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Does anyone have experience if these provide tactile feedback? There’s lots of discussion about the actuation point, but is there a “click” feel? I’ve had a l

by bdunks 2y ago

Does anyone have experience if these provide tactile feedback? There’s lots of discussion about the actuation point, but is there a “click” feel? I’ve had a lot of wrist strain issues over the last 20 years. I tried many “ergonomic” keyboard layouts, but ultimately switching to a standard ikcb CD108 with Cherry MX brown fixed my issue. The click stops me from mashing the keys too hard, which seems to be the primary root cause (for me).

jansan 2y ago
I had optical "clicky" switches in my Wooting One TKL, so it is possible. In hindsight I would not go for the clicky or even tactile ones again, but use linear switches, because the great thing about optical and HE switches is that you can select the actuation point to your own typing style, which of course is not possible with switches that provide mechanical feedback.
bluGill 2y ago
You can't easially do adjustable actuation points and a click feel so I doubt it. They can put a click in someplace, but that is a mechanical operation which means either it is fixed at the factory or you need to take a screwdriver (or something) to each key to adjust. The nice thing about hall effect switches is you can choose the actuation point(s!) in software making it quick and easy to change until you find what works, but software cannot adjust a mechanical click. I can think of a couple ways to adjust a mechanic click from software. You could put gears and a stepper motor in the keyboard to adjust where the click is (you of course need to design a click mechanism as the keys don't have it) - this would be complex, fragile, and expensive (likely large as well). You could put a coil under each switch and fire that when the key actuates to provide a force change. There are probably others. I have no idea how practical anything is, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it if you are interested - it sounds like a fun project (of the type I don't have time for) This article is about GAMING keyboards. Magnetic keyboards seems to offer some nice features gamers will use. However for general typing a traditional mechanical keyboard may well be better: do not feel bad about using Cherry MX browns if they work for you (I use them myself, but I'm trying to figure out if my budget allows for a model F) - the only downside is in competitive games you may lose to someone who has a keyboard that can do things yours cannot.
- datadrivenangel 2y ago
  Could use mobile phone haptic feedback technology in the keycaps, or maybe in the body of the keyboard?
  - bluGill 2y ago
    Maybe, might be worth a shot. It won't be as easy on a phone because you need to feel the feedback only in the key your pressed and not all the other keys your fingers might be one (potentially starting to press but not yet activated). Something else for someone who has time to work on. Have fun.
  - mechanicum 2y ago
    Some old IBM keyboards had a solenoid built in, thumping the inside of the case with every key press to provide feedback. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw6ebySet0&t=906s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw6ebySet0&t=906s Probably the most practical DIY option.
- vimax 2y ago
  I’ve done a project connecting hall effect sensors to vibration motors. You could put a tiny vibration motor in each key cap and set different vibration intensity and timing patterns based on the hall effect readings. You could have the intensity slowly rise as you approach an activation point, then suddenly drop off right before and at activation to mimic the resistance of a physical switch.
Tsiklon 2y ago
Do you prefer a click or a quiet tactile bump? The MX browns you describe are a light quiet tactile switch. Most of these Hall effect keyboards are all running linear switches - no tactility whatsoever. I’ve seen a handful of switches which are HE and tactile, but I’ve not tried them. Glorious Panda HE are a notable model - if the name is consistent with their past efforts these should be significantly more tactile than the MX Browns you currently use.
- jabroni_salad 2y ago
  I use the boba u4 silents and I consider them to be my endgame switch. It has a very crisp bump despite being quieter than pretty much any other keyboard in my office. I've had them for about 2 years and nothing else has caught my eye since I got them. These hall effect dealios do sound interesting but I've never liked linear. I dont think I'm interested in changing the actuation point since it would be desynchronized from the bump point. As far as analog controls go, I have controllers for that.
  - Tsiklon 2y ago
    Ohh cool I didn’t know ZealPC was making HE switches

by bdunks 2y ago

jansan 2y ago

I had optical "clicky" switches in my Wooting One TKL, so it is possible. In hindsight I would not go for the clicky or even tactile ones again, but use linear switches, because the great thing about optical and HE switches is that you can select the actuation point to your own typing style, which of course is not possible with switches that provide mechanical feedback.

bluGill 2y ago

You can't easially do adjustable actuation points and a click feel so I doubt it. They can put a click in someplace, but that is a mechanical operation which means either it is fixed at the factory or you need to take a screwdriver (or something) to each key to adjust. The nice thing about hall effect switches is you can choose the actuation point(s!) in software making it quick and easy to change until you find what works, but software cannot adjust a mechanical click. I can think of a couple ways to adjust a mechanic click from software. You could put gears and a stepper motor in the keyboard to adjust where the click is (you of course need to design a click mechanism as the keys don't have it) - this would be complex, fragile, and expensive (likely large as well). You could put a coil under each switch and fire that when the key actuates to provide a force change. There are probably others. I have no idea how practical anything is, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it if you are interested - it sounds like a fun project (of the type I don't have time for) This article is about GAMING keyboards. Magnetic keyboards seems to offer some nice features gamers will use. However for general typing a traditional mechanical keyboard may well be better: do not feel bad about using Cherry MX browns if they work for you (I use them myself, but I'm trying to figure out if my budget allows for a model F) - the only downside is in competitive games you may lose to someone who has a keyboard that can do things yours cannot.

datadrivenangel 2y ago
Could use mobile phone haptic feedback technology in the keycaps, or maybe in the body of the keyboard?
- bluGill 2y ago
  Maybe, might be worth a shot. It won't be as easy on a phone because you need to feel the feedback only in the key your pressed and not all the other keys your fingers might be one (potentially starting to press but not yet activated). Something else for someone who has time to work on. Have fun.
- mechanicum 2y ago
  Some old IBM keyboards had a solenoid built in, thumping the inside of the case with every key press to provide feedback. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw6ebySet0&t=906s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw6ebySet0&t=906s Probably the most practical DIY option.
vimax 2y ago
I’ve done a project connecting hall effect sensors to vibration motors. You could put a tiny vibration motor in each key cap and set different vibration intensity and timing patterns based on the hall effect readings. You could have the intensity slowly rise as you approach an activation point, then suddenly drop off right before and at activation to mimic the resistance of a physical switch.

Tsiklon 2y ago

Do you prefer a click or a quiet tactile bump? The MX browns you describe are a light quiet tactile switch. Most of these Hall effect keyboards are all running linear switches - no tactility whatsoever. I’ve seen a handful of switches which are HE and tactile, but I’ve not tried them. Glorious Panda HE are a notable model - if the name is consistent with their past efforts these should be significantly more tactile than the MX Browns you currently use.

jabroni_salad 2y ago
I use the boba u4 silents and I consider them to be my endgame switch. It has a very crisp bump despite being quieter than pretty much any other keyboard in my office. I've had them for about 2 years and nothing else has caught my eye since I got them. These hall effect dealios do sound interesting but I've never liked linear. I dont think I'm interested in changing the actuation point since it would be desynchronized from the bump point. As far as analog controls go, I have controllers for that.
- Tsiklon 2y ago
  Ohh cool I didn’t know ZealPC was making HE switches