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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Pylon on Sun, 14 November 2010, 19:05:52

Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Pylon on Sun, 14 November 2010, 19:05:52
Just wondering. I could potentially do a project in the future.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Soarer on Sun, 14 November 2010, 19:49:39
The pins don't line up with a 0.1 inch grid, if that's what you mean :-(
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: laden3 on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:04:31
This guy claimed that he hacked into Cherry's server and you can dl the details in the second post.
http://bbs.kbc-china.com/thread-4090-1-1.html (need to login to dl)
He planned to make his own ergonomic keyboard...
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Parak on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:06:28
Details to what?
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: laden3 on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:10:56
distance between the pins under a switch, not entirely sure because im not very familiar with it
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Parak on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:12:43
That's publicly available:

http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Pylon on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:27:29
Alright, that kind of sucks.

Basically I wanted to convert a Gateway Anykey to blue cherries.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: msiegel on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:32:08
what about rotating the perfboard... you can get up to 40% wider hole spacing, at a 45deg angle.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: laden3 on Sun, 14 November 2010, 20:32:57
Quote from: Parak;246845
That's publicly available:

http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm


At least its easier to design a pcb board with these than drawing them ourselves.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Lanx on Sun, 14 November 2010, 21:17:07
whats perfboard?
a breadboard? if so drilling is required.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: msiegel on Sun, 14 November 2010, 21:33:18
perfboard has a grid of holes pre-drilled every 1/10 inch. good for manually assembling through-hole parts. google images has shots :)
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Lanx on Mon, 15 November 2010, 01:15:28
(http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3841/p1010792g.jpg) (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/p1010792g.jpg/)

same thickness as a cherry pcb. Nothing lines up so lots of drilling.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: gore on Mon, 15 November 2010, 01:49:52
Quote from: Pylon;246851
Alright, that kind of sucks.

Basically I wanted to convert a Gateway Anykey to blue cherries.


I want to do this with mine as well! Any way of modifying the existing PCB?
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Lanx on Mon, 15 November 2010, 02:17:32
if it's an anykey then it shouldn't have a pcb (since it's membrane).
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: gore on Mon, 15 November 2010, 03:12:52
Good point, annoyingly it's sealed in a nice big plastic lump attached to the case :(
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Findecanor on Mon, 15 November 2010, 10:22:43
Another thing is that with 1/10" hole spacing you can not get 3/4" key spacing. Perfboards with 1/8" hole spacing do exist, but are more rare.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: ricercar on Mon, 15 November 2010, 11:30:14
Quote from: gore;246915
I want to do this with mine as well! Any way of modifying the existing PCB?

I've used existing keyboard PCBs by cutting the existing foil traces 5mm from each switch terminal and using them as solder pads for point-to-point wiring.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: lowpoly on Mon, 15 November 2010, 16:39:00
Quote from: laden3;246839
This guy claimed that he hacked into Cherry's server and you can dl the details in the second post.
http://bbs.kbc-china.com/thread-4090-1-1.html (need to login to dl)
He planned to make his own ergonomic keyboard...


Not the first time that intellectual property theft and kbc-china appear in the same post.
Title: Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?
Post by: Pylon on Mon, 15 November 2010, 17:31:34
Quote from: gore;246915
I want to do this with mine as well! Any way of modifying the existing PCB?


The Anykey has a membrane bolted onto a metal backplate and a plastic "barrel plate".

Basically you would make a new PCB and copy all the matrices onto it, replace the membranes with them, bolt that to the existing backplate, and then somehow connect that to the existing controller. No NKRO, but you retain all the programmable key features and what not.

For the PCB, it needs to:
-Have the same matrices as the membrane:
-Get the spacing right
-Have holes in the right places, so you could bolt it to the metal backplate.
-Somehow accommodate the current controller. Electrically, just make all the matrices terminate at a ribbon connector with the same pinout as the existing one and just connect the PCB to the controller with a ribbon.

-You should be able to reuse most keys except possibly the extended ones. Getting the stabilization down is going to be tricky.