Files for switch stickers - UPDATE: Designs uploaded.

[MOZ]

I wanted to know if there existed a CAD/template file for switch stickers.

Vinyl cutting is quite cheap in India (Like most other machining), so once I get a good design and get a couple of good sheets, and I feel the quality is good, we could even have a GB, who knows.

Files created myself with the help of mkawa, infiniti, BlueBar and using the one on KBDMania.

There are three designs. The base is the same, each design attempts to cover more area on the bottom switch housing: Original, Moose (Also covers the 4 rounded corner tabs on the switches), Spider (Besides the corner tabs, it also covers the four small tabs on the sides of the switch).

PNG and DWG files attached, let me know if you want other formats

*All members are welcome to use these designs as and how they please, it would always be kind of you to acknowledge the original source of the sticker files when republishing/reproducing in any manner.

Thanks.

[esoomenona]

There might be one on kbd, if you care to do some searching. I know they like to open source a lot of things.

[MOZ]

Will do kind sir

[MOZ]

Failed to find them. Anybody haz?

[mkawa]

it's actually quite easy to draw these out yourself using the cherry datasheets. give it a go! it will certainly be easier than keeping your tolerances inside the switch with a cheaply made die . but seriously, these have actually been drawn many multiples of times.

datasheet: http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/pdf/mx_cat.pdf

the datasheet has thin dotted lines to indicate the plastic thickness of the switch body, and is drawn to scale with references. you can test cut a piece of paper and place it in a switch body to confirm fit. the biggest issue is modifying your drawing to fit the tolerances of the machinist and machine making the die as well as the die-cut tolerances of the vinyl stamper.

[MOZ]

I shall make the design myself then!

[MOZ]

Almost done with the design.

Tested the prefinal today, and it was mostly good to go.

Tomorrow or day after I should get these cut at the vinyl plotter.

[MOZ]

Finally got around to completing the design.

I will go to the plotter in a day or two and report the outcomes.

If anyone wants to try, they can test these designs out. The base is the same, each design attempts to cover more area on the bottom switch housing.

Feedback welcome.

PNG and DWG files attached, let me known if you want other formats. Check OP

*All members are welcome to use these designs as and how they please, it would always be kind of you to acknowledge the original source of the sticker files when republishing/reproducing in any manner. Thanks.

[infiniti]

Nice work mohitgarg!

I'll test these out and give you some feedback soon.

[SpAmRaY]

Interested to see how these translate once cut.

[MOZ]

So, I went to the vinyl plotter today, and this is what transpired:

Me: "Sir, I have some designs I want to get made into stickers"
Shop Owner: "Sure, let me see the deign, do you have a soft copy in Corel?"
Me: "Yes, here you go"
SO: "Let's see, hmm *checks design*, this is doable, oh wait, 15.6mm only? Are you sure? How many pieces do you need?"
Me: "Yes, that is correct, it is for some mechanical application (He wouldn't have understood keyboard switch). There are three designs, I need hundred of each. What vinyls so you have?"
SO: "Here have a look at our catalog"
Me: "Hmm, I like this brushed silver"
SO: "That will be more expensive than normal"
Me: "Whatever, how much will be the total cost for the 300 stickers and this 5 of these logos each too *I showed him geekhack logo and me website's logo*"
SO: "*Calculates area of vinyl required and scratches head* The area is real small and the material cost is almost negligible, only about a square foot in all. Machining time is considerable for such small area, so hmmm, ummmmm, how about $4, this price would have been much lower per sticker if you had a larger area."
Me: "That is too much, there is hardly any material cost and also the machining isn't that much, it is a small area, how much machining can you possibly do on it. Besides once this works out, I might order order around 1000-5000 more. I'll give $3". What do you say?"
SO: "Hmmm, errrrrrr, ummmmmm, alright. I'll give them to you tomorrow, you can come pick it up after 10 in the morning. Half payment upfront"
Me: "Here you go, I'll come tomorrow evening"

Note: Actual conversation was in Hindi and not English, currency discussed was INR not USD, conversion donnt rate for the above conversation only.

