类型: IC
作者: Swishy
发布时间: 2020-05-27 18:19:28
更新时间:
2021-08-05 10:20:26
原链接:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=106648.0
HELLO ALL, My name is Swishy and I am doing something new and different I want to run the first ever Group buy for Gateron ink optical Switches.
Note: This is just a render final product may differ
in appearence, but all parts are the same!
Now I hear
some of you saying what in the world is an Optical Switch
well.. Here is a video to explain Wow, that was informative
now I know some of you probably didn’t watch so tldr they
use infrared light to actuate rather than a leaf and are
hotswap. More on the actual Group Buy once I get 200
Responses I will use the type, material with the most votes.
Then along side I will also start developing a standard 60%
pcb that will support most standard cases.
If this
interest you please fill out this form
https://forms.gle/3YGHUtBwUct7g6rK7
that would help a ton as I will use the results to choose
what I produce
Q1. I wanna try it out now
A1. welllllll you can at
https://www.epathbuy.com
/#not sponsored also on Amazon (I recommend dierya cheap and
decent good enough to know if you’ll like it or not)
Q2. I just want some switches to see how they
work
A2. link here
https://www.epathbuy.com/product/gateron-optical-switches/
and they are super affordable.
Q3. With the existing PCB that are on the market can I
put them in a standard case?
A3. maybe it depends because I have three 60% optical
keyboards and only 1 really is capable of matching the
screws to any case and you might need to get a custom plate
that will support plate mount stabs or just file the corners
as the plate is long.
My boards to show that I actually
have them but also to show you how they look on the inside
here are the guts of my board enjoy
More
Pros and Cons:
More
Pros:
- They are durable no leaf and the switch just blocks light
- They are hot swap and not like kalih hot swap which can break
- because you are dealing with light they can have faster response time, but I personally have not done a test to see if it makes a big difference
- No chatter
- Beginner friendly
- No soldering
- Less friction, so smoother.
Cons:
- Not much PCB support for custom builds
- Could be difficult to support multiple layout with a single PCB
- Not very popular right now
Part 2
Since there is also a lack of
pcbs support along with this Group Buy I will be designing
More standard pcbs for customs builds
Here is the test
pcb showing Optical switch and it working with QMK
The Results:
- The pcb works with QMK which is awesome
-
The variable layout does work but it has some issues, but
this means that possibly in the revision or future runs we
will see pcbs that can support more layouts on one
pcb(more like stepped vs unstepped)
What is next?
Great question, we will refine the designed and do a second test till we are happy with that result. Then we will move towards a 60% possibly universal but for now Ansi pcb. -
Custom Standoff:*
So a very important part of this project is overcoming the fact that Optical Switches don’t use solder so holding the plate down is much hard. My solution is a custom standoff. Its head is bigger than 5mm meaning you can use your old plates and don’t need a custom plate. I was also able to source Wafer-head screws that also has a diameter larger than 5mm. The last great thing is that they dont interact with the switches do something like this could also work for Hotswap boards as well.
(note: not the Optical Future PCB)
My Goal:
My reason for doing this isn’t to make money nor get a switch I want made. It is to promote innovation and change to a newer future, and I know it can be hard to move from the things you are comfortable with but if you give it a shot I really think it can impress you. It would help so much if you please do the google form https://forms.gle/3YGHUtBwUct7g6rK7 and share it with others to help spread the word. If you would like to contact me and ask questions swishy/#5923 is my discord.
Thank you so much for your time,
Swishy
P.s please go support my other IC KAM 80s After Dark - Updates*
More
Week 1 Update
First of all,
I would like to thank anyone who has taken the survey so
far. There was 110 people that responded and here are the
results:
note: I didn’t require every question to be answered
I
would also like to clarify as I got a lot of questions about
what is the point of this IC post. It has two purposes to
make pcbs that will fit most standard layouts and also
support QMK/Via, and the second purpose was to create more
options of optical switches. The order of importance is to
make the pcb first and then get it out to the community,
then run the switch.
After talking around the community
and getting feedback from the survey I decided to change my
approach to the pcb layout chosen before I neglected
attention for 60% because they already existed but after
talking about it. It will be the first pcb I work to produce
as it can be used almost universally and works with a lot of
cases. Your data will not go in vain as I will use it to
decided the next pcb layout I make after the 60% but we
still need more feedback.
Week 2 update
This week has been very exciting as we finally got
our hands on the needed resources to finalize the pcb
design. Also I have created a partnership with the Community
member Leavenember and he did the pcb design. Along with
finishing up the base design for the 60% pcb. We also
started thinking about the future and how can we implement
the pcb. I will list the ideas we came up with at the end of
the post. The next major step is fine tuning the pcb design
and getting it to work with QMK. I would also like to thank
you all who supported the idea and who either shared the
idea or took the survey both helped very much. Lastly, I
would like to call on pcb and case designers to think about
the future and what it could be, and if you are interested
in implementing this idea I would love for you to join the
discord and share ideas.
List of ideas to test:
-
Testing if we can use Step and unstepped keycaps on one
pcb
How: Dremel a hole in to the bottom of the switch to allow for light to pass through and place the IR emitter and PT further apart -
Support already existing and new top mount/gasket mount
cases
How: using a foam in between the case and pcb to keep it in place but also removes pcb to plate rattle
We would love to hear your ideas and get feedback you can either post it here or on the Discord
Week 3 Update Part 1 This week’s post is a little late the intention was to post pictures of the test pcbs after testing but there was some delays on the Manu side, so the pcb shipped later than expected. There should hopefully be an update soon.
Update (07/05/2020)
Sorry for the late
update, I have tons of good news. For one
Gateron Ink Optical Switches are confirmed,
which is really exciting. The switch will have a
MOQ of 12,000( it was less before but then I contacted
ray again and he corrected the number)
which is pretty nice compared to what I thought it would’ve
been. I would also like to announce that
Gondolindrim is gonna be helping out with
the pcbs design and has already helped a ton by helping us
reduce cost of pcbs which is major. We have the test pcb
built but we are still doing testing and as such I will wait
to release any info. Thanks to all of you who have been
following and did the surveys. This is a fun project and I
can’t wait to share the final results with you all!
Mini-Update
So, we have started designing the 60% pcb and have some cool
things that I will release once the PCB gets here. While we
are waiting I would like to show something that I did. I
took one of my holy pandas and swapped everything but the
bottom housing (including the leaf which had to be clipped
and this is the hardest part cause if you mess up you get
linear RIP T1) I also lubed and filmed it and it make the
best sound you could imagine. I will be getting some tactic
silent tactile and try to repeat.
Discord Server
I have made a
simple discord server to help combine minds and allow for
people to come together and learn.
If you are
interested you can join here
https://discord.gg/z8KMEky
Awesome New logo by LastPadawan
Acknowledgments:
Illusion: He supported the Idea from the very
beginning and helped me get my feet grounded
Leavenember:
He found me just to say he wanted to help and is the main
reason the project has made such progress
Gondolindrim:
He is Big Brain
Gtrx: Gave wise and invaluable
feedback
Bachoo: for switch concept renders
You:
For supporting
Signature :
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