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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: stickemup on Fri, 23 July 2010, 21:46:37

Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Fri, 23 July 2010, 21:46:37
I received a new filco majestouch FKBN87MC/EBEK keyboard today... i like the feel so far and it's fun to type on, though I am still getting used to it over the apple chicklets board or the G15 (which is admittedly garbage, though that particular garbage is packed up hoping for a cash-back return). I don't consider this an overly loud keyboard. It's not silent but it's reminiscent of typing on my old apple keyboards.

One small thing I  have noticed, even in comparison to the compaq 11800  board, is that the keys wobble a lot. With not very much fingertip pressure at all you can rest your finger on the keys and deflect them in all directions. Is that normal? I realize that this is a light touch board, but it seems that they wobble more than they should, being the finger pressure to wobble them is so minimal.

It's a small beef, but the keys just seem a bit cheap for a nice keyboard.

I'll follow up after a couple days.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Fri, 23 July 2010, 22:26:52
Wow!

The keys from the Compaq board (15.00 on ebay) fit this! High quality with durable printing... less wobble, thicker plastic, and 100% compatible. Pictures will follow.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: washuai on Fri, 23 July 2010, 23:03:01
I'm glad you found your solution.  Pix are generally appreciated.  All the cherry MX (black, clear, blue, brown, & red) key caps attach via the same cross, so you can swap.  The keys that have problems transplanting are ones the ones that are larger than the single keys.
The other issue is not all cherry switch keyboards have the same key profile.  
While the Filco key caps aren't my favorite, the wobble is the least of the reasons I want to swap them for better plastic.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Fri, 23 July 2010, 23:07:39
WOWSA!

Okay, the keys make a difference. They are now vastly improved. They are stable, feel better on my fingertips, with those gninormous home position nubs. I'm liking this a lot.

As washuai said, I wasn't able to swap all the control keys. But you know what? I kinda like that sitting here using it, as I can definitely tell what keys I am on. The remaining control keys are just slightly higher, and it works well.

These compaq keys must have been made in the golden age of keycaps. They look bombproof in comparison, side by side.

Finished product:

(http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab150/moardeeps/Filco11800keycaps.jpg)
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Fri, 23 July 2010, 23:21:46
Here's the board zoom showing the keycap height difference. Not much at all, and it works for me.

(http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab150/moardeeps/Filco11800zoom.jpg)

Here's the keys side by side. Take note of the incredible precision of the compaq keycap. Who made the compaq keycap, Cherry? Those appear to be original works of art, whereas the Filcos look like a copy in comparison. The registration hole is perfectly cut, so it is very stable on the key, as are the stabilizer bars. Whoever made that keycap, knew their business very well.

(http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab150/moardeeps/FilcoVsCompaq.jpg)
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: gr1m on Fri, 23 July 2010, 23:42:32
Looks great. I'd be annoyed with having a mix of keycaps myself. I'd like it to be uniform.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sat, 24 July 2010, 00:09:21
Quote from: gr1m;205858
Looks great. I'd be annoyed with having a mix of keycaps myself. I'd like it to be uniform.


On old telex and twix machines, the control keys were all slightly different than the alpha/numerics, and the caps lock was bi-level; this particular mix is really not very different, and it feels quite natural. The benefit of key stabilization cannot be overstated, as it lifts the keyboard up a notch in quality. IMHO Filco needs to fix their keycaps, if not on all their boards, definitely on their tactile touch board, where the difference is more pronounced.

I replaced the ez ones I did for a test, but once I stop playing with it, I am going to be swapping as many as possible.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: Findecanor on Sat, 24 July 2010, 03:15:31
Did you notice how thicker the walls of the MX-11800 key caps with stabilizers are compared to the alphanumeric keys? All the double-shot key caps from older Cherry keyboards were that thick.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: Dirty Bint on Sat, 24 July 2010, 04:46:09
I heard a rumour that Filco were using recycled plastic for their keycaps that came from the Moombai slum dog scavengers. This recycled plastic cannot be moulded and manipulated as thick as the fresh stuff hence the poor quality keycap.


