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Hello, I want to replace the switches in my Steel Series Apex. What switches can I go with. I would like to go with Novel Jade's. But if it doesn't fit I would like a recommendation on a switch that will fit that is similar to that if possible. Thank you, Jake

Hi, and welcome to my highly-anticipated guide on how I lube MX-style mechanical keyboard switches, featuring the Cherry Black as it's my most recent and first Cherry switch, and it's black so it will show the lube in harsh lighting the best, which is crucial as this will be an image-heavy tutorial to show exactly where I have applied lube on the switch. This will be a guide on how I personally lube MX-style switches, and may differ from other hobbyists. I use this method for all types of switches, whether they are linear or tactile, the process is the same. I also use Krytox 205g0 lube in this tutorial, which is a notoriously rigid and thick lube, so for 205g0, you must apply less than you already would with a thinner lube such as Tribosys 3204 or 3203. As a frequent switch luber, going from an unlubed switch to a lubed switch is crucial for switch typing feeling, and I highly recommend you try lubing yourself to feel the benefits. Lubing a single switch should take around 1 minute if you have the technique down to a second nature, and you will have to repeat this process 60-100 times depending on how large your keyboard is, so prepare a a few hours to properly lube all your switches. Do not rush the process as inconsistent lube across your switches can mess up your typing experience as some keys will feel smoother, scratchier, stickier, or heavier than others. Take your time and make sure all of your lube jobs are done with care and attention. WIthout further ado, let's begin and I will show you how I lube my MX-style keyswitches. Here are the items you will need to start the lubing process: MX switch of your choice - I am using Cherry Black Thin paintbrush Lube of your choice - I am using Krytox 205g0 Krytox 205g0 Switch opener - This is an ai03 switch opener that I got from KBDfans KDBfans x ai03 2-in-1 Switch Opener In my case, to take apart the switch, I simply use the four-fanged side of the ai03 opener and ensure the logo on the switch is facing the keyring so the four legs on the top housing are on the fangs. I simply press down and the switch will open itself. If you do not have an opener, you can also use a flat-head screwdriver and wedge the screwdriver in between the switch housings to open up the switch. When opened up, the switch should consist of four components, from left to right: Bottom housing Top housing Spring Stem We will be lubing these components in this order, as I find this order makes the most sense to maintain consistency, efficiency, and minimise sticky fingers. To begin, I dip my brush in the lube, I make sure that all my bristles are covered in a thin film of the lube. I like to have a bit more on my brush than others so that I feel the effects of the lube even more once the lubing process is done and I type on my keyboard. Ideally, you'd want just enough that you can see the bristles are damp with the lube. I start by taking the bottom housing: I lube the slider columns at each side of the housing, ensuring there is a visible film of lube on each of the slider columns I also lube the outside of the center pole to ensure the spring once re-attached does not wobble or experience ping When I have completed the bottom housing, it should look something like this: The slider columns are nice and covered in lube The center pole is also covered For the spring, I find I have enough lube left over from the lubing the housing to lightly coat the spring in the remainder of the lube on the brush. For the spring, I lube the top of the spring and put it back into the housing with the lubed side facedown to meet the center pole. Once the lubed side of the spring is put back into the housing, I then lube the exposed top side which is sticking up from the housing and lube that side with the remainder of the lube that I have on my brush. When the spring is complete, it should look like this: Column sliders coated Center pole coated Spring top and bottom coated For the stem, I reload my brush with lube once more, but this time with an even thinner coat than for the housing and spring, since too much lube can ruin the feel, especially in the stem where it's the part that moves the most. I start by lubing the sliders of the stem, making sure the entirety of the side is covered in a thin coat of the lube. It should look like this: I then also lube the front, which should look like this: Note that since this is a linear switch, it is okay to lube the legs If this was a tactile switch like a Cherry MX Brown, do not lube the legs as you lose tactility And finally, the back of the stem as well as the bottoms of the stem walls too: I then place the stem back into the spring, making sure I do not touch the sides of the lubed stem. And that's it, that is how I lube MX-style mechanical keyswitches. When all is said and done, it should finally look like this: Housing slider columns coated Housing center pole coated Spring top and bottom coated Stem walls, side, front, legs, & bottom coated Now, all that is left to do is put the top housing on, and you have now completed lubing an MX-style switch. I hope this was a helpful guide on how to lube MX-style mechanical keyboard switches, I had been meaning to make one for a while and I finally got the time to make one. I feel like I have made a guide that is easy enough to follow that anybody who wants to try getting into lubing their swithces can follow through with ease. Like I said at the beginning, this is how I personally lube my switches, and my technique may differ from other hobbyists in the mechanical keyboard scene, and that's okay, because this method I feel comfortable with and I'm sure anybody who follows this guide would enjoy the result this method of switch lubing delivers. Thank you for reading my very image-heavy guide, and happy lubing!

