Author Topic: Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches  (Read 20484 times)

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Offline billm

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« on: Wed, 04 February 2009, 00:54:13 »
Behold my latest soldering project. I was going to use brown cherries but then I mis-ordered these white ones based on a post on the deck website. Then once I had them I was thinking about how I'm not a huge fan of the blue cherries and I thought the brown ones might be too light just like them, so I thought I'd go with the whites after all.

They're... interesting. I'm not sure yet how much or even if I like them. I'm not sure there's actually a cherry switch that I like period. Either they're too light or too stiff. It's impossible for me to tell at this point anyway, nothing feels that great compared to the RealForce right now.

Anyway, with the black cherries, you pretty much had to jab every key all the way home. With these you just have to get over the tactile hump, so you can actually touch type. That said, it's quite a bit of a hump, and the springs are no less stiff than the blacks after that. Still, they're new and ought to soften up a little bit with use.

I wonder if the blacks and "clears" are actually meant more for cash register applications than touch typing? In a scenario where you're standing over the keyboard punching down at it, the extra spring tension and tactility make more sense.

Anway, as far as the soldering went, it was pretty quick. I'm no expert mind you, nor do I have tons of expensive equipment. A $20 Velleman soldering station and a $10 "Solderpullt" solder pump. I did lift a trace on one of the leds, but I was pretty easily able to patch over it with a piece of surface wiring. Not pretty but it works and is on there solidly.

Anyway, here it is. All of the LEDs are on in both pictures but the flash kind of washes them out.
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Offline wellington1869

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 04 February 2009, 01:31:20 »
Quote
I'm not sure there's actually a cherry switch that I like period. Either they're too light or too stiff.

I feel the same way...

Quote

 it's quite a bit of a hump, and the springs are no less stiff than the blacks after that. Still, they're new and ought to soften up a little bit with use.

sounds different from the white "fake" cherries that I had on my qtronix. Those had a more pronounced click-hump too, but the springs were normal.

Are you going to keep it?

"Blah blah blah grade school blah blah blah IBM PS/2s blah blah blah I like Model Ms." -- Kishy

using: ms 7000/Das 3

Offline billm

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 04 February 2009, 02:29:34 »
Quote from: wellington1869;20761

Are you going to keep it?

You know, I think I am going to keep it. I've been typing on it a bit this evening and have warmed to the switches a bit. The tactile "hump" no longer seems as extreme as I initially thought. I think I might keep it for use in a car some day... something like that.
If it's not ALPS it's crap!

Offline lowpoly

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 04 February 2009, 02:42:55 »
Quote
I wonder if the blacks and "clears" are actually meant more for cash register applications than touch typing?

Cherry has a line of POS keyboards which are mostly rubber dome. Black is the standard switch for their premium office keyboards.

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Offline billm

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 04 February 2009, 14:33:58 »
Quote from: lowpoly;20764
Cherry has a line of POS keyboards which are mostly rubber dome. Black is the standard switch for their premium office keyboards.

Hmm... Good to know. Maybe they like stiff springs because they're Germans! Hard beds, simple, hearty foods, austerity... all that crap... that I apparently associate with German-ness.

Clearly I know nothing about Germans that I didn't learn from Colonel Clink.
If it's not ALPS it's crap!

Offline lowpoly

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 04 February 2009, 15:17:05 »
:)

Miniguru thread at GH // The Apple M0110 Today

Offline Bluemercury

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 10 February 2009, 11:46:33 »
So a new type of cherry switch?? i thought it was black, brown and blue and that's it...
Collection:
Das Keyboard II
Model M5-2
Model M5-1(considering selling this one)
Cherry G80-3000LCMPO with black switches
Cherry G80-5000HAMPO (Brown switches)
McAlly96
HHKP2 BNx2

Offline bhtooefr

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 10 February 2009, 11:56:07 »
White is an older version of blue, IIRC
Clear is a heavier version of brown (technically, clear came first)
Red is a lighter version of black
Green is a heavier version of blue for spacebars, IIRC

There's quite a few others, too.

Offline cchan

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 11 February 2009, 10:28:25 »
My MX11800 has a gray, heavy, quiet tactile switch in the spacebar. (Well, now the caps lock key, since I swapped top halves.)
HP Envy17: Core i7-2760QM, 8GB DDR3, 128GB Crucial m4 + 750GB Hitachi, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M500, HP zr22w
IBM Thinkpad X60: Core Duo T2400, 2GB DDR2, 128GB Samsung 830, Xubuntu 12.04 x86, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M205, HP zr22w
Raspberry Pi Model B: BCM2835, 0.25GB DDR2, 8GB Samsung SD card, Raspbian Wheezy, human interaction devices as above

Offline itlnstln

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Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 11 February 2009, 11:17:24 »
Quote from: Tales;21428
My MX11800 has a gray, heavy, quiet tactile switch in the spacebar. (Well, now the caps lock key, since I swapped top halves.)


That grey switch on the spacebar is brutal.  I switched mine out with the Scroll Lock.


Offline cchan

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  • Location: Michigan
Deck 82 key with cherry white (clear) tactile switches
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 11 February 2009, 11:25:07 »
Yeah, I found it disorienting. I'll probably switch out the heavier rubber sleeve on my M4's spacebar with caps lock.
HP Envy17: Core i7-2760QM, 8GB DDR3, 128GB Crucial m4 + 750GB Hitachi, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M500, HP zr22w
IBM Thinkpad X60: Core Duo T2400, 2GB DDR2, 128GB Samsung 830, Xubuntu 12.04 x86, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M205, HP zr22w
Raspberry Pi Model B: BCM2835, 0.25GB DDR2, 8GB Samsung SD card, Raspbian Wheezy, human interaction devices as above