WAT (Optical Switches)

[daerid]

Up right now on MassDrop as the Bloody B640 Optical Keyboard

What do you guys think? I'm tempted just to see if it makes any difference.

[nubbinator]

My thoughts?  Zero difference.  The travel to actuation is the main factor and it seems like it has a pretty standard travel.  While optical whatever can be faster, I doubt it will make any difference at all.  The only thing I could think is that it may be a little smoother since it has fewer points of contact.

That doesn't mean it's not interesting, just not my cup of tea for daily use.

[Karura]

I am curious to know how it would wear in the long run. Dust would probably be a big problem for these switches if it blocks the laser.

[CPTBadAss]

So that's really cool. Anyone want to pool money to buy one so we can do a teardown?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

In a Cherry MX switch, the movable contact provides the tactile feel and click sound by engaging with the slider. Having removed the switch contacts, you're left with a design that can only ever be linear. Oops. As I said before, you'd do better off putting an optical sensor into an Alps-style switch as the tactile or click leaf is a separate component on the opposite side of the switch. Personally I'd go for refitting an Omron B3G-S series as they feel much better with the contacts removed.

[0100010]

Looks to be infrared, not laser.  Looks like it can only be a linear switch.  I can see now people shortening the height of that leaf to reduce travel / actuation time.

[faceyourfaces]

It looked cool at first but I lost interest after realizing they could only be linear.

[hwood34]

I'm just interested in how smooth these will be to standard MX and ALPS switches that have more moving parts

[engicoder]

It would, in theory, have the potential to be faster because an optical switch should eliminate the debounce time (~5ms), so your activation could be detected more quickly. Not sure how much 5ms will buy you in gaming performance, but true performance isn't really what sells gaming hardware these days.

Editted...so many typos 

[blackbox]

Cool, but my past experience with a4tech makes me very sceptical to the quality of the product.

[dorkvader]

haata did a teardown here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/triplehaata/sets/72157647389243857/

I'm just interested in how smooth these will be to standard MX and ALPS switches that have more moving parts

only one more moving part (the contact leaf). I think the smoothness is more defined by the stem shape and general construction. See for example vintage linear futaba has tons of parts but still feels smooth.

[skuko]

the spacebar looks really crappy, why do they have to come up these kinds of things, especially if they know that the default caps will wear out pretty quickly?

[mougrim]

Hmm, at one point of my life I used A4 keyboards... and they weren't so bad for rubberdomed. But this spacebar... They realize this throwing out of the window all "Cherry-compatibility", cuz there are no keyset with same spacebar?

But I like idea. There were so few optical switches...

P.S. But they'd better made something with Hall effect or magnetic reed switches.

[appleonama]

Id like to see a teardown of this

EDIT: nvm

haata did a teardown here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/triplehaata/sets/72157647389243857/

I'm just interested in how smooth these will be to standard MX and ALPS switches that have more moving parts

only one more moving part (the contact leaf). I think the smoothness is more defined by the stem shape and general construction. See for example vintage linear futaba has tons of parts but still feels smooth.

[jacobolus]

Personally I'd go for refitting an Omron B3G-S series as they feel much better with the contacts removed.

Even better reason to put this in an Omron switch: the actuation point on those is terrible, substantially above the click/tactile point.

[berserkfan]

I'm so not interested because it's only linear. Furthermore I don't think I can just buy the switches and stick them in my Hengyu or Tipro, even if they say Cherry MX compatible.

But this may spell death for lubed linears on geekhack, because it promises to be so much smoother.

Really hope someone will support a teardown. We've got to reverse engineer it!

Lastly, I think that spacebar is manageable. It looks like a 6.25x to me. If the A4tech people had any common sense, they would be paying their Chinese OEM less money to buy components that are standard ie the costar stabilizers and 6.25x wires that are so common in Chinese keyboard manufacturing. So we might very well be looking at a spacebar that has different plastic moulding but otherwise uses the same 6.25x inside.

[CPTBadAss]

So that's really cool. Anyone want to pool money to buy one so we can do a teardown?

haata did a teardown here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/triplehaata/sets/72157647389243857/

That was easy . Thanks haata. Would love to know how they feel. Guess I'll add that to the list of thing to try if I'm ever in the Bay Area again.

[iLLucionist]

Daaaamm who cares if it is linear.. It has lasers and that's ALWAYS a good thing :-p

[JinDesu]

At a $120, it's not a bad price - but the form factor and the MX Red spring rate is a nogo for me. I'd do MX blacks in a TKL.

[HaaTa]

Trying the switches out, they are definitely nicer than Cherry MX Blacks.

TBH, I'm actually really impressed. This company is actually doing something novel with switches. The pcb and case design is sorta meh. The stabilizers are pretty neat (minus the spacebar which is sorta annoying to take off, you have to remove the screws from the back side first).
The sensor and emitter were also custom made for this switch.

[mougrim]

Trying the switches out, they are definitely nicer than Cherry MX Blacks.

TBH, I'm actually really impressed. This company is actually doing something novel with switches. The pcb and case design is sorta meh. The stabilizers are pretty neat (minus the spacebar which is sorta annoying to take off, you have to remove the screws from the back side first).
The sensor and emitter were also custom made for this switch.

Is it quiet?

[berserkfan]

Trying the switches out, they are definitely nicer than Cherry MX Blacks.

TBH, I'm actually really impressed. This company is actually doing something novel with switches. The pcb and case design is sorta meh. The stabilizers are pretty neat (minus the spacebar which is sorta annoying to take off, you have to remove the screws from the back side first).
The sensor and emitter were also custom made for this switch.

Great job hataa, but I'm highly disappointed. You can only use this switch on their PCB. But that said I am curious when you say something feels better than Cherry blacks. It still isn't tactile, so what makes it nicer? Just the smoothness?

[faceyourfaces]

The stabilizers are pretty neat (minus the spacebar which is sorta annoying to take off, you have to remove the screws from the back side first).

What kind of stabilizers are in this board?

[dorkvader]

It still isn't tactile, so what makes it nicer? Just the smoothness?

I haven't tried, but usually that's what you look at when comparing linear switches. That and how they respond to off-axis presses.

[mougrim]

Last optical switches I saw was from some japanese company... So I'm glad to see revival of it. Linear switches just not my thing, but... when they will start selling this in my country, I may try it...