ErgoDox: SMD vs. wired diodes

[mic)]

Hello community!

Just a quick question: Are there any disadvantages of using wired diodes?

[suicidal_orange]

Hello mic)

Through hole (wired) components are usually physically bigger but as long as they have the right specifications you can use them and they will work just as well as SMD ones.

The biggest disadvantages would be that you won't be able to attach them as quickly/easily because you'll have to bend and cut the wires to make them sit against the SMD pads instead of just putting an SMD one in place. 

They could also be too tall if your case is really tight fitting and you have big diodes, but this shouldn't be an issue in a keyboard and you can check before soldering (I'm assuming you have them already and don't want to buy SMD ones if you don't have to...)

[dorkvader]

I use the TH diodes on the ergodox primarily because it's much cheaper for me to buy those vs. SMD diodes, which I use for other projects.

[mic)]

I don't have any components yet.  I was wondering because soldering the wired diodes seems less difficult.  There's this very well made youtube video of an ergodox assembly where the guy uses solder paste with the SMD diodes, but appearantly he has a proper hot air soldering device whereas I have only access to a hot air gun. According to what I found here and there online, a hot air gun won't work very well. So that's why I thought I should go with the through hole diodes.

[mic)]

Oh, I have another question:
Do the diodes have to be backside of the board, i.e. not on the same side as the switches?
Reason is, I'm considering doing a first build without any case at all. I'd put the PCB on foamed rubber, distributing keypress forces to the underlying table.
Then the smaller SMD diodes would be better since thinner, if they have to be on the backside.

[zarquon]

I used wired ones when I built mine a week ago.
It was my first soldering work as I a complete newbie to soldering.
Yes I had to cut and bend each leg, but I guess it still was easier to do it than using those tiny SMD stuff since all I have is a cheap hobby grade soldering iron.
My ergodox works as expected and I'm quite happy with it.
 

[Findecanor]

The biggest disadvantages would be that you won't be able to attach them as quickly/easily because you'll have to bend and cut the wires to make them sit against the SMD pads instead of just putting an SMD one in place.

They don't sit against the SMD pads: they are mounted through holes. Once you have got the hang of it, bending a diode will only take you an extra second. If you fold the legs in the air then they will get the right leg distance to fit inside the holes.

If you build an ErgoDox without a plate then having the diodes inside the switches would add extra stability to the switches but you would run into the problem that the diodes would have to be in the other direction on the left-hand side. You would have to either open up each switch and reverse them (provided that you bought switches with diodes pre-installed) or modify a few digits in the firmware and recompile.

I think that the Massdrop plate is so thick that you can't have the diodes on the top of the PCB. Do they fit underneath?

[mic)]

Modifying the firmware and using integrated diodes seems the cleanest option but there's no place to get MX switches with diodes except wholesale, it seems.

For now I'll leave it as it is and continue when I actually have the PCB here to see if mounting a diode on the upper side right next to the switch is possible for usage with and without layer holding the keys.

[suicidal_orange]

They don't sit against the SMD pads: they are mounted through holes. Once you have got the hang of it, bending a diode will only take you an extra second. If you fold the legs in the air then they will get the right leg distance to fit inside the holes.

Thanks for the correction, I've never built an ergodox so was talking generally assuming an SMD board and TH components.  A single bend each end is indeed very easy, bending the leads back under the component and then bending again to lie flat on SMD pads not so much

As for SMD soldering I have done some, all I did was hold the component in place with wood handled tweezers and use thin solder with a standard chisel tipped iron, didn't even use flux and it worked.  It's not fun at all though and takes much longer than through hole, but it is possible if you have patience and need the lower height.

How hard are you planning to hit the board in testing anyway?  There are a lot of diodes to spread the impact and they would be in foam with the key backs not much higher, I think they'd survive...