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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: noisyturtle on Tue, 13 November 2012, 19:24:04

Title: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: noisyturtle on Tue, 13 November 2012, 19:24:04
Closer or same as reds with the clicky feedback from blues. Not a big fan of blacks which is why I've never tried greens, but if reds clicked like blues I might could have it all (there's a Dr. Seuss book in there somewhere.) Has anyone made a modded switch like this?
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: fohat.digs on Tue, 13 November 2012, 19:28:18
aren't linear and clicky mutually exclusive?
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 13 November 2012, 19:30:31
I thought so. Hard to do both.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Tue, 13 November 2012, 19:35:36
Dude, this would be my ideal switch too: a hybrid of a red and blue switch. I want something that feels relatively linear, light, but with a very subtle click. The tactile bump from mx blues makes it not light enough, and bump from the click is too noticeable. I would think an extremely controlled lube job might accomplish this. The blue switch that I lubed lost all audible clicks and feel more like ergo clears now.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: Lu_e on Tue, 13 November 2012, 20:14:14
Tried browns? ive yet to...
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: sth on Tue, 13 November 2012, 20:16:06
Dude, this would be my ideal switch too: a hybrid of a red and blue switch. I want something that feels relatively linear, light, but with a very subtle click. The tactile bump from mx blues makes it not light enough, and bump from the click is too noticeable. I would think an extremely controlled lube job might accomplish this. The blue switch that I lubed lost all audible clicks and feel more like ergo clears now.
have you tried 'shaving' a blue stem?
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: FoxWolf1 on Tue, 13 November 2012, 20:22:24
In the old days, weren't there keyboards that achieved "clickiness" by means of a small built-in speaker? That could do "clicky but not tactile".
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: clickclack on Tue, 13 November 2012, 20:45:45
Closer or same as reds with the clicky feedback from blues. Not a big fan of blacks which is why I've never tried greens, but if reds clicked like blues I might could have it all (there's a Dr. Seuss book in there somewhere.) Has anyone made a modded switch like this?

So clicks but no clacks says the cats to the rats?

What you're asking for is almost contradictory in how mechanical switches are generally designed. However, having said that there are some silly ways around it. Some NMB switches can be quite linear with an audible click when messed with a tiny bit. ALPS switches can very easily be modded to be mostly linear with an audible click. On the ALPS switches you can fold part of the leaf and/or put a small dent in the flat part of the leaf and you can get it to slap the housing upon actuation (to be either more pronounced on black alps or to make linear ones a bit more clicky). I still have a board with some converted after letting many of them go. You can also modd ALPS switches to have a soft initial depression like a cherry switch. Instead of the harsh initial force that many ALPS switches require (hard on some pinkys apparently or contributes to missed characters).

You can indeed also mod cherry switches for this as well by shaving a bit of the bumps, but honestly, you need to make a jig for that to even be moderately reliable/consistent. And don't forget to lube the nutz out of it. lol
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: sth on Tue, 13 November 2012, 20:48:06
In the old days, weren't there keyboards that achieved "clickiness" by means of a small built-in speaker? That could do "clicky but not tactile".
kinesis boards with browns have a small speaker to simulate a switch click. you could replace all the switches with linear sliders and still have the clickens.

clickclack - i was imagining using a razor blade parallel to the orientation of the 'push' part of the stem. of course it wouldn't be perfect but i don't think it would be that hard to freehand it after you get the hang of it on a few donor stems :)
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: noisyturtle on Tue, 13 November 2012, 20:58:02
So it could be done shaving down the tactile bumps on a blue switch and replacing the spring with red one? Hmm, this seems like a fun summer project. Man I wish I had the resources to make a stem mold and call 'em MX Purps
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: hashbaz on Tue, 13 November 2012, 21:12:07
Would blues still click without the bump?  The click depends on a second piece of plastic (the white part) getting snapped around inside the switch while it actuates.  Not sure exactly what is causing the white thingy to move, but part of it might be the bump?
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: therecorder on Tue, 13 November 2012, 22:19:05
Ducky Green Alps are 45g/clicky:

http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/search.php?switch_id=6&size=ALL&keyword=
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: jeroplane on Tue, 13 November 2012, 22:22:18
Would blues still click without the bump?  The click depends on a second piece of plastic (the white part) getting snapped around inside the switch while it actuates.  Not sure exactly what is causing the white thingy to move, but part of it might be the bump?

