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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 13:30:39

Title: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 13:30:39
[attachimg=1]

Close up:
[attach=2]
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: tgujay on Mon, 17 June 2013, 14:06:14
Quote from: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 13:30:39
(Attachment Link)

Not sure, looks similar to Space Invaders but definitely isn't.
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 14:08:41
Yeah, it almost looks like a captive buckling spring in there to me... But like no IBM Ive ever seen
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:24:49
Nobody knows anything about it?
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:28:35
Omg, no one responded in an hour....have a little patience
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: CommunistWitchDr on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:34:48
Quote from: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 14:08:41
Yeah, it almost looks like a captive buckling spring in there to me... But like no IBM Ive ever seen
No it doesn't. It looks like a spring over membrane to me, but I could be wrong.
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:50:40
Quote from: CPTBadAss on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:28:35
Omg, no one responded in an hour....have a little patience

Alright. I'm sorry if my posting bothered you, but considering the mountains of collective keyboard knowledge which browse this board, a single bump after an hour of no response in prime time (for a topic like this) isn't really what I would call terribly impatient...

And to be honest, it seems like something people might be interested in.

But I've been wrong [many times] before...
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:52:48
Quote from: CommunistWitchDr on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:34:48
Quote from: Dimswitch on Mon, 17 June 2013, 14:08:41
Yeah, it almost looks like a captive buckling spring in there to me... But like no IBM Ive ever seen
No it doesn't. It looks like a spring over membrane to me, but I could be wrong.

Interesting. And I'm sure you're right, at the very least about it not being a buckling spring - it just wouldn't be long enough.
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Jack Karneval on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:59:16
Nothin for nothin, but it looks awfully similar to a hall effect switch, which I happened to look up today...

example...
(http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1782/photo22p.jpg)
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: rootwyrm on Mon, 17 June 2013, 17:05:59
Definitely not hall effect, not with the exposed portion like that..

Not 100% sure myself, but that actually looks like it could be a previously unknown SMK. Could be that SMK built on contract specific to those keycaps for the ODM?
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Tue, 18 June 2013, 02:29:47
Quote from: rootwyrm on Mon, 17 June 2013, 17:05:59
Definitely not hall effect, not with the exposed portion like that..

Not 100% sure myself, but that actually looks like it could be a previously unknown SMK. Could be that SMK built on contract specific to those keycaps for the ODM?

I've been trying to find an SMK switch mechanism that matches up but I've been unsuccessful so far... However, this ALPS plate spring switch looks similar... (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_plate_spring (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_plate_spring))
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Dimswitch on Tue, 18 June 2013, 09:36:33
Well somebody sniped the auction out from under me, lol. Hope it was someone here-I want to know what that switch is.

link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/140995393986?redirect=mobile (http://www.ebay.com/itm/140995393986?redirect=mobile)
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: dorkvader on Tue, 18 June 2013, 12:31:21
Quote from: Jack Karneval on Mon, 17 June 2013, 16:59:16
Nothin for nothin, but it looks awfully similar to a hall effect switch, which I happened to look up today...

example...
Show Image
(http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1782/photo22p.jpg)


I'm sure it's different than the IMSAI hall effect switches (shown) and it's definitely not microswitch hall effect.

My guess would be an alps plate spring knockoff, but I really have no idea.
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: rootwyrm on Tue, 18 June 2013, 12:42:25
Quote from: Dimswitch on Tue, 18 June 2013, 02:29:47
Quote from: rootwyrm on Mon, 17 June 2013, 17:05:59
Definitely not hall effect, not with the exposed portion like that..

Not 100% sure myself, but that actually looks like it could be a previously unknown SMK. Could be that SMK built on contract specific to those keycaps for the ODM?

I've been trying to find an SMK switch mechanism that matches up but I've been unsuccessful so far... However, this ALPS plate spring switch looks similar... (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_plate_spring (http://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_plate_spring))

I don't think the Alps looks similar. Not compared to the SMK Cherry MX Mount (http://deskthority.net/wiki/SMK_Cherry_MX_mount) - note the exposed centered spring. The actual switch looks like the entire upper frame was removed and they bastardized an inverse cross mount (http://deskthority.net/wiki/SMK_inverse_cross_mount) to make a full-sliding frame half. One of SMK's hallmarks was the exposed spring, it seems, which is why I immediately thought SMK. But that's some serious frame changes for a contract run.
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: hjalfi on Sun, 05 May 2019, 14:33:22
I know this is a bit of a necropost, but the image here is really prominent when searching for this particular kind of keyswitch, and I managed to identify it: it's a SMK discrete dome-with-slider job commonly found on Canon typewriters. Here's a teardown:

https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=19859&start=

I really like mine; it's a very light, almost floaty thing, mostly linear but with a subtle but pleasing tactile event at the bottom. Very quiet. I've been thinking about converting my typewriter keyboard to USB, but it doesn't really have enough keys, so I'm interested to see that they made PC keyboards with them. Assuming the OP is still around after six years, what keyboard is that?
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: BlindAssassin111 on Sun, 05 May 2019, 14:43:22
Quote from: hjalfi on Sun, 05 May 2019, 14:33:22
I know this is a bit of a necropost, but the image here is really prominent when searching for this particular kind of keyswitch, and I managed to identify it: it's a SMK discrete dome-with-slider job commonly found on Canon typewriters. Here's a teardown:

https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=19859&start=

I really like mine; it's a very light, almost floaty thing, mostly linear but with a subtle but pleasing tactile event at the bottom. Very quiet. I've been thinking about converting my typewriter keyboard to USB, but it doesn't really have enough keys, so I'm interested to see that they made PC keyboards with them. Assuming the OP is still around after six years, what keyboard is that?

OP was last active 2 weeks after creating the profile so you will most likely never know.
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: frydaja on Sun, 05 May 2019, 15:22:37
The keycaps look too similar to Cherry's keycaps. Maybe a switch somewhere between their foam&foil and MX?

Or was there a keyboard manufacturer who used this exact Helvetica font?
Title: Re: Can anybody identify this keyswitch?
Post by: Findecanor on Sun, 05 May 2019, 17:09:58
Cool find of this old thread!

The Datadesk keyboard does not have the same keycap profile as the Canon typewriters. But several Canon's typewriters tend to have similar keycaps between themselves: with this SMK switch (this mount and SMK inverse cross-mount), Alps switches or a type of spring-over-membrane switch. They share the same font and colour scheme but some are cylindrical and some are spherical.