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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: metalliqaz on Mon, 17 September 2012, 22:46:00

Title: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Mon, 17 September 2012, 22:46:00
Okay, so here is the basic Cherry matrix...
[attachimg=1]

The browns have a mild tactile bump and the clears have a greater tactile bump.  What I don't know is if the grey's have an even larger tactile bump.  They market the grey as a spacebar switch to go with the clears, so I am assuming that it is approximately equal, bump-wise, just with a stiffer spring.

Keeping that in mind, has anyone made ergo greys using brown springs?  Would they be equivalent to ergo clears?

PS: Can anyone say "ergo grey" without thinking of Captain Picard?
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: Appeac on Mon, 17 September 2012, 23:13:10
I think it's more like this, since the clear stem has different tactility than brown stem.

Light Spring   Medium Spring   Heavy Spring   
LinearRedBlackDark Grey
TactileBrown?Grey
Extra TactileErgo ClearPanda Clear/TactoblackClear
ClickyBlueGreen/Ghetto Green?
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Mon, 17 September 2012, 23:16:57
Greys aren't clicky.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: Appeac on Mon, 17 September 2012, 23:18:13
Greys aren't clicky.

Yeah, I hate HTML tables... My edit beat your post though!
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 September 2012, 03:50:43
Greys aren't clicky.
You forgot the linear gray: "Dark gray", I think it's called
I think it's more like this, since the clear stem has different tactility than brown stem.

Light Spring   Medium Spring   Heavy Spring   
LinearRedBlackDark Grey
TactileBrown?Grey
Extra TactileErgo ClearPanda ClearClear
ClickyBlueGreen?
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: fruktstund on Tue, 18 September 2012, 05:01:12
I've been meaning to try ergo greys when I receive my switches from 7bit. I'll report back before 2013. :)
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: dirge on Tue, 18 September 2012, 06:00:53
Your table would suggest light grey as the missing one ;p
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 18 September 2012, 06:45:51
Okay so I already have conflicting reports...

If Appeac's table is to be believed, then the Grey has the same tactile bump as the brown, and "ergo greys" would just be the same as browns.  Seems that would defeat the point, right Fruktstund?
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: jdcarpe on Tue, 18 September 2012, 06:59:13
Grey stems are the same as clear stems. With a light spring from red/blue/brown switches, ergo grey = ergo clear. Just like reds and blacks have the same stem, just different color.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 18 September 2012, 07:01:18
Ah ha, thank you sir
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: fruktstund on Tue, 18 September 2012, 08:14:12
So there's no actual difference at all (except for the spring and colour of course)? Kind of boring. I guess you could try ergo greys anyway for some kind of placebo effect though. :D
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 18 September 2012, 08:17:00
I want to mod my Filco to ergo clears but I'll probably try ergo greys.  What the heck, at least they'll be (slightly) more unique.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: xJaPx on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:10:24
are dark grey stems shaped any differently vs red/black stems?
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: nullstring on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:17:38
Grey stems are the same as clear stems. With a light spring from red/blue/brown switches, ergo grey = ergo clear. Just like reds and blacks have the same stem, just different color.

Are you sure on this?
Clear stems would then make up the following:
Ergo Clear, Panda Clear, Clear, Grey.
So, we have four spring types?

I always thought grey was brown with a stiffer spring.
EDIT: Nope, I'm wrong. Greys are different than browns, and do seem to probably be stiffer clears.

Someone who knows what they are talking about should make a table and put it on the wiki.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:27:28
same stem: (red, black, L grey) (blue, green, white) (clear, T grey)
same spring: (red, brown, blue) (L grey, T grey, green) I think clear and white may have the same spring based on the force, but haven't verified.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: alaricljs on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:36:16
white stems are technically different from blue/green due to the oddly muffled click.  I haven't figured out how they did that tho.

Also, white and clear are not the same spring.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:37:28
They may feel different, but visually they appear to have come from the same molds. Has anyone put blue spring in white and see if it still has the dampened feel? Wondering if it just due to such a heavy spring.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: xJaPx on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:37:38
same stem: (red, black, L grey) (blue, green, white) (clear, T grey)
same spring: (red, brown, blue) (L grey, T grey, green) I think clear and white may have the same spring based on the force, but haven't verified.
thanks for the clarification
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: nullstring on Tue, 18 September 2012, 10:51:49
same stem: (red, black, L grey) (blue, green, white) (clear, T grey)
same spring: (red, brown, blue) (L grey, T grey, green) I think clear and white may have the same spring based on the force, but haven't verified.

