Can anyone with Outemu switches confirm something?

[dante]

Can anyone take a look at this video?  The particular part I want to point out is around the 08:30 mark.

The reviewer states that the Outemu switches sit lower than the rest.  How is this possible?  Is it likely the reviewer didn't push the caps down far enough?

[tp4tissue]

Hrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmm.... yea that;s weird...

[Leslieann]

I did some measuring between Outemu Blues and Cherry MX Red.

From the plate to the top of the stem, I got about 10mm on each.
From the plate to the top of the cap, I got 6.3- 6.4mm on each.
This leaves between 3.6 and 3.7 from the top of the cap to the top of the stem.

Even if my measurements are off by a smidge (I used a micrometer and eyeballed when it contacted), that's FAR less than the mount shown in the video, leading me to think this has to do with the caps not being down all the way.  And yes, it can be consistently too high, depending on where locking tabs and notches all sit on the caps and stem you may think they are down all the way, and not be. Play with enough caps and switches you eventually come across this.

[Data]

I have two OTM boards.  Mine are Blacks but I haven't noticed a difference.  If the switches sit lower it's imperceptible to me.

[FoxWolf1]

I can't listen to the video right now but, given that the CIY system is designed for Outemu, is it possible that the other switches are sitting higher because they don't fit properly? On a related note, do the non-Outemu switches tested have the proper openings on the bottom for the SMD LEDs on the TeamWolf board?

[Leslieann]

Foxwolf1 got me wondering, so I went back and watched it at higher resolution and looked close.
At first I thought maybe the pins or the LED, then I considered the center peg, however, the switches all looked to be seated fully, in fact if they didn't they wouldn't have clipped into the plate.

The fact that they all are properly locked into the plate removes any possibility of if being something below there.  That leaves the cap, stem and keycap. A close look at the caps and stems gave the impression that they all sat at the same heights.


Which brings me back to what I initially thought, however it's possible that the key caps simply wouldn't fully seat onto the other stems.
For an experiment, I swapped random keys on my non-backlit Magicforce (likely the same oem as this board) and my (Costar based) Das. Key cap profiles and heights were identical. So again. I'm left thinking it's either improperly seated or something to do with the doubleshot keycaps (backlit Magicforce are dyesub).

[dante]

Thanks for all the analysis gal/guys

I was hoping the Outemu had a shorter stem because I have a special need for an MX compatible switch that sits lower than the rest for a space bar.

[Leslieann]

You're welcome.
I believe Gateron is working on a low profile switch you could look into.

You could probably gain a few mm by shortening the switch and cap stems. However, you are talking a couple mm at best and I wouldn't try it on anything other than a key with stabilizers and try with spare parts first.

[dante]

I'll explain to you why I was excited by the possibilities of the Outemu being shorter.

Here is a group buy I joined at MechSupply: http://www.mechsupply.co.uk/product/q-series-skidata-double-shot-keyset

This uses an even lower profile than even DSA due to the stem:



Unfortunately Devlin doesn't have the molds for a 6.25" space bar in this profile; so they are using a higher profile DSA instead.  I was hoping I could have used a single Outemu switch for the space bar if it is indeed lower.