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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: timw4mail on Tue, 13 October 2009, 07:02:20

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: timw4mail on Tue, 13 October 2009, 07:02:20

After being fed up with the gray spacebar in one of my brown cherry keyboards, I replaced it with a black, linear switch I had around. I find a linear spacebar to actually be a lot more efficient than one with a tactile point. I think that for such an obvious key, the spacebar actually is impeded by a tactile switch. Thoughts?

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: JBert on Tue, 13 October 2009, 07:08:58

I don't mind the tactile point as much as its overall force needed to press. I tried to swap a brown under it, but that was just too light.

I need something in between a gray and a brown, maybe a clear switch would suit that description.

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: ironcoder on Tue, 13 October 2009, 07:10:49

That sounds pretty good although I tend to hammer the space bar pretty hard with my time worn thumb so any switch on the spacebar would probably work for me..

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: timw4mail on Tue, 13 October 2009, 07:22:33

Considering how much you use the spacebar, I don't find the tactile point to offer any advantage, really. With the exception of a buckling spring mechanism, a tactile switch really just seems to slow the speed at which you can actuate the spacebar.

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 13 October 2009, 08:27:38

Tactility doesn't bother me as much as force.  When I first got my MX11800, it had a grey switch for the spacebar.  I swapped it out for a brown from Scroll Lock or something and was much happier.  I can take or leave tactility.  My thumbs not sensitive enough to notice the tactlity on the spacebar unless I press it slowly.

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: timw4mail on Tue, 13 October 2009, 09:07:57

Quote from: itlnstln;124936

Tactility doesn't bother me as much as force.  When I first got my MX11800, it had a grey switch for the spacebar.  I swapped it out for a brown from Scroll Lock or something and was much happier.  I can take or leave tactility.  My thumbs not sensitive enough to notice the tactlity on the spacebar unless I press it slowly.

When I got my MX11800, apparently the previous owner had done the same thing.

Really, I find the green switch in my Scorpius the most annoying, as its really sloppy if you want to use the spacebar for something like advancing text in an interactive novel.

Title: Linear spacebar?
Post by: keyb_gr on Wed, 14 October 2009, 07:31:11

The space bar action is actually one thing that I like about G81s. A medium-weight linear switch should be pretty much perfect there. I can't see much of an advantage for tactility at this position either.