Rgds
Dirty Bint
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: aegrotatio on Sat, 24 July 2010, 09:31:57
For this kind of money, I would never get a Filco with wobbly and inconsistently-centered keys.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: audioave10 on Sat, 24 July 2010, 09:41:50
I love the layout of that Filco...but this concerns me.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sat, 24 July 2010, 10:55:27
Quote from: Dirty Bint;205896
I heard a rumour that Filco were using recycled plastic for their keycaps that came from the Moombai slum dog scavengers. This recycled plastic cannot be moulded and manipulated as thick as the fresh stuff hence the poor quality keycap.


Rgds
Dirty Bint


Well, that makes a bad situation worse.

Ultimately, this key issue kills the board for me. The keys I was able to replace with the compaq keys are good - however, I don't have the right height keys for the function keys, as they are in a different configuration with appropriate key levels for the compaq. Additionally the other keys don't fit, due to differences in keyboard with window's keys, and the differences in the caps lock center post.

Part of the wobble issue would be corrected by lowering the height. It's obvious, and sad that they didn't catch that (the reason cherry made the keys that way).

I am kicking myself for being cheap. I should've bought the happy hacker or realforce.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: elbowglue on Sat, 24 July 2010, 11:17:42
HHKB / realforce has a totally different switch (rubber dome)
Consider this mod:
Make your filco doubleshot (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6924)

Call me crazy I actually like the filco profile keycaps more than the MX 11800, after having owned both.

I think bint was being sarcastic heh.

By the way if you want to unload your Filco PM me I might wanna buy thanks. :)

There is no other cherry blue keyboard with this form factor that can be purchased.  If you like the lack of tenkeyless, the standard layout, presence of NKRO, the plate mounting, the cherry blue switch, you have the "one keyboard".  There is pretty much nothing that comes close to it.  For this reason I would not advise having buyers remorse about this keyboard, although of course I cannot determine your happiness with the purchase!

My 2 cents anyhow.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sat, 24 July 2010, 12:09:10
Quote from: elbowglue;205936
HHKB / realforce has a totally different switch (rubber dome)
Consider this mod:
Make your filco doubleshot (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6924)

Call me crazy I actually like the filco profile keycaps more than the MX 11800, after having owned both.

I think bint was being sarcastic heh.

By the way if you want to unload your Filco PM me I might wanna buy thanks. :)

There is no other cherry blue keyboard with this form factor that can be purchased.  If you like the lack of tenkeyless, the standard layout, presence of NKRO, the plate mounting, the cherry blue switch, you have the "one keyboard".  There is pretty much nothing that comes close to it.  For this reason I would not advise having buyers remorse about this keyboard, although of course I cannot determine your happiness with the purchase!

My 2 cents anyhow.


And so began the quest for the One True Cherry Keycap!
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: majestouch on Sat, 24 July 2010, 13:28:38
Quote from: stickemup;205864
IMHO Filco needs to fix their keycaps, if not on all their boards, definitely on their tactile touch board, where the difference is more pronounced.


I address your wobble concerns in another thread here (http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=205950&postcount=29).

Whatever the case, most of the players in the mechanical-consumer market are rarely in a financial position to order up entirely new tooling for keycaps:( but we can always hope;)
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: washuai on Sat, 24 July 2010, 14:02:21
Quote from: elbowglue;205936
HHKB / realforce has a totally different switch (rubber dome)
Consider this mod:
Make your filco doubleshot (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6924)

There is no other cherry blue keyboard with this form factor that can be purchased.  If you like the lack of tenkeyless, the standard layout, presence of NKRO, the plate mounting, the cherry blue switch, you have the "one keyboard".  There is pretty much nothing that comes close to it.  For this reason I would not advise having buyers remorse about this keyboard, although of course I cannot determine your happiness with the purchase!
.


I actually like the feel of my Cherry board better than my Filco, I don't know if it is the PCB mounting or just the key caps.  However, I need a tenkeyless layout at work, more than I need that feel.  I don't own a hacksaw, so the compaq isn't a cheaper solution than the tenkeyless Filco with browns.  Ok, the irocks board, would be cheaper, but the layout is crap and it is lower quality than the Filco.  There really isn't anything beating tenkeyless Filco with browns cost/size/layout/availability wise.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sat, 24 July 2010, 14:13:41
Quote from: majestouch;205956
I address your wobble concerns in another thread here (http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=205950&postcount=29).



And I address your wobbling over my keycap waffling  here (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?p=205959#post205959).

