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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: kolonelkadat on Mon, 28 October 2013, 19:51:10

Title: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: kolonelkadat on Mon, 28 October 2013, 19:51:10: I got my first mechanical keyboard a few days ago and the capslock has been driving me up the wall. On membrane keyboards I always shave the cap down so its just the square peg that goes in the slot. Since I have cherry reds now i figured i could just pop off the caps. but now im thinking that will let dirt and such get in and ruin the switch.

Can any of you gurus give me any advice on this?

I currently have removed the caps from tab, capslock, and tilde. In case that matters. Tab is the only one im likely to ever use.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Mon, 28 October 2013, 19:52:33: Would a stepped caps lock work for you? Or does it have to be removed?
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: rowdy on Mon, 28 October 2013, 20:01:39: Or just put a 1x keycap on there to stop dust dropping down into the switch.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: kolonelkadat on Mon, 28 October 2013, 20:16:30: I dont think stepped would help much. With the way I tend to dangle my pinky off to the side, I think I really need a full on gap.

The 1x might work if I can stiffen it up with a great big spring or something i guess.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: rowdy on Mon, 28 October 2013, 20:20:35: Quote from: kolonelkadat on Mon, 28 October 2013, 20:16:30
I dont think stepped would help much. With the way I tend to dangle my pinky off to the side, I think I really need a full on gap.

The 1x might work if I can stiffen it up with a great big spring or something i guess.

SP has "key lockouts" which prevent a MX switch from being pressed (if you want to stop it from being pressed at all, and who uses Caps Lock these days anyway?).

http://www.keycapsdirect.com/marketplace.php
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Mon, 28 October 2013, 23:21:11: Or, like you could just disable key in the OS to do nothing which is super easy and free.
If you're on Windows:
Code: [Select]
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: nullstring on Mon, 28 October 2013, 23:36:03: I recommend using something like autohotkey to remap the key to something more useful.
It's in prime realestate afterall.
Makes a fantastic ESC key, imho.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: RaVNzCRoFT on Tue, 29 October 2013, 00:07:58: Colemak layout changes caps lock to backspace. Although I don't use Colemak, I've heard very good things particular aspect of it.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: Linkbane on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:01:53: Well, to be the brutally honest, if you're not going to ever use it, who cares if it gets dirty?
I mean, it might be aesthetically unpleasant, but better than accidentally caps-locking.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: MKULTRA on Tue, 29 October 2013, 11:40:29: To answer your question, no it is not a big deal. A lot of pro gamers do it. Not really a big deal.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: kolonelkadat on Tue, 29 October 2013, 21:26:33: thanks for your input guys! I decided I didnt want to totally lose the key - never know when I might come across a long macro\const name - and I was starting to really hate the look of the missing cap.

The lockout clip gave me a seemingly decent idea though. I found a random compression spring that fit well enough under the cap. I just hope now that this doesnt ruin the key from the constant upward force.
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: SpAmRaY on Wed, 30 October 2013, 04:13:22: What keyboard is it that your using?
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: terran5992 on Wed, 30 October 2013, 05:31:29: I doubt anything will happen
Title: Re: Is it safe for switches to not have keycaps on?
Post by: kolonelkadat on Wed, 30 October 2013, 07:15:27: Quote from: SpAmRaY on Wed, 30 October 2013, 04:13:22
What keyboard is it that your using?

corsair k95 (mx red)