geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: A Future Pilot on Sat, 17 December 2016, 11:40:31
-
I mentioned in my "Which Keyboard" thread what my ideal switch would be, but I wanted to make a new thread for it specifically in case anyone has any ideas.
I've ordered a WASD switch tester which should be here on Monday and I know that will help, but based on the little bit of testing I've been able to do so far, here's what I'm thinking:
Is there a switch that's basically an MX Blue but with a higher actuation force and the actuation point just beneath the click instead of above it? I'd love to have a clicky switch but be able to double-tap quickly without having to reset the click. I'm looking forward to trying out the Clears which may be close, but is there any other brand of switches I should look into that might have what I'm looking for?
Thanks!
-
I can tell you from my experience: I have a Cherry G80 with clear switches and a cooler master pro S with brown switches. And I would say that the brown ones are heavier to push down. The clear are tactile as well but feel a bit more lightweight to type on.
-
The "resetting the click" part is called "hysteresis". (It is a very general concept in technology, but when we talk about keyboards it is almost always about switches).
Vintage clicky SMK switches (https://deskthority.net/wiki/SMK_Alps_mount) have a sharper tactile bump than clicky Cherry MX and clones - and they don't have hysteresis. Otherwise they feel very much like Cherry MX Blue.
They were discontinued a long long time ago, can be found only in old keyboards and they are not Cherry MX-compatible so you would have to use that old beige keyboards ... and it is not likely that it would have N-key rollover, so it might not be very good for gaming on WASD keys anyway.
I don't know of any other switch that would meet what you are looking for.
There are people who have combined the slider from a vintage Cherry MX - clone called "Aristotle" and put that into a Gateron switch. The result is a clicky switch with a higher tactile bump than Cherry MX blue, but they still have hysteresis.
The Aristotle sliders do not fit inside genuine Cherry MX switches though.
If you like the Cherry MX Clear switch, do also check out the purple Zealio (https://zealpc.net/collections/switches/products/zealio). It is like the Cherry MX Clear, but smoother and available in a number of weights. A switch sampler kit is available. However, you would have to buy the parts and solder together the keyboard yourself. A couple of times, purple Zealios have been part of a keyboard kit. They are also a bit expensive, so this is indeed a thing for the keyboard-übernerds.
-
Hysteresis is, from an engineering perspective, generally considered a desirable element, but some switches suffer very badly from it, and I agree, it makes certain gaming performances more cumbersome. Many linear designs have limited or no hysteresis, though.