;)
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: whininggit on Sat, 24 July 2010, 14:20:49
How about the Cherry G80-1800? It's not a tenkeyless, but is only 1 key wider. I think they all have Cherry blacks though, so you would need to buy a G80-1800 plus a Compaq board to harvest the brown stems and springs from.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sat, 24 July 2010, 14:44:10
Quote from: whininggit;205969
How about the Cherry G80-1800? It's not a tenkeyless, but is only 1 key wider. I think they all have Cherry blacks though, so you would need to buy a G80-1800 plus a Compaq board to harvest the brown stems and springs from.


Hmmmm... Like this one here on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250670376450#ht_4806wt_1368), for $29.95?

Is it normally that cheap for this model?
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: whininggit on Sat, 24 July 2010, 14:54:37
The G81 is the cheap membrane model. You need the G80, which has the mechanical switches.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sat, 24 July 2010, 15:00:39
Quote from: stickemup;205982
Hmmmm... Like this one here on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250670376450#ht_4806wt_1368), for $29.95?

Is it normally that cheap for this model?


That is a dishonest seller. His advertisement is all about the keyboard being the G80-1800, with mechanical switches.

"Tech. Specs.

The Cherry G80-1800/G81-1800 keyboard is an industry standard when you need a reliable keyboard option for your "intense" users. Although you might think a keyboard is just another accessory to your systems, the G80-1800/G81-1800 gives you the peace of mind that comes with the reliability, durability and functionality of Cherry products.
With key switch ratings of over 50 million per key, making an investment in Cherry G80-1800/G81-1800 keyboards for your user means more carefree service, less sticking keys, less swap-out problems and fewer calls to your help desk...conserving precious man-hours for both your staff and your users.

The Cherry G80-1800/G81-1800 comes with either 104 or 105 key configurations, and you can choose from 3 different key actions: Linear, Soft Contact or Keyclick. Eliminate silly service calls today by choosing the G80-1800/G81-1800 for your deployment.

Features and Benefits:

Very High Quality - for demanding users and applciations
Wear resistant keycap symbols are easily cleaned
Linear, soft contact and keyclick key actions
104 and 105 keys
Uses Cherry MX Key switches on Gold Crosspoint technology
Precision switching"

Then, lower in the details he mentions that it's not the G80-1800 he is actually selling, but a G81-1854lamus-0 with sealed membrane.

What a jerk.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: elbowglue on Sat, 24 July 2010, 19:11:45
I think the seller did a bad copy and paste job.  I was also unhappy that it won't be delivered by that hot chick on the bottom of the page :)

These cherry boards are a ilttle tricky to figure it out, the majority of those on sale on ebay are "g81" which is not a good board at all :(
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sun, 25 July 2010, 14:43:53
I'm tellin' ya, your sawed off compaq is looking better and better!
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Sun, 25 July 2010, 15:23:29
Apparently the G80-8200 has the proper centered capslock key, and the correct spacing for the bottom row!

I was looking at this article (http://www.overclock.net/computer-peripherals/736509-cherry-g80-8200lpdus-review.html), and noticed the left row line up on the back of the PCB.

That would pretty much solve it for me.

-- Elitekeyboards pointed out the hardball terms on the bottom of the page - no returns, no returns, no returns! So I'll just live with it, though I will be unloading the palm rest.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 25 July 2010, 15:27:29
Quote from: Findecanor;205880
Did you notice how thicker the walls of the MX-11800 key caps with stabilizers are compared to the alphanumeric keys? All the double-shot key caps from older Cherry keyboards were that thick.


They must have been good keys then. The double-shots on my ALPS keyboard are pretty thin.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: whininggit on Mon, 26 July 2010, 01:46:47
Even the current Cherry-made keyboards have thick-walled keycaps, but they are laser etched rather than double-shot.

Some aspects of the G80 boards seem to be an exercise in economy (although I'm fine with it), but the keycaps are one area where Cherry do not cut corners.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: typo on Mon, 26 July 2010, 01:59:22
as everyone knows i wore off the legends on the filco. that could be from abuse though. coating them with a laquer. they do wobble, some are crooked. my enter originally stiuck. the board flexes if you jam on it. it is far from perfect. it is however seemingly as good as the non cherry corp boards get.

i thought topre was higher quality but plenty of people have had issues with that as well.
i prefer cherry mx blue to anything though so no topre for me.

i actually think the adesso which i also own is comparable to the filco. it has it's issues as well. the frame is much heavier though. plus it can be had for $70.

there just does not seem to be a superquality cherry blue board as of now.

i really want that compaq board for the keys! that at least will make me a lot happier with the filco. i am going to go look for one right now! it is perfect for me since it covers all the keys i wear out. intrestingly i have never worn out an enter on any board.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: penpoints on Mon, 26 July 2010, 08:53:28
Quote from: stickemup;205841
One small thing I  have noticed, even in comparison to the compaq 11800  board, is that the keys wobble a lot. With not very much fingertip pressure at all you can rest your finger on the keys and deflect them in all directions. Is that normal?


