Compaq 11800 Browns vs Poker Ghetto-Browns

[pyro]

I bought a Compaq 11800 with brown cherry switches. I liked the very subtle tactile bump enough to replace the blue-spring/black-stem switches on my Poker (which originally had blue switches), but found that the tactile bump increased to an unpleasant level. Back on the Compaq they felt fine again.

I'll get some grease and try again, but I read Filco-Browns feel different to Poker-Browns, the latter being softer. Another worry is that the tactile bump wears down over time, so I'd have to use it for several years to get that subtle bump from the Compaq. I don't want to resolder 61 switches.

So what do you think, should brown-springs with brown-stems in originally blue housing feel like original browns? Why do they feel different?

[itlnstln]

The Compaq is old and worn while your Poker is much newer.  Blues and browns share the same springs (IIRC), the stem changes the resistance ever so slightly.  The only reason the Poker might feel different than a Filco is due to the plate-mounting of the switches in the Filco vs. the PCB-mounting in the Poker.  Cherry 'boards (your Compaq is made by Cherry) are PCB-mounted, so the only real difference would be in the wear of the switches.

Due to the way plastics mold and harden, there can be slight variations in the components from different molds, runs, times of year (humidity/temperature), etc., but it's highly unlikely that you would notice any of this before you notice wear in the switch.  Keycaps can also change the feel somewhat, so you may want to try the switch with the same cap or no cap at all.

All that said, I had a Compaq 11800 at one time, and I wasn't very impressed with browns at that point.  Trying them on new 'board is a different experience.  I would go that route before I write them off.

[turbocharged]

The part that wears down is the actual stem (plastic rubbing on metal...the plastic is generally the "wear item"), so switching between housings shouldn't change much. As far as I know, all the housing are the same...only the springs and stems are different.

My theory is that that metal contact of the Compaq is bent in more from being used so much and has less spring preload on the stem. This would make it easier to overcome the tactile bump.

[woody]

Keycaps can also change the feel somewhat, so you may want to try the switch with the same cap or no cap at all.

Always compare with same keycaps, or in the worst case without them.

[itlnstln]

Always compare with same keycaps, or in the worst case without them.

To take it one step farther, compare with the caps you intend to actually use.

[pyro]

Didn't think of that, I'll try it out and report back.

[itlnstln]

I'm sure it'll still feel different.  A lot of those Compaqs were pretty abused.  The one I had was damn-near linear.  If anything, I would test one of the F-keys or Print Screen ans Scroll Lock since they don't get used nearly as often.

[pyro]

Its keycaps aren't worn down yet, but it still feels different. I placed the stems and caps from the Compaq's F-keys onto the  Poker's number keys, which feels better to me when compared to the higher profile (and lighter? I have no way to measure that) Poker-keys, but still not as good as the Compaq. I noticed that the plate on the Poker (still*) gives more feedback (bounces? more) than the Compaq (which bounces, too). It's a difference if you type 565656 alone or while holding R and T. This difference it greater on the Poker.

*I thought I had a sufficient foam mod applied. I'll redo that.

Sockets aren't much different, take a look (upper one is Compaq): https://imgur.com/a/9sgzv

here's a comparison gif in black and white (for scientific reasons)

[pyro]

Turns out the main reason for why I dislike browns on the Poker was the board sitting on foam instead of something solid, which causes it to resonate on every keypress. Maybe it's because of the type of foam I used, but when I removed it, the switches felt fine enough. I dislike the amount of board jittering (the noise) this causes, though, so I'll stick with ghettoreds. For browns, I'd prefer a more solid board.

[Clickey]

I dont own a poker but I would assume it has slightly different PCB stabilization in the frame than the compaq 11800, this would create a slightly different feel. Cherry stems do not wear practically at all because of the angle the stem hits the contacts is optimized to reduce friction.

I would not be worried about stem wear unless you have a board that is really old. Springs/contacts are more likely to become deformed over time than the stems because the metal is much more maleable than plastic is tarnishable.

[Tony]

I have a Filco brown và Compaq MX 11800 and it's true that the tactical bump of the Filco is felt more clearly compared to Compaq's. The Compaq is 30 years old so I assume that is normal for a brown to lessen the bump feel over time.

You have to type for 20 years or so to make a modern Filco or Poker brown to get that subtle bump of the Compaq. *shaking head*