Hello, I'm doing my Cisco CCNA these days and in the introductory classes, I have been taught by an instructor that the easiest way to identify a Cisco Switch from a router is that they do not have a power on/off switch. I asked why, but I didn't get a proper answer. So I came home and googled it. There were various answers to this but none of them looked like a solid answer. Some say that Cisco acquired a company called Catalyst who were making switches, to make Cisco Catalyst series switches. They say Cisco continued to use the same layout that catalyst used when they made switches on their own. Since catalyst were making switches without a power button Cisco switches also dont have it. (Didnt know this Cisco acquiring another company named Catalyst story until now) Some say routers dont have parts that are hot-swappable. So they need a power button to be turned off. And then the final one I saw was that, network devices such as switches should always be on, hence it has no need for a power button. (If this is a valid reason, then why does Routers have a power switch? They are network devices too. ) I also saw another comment stating that he was asked this question in an interview and didnt know how to answer. Dont want that to happen to me. What do you think the reason for this is?

I ordered a Varmilo VA108M Sakura Keyboard with Silent Red switches, and after some time I want to convert two of those switches to normal Red switches. (For private, gaming reasons) In theory this should work, since the Silent Red switch is just the Red Switch with an additional rubber piece to dampen the sound. I could just open the switch up, remove/grind down the rubber, and close it back up. I just want to hear someone else's thoughts on my little project. I have some media keys that I never use that I will practice on first, but we'll see. I've looked around and nobody else has done this, so I'm flying blind. Could this possibly work? I know there will be people asking, "WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS?!" Well, don't think about the why just think about the if and how.

Looking for an unmanaged switch that supports 24-to-48 1gigabit ports(rj45) with 2-to-4 extra 10gigabit ports(rj45/sfp/sfp+, preferably rj45). Any legit brand will do. Thanks in advance. Edit: And also an unmanaged switch that supports 24 10gigabit ports. Thanks again

BYK816 - Is used in the kogan mechanical keyboard $39 aud outemu red keyboard https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-full-rgb-mechanical-keyboard-red-switch/ I'm wondering if it has swappable switches, there is very little information online but if anyone could tell me the switches are switchable are not please tell me, according to the support at kogan it may require soldering.

I got a red dragon k552 and not going to lie like the frame and want to change the switches to novel switches. I want to know if red dragon supports other switches before I buy them. Thank you, Jake

I'm planning to buy a mechanical keyboard; it will be my first time to buy mechanical keyboard and have no idea which one will fit me the most. My budget would only allow me between a gateron yellow switches and outemu blue switches on a local brand (as cherry switches on other brand would cost me thrice my budget!) Which would last the most and what kind of "feeling" when clicking on them? Outemu Blue - https://www.rakk.ph/RAKK-Ilis-RGB-Mechanical-Keyboard-Outemu-Blue/n/be24b90bd19bd16bd062c5f7a2c025f9d2738661.html Gateron Yellow - https://www.rakk.ph/RAKK-Ilis-RGB-Mechanical-Keyboard-Gateron-Yellow/n/47982eb4e5f749202e17f271a46e0b500434ae5.html Would cost about 40$; I think they're a local brand on the Philippines, selling budget high-end looking pheriperals; their headsets and pc fans are okay for me...