Yes, it is perfectly normal for there to be some play in the keys. They were designed this way, as Majestouch has explained so clearly. This is not a design flaw. Other wonderful keyboards - the HHKB Pro and the Topre Realforce 87U, to take two examples - have some play in the keys. It's silly to call this a defect.

These Filco keyboards were designed in Japan and manufactured in Taiwan. EliteKeyboards is the American distributor/seller. I have nothing but praise for EliteKeyboards: great products, fair prices, and good support (email questions answered promptly, etc.). I hope Majestouch will continue to share his expertise with the Geekhack community.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 26 July 2010, 09:18:58
Even Beam Springs have quite a noticeable degree of wobble in them (well, it's more the slider as opposed to the keycap, but same difference). If the pinnacle of over-engineered keyboards does it, there's either a good reason, or it's too hard to prevent it... and I somehow doubt that it's the latter.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Mon, 26 July 2010, 09:22:33
Yep, all true, and I certainly don't blame the importer for making such options available to us, for the quality of the keys, or cherry's refusal to supply keycaps to go with their switches. It can hardly be construed as his fault.

I'm just trying to find suitable keycap replacements, an old familiar story.

.....

I think the G80-8200 boards have the correct 1st row; I'd really like to see somebody's capslock mount!
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 26 July 2010, 09:23:55
There really isn't a switch of almost any variety that does not wobble.  Maybe scissor switches, but really, even they wobble a little.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Mon, 26 July 2010, 10:08:41
Quote from: itlnstln;206576
There really isn't a switch of almost any variety that does not wobble.  Maybe scissor switches, but really, even they wobble a little.


The switch wobble is minimized with the lower profile snug fitting cherry keycaps. You can try this yourself, in a side by side test, if you have one of the keyboards using these keycaps, and a cherry keycap laying around. I used the keys of a compaq board - I wish they all fit, because it types like a dream. Or it puts me into a dream typing.

I can't tell you how much I love this board with those keys; the filco tenkeyless is sublime.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Mon, 26 July 2010, 11:12:56
Quote from: whininggit;206486
Even the current Cherry-made keyboards have thick-walled keycaps


Nope. Current Cherry-made (white) keys have very thin walls, giving new boards a terribly hollow sound and cheap feel. Allegedly black keys are better, but I don't know these from my own experience.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 26 July 2010, 11:22:42
The keyboards themselves are also nowhere near as well built as Costar ones. At least the more modern ones anyway.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 26 July 2010, 11:26:02
Quote from: Mental Hobbit;206605
Nope. Current Cherry-made (white) keys have very thin walls, giving new boards a terribly hollow sound and cheap feel. Allegedly black keys are better, but I don't know these from my own experience.


The new black ones are still thick.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 26 July 2010, 11:28:36
Quote from: ch_123;206608
The keyboards themselves are also nowhere near as well built as Costar ones. At least the more modern ones anyway.


I think this depends on model, too.  I have heard that the G80-3000 with reds is better built than the average 3000 as it is supposed to have some kind of steel plate and NKRO.  The G80-1863 HUMUS I have is certainly better built than the SPOS and 3000 I have.  Only if Filcos had better caps...
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: Mental Hobbit on Mon, 26 July 2010, 11:32:34
Quote from: itlnstln;206610
Only if Filcos had better caps...


... and original Cherry MX stabilzers, then they'd be pretty much perfect.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 26 July 2010, 11:40:41
Quote from: Mental Hobbit;206612
... and original Cherry MX stabilzers, then they'd be pretty much perfect.


True that.  The Cherry stabilizers are nicer, too.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: elbowglue on Mon, 26 July 2010, 12:43:52
Material wise, my fav cherr keycaps are
1) Ricercar SPOS (cherry, POM black)
2) Pink Filco keycaps (dunno what this is made out of)
3) Compaq MX11800 (PBT)
4) Filco's (not ABS not PBT)

Profile wise, I prefer the Filco profile over the Cherry profile.

