Two switches under double wide keys?

[wesmw]

I'm building a custom keyboard, and I was wondering if anybody else has tried putting two switches underneath their shift, return, etc. Does it make it too heavy, or does it give it a nice solid feel?

[Findecanor]

This is not unusual. Many keys on point-of-sale keyboards and keypads that are programmable allow 2×1 or 1×2 keys spanning two switches. There are even 2×2 keys.

Yes, it can get quite heavy. One way to get around that is to remove the spring from the switch that isn't connected. There are keyboards with "big-ass" backwards-L Return keys that do that.
I am unsure if a 2.75 key would be properly stabilised at the left and right edges though.

[Muirium]

Don't even think about it for the space bar, unless you stick with 2u. Switches aren't connected together by wire like real stabs, so all keys that are mounted across several switches have a lot of tilt. It's okay on 2u (in either dimension) but sloppy on 4.

[Kurk]

The general conclusion and also my personal experience is: Two or more switches under one cap feels crappy.

[jacobolus]

Keyboards from the 80s fairly regularly put 2 switches under the spacebar (in addition to a stabilizer wire). I would recommend making at least one of them a linear switch, or you might get some odd effect from slightly different tactile points on the two switches. Some old keyboards have a switch under one side of the spacebar, and a bare spring under the other side.

To be honest though, just using a stiffer spring is probably going to feel better than using multiple switches, if you really need that extra stiffness.

I wouldn't recommend making the switches under return and shift heavier, as you’ll need to press them with your pinkies, which aren’t especially strong. (Unless you use thumb keys for return/shift.)

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Keyboards from the 80s fairly regularly put 2 switches under the spacebar (in addition to a stabilizer wire).

Which ones did that? I don't recall seeing many with that characteristic.

[jacobolus]

Here's one example:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=542 ... msg1217153

Maybe “fairly regularly” is an overstatement, but I’ve seen at least 3

[Compgeke]

3278 Beamspring boards also use a second switch for stabilization.

[E TwentyNine]

In the beamsprings the second switch isn't a full switch, only the top part of the internal mechanism. So it only acts as a guide, there's not a second click or the associated change in the key force.