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Hot swapable keyboard switch idea?

spwath
By spwath
in Peripherals
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OK, i was just doing some thinking and testing, and I think I have a good idea for a hot swapable switch keyboard for my keyboard im building.

So switches are mounted on the plate, then the plate is attatched to a peice of wood. The peice of wood has slits with wires in them, where the switches contacts go into, like so:

20160317_164731.thumb.jpg.0b6d6ebf6c764356eb19981ee1b_20160317_164752(2).thumb.j

 

This would be repeated across the entire board.

A pic in paint. The black represents wires for the columns, the red is wires for the rows, and the blue is the diodes connecting the red rows.

keyboardwire.png.47a771caabcb67daec8a9db

 

 

What do you think, could it work?

My one switch cardboard prototype seems to.

@TheProfosist

@Charger

@KaminKevCrew

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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That is as ghetto as a keyboard gets lol

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Just now, Bobby_Joe_90 said:

That is as ghetto as a keyboard gets lol

Well it wouldent be made of cardboard and hot glue like my prototype. It would look good.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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4 minutes ago, spwath said:

Well it wouldent be made of cardboard and hot glue like my prototype. It would look good.

Lol NCIX did a netlinked daily on this idea. I can't find it but i recall watching it

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It's feesible but how are you holding the switch down? Does it have clips or something that I'm just not seeing?

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8 minutes ago, KE2012 said:

It's feesible but how are you holding the switch down? Does it have clips or something that I'm just not seeing?

clips into a metal plate, that would be screwed into the wood

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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1 minute ago, spwath said:

clips into a metal plate, that would be screwed into the wood

Well that answers that. 

 

Also just one small thing that is bugging me as an electronics guy, for your final device you might want to tin your bare wires.

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6 minutes ago, KE2012 said:

Well that answers that. 

 

Also just one small thing that is bugging me as an electronics guy, for your final device you might want to tin your bare wires.

Whys that?

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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3 minutes ago, spwath said:

Whys that?

Bare wires like pictures have the tendency to spray and the individual cores can easily snap, and with two wires so close to one another like that this could cause all sorts of problems for you. 

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23 minutes ago, KE2012 said:

Bare wires like pictures have the tendency to spray and the individual cores can easily snap, and with two wires so close to one another like that this could cause all sorts of problems for you. 

Well the idea is the are loose so they form the conector for the pin.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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1 minute ago, Charger said:

ummm don't. it can be done correctly with a pcb and sip sockets but don't do it like that.

Why not? what problems would occur from this?

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Just now, Charger said:

all the problems. its just bad overall.

My cardboard prototype seems to work fine when testing with a multimeter. I cant see where any problems would arrise, its just a signal and the copper wire will always touch the pins on the switch

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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4 minutes ago, spwath said:

My cardboard prototype seems to work fine when testing with a multimeter. I cant see where any problems would arrise, its just a signal and the copper wire will always touch the pins on the switch

Can it work? Probably. Should you do it? Probably not. 

Keyboard build log
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Just now, Charger said:

Can it work? Probably. Should you do it? Probably not. 

I just dont see that many points of failure, and it seems relitivly easy to do. I think I might do it.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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48 minutes ago, spwath said:

Well the idea is the are loose so they form the conector for the pin.

Hmm. Can it not work off contact? And not need the wires to loop around it? Or maybe you can split the wire some how and tin the two halfs? Just this is a big time bomb waiting to fail in my eyes. 

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4 minutes ago, KE2012 said:

Hmm. Can it not work off contact? And not need the wires to loop around it? Or maybe you can split the wire some how and tin the two halfs? Just this is a big time bomb waiting to fail in my eyes. 

It could, but the more wires ensures Better contact.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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http://www.wulfden.org/TheShoppe/cables.shtml why not use something like this, I'm sure can pick them up cheap from china or something, will be a lot less prone to failures and just wear from typing and vibrating loose.

 

http://www.banggood.com/40pcs-20cm-Female-to-Female-Jumper-Jump-Cable-Wire-For-Arduino-p-75612.html clip the cable and solder the whole column of them then the switch pins can plug into them, secured to a under board with hot gloop or something like that. A LOT of work, but seems like a better idea than just have wires dangling there? or even a massive breadboard under there to mount switches, as long as spacing is good for the pins of switches. 

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Good luck man. Having just gotten my Team Wolf Void Ray and swapped out the preinstalled Outemu blue for Gateron Browns, I can say it's easy and fun. 

 

Quick pass to swap em out and get back to work. Now just gotta mod several switches to customize their weight. IMG_2183.thumb.JPG.27b16289f45258825cec7

IMG_2186.JPG

IMG_2187.JPG

IMG_2188.JPG

 

 

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On 3/17/2016 at 5:28 PM, Charger said:

ummm don't. it can be done correctly with a pcb and sip sockets but don't do it like that.

was just going to mention something to this effect i love how that comment started though

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12 hours ago, TheProfosist said:

was just going to mention something to this effect i love how that comment started though

Sure its not the most conventional way, but I dont see what would go wrong. The switches make contact with the wire, and thats it.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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16 minutes ago, spwath said:

Sure its not the most conventional way, but I dont see what would go wrong. The switches make contact with the wire, and thats it.

because if there is vibration the wires will get loose/be loosing contact with switches. amount of times you can change switch will be very limited, as wires will not be reliable for that. just constant typing will make the contacts come loose. there is no pressure on the wires to keep contact to the contacts on switches. Unless switches are herd on a solid backplate to keep them in place. it will be even less reliable. wires will likely corrode too. I'm sure there's more this is just off the top of my head.

 

It's ok for a prototype that might last through a demo. Not something that will work for a long time with any kind of reliability from any kinds of every day stresses not to mention being dropped/shaken.

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6 minutes ago, Un4tural said:

because if there is vibration the wires will get loose/be loosing contact with switches. amount of times you can change switch will be very limited, as wires will not be reliable for that. just constant typing will make the contacts come loose. there is no pressure on the wires to keep contact to the contacts on switches. Unless switches are herd on a solid backplate to keep them in place. it will be even less reliable. wires will likely corrode too. I'm sure there's more this is just off the top of my head.

 

It's ok for a prototype that might last through a demo. Not something that will work for a long time with any kind of reliability from any kinds of every day stresses not to mention being dropped/shaken.

I guess..

I guess Ill just wire my keyboard like a normal person.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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