31–40 of 51 posts
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This guy sells new beam-spring keyboards with optional solenoids. https://www.modelfkeyboards.com I have never seen one in person.
Those are buckling spring. Beam springs are older and different.
https://github.com/riskable/void_switch
I'm typing on my AHEK-95 right now which has 95 Void Switches and a custom hall effect PCB (and custom firmware). It also has two custom analog rotary encoders (which is just a ring of six magnets over two hall effect sensors; the firmware is what figures out what direction the ring moved).
I sent one of my AHEK-95 keyboards to Chyrosran22 (known for his brutal keyboard reviews) and he reviewed it:
https://youtu.be/iv6Rh8UNWlI?si=9xGNm4jIDLFzx80c
One other thing missing in the article: Hall Effect sensors are temperature sensitive! My AHEK-95 has a number of features in the firmware to work around this (constant re-calibration) but anyone with other Hall Effect keyboards might have experienced it: Some keys seem to stop responding reliably after a while (usually a week or two in winter). This is because the temperature changed (enough), causing sensor drift. The fix is to just reset the keyboard (Anyone with a 3D printer should print my Void Switches! It's a teeny tiny amount of filament (use PETG for best results) and only requires some 4x2mm magnets. I uploaded a model to Printables that has all the parts in one 3mf file: https://www.printables.com/model/233699-void-switch-fidget
Aside: Last time I ordered 4x2mm magnets, I ordered six thousand from AliExpress. That was after my last order of five thousand that I blew through quite quickly :D. I highly recommend ordering them in bulk like this because they end up costing about a penny each and they're useful in so many 3D printed things.
Does anyone know why alanlog optical switches never gained traction, but analog magnetic ones did? Sounds like optical ones should be cheaper to manufacture, with all the same benefits?
The reason is that the optical components are all plastic and that plastic degrades (yellows) over time due to exposure to UV light (which is all around us). They should last about 10 years in a normal office environment but I've heard reports that they're really only lasting about ~5 years.
Admittedly, five to ten years is probably fine. Just the gunk buildup in a normal keyboard is enough that most people would rather just buy a new keyboard than deal with cleaning it out. Even if the switches are hot-swappable! It really is a tedious thing that requires a lot of time and special tools (to do it right). Some keyboards and switches can only be hot-swapped a few times before they start to become wobbly/loose anyway.
I designed my Void Switches (https://github.com/riskable/void_switch) because I was sick of replacing keyboards so often (my fingers are like salt-water-drenched hammers, apparently). I also wanted a keyboard that was super easy to clean! Check it out:
Every few weeks I take the top of my keyboard off and clean it out in sink with soap and water (and a scrub brush made for dishes). Been typing on this AHEK-95 for just over three years now so I've probably washed it at least 50 times and it's still working great!
NOTE: This is NOT patented technology! Logitech, Wooting, and all other keyboard manufacturers: WTF are you even doing‽ Copy my design already! I'll even help you do it! Make a keyboard that lets end users 3D print replacement switches/parts and you'll OWN THE MARKET (until others hop on board). What are you waiting for‽
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> Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on? It depends on your definition of "craze". Mechanical keyboards are more popular than ever, and became mainstream to the point where nowadays they are just considered keyboards. Even Logitech sells whole product lines of mechanical keyboards, and even has specialized lines of mechanical keyboards. Also, multiple companies sell ergonomic keyboards that fall within the…
Utilitarian device to type on became an object of obsessive consumption, collection, customization, showing off, fashion (RGB lighting, forced mechanical over scissor distinction even though many people prefer the latter, etc). Yeah of course it's a craze, without scare quotes. The same gear obsession happened to the gaming mice world, but it was much tamer by comparison.
This is a simplistic opinion to hold. You'd be better complaining that some people enjoy things. Form factor is important, also tactile response and sound. Features like embedding USB hubs or touchpads are essentially a given in laptops. Not being forced to throw a keyboard to the trashbin just because a key failed.
Is this a craze?
Ask yourself this: why are there people paying good money for gaming keyboards? Or Apple's magic keyboard. Is it a craze?
Or are you just complaining that other people enjoy things?
Think about it.
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Various patents expired and now you can get excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50. Basically everyone I know who types for a living has one. Gamers have moved on to analog keyboards which are controversial because some of their features straddle the line into cheats. e.g. with an analog keyboards you can negate all inertia in Counter-Strike or do speed tricks in Trackmania not otherwise easily accessible t…
Could you give examples of excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50? Every mechanical keyboard I've owned eventually suffered from key chatter or inconsistent actuation.
Ever play "connect the dots" as a kid? That's what it's like making a keyboard PCB. It's the adult version of "connect the dots".
It's not a "rabbit hole", it's a pending addiction :D
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I absolutely love my UHK [1] split mech keyboard that I ordered from Hungary several years ago. It’s the only one I stuck with after trying some other popular ones. Other than being split, the keyboard layout is standard so it’s easy to adapt to. It probably helps me avoid RSI. I keep an apple trackpad between the two splits, so I never use a mouse. And a microphone in the middle as well, you can guess why. I clamshe…
That's exactly how I used to work about 15 years ago, but I found that the Apple trackpad killed my wrists. These days I just have a regular mouse, and simply try to do as much as I can from the keyboard.
The only thing I don't like about this article is it didn't talk about the actuation tech. It basically only showed switches with springs. My Void Switch design doesn't have springs at all! https://github.com/riskable/void_switch I'm typing on my AHEK-95 right now which has 95 Void Switches and a custom hall effect PCB (and custom firmware). It also has two custom analog rotary encoders (which is just a ring of six m…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Various patents expired and now you can get excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50. Basically everyone I know who types for a living has one. Gamers have moved on to analog keyboards which are controversial because some of their features straddle the line into cheats. e.g. with an analog keyboards you can negate all inertia in Counter-Strike or do speed tricks in Trackmania not otherwise easily accessible t…
Could you give examples of excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50? Every mechanical keyboard I've owned eventually suffered from key chatter or inconsistent actuation.
Does anyone know why alanlog optical switches never gained traction, but analog magnetic ones did? Sounds like optical ones should be cheaper to manufacture, with all the same benefits?
Optical switches are great but they suffer from one problem that will annoy anyone that spent a ton of money on one: They don't last forever. The reason is that the optical components are all plastic and that plastic degrades (yellows) over time due to exposure to UV light (which is all around us). They should last about 10 years in a normal office environment but I've heard reports that they're really only lasting a…
I don't know how their switches worked, but the Wang 2200 terminals¹ that my father worked with had an interesting angle on tactile feedback; on each keypress a single chunky solenoid attached to it physically moved to give a satisfying "chunk" noise and vibration. The idea presumably was to give solid mechanical feedback to professional typists used to the same from electromechanical typewriters throwing the type ar…
This guy sells new beam-spring keyboards with optional solenoids. https://www.modelfkeyboards.com I have never seen one in person.