, something in the middle between clears and brown.
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Very nice mod you got here.
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Glad to have some official Xarmor approval... :yo:
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LoL @ Ripster - that's a great point :).
One of these days I need to buy/purchase the tools to do this mod. I think it'll end up being the switch for me, too...
-Tallon