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Author Topic: Heavy Keys  (Read 3367 times)

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Offline skinnycow

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Heavy Keys
« on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 17:44:33 »
Has anyone every tried changing the key weighting of their keyboard by adding some kind of weight directly to the keycap itself?

For example, i have an all-55g Realforce that I was thinking of modding to make it something like an all-30g keyboard.

Couldn't this be done (theoretically) by adding a metal washer to the underside of the keycap, if it could be done in such a way that it wouldn't interfere with the rest of the key mechinaism of course...


Here's my idea:
If I take off a key and put a piece of tape around the plastic post (to protect it), I could then spray the entire underside of the key with that Flex Grip stuff (as-seen-on-TV) or something similar. That crap would add a little bit of weight, making the keys easier to press down, and giving the keys a little bit more of a solid feel!

I don't think I would ever have the patience to do this to all the keys on this keyboard, but do you think it would work?
« Last Edit: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:04:48 by skinnycow »
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Offline jonathanyu

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 17:49:09 »
I think the main problem of adding weight under the keycap is it is not easy to make it balance.
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 17:57:28 »
Wouldn't you get actuation problems if you put something on the underside of the cap?
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Offline PointyFox

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 17:57:29 »
A metal washer may make the switch force 53g instead of 55g. You'd need thick completely metal keycaps with extra metal under them.
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Offline PointyFox

  • Posts: 1193
Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 17:57:45 »
Quote from: CPTBadAss on Tue, 30 July 2013, 17:57:28
Wouldn't you get actuation problems if you put something on the underside of the cap?

Think o-rings.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:02:16 »
Metal keycaps?
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

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Offline xSpartanCx

  • Posts: 104
Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:05:11 »
Quote from: rowdy on Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:02:16
Metal keycaps?

Expensive, but could help a little. Probably the easiest solution, too
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Offline PointyFox

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:05:38 »
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Offline skinnycow

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:06:53 »
they really make those? Awesome!

Where can I buy metal keycaps?

it looks like they poured solid gold into that keycap in the photo above. That could get pricey...
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Offline JPG

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:08:01 »
Or you could grow some finger muscle untill 55g feel like 30g  :p
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Offline lucifurburch

  • Posts: 38
Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:17:39 »
metal keycaps

http://www.ebay.com/sch/geek_feng/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686
(do a search for mkc)

Titanium Keycap GB last day

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=44123.0

titanium...expensive but so worth it
« Last Edit: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:19:36 by lucifurburch »
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Offline ekw808

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:20:46 »
There aren't any for topre, and as for adding weight, I'd try to add weight to the bottom side of the topre keycap instead of on the stem of the keycap so actuation distance stays the same.
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[One Keyboard at a time]

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Offline nubbinator

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #12 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 19:23:11 »
Quote from: PointyFox on Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:05:38
Show Image

Show Image


How did my first sand cast prototype make it to you? It's really more of a paperweight than anything.

And a pic of my much better Prototype #2:

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Offline rowdy

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Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 19:38:44 »
Quote from: nubbinator on Tue, 30 July 2013, 19:23:11
Quote from: PointyFox on Tue, 30 July 2013, 18:05:38
Show Image

Show Image


How did my first sand cast prototype make it to you? It's really more of a paperweight than anything.

And a pic of my much better Prototype #2:

Show Image


^ heh this one :)
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline PointyFox

  • Posts: 1193
Re: Heavy Keys
« Reply #14 on: Tue, 30 July 2013, 19:45:04 »
Got a bunch of hunks of scrap titanium at work, maybe I can make them into keycaps :P
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