And before you say, why I bargained:

[MOZ]

IF this turns out well, I will make an honest attempt to find cheaping posting methods. Stickers can be sent in letter envelops so my hopes are high.

I mean $1 for 100 sticker sheet + $1 shipping (For upto I think 3-4 sheets) would be really good for a GB.

Let me find out.

[jdcarpe]

I will buy 1000+ switch stickers (in varying colors) from you in that case, good sir. Thank you for your efforts in doing this!!

[MOZ]

I will try my level best to find a solution, worst case scenario I think would be me bulk shipping to a CONUS proxy, that would be less than $2 per 100 sticker sheet I think based on the fact that 1 sheet would way around or less than 10g, so 100 sheets or so in 1kg, which costs around $80 via premium courier services.

And the CONUS proxy can then distribute it further.

[BlueBär]

Brushed silver? That would be sweet. Maybe we can get some more unusual colors then the basic ones.

[MOZ]

Brushed silver? That would be sweet. Maybe we can get some more unusual colors then the basic ones.

You heard that right! Brushed Silver.

They had all sorts of colors form the normal solid colors both in gloss, matte and mettalic finish to silver/gold/copper colors in brushed/shiny/matte and varieties of clear vinyl, carbon fiber.

I might get them today and see how it goes.

Plan thus far:
1. Check if stickers fit well, f they don't fit well, I'll revise the design.
2. If I still screw up, revise once more.
3. If I still screw up, I'll get someone else to make the designs.
4. In the mean time I will find out on shipping options. I will choose the cheapest method per 100 sticker sheet, be it me sending them out or bulk ship to a CONUS member.
5. I'll try and get a copy of the catalog of available vinyl and scan it.
6. Start the IC and then GB.

This isn't official IC, but anyone interested in being distributor if local shipping from my place doesn't work out.

[Photekq]

It would be awesome if you could provide stickers at such a low price. I know I'd buy about 1000. Good work man!

[BlueBär]

Yes. Copper. Want. Can you send to Europe, too?

Design 1 is usually what switch stickers look like, but the second one looks nice, too.

[MOZ]

Yes, design 1 is the conventional design, where as 2 and 3 I made for fun, will see how they look and post pictures once I get my first set out.

Fitment should not be an issue for design 2 and 3 as the base is design 1.

Name change is in order:

Design 1 - Normal
Design 2 - Mammal
Design 3 - Spider

[MOZ]

If pricing remains cheap for shipping individual orders, I will ship to Europe myself.

If bulk shipping is opted for, I will most likely prepare 3 bulk order: CONUS, Europe, Asia.

[SpAmRaY]

Why can't things be so cheap around here?

This is awesome!

[nubbinator]

Matte stickers would be awesome.  And hopefully the adhesive on all the different stickers is good.  I got a batch of stickers recently that just would not stick to anything.

[Photoelectric]

I would absolutely be interested in some of those!  Copper and if possible something like metallic pink or metallic sky blue!  I've done gold on one keyboard, and it really pops beautifully.  I thought silver would be the same, and I did my second Filco with silver stickers, but... not as exciting by far.  I prefer some color now

[infiniti]

So I went to a vinyl cutter here in Manila to have some stickers made.  Did a test cut before committing to an 11x11 sheet.  The designs were spot on but the cutter plotter keeps spitting out the stickers with a 15.7mm height even if it was set to 15.6mm in the software.





The long story short is that I finally got it through the technician's thick skull and his BS that something is wrong with his cutter plotter.  His pricing was a little pricey too...US$8 for a sheet of 11x11.

Hope you have better luck with your samples and pricing!

[MOZ]

So I went to a vinyl cutter here in Manila to have some stickers made.  Did a test cut before committing to an 11x11 sheet.  The designs were spot on but the cutter plotter keeps spitting out the stickers with a 15.7mm height even if it was set to 15.6mm in the software.

Show Image

Show Image

The long story short is that I finally got it through the technician's thick skull and his BS that something is wrong with his cutter plotter.  His pricing was a little pricey too...US$8 for a sheet of 11x11.

Hope you have better luck with your samples and pricing!

Thank you very much for trying the designs out but sadly I am not happy with the result. There is way too much sag around half way.

