geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: rich1051414 on Sat, 21 October 2017, 13:30:40
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So today I was hooking up a microswitch to toggle the thermostat of my AC unit on and off(external microcontroller to add some intelligent power savings), and I realized the red and black leaf spring omron microswitches actually feel REALLY good when you use one in a push button assembly. Like next level good.
Having ordered 20 of them since I couldn't just buy a single switch, I realized there is enough room, if you stagger them, to actually make a keyboard out of them, however, the fabrication of the slider would be a problem. Has anyone done this before? A quick google search returned no results of anyone crazy enough to attempt such a thing.
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I thought someone at one point did make a keyboard out of microswitches, but I can't remember where I read about it.
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Well, if someone did do it, it would make a model M feel like a children's toy. I am not sure if that amount of click clacking is even remotely reasonable, but man do I want to try it :P
AH... i found something.
http://timtyler.org/keyboard/microswitch/
This Tim guy actually did it... with the same form factor of microswitches I am talking about, only his aren't the ultra satisfying clicky type. That keyboard looks every bit as ridiculous as I thought it would :D
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Well, if someone did do it, it would make a model M feel like a children's toy. I am not sure if that amount of click clacking is even remotely reasonable, but man do I want to try it :P
AH... i found something.
http://timtyler.org/keyboard/microswitch/
This Tim guy actually did it... with the same form factor of microswitches I am talking about, only his aren't the ultra satisfying clicky type. That keyboard looks every bit as ridiculous as I thought it would :D
... that looks more like an organ than a keyboard.
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I'm wondering if that was the guy that I saw before or someone else. I somehow recall the site/keyboard I saw had the black omron tackle microswitches. :-\
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Looks pretty impossible to type on.
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Looks pretty impossible to type on.
I typed on two vintage typewriters today that were not power assisted--these switches would be prefect for those that typed on those machines--the throw is so long!
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How about using a microswitch that would fit into a 14mm square plate hole... seems like that could make it less bleacher seating and more keyboard.
like these, almost same operating force as the Saia-Burgess ones: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Honeywell/11SM1
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I think the problem is that he left the levers in to actuate the switches vs directly connect the key to them.