I am intrigued by ducky keycaps (lasered ABS) though, I wonder how those would feel.

Oh yeah and I still maintain that Filco keycaps sit on cherry stems well without any movement at that contact point.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 26 July 2010, 13:06:29
Dolch keycaps <3

I guess they fall under the category of doubleshot Cherry keys, probably POM too.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 26 July 2010, 13:12:55
The double-shots on my G80-1863 are my favorite followed closely by Topre then Cherry's lasered caps (in black).
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 26 July 2010, 13:25:54
Beam Spring keycaps, almost a solid block of plastic -

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=7612&d=1264864120)

They're better than the older Selectric keycaps - which had no support around the notch, and therefore would break a lot.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: typo on Sat, 31 July 2010, 19:54:52
in case this has not already been answered here: do the keys on cherry mx boards wobble because there is play in the mx switch assembly? or is it because the keycaps do not fit firmly on the stem? all my cherry mx boards wobble to different degrees.

thanks
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: clickclack on Sun, 01 August 2010, 13:21:42
The key wobble is basically 100% switch wobble. NOT the keycap itself.

There are many dynamics to the switch stem and keycap stem but they have very, very little to do with the ultimate wobble. It's the sliding stem on the switch that has "play". Taller caps make this more obvious just because they are further from the point of "play" and thus travel a longer arc. However some keycaps (like some double shots and some of my keycaps) wobble just a little bit less because they are so thick they either hit the swich housing before they reach full play or they hit the top of the swich housing, minimizing rocking.

So as a recap (get it...heehee)-
It does  not matter how tightly the keycap holds onto the keystem it has to to with the "play" in the switch. Cherry and WYSE boards have some of the most loose fitting keys compared to other keycaps and boards. Filco has some of the tightest fitting keycaps. Neither of these particular properties have anything to do with wobble.

=)
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: nanu on Sun, 01 August 2010, 15:08:22
Quote from: ripster;208204

Quote from: clickclack;208198
key wobble is basically 100% switch wobble. NOT the keycap itself.

Nice summary.

Yep. Forgive me for glazing over much of the heated debating ITT but keycap tilts can exist. Tilts keep keycaps from being square with the switch plunger and actually induce the plunger wobble to one end during a keypress, assuming you do not ever truly "become one with" a given keyboard. However, I generally doubt most people (myself included) obsess over this overlooked minutia, because yes, existing key switch designs are far from being perfect.

I mean, in a perfect world where the keyboard still reigns as an input method, each key should include sensors and autostabilizers that also detect force vectors applied, thusly making typing feel like sex for your fingers through realtime, interactively infinitely-variable multi-force curve adjustments.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: typo on Sun, 01 August 2010, 18:03:52
thanks for the answers. i figured that was what it was. i just checked a well used topre and they wobble as well. not as much as cherrys though. i thought cherry was "state of the art". i guess either it is the nature of the design or they are not built to very close tolerences.

so then i wonder why the op is complaining about filco. as i figured, all my cherry boards have wobbly keys. they don't woble when they are pressed as in typing. just if you sit there and wobble them. of course when the boards are just sitting none of the keys line up but i don't really mind that.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Wed, 04 August 2010, 12:52:59
Quote from: clickclack;208198
It does  not matter how tightly the keycap holds onto the keystem it has to to with the "play" in the switch. Cherry and WYSE boards have some of the most loose fitting keys compared to other keycaps and boards. Filco has some of the tightest fitting keycaps. Neither of these particular properties have anything to do with wobble.

=)

The key wobble SHOULD ONLY BE THE SWITCH, but that's not always the case.

I can tell the differrence, my Filco keys are perhaps a mold defect, if what you are saying should be the case. As I've said again and again, both here and in other threads, these keys are loose. Doesn't matter, the sales rep says they are perfect as is, doesn't even want to inspect them for himself, so I am stuck with it. If you're such a believer, I invite you to just buy my board, as it's unusable for me.

I took measurements of the registration keying in the keycap mount, and it's got a lot more slop than a cherry or compaq I compared to.. the cherry is a newer cherry G80-8200.. and it still has thicker keycaps too. So saying they are tighter is surprising to me. Mine are definitely not - I have one key (the T in particular) that feels like it is about to fly off when I am hammering on it. And I also have a Deck legend ice, which is cherry blacks. So I know keyswitch wobble from keycap wobble. It has no sloppy wobbling issues, neither does the cherry or compaq (newer cherry, older cherry).

