Can you replace Razer stabilizers with after market ones?

[slycups]

So I have a razer huntsman tkl v1 and I don’t have the money to make my own custom board so I took to modding the one I already have. I’ve lubed all the switches and the stock stabilizers but the stabs sound extremely ratily and I was wondering if you can put other stabs in. 

[da na]

I believe that Huntsman KBs use standard size stabs, yes. 

[Eschew]

Hey there.

1 hour ago, slycups said:

So I have a razer huntsman tkl v1 and ... I was wondering if you can put other stabs in. 

The Razer Huntsman is equipped with optical-mechanical hybrid switches, yes?

In that case, I doubt that aftermarket stabilizers -- regardless of whether they're plate-mounted or PCB-mounted -- will fit in the Razer's more-or-less proprietary board.

On 5/18/2021 at 6:22 PM, Eschew said:

• Plate-mounted stabilizers need to clip to the keyboard's mounting plate (or integrated plate), and not all mounting plates have those cutouts for plate-mounted stabs (i.e. not all keyboards/mounting plates are compatible with plate-mounted stabilizers). Example: Carbon Fiber Plate (DZ60), note the little nubs jutting out from the otherwise rectangular hole -- those nubs have been deliberately cut to fit plate-mounted stabilizers.
• Based off this photo of the Razer Huntsman integrated plate + spacebar stabilizer, and this photo of a Razer Huntsman's stabilizer/PCB, the Huntsman's default stabilizers seem to be secured to the PCB, and the keyboard's integrated plate doesn't seem to have the cutouts required for plate-mounted stabilizers to fit.

• PCB-mounted stabilizers clip in and / or screw in to the keyboard's PCB. Based off this photo of a Razer Huntsman's PCB, the PCB cutout appears to be rectangular and doesn't appear to accomodate a PCB-mounted stabilizer's screw and / or clips.

Emphasis on "I doubt," as I don't have the physical product in my hands to test the hypotheses above.

[slycups]

4 minutes ago, Eschew said:

Hey there.

The Razer Huntsman is equipped with optical-mechanical hybrid switches, yes?

In that case, I doubt that aftermarket stabilizers -- regardless of whether they're plate-mounted or PCB-mounted -- will fit in the Razer's more-or-less proprietary board.

• PCB-mounted stabilizers clip in and / or screw in to the keyboard's PCB. Based off this photo of a Razer Huntsman's PCB, the PCB cutout appears to be rectangular and doesn't appear to accomodate a PCB-mounted stabilizer's screw and / or clips.

Emphasis on "I doubt," as I don't have the physical product in my hands to test the hypotheses above.

Would it help if I opened it to show the stabilizers and posted the pic? Also I know there clip-in but I don’t know all that much about keyboards I only recently started watching enthusiasts  on YouTube 

[Eschew]

3 minutes ago, slycups said:

Would it help if I opened it to show the stabilizers and posted the pic?

That probably won't help, if the end result is the same as the linked photos. Others have taken photos of a disassembled Razer Huntsman (full-sized, but identical switches and stabilizers, I'm assuming), which I'm basing my speculation off of.

 

Although, if your disassembly depicts a stabilizer that's different from the teardown my assessments are based on, then yes, it might help.

 

15 minutes ago, slycups said:

 Also I know there clip-in but I don’t know all that much about keyboards I only recently started watching enthusiasts  on YouTube 

We have a small Introduction to Custom Mechanical Keyboards. Please note that it only applies to mechanical keyboards. If your Razer Huntsman uses Razer's optical-mechanical hybrid switch and proprietary board, most of the thread -- especially sections on aftermarket / compatible parts -- will be irrelevant.

[slycups]

1 minute ago, Eschew said:

That probably won't help, if the end result is the same as the linked photos. Others have taken photos of a disassembled Razer Huntsman (full-sized, but identical switches and stabilizers, I'm assuming), which I'm basing my speculation off of.

 

Although, if your disassembly depicts a stabilizer that's different from the teardown my assessments are based on, then yes, it might help.

 

We have a small Introduction to Custom Mechanical Keyboards. Please note that it only applies to mechanical keyboards. If your Razer Huntsman uses Razer's optical-mechanical hybrid switch and proprietary board, most of the thread -- especially sections on aftermarket / compatible parts -- will be irrelevant.

I hope this helps 

with these stabs the stem stays in the key cap instead of in the stab

also sorry for the poor image quality this was shot on an iPad 

also also please don’t hate me but I spray-lubed them because you can’t actually take apart the housing on these keys without risking breaking it

 

[Eschew]

TLDR: I'm not convinced that your board is compatible with aftermarket plate-mounted or PCB-mounted stabilizers.

 

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34 minutes ago, slycups said:

The plate above doesn't appear to be compatible with plate-mounted stabilizers. It lacks the small notches that compatible plates have (Example: Carbon Fiber Plate (DZ60)).

 

34 minutes ago, slycups said:

The PCB above has rectangular holes that aren't compatible with PCB-mounted stabilizers (both screw-in and clip in variants). Example of a PCB that uses PCB-mounted stabilizers (screw-in):

 

PCB + PCB-Mounted Stabilizers

The compatible PCB has four small, circular holes to accomodate screw-in stabilizers.

 

34 minutes ago, slycups said:

also also please don’t hate me but I spray-lubed them because you can’t actually take apart the housing on these keys without risking breaking it

Not my place to judge.

Though it sounds like you're aware that aerosol spray lubricants aren't conventionally used for switch / stabilizer modding.

[slycups]

1 minute ago, Eschew said:

Not my place to judge.

Though it sounds like you're aware that aerosol spray lubricants aren't conventionally used for switch / stabilizer modding.

Yeah a lot of people would be slightly upset with the idea of someone using WD40 to lube switches lmao 

well thanks so much for the help! I’m going to keep looking to see if there’s anything else somewhere online known about swapping razer stabs with something else