Maglev keyswitches...

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Electromagnetic switches was tooki's idea, three posts prior. I was just musing on how it would actually be achieved.

[niubio]

Yeah, I just mixed up words... "idea" with "thought". You know, my standard translation issues. I was talking about this power-on -> caps up thing!

EDIT: I've just added some pictures here. Nothing new, really I'll try to assemble another board with circle magnets in two weeks!

[Snarfangel]

Yeah, I just mixed up words... "idea" with "thought". You know, my standard translation issues. I was talking about this power-on -> caps up thing!

EDIT: I've just added some pictures here. Nothing new, really I'll try to assemble another board with circle magnets in two weeks!

I am looking forward to it! Seriously cool work.

[blackbox]

very cool project! Looking forward to the round magnet version. Could you some photos of the inside too?

[Key-Fu]

Awesome work, niubio.  Can't wait to see what you come up with. 

[dgreekstallion]

This is really exciting!

[Misterorjoe]

Any more news on this?

[spiceBar]

This is sick. I just love it.

[niubio]

'Sup Geekhack!

I had to take care of many, many things in the last three weeks or so I shelved this project (and most of my keyboard activity...) - for a while. I had to make an overhaul in my place - now I have a brand new lab, a warehouse and a workshop The idea is not dead, I tell you that! But I have to sell my old stuff first and then I'll get back to the maglev board concept.

I was thinking the best way to do it would be to get the most common rubber dome board out there, refit it with the right magnets (to achieve good feeling) and make this process easily reproducible. That way just about anyone can build a maglev board for himself dirt cheap. I hope I could use the cheapest magnets out there to cut costs to the extreme minimum.

Looking for the right candidates I think this black DELL board would be a good pick - I can see it almost everywhere, in banks, libraries, etc. What do you think people?

I think it should be a long key travel board to achieve proper magnet distance.

[tricheboars]

just be careful with the magnets and your computers fellas. magnets and computers are not always friends.  you can damage a cables fairly easy with a magnet.

[blackbox]

just be careful with the magnets and your computers fellas. magnets and computers are not always friends.  you can damage a cables fairly easy with a magnet.

Damage cables?

[Melvang]

I wouldn't worry about magnets in your computer.  The magnets that move the hard drive seek arms around are insanely strong rare earth magnets.  I have heard rumors that some of the newer ones with very fast seek times use magnets that are potentially stronger than N52 grade rare earth magnets.  Besides it takes a VERY large magnet to effect a hard drive.  Chances are most people won't even have one strong enough to do this in their house.  The one exception would be very large and powerful sub woofers in high end speaker systems.  And even then static, they won't to anything.  The magnetic fields need to actually travel and have physical movement across the drive to affect it. 

[mouse.the.lucky.dog]

My first thought is simpler then  reed switches or Hall effect devices.
Moreover it is easiuly testable. Replace the contacts with a thin copper wire running from the toip of the switch to the bottom.
When a magnet passes by, it will induce a pulse through the wire which a controller can use as a keypress.

[Melchior]

Hard-drives contain NdFeB magnets of astonishing strength. FAR BEYOND anything that can be bought on flea-bay and similar.

These are the voice-coil magnets; for moving the heads. I doubt a mag-lev keyboard would damage a drive, assuming you could ever pry them apart again...

Also - Reed switches ? why use 1850's tech when 1950's Hall-Effect sensors are SO much better (no switch-bounce, just a clean analog increase in voltage).

And - since its an analog value - you could set each switches actuation point in software, individually.

[Melvang]

Hard-drives contain NdFeB magnets of astonishing strength. FAR BEYOND anything that can be bought on flea-bay and similar.

These are the voice-coil magnets; for moving the heads. I doubt a mag-lev keyboard would damage a drive, assuming you could ever pry them apart again...

Also - Reed switches ? why use 1850's tech when 1950's Hall-Effect sensors are SO much better (no switch-bounce, just a clean analog increase in voltage).

And - since its an analog value - you could set each switches actuation point in software, individually.

Am I reading between the lines in that this could work as pressure sensitive?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

My first thought is simpler then  reed switches or Hall effect devices.
Moreover it is easiuly testable. Replace the contacts with a thin copper wire running from the toip of the switch to the bottom.
When a magnet passes by, it will induce a pulse through the wire which a controller can use as a keypress.

Yes you can do this. Here's an example of such a switch (the wires are all part of the PCB):

http://deskthority.net/wiki/USw_EXBB01

Here's a much more involved idea:

http://deskthority.net/wiki/ITW_magnetic_valve

The latter switch was still built until 2005.

[Greeeg]

When I read maglev switches, I was thinking one permanent magnet and one electromagnet.

This would let you do some wacky things. The controller could turn off the current through the EM magnet when the switch actuates, effectively creating the feel of cherry blues/(or equiv.)

Or you could increase the current. So once the key press is registered the key would push back up, I'd imagine this would take awhile to get used to.

Since these would be electronically controller. They could be adjusted in software. Or even turned off entirely.

[mougrim]

Too costly, too energy-consuming.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Too costly, too energy-consuming.

Apparently not:

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/darfons-super-thin-maglev-keyboard-will-make-notebooks-even-slimmer/

[E TwentyNine]

Too costly, too energy-consuming.

Apparently not:

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/darfons-super-thin-maglev-keyboard-will-make-notebooks-even-slimmer/

Thread on that here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59186.0

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Or rather, that thread should be here, since this one is way older ; )