I wish we could get past the part of the conversation where I am being told about keyswitch wobble; that's not what I am talking about. Unless the statement you are making is that CHERRY BLUE SWITCHES have MORE keyswitch wobble than Cherry Blacks, Whites, or Browns (I have all three types).

I am talking about keycap wobble, from loose fitting mountings and flimsier materials.

Defects? Absolutely not - just ask anybody on this forum.

LOL.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: hyperlinked on Wed, 04 August 2010, 12:58:41
Quote from: stickemup;209087
The key wobble SHOULD ONLY BE THE SWITCH, but that's not always the case.

How can you tell the difference? If the keycaps actually wobble significantly then at least a few should fall off if you turn your keyboard upside down and give it a good shake.

All of my keycaps wobble on my Filco including my double-shot Geekhack keys. It hasn't been a problem for me that they do.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Wed, 04 August 2010, 13:16:31
Shaking it nothing happens, so I went further and gave it a slap on the back and the T, Del, B and [ key fell off. I am surprised the K didn't too.

EDIT: I've deleted the rest of what I posted, quite simply because it's no longer a public dispute. I'm taking this up with CC company, and moving on.

Peace.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: majestouch on Wed, 04 August 2010, 14:51:11
Quote from: stickemup;209087
Doesn't matter, the sales rep says they are perfect as is, doesn't even want to inspect them for himself, so I am stuck with it.

I assume you're referring to me. When and where did I say these things?

Quote from: stickemup;209087
LOL.

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your candor and intent (happens), but I don't find people putting words into my mouth very funny.

As for your contention, I find it physically impossible for a Cherry MX mounting to wobble and yet still have have enough grip and friction between the mount and switch keystem for the keycap to not fall off (as mentioned by hyperlinked). This is due to the physical properties the orthogonality of the two rectangles which make up the cross shape keystem provide. These rectangles work together, elegantly so, to counteract twisting and torques made parallel to one leg/rectangle of this cross. A simple thought/physical experiment is to imagine or construct a Cherry MX switch that has a single rectangle mounting (exactly like the beamspring mounting ch_123 posted a pic of); such a shape *would* allow wobble orthogonal to the length of the rectangle, particularly if the mounting was too big for the keystem. This scenario can be extended to a cross shape mount having one of the rectangles wider and out of tolerance while the other has nice tight fit, but because of good tolerance along the length of one rectangle, the friction present would prevent quick shifting movements, making it very hard to detect keycap wobble in tandem with the wobble present in the keyswitch itself.

Therefore, if your keycaps are detectably wobbling atop the keystems, as you've stated, this would mean that BOTH rectangular cuts which make up the cross mount are so out of tolerance with the keystem that the keycap would be resting there frictionless. Such a keycap would hardly stay put, if at all. They'd pop right off. Heck, the recoil of the spring of a depressed switch would probably be enough to pop such an ill-toleranced keycap several centimeters into the air.

Since I have never seen flying FILCO keycaps before, that would indicate to me a very low probability that you have an entire board of flying keycaps, since as far as I'm aware, keycaps are molded in dies made independently for each size and not as an entire keyboard sets; so the possibility of a defective moldings happening independently and then serendipitously being assembled onto one keyboard among thousands of boards made every month, is highly unlikely. However, if you have a few switches that are flying off, then I wouldn't even pause to argue and would send replacements with my apologies.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: typo on Wed, 04 August 2010, 19:29:10
my keycaps fit nice and tight on the stems on all my cherry boards. the switches themsleves have a little play in them. so does topre,ibm or just about anything else. i think if they fit air tight, we wouldn't be able to press them.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Thu, 05 August 2010, 00:41:14
Quote from: majestouch;209118
I assume you're referring to me. When and where did I say these things?


In the other thread, where I posted the measurements.

Quote from: majestouch;209118

Therefore, if your keycaps are detectably wobbling atop the keystems, as you've stated, this would mean that BOTH rectangular cuts which make up the cross mount are so out of tolerance with the keystem that the keycap would be resting there frictionless. Such a keycap would hardly stay put, if at all...

...if you have a few switches that are flying off, then I wouldn't even pause to argue and would send replacements with my apologies.


