Improvements to Cherry's key switches? Thoughts?

[GarlanTyrell]

While looking around for a Cherry MX Clear keyboard and the lengths it would take to convert my current keyboard, it struck me that Cherry is missing a trick with the design of their key switches.

To redesign their switches to be quickly and easily removable by the user, by replacing the solderings with some sort of socket connection.

I realise this would take a lot of design work and cooperation by board partners as well as making the switches slightly more expensive to produce. However think how many more sets of switches they could sell and how cool it would be to have any keyboard you wanted with any switch you wanted (without a lot of laborious soldering work)!
As long as it was easy enough (and not prohibitively expensive) I think it would encourage more people to take up mechanical keyboards which can only be a good thing.

Does anyone have any opinion on this? Do you think its feasible or not? What switch/keyboard would you have?

If you want to see this happen, join me and let Cherry know there is a demand for this.

 

[Altecice]

I think they reason they dont do this already is the fact then manufacturers of keyboards require X keyboard with RED,BLUE,BROWN etc switches and not just one order of x keyboard with just theese switches thanks.

[Lukiose]

No, because the market for mechanical keyboards is already small enough as it is, making such a product will not only be not very profitable for them - but drive up prices for everyone else as well.

If you really wanted a specific keyboard in a certain colour chances are they would already have it [With the exception of CM Storm products]. Some retailers are even willing to offer full customized keyboards of your switch + LED colour choice, albeit at a high cost : http://www.maxkeyboard.com/customize-keyboard.html

[Shikarikato]

I'm pretty sure its called a keyboard that's not plate mounted. You can do that on PCB mount keyboards, but plate mount feels so much better.

[Missioncode]

Rocket was supposed to do something like this. ( a friend told me). 

[the_NIXON88]

Interchangable switches would be so helpful... But than again the price will be almost the same price as your keyboard..

[Shikarikato]

Interchangable switches would be so helpful... But than again the price will be almost the same price as your keyboard..

Have you not read the thread/my post? It already exists. Buy any PCB mounted board and it's interchangeable. 

[exousia7]

Do this on a Cherry board! I got a Cherry G80-3000 and I've changed switches on it many times

[tbc]

Have you not read the thread/my post? It already exists. Buy any PCB mounted board and it's interchangeable. 

 

no.  that's NOT the same thing.

 

PCB mounts require desoldering to remove the switch.  alternatively, you just pop the switch top to replace the spring and stem.

 

 

both of those methods WORK, but they're also way more work than just popping off the entire switch by hand and then putting the new one in.

[Shikarikato]

no.  that's NOT the same thing.

 

PCB mounts require desoldering to remove the switch.  alternatively, you just pop the switch top to replace the spring and stem.

 

 

both of those methods WORK, but they're also way more work than just popping off the entire switch by hand and then putting the new one in.

[tbc]

did you even read what i wrote?

 

i SAID they were interchangable

 

EDIT:

 

screw off troll.  if you're going to troll. at least be more creatuve and entertaining than copypasta

[exousia7]

did you even read what i wrote?

 

i SAID they were interchangable

 

EDIT:

 

screw off troll.  if you're going to troll. at least be more creatuve and entertaining than copypasta

 

He's correct about the fact that you can just buy a PCB mounted mechanical keyboard and change the switch stems and spring inside without soldering anything (this technically means interchangeable switch). It takes a little bit of effort and time, but definitely worth doing IMO instead of spending $100+ on another keyboard just for different switches. What you are asking for is convenient, but not likely to happen.

 

It's pretty badass enough to change switches on a PCB-mounted mechanical keyboard. I highly doubt manufacturers will look into making a keyboard that will let you change entire switches "by hand without soldering." The mechanical keyboard market is actually pretty small, and I know at least Cherry won't invest into something like that. Heck, they don't even focus on their business with MX switches, they focus more on corporate products. Right now there are shortages on switches to the point Chinese manufacturers are starting to make cheaper switches to replace Cherry switches.

[Shikarikato]

did you even read what i wrote?

 

i SAID they were interchangable

 

EDIT:

 

screw off troll.  if you're going to troll. at least be more creatuve and entertaining than copypasta

Errr, " no.  that's NOT the same thing. "

I posted a photo of the definition, because you said its not the same thing. It is. Both of them are interchangeable.

Statements                                Reasons

Transitive property of equality   Given

[LifesCompanion]

eh... all I want to see is more "rare" Cherry switches available on the market... I WANT MY GOD DAMN GREENS AND CLEARS 

[Shikarikato]

eh... all I want to see is more "rare" Cherry switches available on the market... I WANT MY GOD DAMN GREENS AND CLEARS 

This and uhh I'd like to see ergo clears and panda clears on the market as well!

[TheProfosist]

Thos would increase cost exponentially. Also all you need to swap is the spring and stem. Plates have been designed on geehack and on deskthority so your able to remove the top of the switch without desolder, its still super finicky however. Also you can get PCB mounted keyboards where there is no plate so you dint have the issue.

[tbc]

what do you mean it's super finicky?  I haven't had a chance to use any of those plates yet.

 

 

Errr, " no.  that's NOT the same thing. "

I posted a photo of the definition, because you said its not the same thing. It is. Both of them are interchangeable.

Statements                                Reasons

Transitive property of equality   Given

troll please.  be more original.

[TheProfosist]

No, because the market for mechanical keyboards is already small enough as it is, making such a product will not only be not very profitable for them - but drive up prices for everyone else as well.

