Plate mounted or PBC ?

[Rafen]

Do you guys like plate mounted or PBC keyboards better? I have been typing on both lately and I find that I type better and I enjoy the feel of the PBC better than the plate mounted boards that I have or had.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Rafen

[tp4tissue]

trivial difference.

Technically the plate mounted is more mechanically sound, because it ensures that the switch doesn-t twist when you type on it.

That said, it can-t actually twist by all that much, no matter how it-s mounted

[alaricljs]

tp - your keymap get broke?  - instead of '

Some people claim that PCB mount is 'softer' on your fingers because the PCB is more forgiving than a plate, but that also depends on how the PCB is mounted into the case.

[tp4tissue]

tp - your keymap get broke?  - instead of '

Some people claim that PCB mount is 'softer' on your fingers because the PCB is more forgiving than a plate, but that also depends on how the PCB is mounted into the case.

LOL, no i-m on my laptop, it-s a different layout than my desktop, because my mother uses this thing, and the - is where the ' is.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

You share the same user account as her?

[dabeshu]

It depends on many things I guess.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Do you guys like plate mounted or PBC keyboards better? I have been typing on both lately and I find that I type better and I enjoy the feel of the PBC better than the plate mounted boards that I have or had.

I got my first PCB mount the other week, a G80-3000LQCDE with clears. When I type too hard on a FILCO with blues or browns, the sharp impact of bottoming out is quite uncomfortable. I find that the Cherry keyboard doesn't present hard landings no matter how hard I hit the keys. I don't have a PCB-mounted keyboard with browns or blues, or a plate-mounted keyboard with clears for comparison, so I can't be sure whether it's the clear switch, or the PCB mounting, that makes it softer. (Bottoming out clears is in itself fatiguing for your hands as they're so stiff.)

My main concern with PCB mount is that removing keycaps is risky as you're pulling on the solder joint instead of the steel plate. The first thing I did after opening the box was wrench off the Esc keycap and replace it with a Panic keycap, before realising that I have to treat it with a lot more care!

PS you mean PCB: printed circuit board. You're probably mixing that up with PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), the sought-after material for keycaps.

[Rafen]

Sorry about the PCB thing.
Like you said when typing on a PCB board you don't have that harsh feeling if you press the key too far down. Does anyone know of a list that contains where a board is plate mounted our PCB?

[tp4tissue]

You share the same user account as her?

LOL, mom not into keyboards. She-s princess type, 3rd child

[jwaz]

Plate mounted switched feel and sound FAR better than anything on a PCB, especially with o-rings and thick caps.

[tp4tissue]

Sorry about the PCB thing.
Like you said when typing on a PCB board you don't have that harsh feeling if you press the key too far down. Does anyone know of a list that contains where a board is plate mounted our PCB?

Even if such list existed, the difference in the base design could make pcb mounted feel like plate, and plate mounted feel like PCB

So, there wouldn-t be any guarantees.

[daerid]

Plate by far, except for with Blacks. Blacks I like PCB mounted better.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

LOL, mom not into keyboards. She-s princess type, 3rd child

I meant, the only excuse you have for using the same login account is if she's obsessed with Mac OS 8 or Windows 95 and you have a real relic of a computer. Windows 7 even has per-user DPI now, as well as supporting multiple concurrent sessions on a domain! (I did try the Mac OS 9 multi-user feature, but it was horrible.)

Like you said when typing on a PCB board you don't have that harsh feeling if you press the key too far down.

That's a Cherry fault. ALPS switches don't have that problem when plate mounted. The PCB mounting does muffle the sound of bottoming out – even a Realforce has a cleaner sound than a G80-3000, yet the latter still sounds nice and metallic and springy compared an average dome switch keyboard.

I don't have an issue with Cherry stabilisers either – I haven't even noticed any difference in the keys at all.

[The_Ed]

PCB mounted all the way! It's a much softer typing experience. I prefer cherry brand cherry boards, and cherry stabilizers to costar stabilizers too.

[tp4tissue]

LOL, mom not into keyboards. She-s princess type, 3rd child

I meant, the only excuse you have for using the same login account is if she's obsessed with Mac OS 8 or Windows 95 and you have a real relic of a computer. Windows 7 even has per-user DPI now, as well as supporting multiple concurrent sessions on a domain! (I did try the Mac OS 9 multi-user feature, but it was horrible.)

Like you said when typing on a PCB board you don't have that harsh feeling if you press the key too far down.

That's a Cherry fault. ALPS switches don't have that problem when plate mounted. The PCB mounting does muffle the sound of bottoming out – even a Realforce has a cleaner sound than a G80-3000, yet the latter still sounds nice and metallic and springy compared an average dome switch keyboard.

I don't have an issue with Cherry stabilisers either – I haven't even noticed any difference in the keys at all.

Ah, well, i guess you haven-t read my qwerty for men layout thread in ergonomics.

My default layout is very different from standard key placement, and can only be achieve by registry edit. So windows reconizes all signals from keyboard from any keyboard as my special layout on my upstairs desktop. this downstairs laptop is family share, so I can-t be using my custom layout.

[alaricljs]

Time to get a filco TKL and wait for bp's controller. 

[Daniel Beardsmore]

My default layout is very different from standard key placement, and can only be achieve by registry edit. So windows reconizes all signals from keyboard from any keyboard as my special layout on my upstairs desktop. this downstairs laptop is family share, so I can-t be using my custom layout.

I take it this must be one of those changes that requires editing HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE instead of HKEY_CURRENT_USER … It's truly depressing how many times Microsoft themselves write a feature that only checks HKLM instead of trying HKCU first. That said, keyboard layouts are a per-user setting and have been for many years, so one solution to this is to design and install a new keyboard layout. John Sullivan created a new layout "United Kingdom (International)" that I have installed on both my home PC and work and set under my user account. (However, it lacks so many common typographical symbols that I've complemented it with an Autohotkey script that I have since extended with all sorts of useful tweaks like ^D to close console windows "just like" *NIX shells.)

From the sounds of it, creating a new layout is complicated, but if you were to follow this approach, you could then install it trivially onto every computer you use. That likely requires admin privileges initially, but it won't affect anyone else further on. If you find yourself hacking up the Registry, you're usually doing something wrong.

[Slavfot]

I like PCB mount better 'cus it has a nicer sound when bottoming out and it's easy to change springs and stems.
The only bad thing with PCB-mounted switches is if you are to remove the keycaps you need to be really carefull so that you don't open the switch when trying to remove the keycap.

[dorkvader]

I would be afraid of the PCB traces delaminating after many strain cycles. Based on all the cyclic loading and shear flow, I'd imagine they wouldn't last as long, and although the benefits of a softer bottoming out are good, they're effectively negated by "proper" typing methods on mechanical keyswitches.

PCB mounted browns on my huge G80-8113 feel better than the plate mounted ones on my WASDkeyboard, but I like the design of plates more.

Actually, My "ideal" keyboard design is like a DOX plate, where it's bent over, making a stand as well. Simple, elegant, effective.

[Velma]

some switches differ quite alot depending on the mounting. Blacks are probably the most extreme, PBC mounted blacks are much much softer (kinda feel like plated mounted reds) while plate mounted blacks are the stiffest switches out there and generaly unfavored by most people

[mangostea]

some switches differ quite alot depending on the mounting. Blacks are probably the most extreme, PBC mounted blacks are much much softer (kinda feel like plated mounted reds) while plate mounted blacks are the stiffest switches out there and generaly unfavored by most people

Could you explain how blues, reds and browns feel on PCB mounted vs. plate mounted?