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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: iri on Tue, 27 November 2012, 09:14:05

Title: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: iri on Tue, 27 November 2012, 09:14:05
hello everyone!

a couple of weeks ago i decided to get back to the world of mechanical keyboards after using rubber domes for the last 15 years. i bought a razer blackwidow with cherry blue switches, the cheapest available choice on the local market.

it didn't seem perfect: i used to bottom out almost all the time, i wasn't satisfied by the feeling, i've been making a lot of mistakes when trying to not bottom out, i really disliked the clicky sound (just like my colleagues). so i decided to check out some other quieter switch to not annoy me and people around. the switch choice was quite obvious: cherry mx brown, as i use keyboard solely for typing and don't want to go linear.

i ordered a cherry m80-3000 lqcrb, which meant to have browns, but when it arrived, i typed a little and was quite confused by very strong key resistance. hitting the keys was MUCH harder than on mx blues (and i remember that mx browns should have weaker springs) and even slightly tiresome. removing a keycap made me a bit shocked: this keyboard had mx clears! almost unbelievable: a little while ago i was going to check them out (based on internet reviews), but because of very little availability of mx clear keyboards, i nearly forgot about them. and now what a chance!

these switches seem to be better fit for me. they are almost completely silent: most of noise this keyboard makes is from keys jumping back to initial position. springs seem to be very tight: i almost never bottom out. i can't say if i feel the tactile point: i feel like keys "spring back" my fingers after pushing them to a certain distance. i feel like my fingers are "floating" through the keys. the only downside to all this is that fingers get a bit tired after printing for a while.

i have a chance to return this keyboard telling the seller it has wrong switches, and then acquire a cherry mx brown keyboard, but i'm not quite sure it's a good idea. so now come my questions: how browns compare to clears? are they really much lighter? how is noise level different (if it is)? is it better for me to switch to lighter browns now, considering i get a little tired on clears, or it's a bad decision and i should wait for my fingers to adapt?
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: iri on Fri, 30 November 2012, 01:32:51
wow, in three days this topic actually got approved! my problem solved -- i modded the switches to ergo clears.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: Halverson on Fri, 30 November 2012, 01:35:43
wow, in three days this topic actually got approved! my problem solved -- i modded the switches to ergo clears.

Good call! :)
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: Rinsaku on Fri, 30 November 2012, 03:58:51
A good switch! no pun intended
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: The_Ed on Fri, 30 November 2012, 04:08:25
Q = clears... What's not to understand? Those are the correct switches, you just ordered the wrong board. I like my G80-3000LQCEU-2 as clears are very nice to type on. I hate browns as they aren't tactile, they're just "dirty" reds. I also hate ergo-clears, I just don't get their hype...
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: laffindude on Fri, 30 November 2012, 05:06:47
Not everyone speaks Cherry product code.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: TDub on Fri, 30 November 2012, 06:25:31
Q = clears... What's not to understand?

Q  does not always = clears. The G80 LQEDE always has black switches.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: iri on Fri, 30 November 2012, 07:00:43
Q = clears
see replies above.
even my local retailer said they're not always sure about what cherry codes mean.

I also hate ergo-clears, I just don't get their hype...
they're lighter than clears, quiet and still very tactile. what's to hate?
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Fri, 30 November 2012, 08:58:57
If Cherry followed their own part number scheme all the time there wouldn't be such confusions. Generally they do, but when they don't it is quite annoying. The upside is Cherry are pcb mount, so switch is least concern as it can be changed easily if need be. Good call on doing switch mod, you're on your way now.
Now iri, you should keep an eye out for used Cherry board where the first letter is S or H in the model name like 3000SAV or 3000HPMRB for a nice keycap upgrade.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type -- should i return it?
Post by: iri on Fri, 30 November 2012, 13:03:52
Now iri, you should keep an eye out for used Cherry board where the first letter is S or H in the model name like 3000SAV or 3000HPMRB for a nice keycap upgrade.
thanks, but honestly such caps remember me of old crappy rubber domes we used to have in the beginning of 90's. it's just the look, i don't mean quality. i think my cherry keyboard will look like this in future:
http://img03.taobaocdn.com/imgextra/i3/381627/T28yJGXkpaXXXXXXXX_!!381627.jpg
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: Burz on Fri, 30 November 2012, 13:53:00
Can you feel the tactile bump now?
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: iri on Fri, 30 November 2012, 14:00:05
sure. it's still very noticeable.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: Burz on Fri, 30 November 2012, 14:14:37
sure. it's still very noticeable.
OK. Initially you said you couldn't feel the tactile point.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: iri on Fri, 30 November 2012, 14:22:51
i didn't.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: daerid on Fri, 30 November 2012, 14:32:51
The tactile point on Ergo clears is immensely more perceptible than on stock clears.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: precarious on Fri, 30 November 2012, 14:37:19
my G80-1950PQAXB has browns :)):):)
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: iri on Fri, 30 November 2012, 14:57:27
The tactile point on Ergo clears is immensely more perceptible than on stock clears.
which is quite obvious. i find spring force / tactile bump ratio on ergo clears close to ideal.
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: Burz on Fri, 30 November 2012, 16:27:26
i can't say if i feel the tactile point
Title: Re: got a keyboard with wrong (mx clear) switches type [modded into ergo clears]
Post by: iri on Sat, 01 December 2012, 03:54:15
i didn't actually say it's impossible for me to feel the bump. it was just not clear for the first time. when trying to bottom out for a while (which initially was hard for me due to strong springs) i could say the bump is very noticeable.