geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: estux on Mon, 06 December 2021, 01:15:18
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https://twitter.com/kailhswitch/status/1430059434219241474?s=21
Has anyone tried these already? They are available in Aliexpress.
I wonder when we will start seeing PCBs with them.
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Interesting, are there ISO tkl pcb with those?
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I hope new PCBs start coming with this version of socket.
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While awesome, I question if they really tested the longevity or just a slight tweak to make it better and then slapped some random number on it, it only has to last long enough to reach end of warranty cycle on most boards.
Also, this doesn't address one of the biggest problems with this design, that it's held to the underside of the PCB.
This has led to many sockets being ripped off the pcb, and why Novelkeys tells you to disassemble the keyboard when doing swaps so you can hold the socket and keep it from being ripped off. Some keyboard designs do not open easily. This too could be mitigated with a design guide to get companies to place support under the sockets, but I have yet to ever hear of it.
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While awesome, I question if they really tested the longevity or just a slight tweak to make it better and then slapped some random number on it, it only has to last long enough to reach end of warranty cycle on most boards.
Also, this doesn't address one of the biggest problems with this design, that it's held to the underside of the PCB.
This has led to many sockets being ripped off the pcb, and why Novelkeys tells you to disassemble the keyboard when doing swaps so you can hold the socket and keep it from being ripped off. Some keyboard designs do not open easily. This too could be mitigated with a design guide to get companies to place support under the sockets, but I have yet to ever hear of it.
A tray mount with uniform support under the pcb could obtain that, but it would ruin all the elastic and "sound" properties of pcb
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i just had a thought about it, nothing other than case compatibility prevents mounting those on the top of the pcb? only problem being having the pcb a fair bit lower down.
i am not a designer though so i may overlook a huge problem with that.
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i just had a thought about it, nothing other than case compatibility prevents mounting those on the top of the pcb? only problem being having the pcb a fair bit lower down.
i am not a designer though so i may overlook a huge problem with that.
The only way to solve this without a tray mount with full uniform support is to sandwich the sockets between two pcbs :-D
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i just had a thought about it, nothing other than case compatibility prevents mounting those on the top of the pcb?
You would have to invert the socket (solder pads are on "top"), put pads on top of the pcb and increase the space between the pcb and plate.
This leads to some issues of alignment on the users end.
As others mentioned a supporting tray is the simplest solution but also the worst in some ways as it would be a major shift in acoustics.
However, the right material could combat this, a silicone based support could fill the void and support the sockets. It wouldn't be foolproof (silicone can compress) but a huge step up from nothing, killing two birds with one stone.
The sandwich system Not_Irc describes is pretty similar to what I did on the "PCB" in my 3d printed keyboard worked well, however it mostly did so because the plastic I used was soft enough to dampen the acoustics (30% infill PETG).
Basically it all comes back to the fact that this is a hack to make a not socketed part/system into a socketed part and until the industry as a whole addresses that (which would require a change to the MX specification and increase cost) it will be problematic.