That doesn't coincide with my understanding.

Please point out my misinformation:

Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: Appeac on Tue, 18 September 2012, 12:02:08
Quote
Someone who knows what they are talking about should make a table and put it on the wiki.


Lol, agreed. Finding out I don't know as much about them as I thought!
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 18 September 2012, 12:20:20
There used to be a very good wiki page for MX switches on the old site. Shame that jerk wrecked all the wiki.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 September 2012, 13:42:03
They may feel different, but visually they appear to have come from the same molds. Has anyone put blue spring in white and see if it still has the dampened feel? Wondering if it just due to such a heavy spring.
I dedicated a few hours to green/white keyboard science a while back and took a ton of pictures and data. I'll take apart my spare blues and a green and a white after work, and report back with the findings.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 18 September 2012, 17:31:43
DT wiki to the rescue.  Photo of grey stem next to brown stem (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Grey)

Cherry's own spec sheet (http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm) shows some interesting actuation forces, which are affected by the spring and the bump.

black - 2.1 oz.
grey 37 - 2.8 oz.
clear - 2.3 oz.
tactile grey 39 - 2.8 oz.
tactile click blue - 2.1 oz.
tactile click green - 2.8 oz.

So apparently blues require the same actuation force as blacks
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: Appeac on Tue, 18 September 2012, 18:15:30
So does anyone know how many springs they actually make?
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: sth on Tue, 18 September 2012, 18:19:13
DT wiki to the rescue.  Photo of grey stem next to brown stem (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Grey)

Cherry's own spec sheet (http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm) shows some interesting actuation forces, which are affected by the spring and the bump.

black - 2.1 oz.
grey 37 - 2.8 oz.
clear - 2.3 oz.
tactile grey 39 - 2.8 oz.
tactile click blue - 2.1 oz.
tactile click green - 2.8 oz.

So apparently blues require the same actuation force as blacks
you're correct, but the keypress required force dips after the bump so they don't feel as heavy throughout the stroke.
appeac it's at least three currently (ZF-era cherry). could have been 4-5 during the 'golden' age. also not counting the spring in the MX LOCK switch which I believe is pretty heavy.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 18 September 2012, 18:21:53
Still waiting to see someone with a programmable board replace CapsLock with a an MX locking switch.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: Appeac on Tue, 18 September 2012, 18:38:41
Still waiting to see someone with a programmable board replace CapsLock with a an MX locking switch.

When next phantom gb comes around I was planning on getting a lock switch so I could have a starcraft layer and a normal typing layer.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: alaricljs on Tue, 18 September 2012, 19:59:45
Locking switches are neat and all, but you can do that in firmware without them too.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 18 September 2012, 20:08:29
What I was talking about was to "unstick" the caps in software and use hardware instead.  So it would be an actual physical manifestation of the lock.  I think that would be pretty cool.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 September 2012, 21:51:08
So I took apart some spare switches, put a green stem over a brown switch's spring (two of my blues had different springs, They feel the same, so I don't know what's up there. Maybe I modd'd one and don't remember). Unsurprisingly, it felt like a blue. I did the same thing with a white, and it's just as "deadened" as before, but much lighter. I really like it.

I only got to try one, but I'd say that these "light whites" are much better than blues.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: sth on Tue, 18 September 2012, 21:52:32
So I took apart some spare switches, put a green stem over a brown switch's spring (two of my blues had different springs, They feel the same, so I don't know what's up there. Maybe I modd'd one and don't remember). Unsurprisingly, it felt like a blue. I did the same thing with a white, and it's just as "deadened" as before, but much lighter. I really like it.

I only got to try one, but I'd say that these "light whites" are much better than blues.
good to know, i've been planning on doing 'light' whites for a while.

follow the white light!
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: rmw2013 on Wed, 18 March 2015, 16:09:13
I'm making some ergo grey switches right now. (couldnt find clears so using grey) Using 62G springs.
Title: Re: Ergo Grey
Post by: jdcarpe on Wed, 18 March 2015, 16:23:38
N-n-n-necro bump. :)