Author Topic: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.  (Read 4474 times)

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Offline daerid

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Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:13:19 »
After putting my second ErgoDox with clears together and putting the stock Clear springs back in my first one, I noticed that the switches on my newer ErgoDox are quite noticeably stiffer than my older one. No actual measurements, but it feels like it could be upwards of 10g or more.

Has anybody else experienced this wide of a difference in the same switch?

PS: Also, over half my switches for the R3 'Dox were PCB mount, the rest plate. Anybody else get a mix like that?

Offline Photoelectric

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:14:50 »
Different caps too?  Keycaps, mounting, and length of use all contribute.  Definitely, switch feel varies from keyboard to keyboard (different models / manufacturers) and batch to batch.

E: spelling
« Last Edit: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:20:37 by Photoelectric »
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Offline dante

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:16:53 »
A Deck Legend I tried was significantly stiffer than either a Leopold or Keycool.

It was also a significantly crappier typing experience.

Offline daerid

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:29:44 »
Different caps too?  Keycaps, mounting, and length of use all contribute.  Definitely, switch feel varies from keyboard to keyboard (different models / manufacturers) and batch to batch.

E: spelling

Same exact caps (mix of SP DSA blank and DCS blank, all PBT). The only difference between the boards is one is the full hand case and the other is the classic hand. Would that account for such a wide variance?

Offline Photoelectric

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:32:15 »
I don't know ErgoDox terminology that well, but is one case more "hollow" than another? And you've mentioned partial PCB mounting, which I feel would increase effective stiffness vs. plate mounting. If you compare just the plate-mounted switches on both boards--do they feel the same?And finally if you have brand new urn modified Clears vs worn in old Clears, it could also contribute to the different feel.

Edit:just realized that you meant the switches themselves were with extra PCB mount pieces--not that the keyboard is partially PCB-mounted.  You've closely clipped the protruding parts then?  Any difference in the plate material / thickness between the keyboards?
« Last Edit: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:37:16 by Photoelectric »
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Offline domoaligato

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 13:54:43 »
After putting my second ErgoDox with clears together and putting the stock Clear springs back in my first one, I noticed that the switches on my newer ErgoDox are quite noticeably stiffer than my older one. No actual measurements, but it feels like it could be upwards of 10g or more.

Has anybody else experienced this wide of a difference in the same switch?

PS: Also, over half my switches for the R3 'Dox were PCB mount, the rest plate. Anybody else get a mix like that?

I have a huge variance with black switches from my filco compared to my 60%.
the 60% board is using switches farmed from a data 911 tg3 and they probably need to be lubed.

I would like to say the same about your switches.... lube always helps :)


edit: did you cut off all the pcb mounting pins?

Offline JPG

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 14:02:08 »
Different caps too?  Keycaps, mounting, and length of use all contribute.  Definitely, switch feel varies from keyboard to keyboard (different models / manufacturers) and batch to batch.

E: spelling

Same exact caps (mix of SP DSA blank and DCS blank, all PBT). The only difference between the boards is one is the full hand case and the other is the classic hand. Would that account for such a wide variance?

I just recently received my palm wrest from the beast (awesome thing), and I really have a different feeling when I type in the fact that it's like I have "less strength" in my finger because my hands are higher. Hard to explain, but I feel like my fingers are more in a position to just touch the keys while without it they are just at the right place to smash them.

So based on that, I think that the fullhand versus normal could be the reason for this difference. The fullhand would feel harder to press on simply because your fingers are not in this position to "smash" the keys. And it could be even more so since there's no angle on the full hand while I have an angle on my palm rest.
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Offline daerid

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 14:45:44 »
So based on that, I think that the fullhand versus normal could be the reason for this difference. The fullhand would feel harder to press on simply because your fingers are not in this position to "smash" the keys. And it could be even more so since there's no angle on the full hand while I have an angle on my palm rest.

Except the switches on the Classic case are way stiffer, not the full hand.

Offline tp4tissue

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 16:42:13 »
So based on that, I think that the fullhand versus normal could be the reason for this difference. The fullhand would feel harder to press on simply because your fingers are not in this position to "smash" the keys. And it could be even more so since there's no angle on the full hand while I have an angle on my palm rest.

Except the switches on the Classic case are way stiffer, not the full hand.

Probably because it's new.. break in...

Finally I have an appropriate use for that emoticon... I was just abusing it before..

Offline daerid

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 17:22:06 »
Yeah, I thought of that, but the stock clear springs in my first Dox were never used. I immediately swapped them out for the 65g springs. And when I put together my new dox I put the stock clear springs back in and they're way lighter than the new clears. It just doesn't make much sense.

Offline Photoelectric

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 17:36:56 »
Wait, I'm confused... So your older Dox has 65g springs in its switches and the new one has stock Clear springs from the original Clears?..  That would certainly explain the difference.  Unless I have misread that--it was written rather ambiguously.
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Offline tp4tissue

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 28 August 2013, 18:16:54 »
Yeah, I thought of that, but the stock clear springs in my first Dox were never used. I immediately swapped them out for the 65g springs. And when I put together my new dox I put the stock clear springs back in and they're way lighter than the new clears. It just doesn't make much sense.

it's the plastic stem and the leaf spring..

They are NOT smooth outta-da-box.


Offline daerid

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 29 August 2013, 00:59:47 »
Wait, I'm confused... So your older Dox has 65g springs in its switches and the new one has stock Clear springs from the original Clears?..  That would certainly explain the difference.  Unless I have misread that--it was written rather ambiguously.

Sorry, here's the sequence of events:

1. Received first ErgoDox (Full Hand) w/ Clears from MassDrop Round 2 around 6/4, put 65g springs from Originative in during assembly.
2. Use first ErgoDox w/ 65g springs for two months
3. Receive 2nd ErgoDox (Classic Case) w/ Clears from MassDrop Round 3 around 8/15, assemble with stock clears on 8/25
4. Swap out 65g springs in Full Hand ErgoDox for original stock clear springs that were removed during assembly.
5. Notice that the switches in Full Hand ErgoDox are quite a bit lighter than new switches in Classic Case ErgoDox

it's the plastic stem and the leaf spring..

This is the only thing that makes sense, as I did wear in the stems and leaf springs of my first ErgoDox for about two months before assembling my second one.

Offline nsrexler

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Re: Cherry Clear stiffness variance.
« Reply #13 on: Thu, 29 August 2013, 10:28:55 »
I've noticed that Clear switches definitely take a little time to break in, much more so than other Cherry switches.