Okay, I know this question sound like a noob question, that is because it is. Some websites told me a switch connect many devices to the same network, and the switch is connected to the router. But why do people need switches, I mean why can’t they just connect directly to the router? Is the switch just a Ethernet splitter?

Hello, recently I had moved to a different room at my parents house, which unlike my previous room, which had very good Wi-Fi connectivity (no ethernet in the walls, this is a relatively old house) due to being directly underneath the room containing the router (now a router acting as just a modem, plus a better router for routing), this room is on the opposite side of the house, and partially due to the thick walls, I have next to no connectivity even on 2.5Ghz with the range extender (I am planning on setting up a mesh network in the future, however there are more important things in relation to the network that need to be done first). Now, a difference in what my parents permit me to do in regards to the room itself, is that in this room I am allowed to modify the room itself (as in, changes that require drilling the walls to an extent, for example), unlike the previous one, so I can finally build myself a laboratory in my room (I repair things for people at home, in addition to at work (these are usually things I take upon myself to do, that are not worth the money, however they are good for practice, and this lab is mainly for research in any case (though as time goes, it will expand to other things as well), so that is all good. When all said is done, I intend to build a internal network for my lab, which shall be connected to the home network via PowerLine adapters, should the electrical wiring in the house support it. My plans start with: 1. Drilling the walls and wiring the power to give me a proper number of electrical outlets (I currently have 3, one of which is definitely connected to the emergency power, one which is not, and one that I have not yet had the time to check), and in the proper locations (currently, one is blocking my work table, which I am still working out, though the problem is mainly it's height, plus that outlet is not connected to the emergency (what is it called in english? round? network? switch?) power), since the ones I have are in the worst possible locations for a lab. 2. In addition to the above, I intend to insert CAT6 ethernet in the walls, for futureproofing (plus I intend to have at least a gigabit internal network), with the required amount of Ethernet ports (should be 6-8, though I intend to run an experiment with the electric technician (who is a friend of ours) in regards to the wiring in the wall, to make the whole stretch modular, to allow me to swap, repair, add, and/or remove whatever is in the wall, while causing less damage to the wall than by what is traditionally done). 3. Getting the PowerLine adapters, a gigabit network switch (preferably with PoE, however I do not have the budget for a PoE 8-port gigabit switch), and a new router (to have a wireless network for devices without Ethernet). 4. Separating my room and bathroom from the rest of the floor, into it's own (round? network?) part of the electric system, and connecting the future "desk" outlets (as in, for whatever is on the desk) to the emergency power. The current hardware that we have: TP-Link TD-W9970, running stock, acting as a modem; Xiaomi Mi 3, running Padavan (I will flash OpenWRT on it after replacing it with the 3G), as the home router (will be the router of my internal network); TP-Link RE200, running stock, as the range extender; NETGEAR DM-200, running OpenWRT (needs to be serial flashed, will replace the TD-W9970); TP-Link WA850RE, running OpenWRT (needs to be serial flashed, will replace the RE200 after I figure out how to get OpenWRT working in range extender mode); The hardware that I am looking at/ that we have already ordered: Xiaomi Mi 3G (already ordered), will run OpenWRT; D-Link DGS-1008A or DGS-1008C I am still researching PowerLine Currently my questions are: 1. A managed network switch costs x3 the price of an unmanaged switch in my country, so I wonder whether I can manage the switch via the home router (I intend to connect the internal network's router under the switch, unless I do not have a choice, since the Xiaomi Mi routers have only 2 LAN ports. 2. What do I have to look out for with PowerLine, should it function with the current electric system in the house? 3. Are there any cheaper gigabit switches, that I can replace their firmwares, even if I have to order them from abroad? My budget isn't absolute, however it is limited enough that I cannot get anything more expensive that what I already am doing, unless it is by a dollar or two. Update: I had forgotten to post our Internet speed, to make things sound a bit more realistic. We pay for 40Mbt/s, however our ISP can only provide up to ~36Mbt/s in our location.

