geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: Noxiousnada on Wed, 11 November 2020, 21:27:37
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So i play around with that idea since 2 Months, to build my own Switch which will have way less wobbeling and noise than the usual keys because of its build of the stamp and topcap.
i know that the Healios are the most slient switches on the marked, i think this buildquality to beat with a reasonable cheap Price will not be that easy, but manageable.
Name gets revealed when i like it for myself and it pastes to my product.
So first of all, are there a few CAD files out there which arenŽt mx switches? most Switches using the MX bottomhousing iam right?
I am bit rusty in 3d modeling but it shoudlnt be that hard to get again used to it :)
WHEN the switch is ready to print for the first prototype is the question, where to go ask if they build me that key.
and when its going to get printed and i like the outcome for the first revision and few testswitches for people for reviews, iŽll ask myself where to Promote, where to get the Money for the big start
(is kickstarter the right site for keys or there other, better options?)
Peace and stay healthy!
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How much money you got?
I hate to start off like that but really that's the bottom line here for what you intend.
The cheap way is going to involved a few tens of thousands of dollars. Okay maybe not that much, you might get one for only a few grand, and I do mean 1.
Switches MUST be injection molded.
You can do some prototyping on a high resolution resin 3d printer (not fdm), better still, look into finding someone with a commercial resin printer but at some point you will have to jump to injection molding to make them in bulk, much less smooth enough and at a price that makes sense. That means molds and injection machines and those cost money, lots of it and I do mean lots.
It's not impossible goal but you will need to dump a ton into R&D and molds and then make one massive bulk purchase in order to spread that cost across all of the switches. You are not Cherry or Gateron, you don't have a factory just waiting to spin this up. Whoever runs your molds, likely on their machines, want their profit before you make yours, this is why Zeals cost more than Gateron, you have an extra person in there making a profit. You can possibly drive the price down to what you're after but that means buying 50x what Zeal does, that probably means hundreds of millions of switches, so again, how much money do you have and do you have the storage area to store them while you sell them off? Don't forget to include storage costs and shipping and handling into that cost.
One other hitch in this plan...
To sell of that many switches you will need keyboard manufacturers to use them such as Ducky and Cooler Master and such, there's simply not enough enthusiast market to absorb that many switches in a reasonable amount of time no matter the cost, that means selling them in bulk. They will demand a heavy price cut (expect 30-50% off) and shipping them back overseas.
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So yea.. well...
i think in my current financal standpoint its easier to get bottom/tophousings, springs and stem to build my own switch.
so where i can get them?
greetings
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Your statement is quite unclear.
Are you trying to combine off the shelf parts or get something new?
Do you mean a few for yourself or in bulk to sell?
If you just want a few check the usual places and buy the switches you need parts from. No manufacturer or reseller going to sell you 100 green stems, 100 lower housing, 100 top housings all from different switches. Resellers sell assembled switches not bits and pieces and manufacturers sell in bulk. Cherry and Gateron probably won't even going to return your call for anything less than tens of thousands of switches. I believe Cherry was 60k or 80k pieces minimum when a group buy was done years ago. As for where, for a set try mechanicalkeyboards.com, in bulk call Cherry, Kaihua or Gateron.
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https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/switches
If you're looking for specific parts (that aren't from cheaper switches, but you don't want to buy more premiums ones) then I highly recommend https://www.reddit.com/user/hbheroinbob/comments/hi27wa/status_parts_available_sticky_post/
He also sells sample packs for the cost of postage, I got one and it was a lot of fun.