Do Cherry MX switches fit through perfboard?

[Pylon]

Just wondering. I could potentially do a project in the future.

[Soarer]

The pins don't line up with a 0.1 inch grid, if that's what you mean :-(

[laden3]

This guy claimed that he hacked into Cherry's server and you can dl the details in the second post.
http://bbs.kbc-china.com/thread-4090-1-1.html (need to login to dl)
He planned to make his own ergonomic keyboard...

[Parak]

Details to what?

[laden3]

distance between the pins under a switch, not entirely sure because im not very familiar with it

[Parak]

That's publicly available:

http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm

[Pylon]

Alright, that kind of sucks.

Basically I wanted to convert a Gateway Anykey to blue cherries.

[msiegel]

what about rotating the perfboard... you can get up to 40% wider hole spacing, at a 45deg angle.

[laden3]

That's publicly available:

http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm

At least its easier to design a pcb board with these than drawing them ourselves.

[Lanx]

whats perfboard?
a breadboard? if so drilling is required.

[msiegel]

perfboard has a grid of holes pre-drilled every 1/10 inch. good for manually assembling through-hole parts. google images has shots

[Lanx]

same thickness as a cherry pcb. Nothing lines up so lots of drilling.

[gore]

Alright, that kind of sucks.

Basically I wanted to convert a Gateway Anykey to blue cherries.

I want to do this with mine as well! Any way of modifying the existing PCB?

[Lanx]

if it's an anykey then it shouldn't have a pcb (since it's membrane).

[gore]

Good point, annoyingly it's sealed in a nice big plastic lump attached to the case

[Findecanor]

Another thing is that with 1/10" hole spacing you can not get 3/4" key spacing. Perfboards with 1/8" hole spacing do exist, but are more rare.

[ricercar]

I want to do this with mine as well! Any way of modifying the existing PCB?

I've used existing keyboard PCBs by cutting the existing foil traces 5mm from each switch terminal and using them as solder pads for point-to-point wiring.

[lowpoly]

This guy claimed that he hacked into Cherry's server and you can dl the details in the second post.
http://bbs.kbc-china.com/thread-4090-1-1.html (need to login to dl)
He planned to make his own ergonomic keyboard...

Not the first time that intellectual property theft and kbc-china appear in the same post.

[Pylon]

I want to do this with mine as well! Any way of modifying the existing PCB?

The Anykey has a membrane bolted onto a metal backplate and a plastic "barrel plate".

Basically you would make a new PCB and copy all the matrices onto it, replace the membranes with them, bolt that to the existing backplate, and then somehow connect that to the existing controller. No NKRO, but you retain all the programmable key features and what not.

For the PCB, it needs to:
-Have the same matrices as the membrane:
-Get the spacing right
-Have holes in the right places, so you could bolt it to the metal backplate.
-Somehow accommodate the current controller. Electrically, just make all the matrices terminate at a ribbon connector with the same pinout as the existing one and just connect the PCB to the controller with a ribbon.

-You should be able to reuse most keys except possibly the extended ones. Getting the stabilization down is going to be tricky.