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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: simon_C on Wed, 24 August 2011, 19:21:09

Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: simon_C on Wed, 24 August 2011, 19:21:09: i thought of this... wondering if anything like it has ever been done.

take your average scissor switch keyboard, but instead of using rubber domes, use these:
(http://i.imgur.com/lmGjM.jpg)

i think it would make a great tactile, clicky, low profile keyboard... yay or nay?

just a curious thought really. i might do it one of these days with an old ibook keyboard or something.
Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: Arcanius on Wed, 24 August 2011, 21:26:32: That would be interesting, but most microswitches take a lot of force to activate, and would put stress on our hands. Also, the tiny travel may not be favoured by some. I, for one, quite enjoy having 4mm of travel, as opposed to 0.5mm in a microswitch.
Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: Evil_Spork on Wed, 24 August 2011, 23:32:10: I would prefer a lower travel distance in a keyboard.. maybe not .5mm but 4mm is a bit long for me. 2-3mm would be nice.

The downside to a low travel is bottoming out.. thats the advantage of 4mm. you dont NEED to bottom out.
Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: nala on Thu, 25 August 2011, 00:02:17: You will have to measure the force required to do a press. That will be the big difference. And as someone said above... gonna be easy to bottom out.
Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: Ascaii on Thu, 25 August 2011, 01:36:27: you might be interested in checking out this man's custom creation:

http://mykeyboard.co.uk/microswitch/
Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: simon_C on Thu, 25 August 2011, 03:00:15: yes while thats interesting, id hardly call that slim, or even using omron switches ;)

the whole point was to make a super slim, super thin tactile clicky board.
Title: heres an interesting idea......
Post by: Ascaii on Thu, 25 August 2011, 03:17:05: Quote from: simon_C;404758
yes while thats interesting, id hardly call that slim, or even using omron switches ;)

the whole point was to make a super slim, super thin tactile clicky board.

Nowhere did I claim it was slim or using omron switches...The process will be the same, using Saia-Burgess switches like he did, or the small Omrons. You will have to epoxy cherry stems on those omrons though, while the stem of the Saia can be modified to hold cherry caps without expoxy work. The point of my post, that you seem to have missed, is that it is definitely possible and I would love to see someone do it. I would enjoy such a mod as much as I enjoyed seeing this piece of work.