DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
1–10 of 79 posts
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#2Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#3Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
I think force feedback (and or haptic feedback) is truly the future of interaction design.
To see an amazing example of this, check out the smartknob project: https://github.com/scottbez1/smartknob
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#4Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
And an idle mode where the keys gently undulate like a infestation of bugs
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#5Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
That's what I was expecting.
It's not a mechanical keyboard switch, anyway. There's nothing to click. No moment when the force required decreases.
These keyboard enthusiasts should look into making replacement car dashboards. Something tactile to replace those awful touchscreens that keep people's eyes off the road.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#6Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
That's what I was expecting. It's not a mechanical keyboard switch, anyway. There's nothing to click. No moment when the force required decreases. These keyboard enthusiasts should look into making replacement car dashboards. Something tactile to replace those awful touchscreens that keep people's eyes off the road.
I use Cherry MX blacks, they also have no click (just like Silver, Red).
The advantage of auch a thing is that you can type them silent if you like. More silent than a typical laptop keyboard in fact. Being someone who does audio recording a lot this was the selling factor for me.
The lack of click is actually quite fine, I have no problems with it. You still have the spring you push down, so gaining a feeling for "when you hit it" is not that hard.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#7>Fans of Hall-effect mechanical switches note that they should last longer than traditional mechanical switches since they don't rely on metallic contact, which can result in degradation.
Has anyone ever typed so much on a keyboard that the switches wore out? Aren't they good for literally millions of actuations?
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#8Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
Solenoids, probably.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#9Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
That's what I was expecting. It's not a mechanical keyboard switch, anyway. There's nothing to click. No moment when the force required decreases. These keyboard enthusiasts should look into making replacement car dashboards. Something tactile to replace those awful touchscreens that keep people's eyes off the road.
The "mechanical keyboard" label is mostly arbitrary. Only somewhat reliable definition that matches with how it's widely used in context of keyboards that I can think of is "everything except, rubber dome, touchscreen and capacitive button keyboards (the ones without any moving parts, not the ones where keycap+spring moves one of capacitive surfaces)". Any attempts at defining it based on meaningful physical construction element or property will likely result in rubber dome keyboards classified as mechanical or some of the switches in "mechanical keyboards" as not mechanical.
According to your definition about point where force decreases -> half the mx keyboard switches are not mechanical because they are not clicky and have linear force curve without buckling point, but the rubber dome keyboards are "mechanical" because they have a point where dome buckles and force decreases.
If you look at the nature how the electrical contact or signal is made. Again rubber dome keyboard actually mechanically connect and disconnect the electrical contacts. But the few commercial "mechanical keyboards" using optical or magnetic switches which from the mechanical construction is almost identical to "real mechanical keyboards" would fall on the other side of split.
That said there is some use in classification of switches outside the context of keyboards based on whether they have any moving mechanical parts, or whether they contacts which get connected/disconnected during use and could increase resistance over time or spark in case of higher voltages and currents have their use in certain situations.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#10steelseries apex pro keyboards have these sensors
they're great if you use the same keyboard for gaming and actual work
(beware though: linux support is non-existent, although you can control the keyboard entirely without the shitty steelseries software)