Greasing Cherry switches???

[dqsl]

Hi Everyone

Has anyone tried using silicone grease on Cherry switches? I'm imagining to take of the keycaps, depressing the plunger and applying into the switch housing. Will this in any way compromise the Cross point contact?

Regards
Dang

edit: Already tried it on my Cherrry Blue switch ( the scroll lock key) and the key still works. The sound is very different though, much more muffled.

[dqsl]

I tried on the scroll lock key and it works. I'm not greasing the switch to reduce friction but to muffle the click on the Cherry Blue. I've just received a G80-3000 with quiet white switches and I'm thinking that the actuation force on those is a bit too high. I really like the softness of the Cherry Blues.
Anyone up for a German g80?

[dqsl]

Live in Europe. The full name of the keyboard is Cherry G80-3000LQCDE

[keyb_gr]

Try PM'ing huha, maybe he's still looking for something with clears. He seemed a little frustrated that he never stumbled across such a board while yours truly lucked out with ill-described boards twice (one of which I'm using right now).

[Hakhu]

Is it a LQCDE-0 or -2 (grey or black)?
How much would you want?

[cfishy]

Doesn't Cherry brown have the same force curve like Cherry blues? You can try that. There's a lot of possible way to reduce or change the click noise: the platform under your keyboard, the key cap cavity, and for cherry blue, the little white plunger attached to the blue stem which is designed to generate the clicking noise. Each one of these can be modified to change the sound with some side effects. I have not tried much about these, so I appreciate inputs.

Are you using dry silicon lubes? Perhaps you can have a video demo of the difference in sound?

[clickclack]

Truth be told you really sound like a good candidate for brown cherries

There has already been a ton of ideas already but what the heck I shall give it a go with some different ones...

-glue the white slider part to the blue cherry stem (that would get rid of the click entirely though)
-crimp the white slider part or blue stem part (side stems not the middle stem)
-put a tiny piece of tape on either (or both) part  of the "sides" of the blue stem or the inside edge of the white sliding part.

I just did a bunch of experiments and it seems that the pitch (or whether or  not it even makes a sound) can be altered by the speed in which the white sliding mechanism moves. The faster it moves the sharper, higher pitched, and defined the sound is. The slower it moves the more dull and/or sloppy it sounds.

I actually found this out by accident (and then did a bunch of tests) when I tried to transplant a blue cherry spring and stem into a black cherry housing and it didn't really click. I noticed the metal prong that was in the black cherry housing was dirty and slowed down the movement. After some cleaning it made a more defined (blue cherry like sound). I then slightly bent the prongs (to make them slightly more pronounced) and now it clicks beautifully! I know you want the opposite effect but the principle still applies.

Having said all that though just a big-ole glob of greas on either side of the white sliding mechanism will shut it mostly up.

[timw4mail]

Doesn't Cherry brown have the same force curve like Cherry blues? You can try that.

Not even close.

[timw4mail]

Actually if you want to change the sound of Blue Cherries a bit (make them less high pitched) do the "Anti-Otaku Double Shot Mod" in the Mods section of the forum.  Sound samples of before/after are included in the post.  Or just stick the keyboard on a mouse pad first.  The actual switch is not all that clicky - it's needs the resonance effect to get louder like acoustic guitar strings.

Bummer nobody offers double shot keys separately though - you'll have to harvest them from another keyboard.

Time to bug EliteKeyboards, I guess

[Hakhu]

Are there any 104/105 key keyboards with double-shot keys in existence?

Haven't seen any so far. And it'd be awful to keep the meta and menu keys as laser etched caps.

[mike2h]

so abs keys are dbl shot? it has dome win keys. while deck is a special case- dbl shot & dye sublimated- the keys dont have win dome.
enquiring minds want to know;)

[timw4mail]

so abs keys are dbl shot? it has dome win keys. while deck is a special case- dbl shot & dye sublimated- the keys dont have win dome.
enquiring minds want to know;)

Wait ABS plastic, or ABS M1?

[mike2h]

Wait ABS plastic, or ABS M1?

abs m1...

[timw4mail]

abs m1...

No, the keys aren't double-shot, I'm pretty sure. More than likely, they are just pad-printed.

[mike2h]

i didnt think so either but ripsters comment raised the question. anyway, just pulled one & it looks like any average key.

[itlnstln]

The ABS M1 is pad printed just like the Filco keys.  Same factory, similar design.

[mike2h]

isnt pad printing the least desirable method for keys? while i know the whole filco key thing was/is adressed in another thread(sry for even bringing it up) shouldnt a high priced kb sport better, more durable key lettering?

[itlnstln]

isnt pad printing the least desirable method for keys? while i know the whole filco key thing was/is adressed in another thread(sry for even bringing it up) shouldnt a high priced kb sport better, more durable key lettering?

You would hope, but they do something different with their printing process than other companies.  If you examine the keys closely, you can see that Costar uses something like a thick paint (you can usually feel the letters on the keys), while most other companies use something more like a stamp.  The paint Costar uses seems to be more durable and is finely textured almost like truck bed liner but finer.  Someone in the mods forum tries to take it off the lock light area and did some significant damage to the 'board before it started coming off (scratches and stuff). In general, pad printing, silk screening, etc. is less durable as the media is on top of the key, but it's not to say someone can't come up with a more durable way to do it.

[itlnstln]

Keyboard manufacturers are such cheap bastards.Guess what keys are pad printed (I swapped out the lasers because they looked dirty).

Double-shots are the greatest.  BTW, ripster, your spacebar is shiny.

[mike2h]

Keyboard manufacturers are such cheap bastards.

Show Image

Guess what keys are pad printed (I swapped out the lasers because they looked dirty).

snippity arent we. while i dont care what the keys look like right now, i do have some concern as to what the keys will look like down the road. while it seems that costar(ty ltllstn) uses an improved proccess, still think they could use something more durable for the $$ they charge for theses kb's.
i dont even know if it makes that much difference, as im new to this & basically gathering info. i do know that some pad printe keys canwear very quickly, in my experience saitek is the worst by far followed by logitech. never had wear with any ms kb, so that implies that costar should be durable as i would assume their proccess is better.
your(&others) font problem with deck keyboards(& of course their very limited switch choice) aside, it looks to me that its price is pretty good compared to the filcos. you get more durable keys, build quality that is at least as good- if not more robust considering their mod policy-, & the best led light setup in the industry- assuming you want/need led's of course. ;)
i get the impression that clears are a temp fix for them. wonder if they are looking at your reds ripster, from what you say they would be an excellent option if available.
course given apparent financial state right now doubt if they are doing much of anything.

[overdriver]

ripster, I saw your post regarding swapping out with G81-7000. I am so impressed by your work
Do you know if its keycap compatible(swappable) with DAS or Scorpious M10 ?
I am not even wanting any special keycap(space bar, shift, etc) swap but I'd like to swap entire letter keycaps(A - Z). Since those uses same Cherry blue... it should work, right??

[overdriver]

Answers are in the mods section here.

Thanks!! :embarassed: