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DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

arstechnica.com

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Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#61

Post by sebazzz »

tapland wrote: post #51
adrianN wrote: post #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?

I've seen keys fail after heavy use, but so far all of them have been the solder joints connecting the switch to the circuit board giving up. Mouse switches on the other hand...

Logitech of all manufacturers failed in this big time with their G1 gaming mouse. Press and hold can intermittently show as a released button, very much fun when dragging lines in Fusion 360 and then asking myself why the line is not continuous.

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#62

Post by aidenn0 »

adrianN wrote: post #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?

I've worn out 3 switches on a model M.

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#63

Post by cttet »

z_zetetic_z wrote: post #50

If you want something you can actually buy, check out the wooting he https://next.wooting.io/wooting-60he You can set per key actuation points, and bind multiple different inputs to the same key but different depths, etc. Great review here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=glQNEbh79xg You can even mod it into another case for the DIY crowd.

I used it for a midi keyboard and it was fun

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#64

Post by lsaferite »

323 wrote: post #26

At this rate, soon each switch will have a programmable controller inside, and you'll have drivers adjusting them as you type. Thought idea: predict what key you are about to press next, and make the ones around it stiffer so you are less likely to press them by mistake.

On the "adjusting them as you type" front, the Wooting keyboards already support detecting a key retrigger even without a full release. They are monitoring key position and if you start to release and then push again they can make it trigger a new keypress.

I agree that having a software defined key-press resistance would be amazing. If you could manage that and then add in haptic feedback to simulate standard mechanical keyboard actuation clicks...

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#65

Post by lsaferite »

caboteria wrote: post #43
adrianN wrote: post #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?

In the opposite direction: I had a keyboard once that I set aside for a couple of years and when I tried to use it again some of the keys didn't register reliably. It took a couple of days of use before everything worked smoothly.

Sounds like contact corrosion (assuming it was a mechanical keyboard)

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#66

Post by lsaferite »

Majromax wrote: post #46
londons_explore wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's probably the spring mechanism wearing out - the actual electrical part is still working properly.

That's also the part that isn't worn out under this hall effect approach; the keys are magnetically levitated.

The key stems in a hall-effect key switch still use a spring. The magnet is not providing any (effective) movement resistance or levitation. It's there simply to provide the magnetic field for the sensor to measure.

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#68

Post by caroline_turing »

Very interesting! A few months ago I was toying with the idea of using a permanent magnet in the stem and permanent/electromagnet at the bottom for adjustable weight / position sensing.

While it works in theory, in practice the feeling of magnet-on-magnet force curve feels really unnatural for typing (since it's not linear like most springs). Maybe some combination of both approaches would work better in my case.

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#69

Post by spiffytech »

adrianN wrote: post #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?

I had to replace a full set of Gateron switches because a growing number of my keys wouldn't input anything when pressed. They had come to feel mushy and didn't have the distinctive 'click' sound anymore.

Re: DIY mechanical keyboard switch lets you set its actuation point

#70

Post by adrianN »

mannykannot wrote: post #54
dotancohen wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Thought idea: predict what key you are about to press next, and make the ones around it stiffer so you are less likely to press them by mistake. If the bottom magnet were an electromagnet, then in fact one could make the keypress stiffer. As it stands, this project only changes the actuation point, but not the stiffness curve. That said, I would love the feature that you mention. It could possibly introduce a new f…

With an electromagnet, you could take that control of feel far enough give it a buckling-spring ‘click’ feel.

You might also need active cooling to be able to pump enough juice through your electromagnets to get the desired force.
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