How does hot-swappable keyboards work?

[Hi P]

Rather confusing since I don't own one.

 

Let's say that I buy a keyboard with hot-swappable support and it has Gateron switches by default.

 

In this scenario, could I replace any Gateron switch by using a completely different one like kailh or does it have to be a Gateron?

[saintlouisbagels]

The PCB (printed circuit board) allows you to remove the keyboard switch.

 

Keyboard switches can be either 3-pin or 5-pin.

2 pins are conductive for signal. In non-hot-swappable boards, these contacts are soldered into the PCB. It is not difficult to de-solder the pins, but understandably a lot of people don't have that skill and are uncomfortable with that level of DIY.

 

1 pin refer to the center post.

 

And the additional 2 pins are plastic and they are for... stability? Regardless, they can be snipped off with nail clippers or diagonal cutters making them compatible with 3-pin PCBs. And in reverse, you can use a 3-pin switch with a 5-pin board with no issues.

 

Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, etc. etc. are all interchangeable.

If you buy a super cheap keyboard, there is a possibility that the PCB is only hot-swappable with Otemu switches and if you try to force a different keyboard switch into them, you'll end up bending the gold pins (which can be bent back into place).

 

FYI a full-size switches and low-profile switches are not interchangeable.

Same with mechanical switches and HE (Hall Effect) switches and optical switches.

[johnt]

28 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

And the additional 2 pins are plastic and they are for... stability? Regardless, they can be snipped off with nail clippers or diagonal cutters making them compatible with 3-pin PCBs. And in reverse, you can use a 3-pin switch with a 5-pin board with no issues.

They are only used for PCB mounted switches that need to be soldered. They prevent the switch from rotating while you work on it since the copper leads are typically way too small to keep the switch from moving. They are not used for "hot swap" or plate mounted switches. The plastic pins can actually interfere with the PCB if the PCB does not have the proper holes to accommodate them, but you are correct, they can be snipped if needed.

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

7 hours ago, Hi P said:

In this scenario, could I replace any Gateron switch by using a completely different one like kailh or does it have to be a Gateron?

Previous comments already went into detail here, but it is worth to point out that mechanical switches are literally just that: a mechanical switch that open/closes a connection between two wires. So you have two wires going into each switch, either via a solder joint or via a socket. The latter is for hotswap.

 

Now, in theory there are many ways to design a switch to connect to pieces of wire, which historically lead to a variety of designs. Like IBM model F or the Cherry MX switch. The latter is what the vast majority of mechanical keyboards use nowadays (Cherry held the patent for decades, but it expired several years ago), so any switches from manufacturers that make "MX style" or "MX compatible" switches are interchangeable. Unless you are called Outemu and make your metal pins smaller....

 

It is worth noting that some other switch type reuse the sort of form factor and appearance of the Cherry MX switch, like some optical and in particular several Hall Effect switches. These are not compatible, since they are often made to work with specific PCBs only (HE switches for example usually need sensors on the PCB and different controllers).

[Hi P]

21 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

FYI a full-size switches and low-profile switches are not interchangeable.

Same with mechanical switches and HE (Hall Effect) switches and optical switches.

 

Does this mean that as long as I respect that combination, I can rest assured that any other switch with the same combination will fit?

What I mean is, if a keyboard is low profile with mechanical switch, I can purchase any other keycap with those same specs and it should fit? Even if the top of the switch is different (Gateron, kailh, etc)

[saintlouisbagels]

10 minutes ago, Hi P said:

Does this mean that as long as I respect that combination, I can rest assured that any other switch with the same combination will fit?

What I mean is, if a keyboard is low profile with mechanical switch, I can purchase any other keycap with those same specs and it should fit? Even if the top of the switch is different (Gateron, kailh, etc)

Nearly all keyboard switches use MX Style stems which refers to the (+) shape on top of every switch. This means nearly all keycaps are also compatible, regardless if the underlying switch is Mechanical, Optical, or HE.

 

You might come across non-standard switches if you're buying an old Topre Keyboard or older gamer keyboards like Logitech that use to use Romer-G switches with a proprietary stem.

 

You can technically use full-sized keycaps on low-profile switches, but there is interference with the bottom of the cap making contact with the board when typing. I haven't checked it myself, but it's what I've heard.

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

4 hours ago, Hi P said:

What I mean is, if a keyboard is low profile with mechanical switch, I can purchase any other keycap with those same specs and it should fit? Even if the top of the switch is different (Gateron, kailh, etc)

MX compatible keycaps are supposed to be compatible with any MX compatible switch. The only thing important it the cross stem, whether there is something around that is not supposed to matter much.

 

Low-profile is different, since different standards exist. I have a switch tester here from Gateron, and the low-profile switches have their metal pins in different locations. So they would not be interchangeable.

[Mark Kaine]

On 11/4/2024 at 5:47 AM, Hi P said:

Rather confusing since I don't own one.

 

Let's say that I buy a keyboard with hot-swappable support and it has Gateron switches by default.

 

In this scenario, could I replace any Gateron switch by using a completely different one like kailh or does it have to be a Gateron?

i have one and idk either!  I just bought it for the clicks and clacks and the leds so i can type in the dark.

 

err. basically it means no soldering required in case you wanna switch, "switches"... i guess?

[digitalscream]

On 11/5/2024 at 5:14 AM, Hi P said:

 

Does this mean that as long as I respect that combination, I can rest assured that any other switch with the same combination will fit?

What I mean is, if a keyboard is low profile with mechanical switch, I can purchase any other keycap with those same specs and it should fit? Even if the top of the switch is different (Gateron, kailh, etc)

Definitely not - at least, as noted earlier, for low-profile switches. There are MX-style stems, and Kailh Choc-style stems (as used by earlier Lofree boards, I think - their more recent ones use Phantom/Ghost switches, which have MX-style stems).

 

I've come across at least three "standards" for pin layouts on low-profile switches too - Gateron, Kailh and a weird reverse-Kailh thing (mirrored left-to-right) used by Redragon for their custom switches.

 

Also worth of note is the fact that stabilisers can be different, too. Most have stayed with in-line stabilisers, but older Keychron boards (like the K3 optical boards) have the stabiliser stems offset from the switch stem to make a triangle. What that essentially means is that no keycaps other than Keychron's will work with them.

 

Low-profile boards are, basically, a nightmare of incompatibility. You really need to decide what you want up-front and stick with it, because even the manufacturers usually have terrible after-market support for their own products.