Yeah, I think you're right. Afaik the bump is required, since the leaf spring needs to push against the bump, and when it slips over the bump it pushes the white slider into the bottom of the switch, causing the click. I don't know if the slider would be able to snap down without the bump.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: Hyde on Tue, 13 November 2012, 23:25:40
I totally know what you're saying man !!!  I wish I had a round table with corners, best of both worlds !!!





.... on a serious note try MX Brown first, it is about half way between MX Red and MX Blue.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: Hak Foo on Tue, 13 November 2012, 23:50:43
Wang 724, pull the leaves from switches.  Problem solved, you may tip me in all major currencies.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Wed, 14 November 2012, 01:18:15
Intuitively, I think filing down the bump will work. But that might not do anything to the click though, because that's caused from the white plastic piece snapping down. Filing the bump will probably only lessen the tactile bump. Seems like it's so much work to precisely file down all stems by the exact amount.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: jeroplane on Wed, 14 November 2012, 01:30:33
I totally know what you're saying man !!!  I wish I had a round table with corners, best of both worlds !!!





.... on a serious note try MX Brown first, it is about half way between MX Red and MX Blue.

Browns are indeed in between, but I'm not sure they would really work for this purpose. The point of Browns is that they have a small tactile bump but no audible click, whereas noisyturtle wants no tactility with an audible click.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: noisyturtle on Wed, 14 November 2012, 02:59:22
I totally know what you're saying man !!!  I wish I had a round table with corners, best of both worlds !!!





.... on a serious note try MX Brown first, it is about half way between MX Red and MX Blue.

Browns are indeed in between, but I'm not sure they would really work for this purpose. The point of Browns is that they have a small tactile bump but no audible click, whereas noisyturtle wants no tactility with an audible click.
Plus he already has a couple brown boards. They are almost the opposite of what I'm looking for.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 14 November 2012, 07:54:47
Time to call Harry Potter.

I, too, would love to have a light switch with a distinct click fairly high up, then increasing force as it went down like a succession of increasingly stiff O-rings. In order of importance, I would put the distinct click first, light touch second, and down-stroke third. I don't like feeling like I am in free-fall after the click.                                   

Somehow, that just doesn't seem possible in the real world.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Wed, 14 November 2012, 10:58:53
Try white stem with blue spring. It's still different somehow. It's not linear but it's softer than blues and still a lot better than browns. Might be the best compromise.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: SmallFry on Wed, 14 November 2012, 14:13:08
Does a blue and white stem differ, the part that isn't the click slider. If so try swapping them all around just for fun.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: dorkvader on Thu, 15 November 2012, 21:07:14
This does exist in an IBM Selectric typewriter. The keys aren't linear, they are logarithmic, but it's pretty close.

Instead of a speaker, I would add a solenoid into the case, so whenever you hit a keypress, you hear and feel it. The hard part would be to keep in under the 500mA USB spec.

Linear/clicky is almost impossible to do, as the energy needed to make an audible "click" sound needs to be harvested from the key travel, then after the click sound, it has to continue at the same linear rate. This is almost impossible to do in practice (I know of no keyboards that do it, though my ancient model F is closest) without getting the energy for the "click" from somewhere else.

Does a blue and white stem differ, the part that isn't the click slider. If so try swapping them all around just for fun.

I published a lengthy photo-guide between Greens and whites. The biggest difference is the "black" click part, though they look the same, and have the same springs, whites are much quieter sounding than blues (even with a blue spring). I am considering these "White Lights" as the keyswitch of choice for one of my upcoming DIY keyboards.
Title: Re: Is there a linear clicky switch with less actuation force than greens?
Post by: cosmonauti on Thu, 15 November 2012, 21:24:00
hahahahahaha trollin




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I hope