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Author Topic: Laser 2269 keyboard review (SMK 2nd gen Cherry mount)  (Read 6341 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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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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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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How the hell or why did you become a DEMO-crat?” He asked.
“Long story, but it started with Nixon, then I was educated and know history as the Republicans are all about getting power to exploit it to their benefit, while Democratic politicians, for the most part, are for distributing things more equitably. I’ll finish with the overwhelming sociological and psychological evidence in studies that identify that conservatives see the world through inherent inequity where the elite or those who seek to be elite are superior to the commoners, and it is they who should lead. At the same time, liberals look at the world as inequality and seek to make the world more equitable, and that all should be represented. Ultimately, conservatives trust those in authority, while liberals inherently distrust those in authority to take advantage for themselves or their constituency.”
He looks up and says, “No one ever explained that to me, and then asks, “If **** Cheney thinks that Trump is that bad, then it's not about DEMO-crats vs Republicans, is it.”
I resume walking and then say, “Hey, you got it; it's the Democratic and old Republican parties versus Trumpism, which is American fascism aided by the Russians.”
- RWN 2024-09008

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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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

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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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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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