Author Topic: Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?  (Read 2001 times)

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Offline cauffe

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  • Posts: 7
Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 13:32:48 »
Hi all,

Has anyone here tried to swap out the switches on any of the Happy Hacking lite boards or done any soldering work on them? I was thinking I could save my self the 300 bucks to upgrade to the topre keys and just buy about 70 bucks worth of browns and some after market keys.

Good idea, bad idea? Tried / done before?

Offline Djuzuh

  • Posts: 1127
Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 13:35:48 »
why don't you just buy a poker?

Offline IvanIvanovich

  • Mr. Silk Underwear
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  • Location: USA
Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 13:55:14 »
Impossible to mod to MX it's a membrane domes board. Buy a Poker or Pure if you want a similar MX board.

Offline cauffe

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Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 14:00:06 »
While I have thought about getting in on the race group buy, the keyboard looks crazy busy.  I might buy it for my gaming PC rig to show off at a lan party or something, but as far as my every-day keyboard needs go the Happy Hacking keyboard is kind of designed just for what I do.

I am a programer and I primarily use emacs. The Happy Hacking keyboard gives you vi(m) like control over being able to keep your hands on your home keys. I hate the caps lock key. And I think the dip switch settings suite me better. The only real problem left is the lack of any sort of TrackPoint pointer like on this poker mod ( http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:4917 ). I had been using a kinesis advantage and still like a lot about the kinesis advantage more ( mostly the ability to re-map keys on the fly ) but this one is more practical to haul around to different terminals.

Speaking of which, does anyone know where to get these PS/2 trapoint sticks? All I could dig up was this thread on them here and it seems like the company that makes them has discontinued them. http://www.mp3car.com/input-devices/26350-meci-ps-2-trackpoint-stick-mouse-review-info.html

Offline cauffe

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Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 14:08:37 »
Impossible and mod do not belong in the same sentence. A cherry switch simply closes a circuit. I have converted cap-active or rubber dome switches to mechanical before, and even some odd on/off switches and accelerometer switches( game controllers, but same circuit closing apparatus ) . I am mostly worried about key spacing and keeping the switch stuck to the PCB.  

I am a programer who primarily uses emacs, and the happy hacking keyboard gives me a lot of vi(m) like control over keeping my fingers on my home keys. The only real major mod i feel like I might do is to add a track point pointer to it somewhere. I normally use a heavily moded kinesis advantage but this is more practical to drag around to different terminals. While I may buy a the Race board to bring to lan parties to show off to friends, its just not as practical as a HHK for my every-day needs.

Offline funxion

  • Posts: 174
Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 14:15:48 »
This could very well be the most absurd and over-thought thing I've ever heard of.
Filco Ninja MJ2 TKL

Offline cauffe

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Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 14:52:12 »
Quote from: ripster;600780
OP, ignore the Haters.

I like spunk.

See this for some crazy ass stuff.
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?31497-Ripster-s-Nostromo-N52-Mod-Adding-Cherry-MX-Switches

And Welcome to Geekhack!

The Ripster! Thank you for the link and visiting my thread :D I've lurked in your threads many times and always thoroughly enjoyed all your mods. I have not seen your Nostromo mod. It seems like geekhack is the vast, cavernous source of home-brew hardware info where you just keep finding more and more stuff. That really gives me a lot of good ideas for keeping these switches stuck to a board not made for cherries. I'll document the whole thing and post it if I get the balls to start cutting on my current favorite keyboard.. lol.

Offline Findecanor

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Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 26 May 2012, 20:17:31 »
Modding a HHKB lite into using Cherry switches would be practically the same as building a keyboard from scratch, except for reusing the case and controller.
I think that what is special about the HHKB (and HHKB lite) is the layout. There are alternatives to building a keyboard from scratch, that would let you keep your HHKB undamaged.
  • Get a Poker, remap it in software on your host computer (with AutoHotkey or similar program) and change the key caps to correctly show the layout that you use.
  • Get an inexpensive Cherry keyboard and cut the circuit board. A Cherry G80-1800, G80-11800 or G80-11900 could be cut down to the alphanumeric section + cursor keys + function keys without needing to reroute (much). It would be quite a bit larger than a HHKB case, though, because it also has function keys. Remap/reroute keys by cutting off leads on the PCB and soldering wires. Then change the key caps. There are those who have cut down full-sized boards to HHKB-size, but they have had to reroute a whole lot and use a custom controller.
🍉

Offline cauffe

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  • Posts: 7
Adding Cherry Switches to a Happy Hacking Lite ?
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 27 May 2012, 09:54:35 »
Quote from: Findecanor;600998
Modding a HHKB lite into using Cherry switches would be practically the same as building a keyboard from scratch, except for reusing the case and controller.
I think that what is special about the HHKB (and HHKB lite) is the layout. There are alternatives to building a keyboard from scratch, that would let you keep your HHKB undamaged.
  • Get a Poker, remap it in software on your host computer (with AutoHotkey or similar program) and change the key caps to correctly show the layout that you use.
  • Get an inexpensive Cherry keyboard and cut the circuit board. A Cherry G80-1800, G80-11800 or G80-11900 could be cut down to the alphanumeric section + cursor keys + function keys without needing to reroute (much). It would be quite a bit larger than a HHKB case, though, because it also has function keys. Remap/reroute keys by cutting off leads on the PCB and soldering wires. Then change the key caps. There are those who have cut down full-sized boards to HHKB-size, but they have had to reroute a whole lot and use a custom controller.


I'll probably buy a cheap cherry to cannibalise the keys, but I want the HHKB layout and EEPROM / dip switches.