Hello, I have been using a membrane keyboard for a while now and have been thinking of getting a Mechanical keyboard. I'm not sure which switch to get, I will be using the keyboard for normal, every day typing, but mostly gaming tho. I like the sound of blues, but am afraid that my parents will hate me if I get blues, another choice is browns, but they aren't clicky so I would not preffer those. Does anyone have suggestions?

I use the razer huntsman elite and im looking to get the cosair k70 mk2 and can't decide what switches I want. I was thinking of browns but let me know what you think

I am currently trying to fix my work from home setup, where I have 2 Laptops on which I have to constantly toggle between. What is the best solution for that. Current Setup / Tasks Communications / Chat / Calls on Both Laptops Constantly switch between both the Laptops Connected 2 Different Headsets (1 Each Laptop) Connected 2 Monitors (1 Each Laptop) Logitech MX Keys and Master Mx3 Mouse (Switch Using the Device Selection Button) Current Issues / Problems Since I have to click on the Keyboard and the Mouse (bottom side, so I have to lift and flip each time) it is becoming hard to switch and know which one is active. Headphones needs to be constantly switched since each one has its own. Can Not Do Install a software to connect them (Such as Synergy, Barrier, Flow etc.) If KVM Switch with Docking station is the only option, is there any suggestions and recommendations

Recently due to current global situation I have moved to working from home. Now my current setup for my personal PC comprises of a custom build with relatively high end specs including a decent graphics card, a 4k monitor with 75Hz refresh rate, a mechanical keyboard and a wireless mouse with usb-c dongle. For my work I have a Macbook pro 2019 (I know boo Mac and all but its what work provides). What I am trying to achieve is a way I can easily connect my Mac to my already existing setup so I can use the same monitor (also want to get another monitor so it will be a dual monitor setup), same keyboard and same mouse, and then just switch between my PC and the Mac. I have looked into KVM switches but they seem to be super expensive (especially for a 4k monitor with high-ish refresh rate) and even then can't really find one that will let me utalise my screens 75Hz refresh rate. I'm hoping for a clean solution that I can continue to use in the future. I will also hopefully be able to use my external SSD as part of this switching process if possible so everything is clean and simple. Any advice you guys can give would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Lachlan.

Hi all! I know that Cherry MX switches are sorta premium quality switches. Other than being German is there a reason for that? I've heard that they're supposed to last longer than something like Razer switches, is that true? Cheers!

So I will start off saying: I spent like almost half of my young life on cheap laptops. And with those laptops, came cheap keyboards. Typical, cheap, 3mm or so travel, membrane or whatever the heck keyboards. I got really used to them, and soon I will be building my first desktop PC, that will have to have, some sort of keyboard. I couldn't really find any type of keyboard that would be similar to what I'm used to on amazon Italy (And I will order only from there, for many reasons), but there are some Drevo mechanical keyboards, which I'm really interested in, because of tight desk space and their 75% layout with mainly Blue, Black, Red and Brown (outemu I think) switches. Now, I am really skeptical about mechanical: I know there are testers, but that seems pointless to me, especially considering I'm on a tight budget. I am considering 2 switches mainly right now: Blues and Browns. Mainly, I do lots of writing, but at the same time, lots of gaming. I also live in a pretty small house with my parents and my brother and all, so noise is of concern (yet the door will always be closed when using the keyboard), yet I REALLY love the sound of blue switches. So, main question: how loud exactly are blues? Are they silent enough not to disturb people 20 meters away behind 1 closed door, even late at night with total silence everywhere? Are the browns quieter? Or should I just ignore mechanical, and search for a low profile membrane such as Razer Deathstalker and similar? Also, how heavy are the keys to press, can I comfortably rest my fingers on the keys without them sagging down or even actuating under the bare weight of a finger? Many thanks in advance to whom is willing to take the time to answer so many questions.)