If you really wanted a specific keyboard in a certain colour chances are they would already have it [With the exception of CM Storm products]. Some retailers are even willing to offer full customized keyboards of your switch + LED colour choice, albeit at a high cost : http://www.maxkeyboard.com/customize-keyboard.html

Before gaming keyboards had mechanical switches mechanical boards with leds for under each key were by a large amount tge minority. Deck/TG3 were one of the original companies and were made that way for cops and stuff. Ducky was one of the first non professional oriented companies to have a full backlight board but even then its not a "gaming" board.

no. that's NOT the same thing.

PCB mounts require desoldering to remove the switch. alternatively, you just pop the switch top to replace the spring and stem.

both of those methods WORK, but they're also way more work than just popping off the entire switch by hand and then putting the new one in.

Pcb mount switches require no desoldering to remove the top of the switch house and change the inside bits. As mention before it is by mo means a quick job.

Also if you could just pop switches off by hand the keyboards would be durable enough for their original intended purposes.

[Shikarikato]

what do you mean it's super finicky?  I haven't had a chance to use any of those plates yet.

 

 

troll please.  be more original.

How am I trolling? Also, hate to break it to you, but I have never seen anyone use a proof to troll before soooooo...

[TheProfosist]

He's correct about the fact that you can just buy a PCB mounted mechanical keyboard and change the switch stems and spring inside without soldering anything (this technically means interchangeable switch). It takes a little bit of effort and time, but definitely worth doing IMO instead of spending $100+ on another keyboard just for different switches. What you are asking for is convenient, but not likely to happen.

 

It's pretty badass enough to change switches on a PCB-mounted mechanical keyboard. I highly doubt manufacturers will look into making a keyboard that will let you change entire switches "by hand without soldering." The mechanical keyboard market is actually pretty small, and I know at least Cherry won't invest into something like that. Heck, they don't even focus on their business with MX switches, they focus more on corporate products. Right now there are shortages on switches to the point Chinese manufacturers are starting to make cheaper switches to replace Cherry switches.

I would say it takes quite a bit of time and patience when doing a full 104 board. Would it really be all that convenient and once you decided on your favorite switch would you really need that feature?

Well technically the MX switch is a corporate product, though the gaming keyboard especially logitech with the brown is eating up all the switches recently. In the beginning of 2013 it was hard to get any bare new switches in any real amount due to this.

The chinese have been making knockoffs since at least 2012 but the quality is definitely sub par witch stems cracking off among other things.

eh... all I want to see is more "rare" Cherry switches available on the market... I WANT MY GOD DAMN GREENS AND CLEARS

If you just want the switches I can point you in the right direction. I have some greens that I have no plans for also.

This and uhh I'd like to see ergo clears and panda clears on the market as well!

thats a custom switch so thats very very unlikely to happen. I think that a panda clear would be the answer to so many peoples needs. A different spring in between red/brown/blue and black/green/white would be even better but thats even less likely to happen.

what do you mean it's super finicky?  I haven't had a chance to use any of those plates yet.

 

 

troll please.  be more original.

well it takes for freaking ever and is impossibly hard if you dont have the tool that someone made on GH that pops both sides off at the same and even then its very fiddly and tests your patience with so many small parts and the easily breakable metal leaf that actually does the switching.

[TheProfosist]

How am I trolling? Also, hate to break it to you, but I have never seen anyone use a proof to troll before soooooo...

I have but you werent really trolling...

[exousia7]

I would say it takes quite a bit of time and patience when doing a full 104 board. Would it really be all that convenient and once you decided on your favorite switch would you really need that feature?

Well technically the MX switch is a corporate product, though the gaming keyboard especially logitech with the brown is eating up all the switches recently. In the beginning of 2013 it was hard to get any bare new switches in any real amount due to this.

The chinese have been making knockoffs since at least 2012 but the quality is definitely sub par witch stems cracking off among other things.

 

 

I've switched out my entire Cherry board at least 3 times, all 104 keys. And yeah....I'm kinda tired of doing that so I stopped playing around LOL. I think it's a nice feature to have if you ever want to save money. Then again, plate mounted vs PCB mounted keyboards do feel different, so it is up to personal preferences I guess.

 

The Chinese make some really fake switches. They feel terrible compared to Cherry ones in terms of quality control and consistency, but if you hand pick out the "good" fake ones, do a blind test and you'll be amazed how it feels compared to a legit Cherry switch.....it's hard to tell the difference.

[Shikarikato]

thats a custom switch so thats very very unlikely to happen. I think that a panda clear would be the answer to so many peoples needs. A different spring in between red/brown/blue and black/green/white would be even better but thats even less likely to happen.

" On request, Cherry has stated that they would actually produce Ergo Clears in a slider-colour of choice, provided that they get an order of at least 750,000 switches. " - http://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_MX_Ergo_Clear

 

My only hopes ): 

That's like 7212 fullsized keyboards.

[tbc]

 

.  alternatively, you just pop the switch top to replace the spring and stem.

 

 

both of those methods WORK

 

 

Pcb mount switches require no desoldering to remove the top of the switch house and change the inside bits. As mention before it is by mo means a quick job.

 

yep i'm well aware of both ways to change a switch.

 

 

you're saying using the special plate is actually harder than doing the same thing on a pcb mounted board?

 

 

EDIT:

 

something people aren't considering is the fact that you still have to buy the new switches. 

[Shikarikato]

 

 

 

 

 

yep i'm well aware of both ways to change a switch.

 

 

you're saying using the special plate is actually harder than doing the same thing on a pcb mounted board?

 

 

EDIT:

 

something people aren't considering is the fact that you still have to buy the new switches. 

 

I forgot to  respond, but how do you think Cherry is going to make it possible that you can change the weight and the type of switch by not buying a new switch? Do you think that Cherry will implement a gravity field that you can adjust to the point that makes the weight of the switch vary depending on the strength of the gravity? 

 

Only way I can think that will work is witch magic. You have to replace something, heavier spring, different stem.