Filco/WASD keyboard- using Cherry DS profile?

[gbohn]

Hi;

   I recently modded my Das Keyboard Professional S to use Cherry DS key caps, but don't like how little 'height' there is above the frame (See the photos below) in the lower clearance spots.

  Does a Filco 104 have any different profile when modded? Does it look like below, or does it give a little more clearance between the frame and the key cap tops (especially in the row 3 'Enter', row 4 'up arrow', and 'numpad Enter' areas)?
 
  What about a 'WASD keyboards ' keyboard?

  Thanks;

[dorkvader]

It's all about the keycaps. Cherry has the lowest (I really like them). Signature plastics is next. The highest is "OEM profile, which is used by filco, WASD, and others.

So if you put a cherry DS set on anything, it'll be pretty low.

I have a cherry DS set on my WASD. I think it has acceptable height above the frame, but this is just my preference. It looks similar to your picture.

You can do some things, like sticking spacers on your stems to raise the keycap height. If you raise them too much, they'll become wobbly, though.

[gbohn]

> So if you put a cherry DS set on anything, it'll be pretty low...

  Yes, but it seems that there is at least some variation (by manufacturer) in how high the keys ride above the frame. (The Das frame itself seems to have a half-convex side profile, while the Filco/Leopold have a concave curve).

   I also have a Leopold FC500. I measured the clearance height of the 'Up Arrow' key-cap (left side at the top) on both my Das w/Cherry and the FC 500 w/Cherry.

  On the Leopold/Cherry I got about 0.2 inches at the side/top. The Das/Cherry for the same key has about 0.1 inches.

  Even though it's only 0.1 inches difference, it's still about twice the clearance (in this case) on the Leopold.

  I was wondering how the Filco and WASD keyboards compared to the Leopold and Das in that respect. (I'm wondering if the shape of the side profile of the keyboard case is making the difference or just the way it's internally mounted).

  It sounds like it's probably hard to tell without actually measuring.

  Thanks;

[gbohn]

  As a follow-up, here's a picture of my Leopold FC500 with a set of 'Red-Alert 2' key caps mounted (along with WASD keyboard 40A-L 'small' O-rings, in case that makes a difference).

  For the picture I replaced the 'Up Arrow' key with the same type of Cherry DS key-cap as seen in the DAS picture (without an O-Ring in either picture).  This should allow a direct comparison of at least that key.

  At any rate, the key-caps are riding higher above the frame on the Leopold than on the Das. I was trying to determine how the key cap height compares to the WASD or Filco.

[IvanIvanovich]

As you say the Das has a hump in the case body. I can't think of other boards that are this way. Filco and most everything else will be like the Leopold. SP is quite similar to Cherry for the top and Q rows, then is a fraction taller on A and the angle gets much more drastic on the bottom rows.

[gbohn]

> Filco and most everything else will be like the Leopold

  Thanks. I wasn't sure if the Leopold FC500 was especially 'high' or not.