Chicony switch lottery: Who are you?

[keyb_gr]

I know I've seen these somewhere before, but what are they?

[ch_123]

They're the round SMKs (as opposed to the Montereys). They're supposed to be very nice switches.

[keyb_gr]

They are pretty nice switches. They have a bit of a hollow pingy sound, like the "Alps for IBM Japan" ones on the PS/2 P70 keyboard (leaf spring buckling?). The feel is somewhat similar, too.

The keycaps are a bit of a pain to clean up (ABS) - I'm now trying dish cleaner after the denture cleaning tabs didn't really remove the remaining dirt. The Chicony folks weren't dumb though - stabilizers on top of the plate. (I haven't bothered to removed the big keys anyway.)

The layout with the big L-shaped Enter key takes a bit getting used to, not so much due to the short Backspace (I'm fine with that) but rather the #/' key that's moved up. Makes typing Engrish a bit slower than usual.

[alpslover]

those are not smk's, they're futabas.  smk's have a different case design.

[Brodie337]

I *THINK* that the SMK switches, are what I have, and have a small, square, light blue stem.

[ch_123]

Yes, they're known as the SMK Montereys. There were also some SMK switches that looked something like the above.

[didjamatic]

See this keyboard auction

Note the switch casing is big like an alps/cherry switch and is mounted to the board surface, rather than recessed into the board beneath it.  The ones in the Lasers I've used are very very good tactile/clicky switches, like Blue Cherries but less high pitched.  I haven't pulled my Laser apart to figure out who makes them yet, but I love the switches.



The ones in the OP could be sliders on a rubber dome, or a switch beneath the board it's on.  There must be 2 dozen switches that look like these do.

[alpslover]

The ones in the Lasers I've used are very very good tactile/clicky switches, like Blue Cherries but less high pitched.  I haven't pulled my Laser apart to figure out who makes them yet, but I love the switches.

they're the round smk click tactiles that others have mentioned.

[sandy55]

Dimension of housing are different between ALPS and SMK flavors.  Plus, staggered pins are positioned in reverse.

[didjamatic]

they're the round smk click tactiles that others have mentioned.

Thanks!  I really like every SMK switch I've ever tried.

Are the Futabas in the OP riding on a rubber dome beneath the PCB/plate, or is there a mechanical switch under there?

[didjamatic]

Dimension of housing are different between ALPS and SMK flavors.  Plus, staggered pins are positioned in reverse.

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It's really too bad that switches weren't all standardized on the back end.  It would make modifications much easier.

[kishy]

Not sure but it seems like you could still use the switches, but putting the switches upside down (that is, such that the letter on an attached keycap would be upside down, not such that the stem would face down)

This would offset all the switches by about half a row, but chances are if you're willing to do the work involved with a switch swap you'd be alright with the idea of modding the case to accommodate offsetted switch rows.

[keyb_gr]

Are the Futabas in the OP riding on a rubber dome beneath the PCB/plate, or is there a mechanical switch under there?

It's a real mechanical switch of course, see Sandy's post - but don't ask me how exactly it works.

Incidentally, the switches seem to have a V-shaped pinout with three pins. I'm still not sure what the third one does.

[kishy]

It's a real mechanical switch of course, see Sandy's post - but don't ask me how exactly it works.

Incidentally, the switches seem to have a V-shaped pinout with three pins. I'm still not sure what the third one does.

Is it possible they support both normally open and normally closed operation?

[keyb_gr]

Is it possible they support both normally open and normally closed operation?

Sort of a SPDT switch, you mean? Didn't look like that from my measurements.