Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
Isn't this what the trigger's on the latest generation game-controllers do? Create dynamic resistance (and force feedback) on the trigger.
DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
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Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#12>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?
I don't know if 'worn out' is the correct term, but I've definitely typed my way through a few x220 keyboards. It just takes one dead key for the whole keyboard to be useless.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#13Next 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
Back around 2000 we had numerous force feedback joysticks, mice and steering wheels on the market, but only the steering wheels survived due to having a niche with sim racing. Joystick disappeared largely due to games switching to gamepads. Not quite sure why nobody ever tried to replicate the Logitech iFeel mice, that seems like a simple and cheap enough feature add into any mouse, especially these days with phone rumble motors being available for pennies. I quite liked the way the Nintendo Wii would give little haptics clicks when you moved the cursor over clickable UI elements, I'd imagine iFeel was similar, never tried it myself back then.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#14>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?
> Has anyone ever typed so much on a keyboard that the switches wore out? Aren't they good for literally millions of actuations?
Yeah. Several. The keyboard might claim it's good for millions of actuations, but I write as well as program. At the end of the editing process, I have roughly 80,000 words entering the public sphere, a month. Excluding all rewriting. Imagine the abuse the spacebar has seen by the end of that.
It doesn't take much to scale that out to be murderous on cheaper keyboards, and serious wear and tear on the tougher ones.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#15>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?
> Has anyone ever typed so much on a keyboard that the switches wore out? Aren't they good for literally millions of actuations?
There are always non-zero odds that equipment deteriorates to the point it ceases to function, and failures due to wear increase with use.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve
I had a keyboard fail on me because the spacebar ceased to trigger reliably. It was a cheap Chinese "let's shove a cheap laptop keyboard in an even cheaper plastic chassis to make it a small form factor USB keyboard". It took a couple of years of daily use but eventually the switch was kaput.
Also, arguably the most famous case of keyboards failing is Apple's infamous MacBook pro keyboard and it's propensity for phantom key presses.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#16>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?
Millions of actuation might sound a lot, but you can reach those within a couple of months while gaming. Dirt ingress also can easily kill a switch. On my mice and trackballs I have to replace the micro-switches every 3-5 years, as they'll develop unintentional double-clicks, and that's without any fast paced gaming.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#17>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?
My 2016 laptop's keyboard wore down last year (only a few keys, but that's enough to make it unusable).
BTW it's a very nice gaming laptop and it's pretty good quality, I'm still using it with an external keyboard, I'll probably replace it next year.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#18>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?
If your time permits, this should give you a clear image on switches vs marketing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5BhECVlKJA
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#19>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?
Although the answer is literally yes, it is meaningfully no.
I have a keyboard that uses plate mounted Cherry MX reds, not lubed, pre re-tool (so the stems are a smidgen wobbly), and otherwise unremarkable. It is now 10 years old.
None of the switches have failed, and the most I had to do was replace the stock PBT keycaps with new ones because I had worn them down until they were smooth (very undesirable to type on). These keycaps seem to be better than the stock ones (a really cheap set of doubleshot-thick but dye sub colored I got for $30-some), and probably is at least another decade before I have to do it again.
I am probably past the million mark on important keys like WASD or space.
Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point
#20Next step: Add a tiny motor inside the key switch for force feedback
It needn't be a motor , it could be a solenoid - magnet combo configured to repel , with a microcontroller that varies the current position dependantly to immitate any profile one wants