I need to extend my gigabit network 20m away from the router to connect to my new home office. Already got the single ethernet cable ran. Is this the most efficient way it can be done? Will PC 2 receive the full gigabit network speed? Are the devices I've listed most practical for this use? (If not, bare in mind I don't want to spend hundreds on getting this running). Devices: Gigabit Switch (TP-LINK TL-SG1005D) Access Point 450mbps (TP-LINK TL-WA901ND) (Black lines is Cat5e cable) Any advice is greatly appreciated.

https://www.strawpoll.me/16064643 Currently I am using the Ducky One keyboard with Mx Blues and I think that I need to e x p a n d on my current keyboard collection. Any ideas?

So i have a mediocre chiclet membrane keyboard much similar to a laptop keyboard. and i was thinking of buying a mechanical keyboard seeing how majority opinion on it says its better. so ive been looking for very low profile mechanical keyboards similar to chiclet, and i found a few keyboards that meet the description. but my problem is, being a membrane keyboard user, which type of switch is most similar to the feel of a membrane chiclet laptop keyboard? note: keyboard is mostly for gaming but also for typing.

Hey. So I've been on the look out for a new keyboard. And due to some budget and geographic restrictions I opted for Reddragon. My only question is... What is the difference between the switches. Unlike most keyboards, Reddragon uses their own custom switches. And i am unsure what would be better. The purple or Brown switch.. I personally want as close to the blue as possible... Something I have worked on before and liked. Any advice, and no I unfortunately cannot walk into a shop and try them out.

Hi I was wondering if anyone had used the AFX MK0217 before... I'd be using it purely for work, and haven't been allowed to try it out in store (which is annoying). There doesn't seem to be a great deal of I for or reviews online, which again is frustrating. Any information or reviews other than a short YouTube video of the different RGB modes taken on a shaky phone camera would be much appreciated. Thanks Gary

I need a new keyboard ASAP. Destroyed 3 the past month (welcome the mighty cup to my life so this won't happen again) I cannot get to a store and try but I remember liking trying a keyboard with the, I think, green raZer Switches (Weird capital Z works but not small huh?? Same goes for X (no no global key bind app hijacking it) What would RaZer green (and yellow if you know) translate to in Cherry MX language Thank you on beforehand

So I’m in desperate need of a new keyboard, I’m currently using a 3 year old AULA dragon tooth 2 that only cost me like 20 bucks. So I was looking in to getting a new keyboard and I’ve decided that RGB is a must have. However, I also live in an environment in which mechanical switches would be a bother so I’m looking for something quiet as well. I was looking into 2 keyboards in particular being the Razer Cynosa Chroma and the Corsair K55 but I’m honestly not quite sure what I need. I want a good quality product that I can rely on as a daily driver, I need something quiet and RGB, however I feel very limited because mechanical switches as amazing as they are, aren’t really an option for me as they are too loud for where I live and they also cost a lot more especially with RGB and I’m not sure if I could even afford one anyways. I’m just kind of at a loss ya know? Any and all advice or feedback would be awesome.

Hey guys! So I currently have a Logitech PRODIGY keyboard which has membrane keyswitches. I was going to buy the K95 with speed switches, which I heard were like red switches. But my friend has speed switches which, also I heard are like red switches with their linear feel. It just felt mushy to me and I could NOT type on them. So are the brown switches more like membrane then the reds? (I mean the tactile bump, is it similar to the feel of membranes) P.S. I have also tried a blue keyboard, if their is anything that is related to that