Old (80s) Cherry keyboards or WYSE terminal keyboards. But since Soarer made his WYSE converter available, they are useful for more than just harvesting switches and keycaps now.
Old (80s) Cherry keyboards or WYSE terminal keyboards. But since Soarer made his WYSE converter available, they are useful for more than just harvesting switches and keycaps now.
I've had 2 Cherry keyboards with MX Black and both had the gritty mx black switches. Not sure the dates on them, but they were either 80s or early 90s.
I've had 2 Cherry keyboards with MX Black and both had the gritty mx black switches. Not sure the dates on them, but they were either 80s or early 90s.
They need to be really old, early 80's prefered
I've had 2 Cherry keyboards with MX Black and both had the gritty mx black switches. Not sure the dates on them, but they were either 80s or early 90s.
They need to be really old, early 80's prefered
There's no guarantee you'll get the "vintage" blacks. I've had boards from the early 80s without them and boards from the late 80s/early 90s that had them and had boards with a mix of switches. In my experience, there's no guarantee that you'll find "vintage" blacks. Of course, I'm also of the opinion that vintage blacks are just broken in blacks since I've had bad "vintage" blacks and fantastic old blacks and new blacks (I've found at least three different switch top styles on black switches). Cap thickness with Wyse isn't really an indication either.
We need to invent a device that actuates switches over and over to make them smooth
I have a Link terminal keyboard from circa 1988. It has MX blacks, and they are as smooth as!
But the Cherry logo on the keycaps is the larger one from the newer black switches, so I dunno.
I've had 2 Cherry keyboards with MX Black and both had the gritty mx black switches. Not sure the dates on them, but they were either 80s or early 90s.
They need to be really old, early 80's prefered
There's no guarantee you'll get the "vintage" blacks. I've had boards from the early 80s without them and boards from the late 80s/early 90s that had them and had boards with a mix of switches. In my experience, there's no guarantee that you'll find "vintage" blacks. Of course, I'm also of the opinion that vintage blacks are just broken in blacks since I've had bad "vintage" blacks and fantastic old blacks and new blacks (I've found at least three different switch top styles on black switches). Cap thickness with Wyse isn't really an indication either.
+1 to this ^. I think the buttery smooth vintage blacks are really the result of heavy use. All the rough parts get worn super smooth.
Could vintage blacks just have a slightly weaker spring? Someone needs to disassemble the two and figure it out.
It's not break in at all either... as I have NIB vintage G80 models with super smooth vintage blacks.
I doubt it because I've had boards with all smooth vintage blacks, and commonly pressed keys like 'E' felt the same as keys like "pause/break".
If you want people to believe you, the vintage Black proselytes, you should organize a blind test between new "vintage" Blacks, used "vintage" Blacks, used old Blacks, new new Blacks, and used new Blacks. If you want people to believe your claims, you need to prove them instead of shifting the onus to the doubters. I speak from my own experience with them and Cherry's statement about them, but I'm willing to change my beliefs if there is sufficient evidence.
I wonder if anyone ever did any of the 'testing' that was talked about a few months ago. I was hoping we would get some answers from that.
I wonder if anyone ever did any of the 'testing' that was talked about a few months ago. I was hoping we would get some answers from that.
I let a friend of mine test Vintage Blacks and normal Blacks and asked if he felt a difference. He did and described the normal Blacks as a bit more scratchy.
Hmmm.... not purely blind testing, but close enough :)
- randomly mix vintage and modern switches on a keyboard
- type on the keyboard
- rate smoothness of each key
- remove keycaps and find out, which switches are which