I shall see with my test cuts. The width and related elements are close to perfect, but the length is not working well. The design is 15.6mm and so is the switch according to the data sheet from Cherry. From what I have seen of other stickers online, they are the full length of the sticker.

It would be really helpful if someone could scan a sticker sheet and send it to me or get dimensions from current sticker sheets.

I have decided that a GB will happen for this for sure, given the ridiculously low prices. I have even started and almost completely a GB webapp for placing and managing orders. What I need of members now is to help me get the design perfected so we can get great stickers made.

[BlueBär]

Just as a tip, the usual procedure for GBs is Google Docs, you can make a form where anybody can enter their order and you should be able to easily manage it that way, see for example the DSA Dolch GB. Glad that this is happening!

[MOZ]

Just as a tip, the usual procedure for GBs is Google Docs, you can make a form where anybody can enter their order and you should be able to easily manage it that way, see for example the DSA Dolch GB. Glad that this is happening!

I've created a simple webapp, where you can place your order and you will get a passkey by email, you can use that to edit and cancel your order.

[BlueBär]

That sounds quite nice. I really appreciate the work you are putting into this.

[MOZ]

That sounds quite nice. I really appreciate the work you are putting into this.

Thanks!

[MOZ]

I got the stickers from the plotter and they look very good, just have to test for fit.

I also got the pricing for bulk order as well as took pictures of the catalog, I only has my phone with me, so the pictures aren't too good. I'll try and get him to give me a catalog so I can scan it.

I need some help however from the community:
1. Someone please scan a some stickers from Originative/Korean Gb or anything that has been tried and testes and works, so I have a reference, even if my stickers fit.

2. Someone to volunteer and test my stickers, someone who has used a variety of stickers previously, so I can send them a set once the design is finalised, so I don't end up having a GB and then members sulking if they found the quality to be below expectations. I have never used this stickers before so I have no yardstick to compare them to.

Special thanks to codyeatworld, for helping me and discussing about the GB webapp.

[BlueBär]

I can scan a almost fresh sheet of stickers from Originative. Should I put a ruler next to it as well for comparison?

I have not used a "variety" of switch stickers before, but I can compare them to the Originative ones.

[nubbinator]

I should be able to scan some white ones I have that I got from techkeys.  Unfortunately I don't have a full sheet, just parts of a sheet.  I had another set that I had to toss because they refused to stick to anything that came from who knows where.

I also have some vintage blacks to test them on which would be a little better since the older housings can be a little more wobbly.  In general though, as long as they stick and they're not obscenely thin, they should be pretty much on par with everything else out there.

[MOZ]

I can scan a almost fresh sheet of stickers from Originative. Should I put a ruler next to it as well for comparison?

I have not used a "variety" of switch stickers before, but I can compare them to the Originative ones.

Thanks, that would be wonderful.

If it isn't too much trouble for you sir, could you please send me two scans, one with the ruler and one without it?

I should be able to scan some white ones I have that I got from techkeys.  Unfortunately I don't have a full sheet, just parts of a sheet.  I had another set that I had to toss because they refused to stick to anything that came from who knows where.

I also have some vintage blacks to test them on which would be a little better since the older housings can be a little more wobbly.  In general though, as long as they stick and they're not obscenely thin, they should be pretty much on par with everything else out there.

Thanks, nubs. It would be helpful to get multiple sample, so send me what you have, I don't require a complete sheet scan.
When you talk about the thickness, we are talking about the thickness of the vinyl, right? Or the thin parts of the sticker on the left and right?

I have been surprised quite often in India with the quality of stuff, so I would not like to risk it and have the stickers tested once before starting a GB.

[nubbinator]

Exactly, the thickness of the vinyl.  If it's too thin, it really doesn't do much and runs the risk of tearing.  If it's too thick, you run into other problems.

I'll try and get those scanned and sent to you later today.  Any preferred file format?

[MOZ]

Exactly, the thickness of the vinyl.  If it's too thin, it really doesn't do much and runs the risk of tearing.  If it's too thick, you run into other problems.

I'll try and get those scanned and sent to you later today.  Any preferred file format?

