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Author Topic: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)  (Read 6700 times)

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Offline chyros

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Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« on: Sat, 04 April 2020, 04:28:17 »
In this video we look at something a lot of people have asked me over the years; the Cherry-mount version of SMK clicky switches – in possibly its most well-known chassis. Hope you enjoy the video! :)

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Offline mode

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 04 April 2020, 05:43:27 »
Happy to see you cover these, i was curious how they are compared to the alps mount version.

Happily snapped up a few NOS :)
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 04 April 2020, 07:48:28 »
Excellent keyboard and would be one of my favorites if it had a more standard layout.
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"Starting in 2011, the deficits again started to shrink. During Obama’s term  the deficit was reduced by $900 Billion  before finally in 2015 the GOP managed to wrangle a “reconciliation” bill out of Obama where he again cut corporate taxes, as well as made permanent some of George W. Bush’s original tax cuts. This is the year everything reversed. Before this, under Clinton, Bush and Obama the deficit in almost every year was gradually decreasing. The balance we had of taxes and the economy was bringing the deficit down, the money coming in was slowly catching up with the money going out until 2015. Trump’s subsequent tax cut has continued the new trend even after the rest of Bush’s cuts have since expired. Obama had an average GDP of 2.3%, with 11.6 million jobs created and unemployment peaking at 10% in 2009, then falling to 4.3% in 2016. If we had continued on that downward deficit track, we would have again reached balance and another surplus in 2017-2018.
– Frank V Walton 2025-07-01

Offline chyros

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 04 April 2020, 13:17:02 »
Quote from: fohat.digs on Sat, 04 April 2020, 07:48:28
Excellent keyboard and would be one of my favorites if it had a more standard layout.
You think the Monterey layout isn't standard enough? Oo
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 04 April 2020, 18:34:49 »
You're right. I have not had mine out in several years and I suppose that it wasn't really the layout that put me off of it.

To be honest, many of my "near-favorite but flawed" keyboards, like this one, have been boxed up tight and stored away for 5+ years, and I tend to forget exactly what is was that I didn't like about them. But I do seem to be able to remember what it was that I DID like about them.
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"Starting in 2011, the deficits again started to shrink. During Obama’s term  the deficit was reduced by $900 Billion  before finally in 2015 the GOP managed to wrangle a “reconciliation” bill out of Obama where he again cut corporate taxes, as well as made permanent some of George W. Bush’s original tax cuts. This is the year everything reversed. Before this, under Clinton, Bush and Obama the deficit in almost every year was gradually decreasing. The balance we had of taxes and the economy was bringing the deficit down, the money coming in was slowly catching up with the money going out until 2015. Trump’s subsequent tax cut has continued the new trend even after the rest of Bush’s cuts have since expired. Obama had an average GDP of 2.3%, with 11.6 million jobs created and unemployment peaking at 10% in 2009, then falling to 4.3% in 2016. If we had continued on that downward deficit track, we would have again reached balance and another surplus in 2017-2018.
– Frank V Walton 2025-07-01

Offline diymkb

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:06:59 »
If I were to find the same keyboard and salvage the switches, would the SMK housings fit in most Cherry compatible plates?
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Offline mode

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:56:54 »
Quote from: diymkb on Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:06:59
If I were to find the same keyboard and salvage the switches, would the SMK housings fit in most Cherry compatible plates?

You can just buy the switches NOS, no need to destroy a vintage board.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32764002294.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.1420d1c6xZOGI9&algo_pvid=727970fd-3279-4035-9aed-71752df025d4&algo_expid=727970fd-3279-4035-9aed-71752df025d4-17&btsid=0b0a187b15860660697131903ef601&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

And yeah, cherry plates work for them, you just need to get a compatible PCB. https://www.lfkeyboards.com offers a couple.
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Offline diymkb

  • Posts: 27
Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 05 April 2020, 05:47:56 »
Quote from: mode on Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:56:54
Quote from: diymkb on Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:06:59
If I were to find the same keyboard and salvage the switches, would the SMK housings fit in most Cherry compatible plates?

You can just buy the switches NOS, no need to destroy a vintage board.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32764002294.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.1420d1c6xZOGI9&algo_pvid=727970fd-3279-4035-9aed-71752df025d4&algo_expid=727970fd-3279-4035-9aed-71752df025d4-17&btsid=0b0a187b15860660697131903ef601&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

And yeah, cherry plates work for them, you just need to get a compatible PCB. https://www.lfkeyboards.com offers a couple.

Thanks for the link to the switches. I looked at the PCBs available on LFKeyboards, assuming I clip the two round protrusions on the SMK switches, would the metal contacts fit in Kailh hotswap sockets or in Mill Max sockets? I'm just trying to minimize my expenses by using parts that I already have on hand.
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Offline mode

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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 05 April 2020, 08:10:53 »
Quote from: diymkb on Sun, 05 April 2020, 05:47:56
Quote from: mode on Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:56:54
Quote from: diymkb on Sun, 05 April 2020, 00:06:59
If I were to find the same keyboard and salvage the switches, would the SMK housings fit in most Cherry compatible plates?

You can just buy the switches NOS, no need to destroy a vintage board.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32764002294.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.1420d1c6xZOGI9&algo_pvid=727970fd-3279-4035-9aed-71752df025d4&algo_expid=727970fd-3279-4035-9aed-71752df025d4-17&btsid=0b0a187b15860660697131903ef601&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

And yeah, cherry plates work for them, you just need to get a compatible PCB. https://www.lfkeyboards.com offers a couple.

Thanks for the link to the switches. I looked at the PCBs available on LFKeyboards, assuming I clip the two round protrusions on the SMK switches, would the metal contacts fit in Kailh hotswap sockets or in Mill Max sockets? I'm just trying to minimize my expenses by using parts that I already have on hand.

For the smaller pcb, yeah, the larger has holes so no clipping required.

The switches do not work with hot swap sockets.
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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 25 April 2020, 06:19:15 »
My NOS switches turned up, they are indeed really nice. Honestly feel a bit smoother than my blue alps.

I’ll be saving them for a future project one day though, I’ll buy another lfkeyboards pcb to stash with them too.
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Re: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 25 April 2020, 08:08:41 »
Tried mounting a few keycaps to the loose switch and they're a bit hit/miss, SP SA went on just fine, but MT3 didn't fit, at least not without more force than I was happy to use.

I suspect the issue is the cross tip doesn't have a chamfer, so as long as it gets in, it shouldn't stretch them, but I didn't want to risk it by forcing.
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