Following this wonderful customer service gesture on your part, I'll email you and arrange return of the three keys for replacements. And I've closed the paypal dispute.

Thanks.
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: clickclack on Thu, 05 August 2010, 01:32:57
Quote from: stickemup;209087
If you're such a believer, I invite you to just buy my board, as it's unusable for me..

I am such a believer, and I am willing to purchase your board. If I don't find your price to be of my liking I would like to purchase some of your keys and then kindly return them to you,  win/win. =)
I will await your PM =)


I am really sorry to hear how tormented you are regarding this.
I do find this really suprising for a number of reasons.

First, eventhough this thread is exhausting as is (perhaps I missed it earlier) but have you tried to take just the switch stem and keycap only and try and wiggle it once it is inserted? (haahaa kinda sounds kinky)
I have not yet really found a cherry key/stem combo that would.
If what your saying is the case then I don't quite see how the key would stay on at all. If a key stem is loose by even a thousandth of an inch it never seems to stay on.
My experience with this is testing thousands of keys and making hundreds of them, not including the many prototypes.


As far as taking measurements, there are certain dimensions in the key cap stem that do not affect the switch stems wobble or tightness. Blue, brown, black, white... switch stems do indeed exhibit ever so slightly different tollerances for a number of reasons.
Without knowing how precisely (and I mean EXACTLY) your set up, equipment and point of references are

The problems you really seem to be encountering are very, very, very rare.
It almost sounds as if they ejected the keys from the molds prematurely or overheated them with a reduced cooling cycle. Perhaps a different (off-spec) release agent was used breifly then discontinuted.

Anything can happen, but damn boy you could be the keyboard equivalent of being struck by lighting and getting hit with a meteorite! LoL =P
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: wellington1869 on Thu, 05 August 2010, 01:34:54
Quote from: stickemup;209360
the paypal dispute.



ah, so thats the way to do it. brilliant :)
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: clickclack on Thu, 05 August 2010, 01:38:18
Quote from: stickemup;209360

...arrange return of the three keys for replacements...


??? I thought it was the whole board???
I guess I misunderstood by a mile! lol
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: stickemup on Thu, 05 August 2010, 14:29:06
Quote from: clickclack;209373
(perhaps I missed it earlier) but have you tried to take just the switch stem and keycap only and try and wiggle it once it is inserted? (haahaa kinda sounds kinky)
I have not yet really found a cherry key/stem combo that would.
If what your saying is the case then I don't quite see how the key would stay on at all. If a key stem is loose by even a thousandth of an inch it never seems to stay on.

The T has not flown off, other than the slap on the back test, but it's especially nusciansome. I guess, analyzing it now, it really makes the board feel terrible, because I use the t a lot, and i strike it from an angle. The k isn't a huge issue unless I shift click it.

Quote from: clickclack;209373
Without knowing how precisely (and I mean EXACTLY) your set up, equipment and point of references are

Yegads, man. That's the ONLY reason I posted what equipment I used. I'm a manufacturing engineer.. I build things out of metal and plastic in a computer program, so I have precision calipers connected to my workstation, to properly measure parts I need to fit, as not all parts come with a solid model already built. The calipers have a resolution much greater than the stated tolerances for cherry key mounts that I found online.

Sorry if that comes off wrong; it's an unglamorous job, sitting amidst piles of junk, getting fat spending too much time on the computer, with fits of nerd rage when stuff crashes which happens too often. Anyway the only reason I've mentioned that, is for the specific question you asked, that I knew would be asked sooner or later. Because it's the obvious question you are supposed to ask, regarding any measurement.

Quote from: clickclack;209373
Anything can happen, but damn boy you could be the keyboard equivalent of being struck by lighting and getting hit with a meteorite! LoL =P

My mom's maiden name is Murphy.

Thanks,

-> Mickey, "that guy that if a piano falls in the forest, it lands on him".
Title: Filco Majestouch... keys wobble much?
Post by: clickclack on Thu, 05 August 2010, 17:16:19
LoLz that was a good read! Classic! =)

I just noticed another thread that you posted stuff in, I guess I am quite a bit late to the party. I also apparently missed a bunch of stuff in this thread too, oops!
note to self-
open eyes, read more,  and use refresh button WAY more! LoLz

I am working on a project right now, but I will get back with some more info/questions a bit later. Maybe at some point I can actually be of some help =P haahaa.