Thank you, any format will do.

[jdcarpe]

I have used stickers from the Korean GB and Originative (same), and MiMiC/TechKeys. I would be happy to test them for you. PM me if you think I could help.

Also, I can scan some for you, but it will have to be tomorrow.

[BlueBär]

I couldn't get it to lay all flat but I think it should do.
http://i.imgur.com/sLpqbgG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SoelFpy.jpg

[MOZ]

I have used stickers from the Korean GB and Originative (same), and MiMiC/TechKeys. I would be happy to test them for you. PM me if you think I could help.

Also, I can scan some for you, but it will have to be tomorrow.

Thanks, please do scan and send whenever possible, the more samples, the better chance of getting the right fit.

PM incoming!

[MOZ]

I couldn't get it to lay all flat but I think it should do.
http://i.imgur.com/sLpqbgG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SoelFpy.jpg

Thanks!

[agodinhost]

I have used stickers from the Korean GB and Originative (same), and MiMiC/TechKeys. I would be happy to test them for you. PM me if you think I could help.

Also, I can scan some for you, but it will have to be tomorrow.

Sorry by my ignorance - what this sticker does?
It has any effect into the keypress itself or it is only esthetic?

[BlueBär]

Some people say that it makes the key feel less wobbly because it fills on a bit of space between the two housing halves, but most people say that it doesn't affect the feel. For most people it's just for aesthetics.

[nubbinator]

Some people say that it makes the key feel less wobbly because it fills on a bit of space between the two housing halves, but most people say that it doesn't affect the feel. For most people it's just for aesthetics.

It's supposed to do more for PCB mounted than plate mounted.  I do it mainly for looks.

[jdcarpe]

I do it for teh lulz.

[BlueBär]

It's supposed to do more for PCB mounted than plate mounted.  I do it mainly for looks.

Really? That was new to me. Apart from that for me it's just for looks as well.

[nubbinator]

It's supposed to do more for PCB mounted than plate mounted.  I do it mainly for looks.

Really? That was new to me. Apart from that for me it's just for looks as well.

Yup.  Think about it, the plate already helps significantly in stabilizing the switch since it holds the bottom of the switch and the legs that hold the top half in place.  On PCB mounted switches you only have the contacts, legs, and potentially a diode or LED to stabilize it, but the top half of the housing has more room to wiggle and play.  So if the top is loose on PCB mounted, it will wobble more.  The sticker is supposed to make the top less wobbly and stabilize it more.

[MOZ]

Made the new design based on the scans from BlueBar, Cherry DataSheet some potatoes I took of the switches.

There were some issues, in the range of 0.1-0.2mm LOL. But the main one was the inner square cutout was 0.95mm longer than it should have been. This is most likely the culprit for the sag.

I will wait for a couple of scans to reach me and verify the new design before posting the new design and getting some more stickers cut.

I have decided to send jdcarpe the stickers for quality inspection once the final design is created.

Thanks a lot BlueBar, nubbinator, jdcarpe.

[MOZ]

As for switch stickers stabling PCB mounted switches. Would people like two sided adhesive stickers? But, I think that would make opening the switches a big PITA.

[nubbinator]

I'd stick with adhesive on one side.

[BlueBär]

Yup.  Think about it, the plate already helps significantly in stabilizing the switch since it holds the bottom of the switch and the legs that hold the top half in place.  On PCB mounted switches you only have the contacts, legs, and potentially a diode or LED to stabilize it, but the top half of the housing has more room to wiggle and play.  So if the top is loose on PCB mounted, it will wobble more.  The sticker is supposed to make the top less wobbly and stabilize it more.

Huh, makes sense. Never really thought about it.

As for switch stickers stabling PCB mounted switches. Would people like two sided adhesive stickers? But, I think that would make opening the switches a big PITA.

I think it would also make applying the stickers harder and it already takes some time to make it sit perfect.

[MOZ]

I think it would also make applying the stickers harder and it already takes some time to make it sit perfect.

Application would be like double sided tape, you stick one side and then remove the paper from the other side. Anywho, it was a wild suggestion, I doubt anybody would use it.