30g springs on Cherry?

Ace · 25 Feb 2015, 07:55

My question's really quite simple: Are there light springs available for Cherry MX switches. If you put a Red spring in a Black switch, the two would be identical. Can this not be done to make Reds (or Blacks, if one choose those as a base) lighter than the 45g "limit"? Honestly, I love linear switches for both gaming and typing (only if they have O-rings installed), but have always appreciated the extra lightness of 30g Topres (even though I don't own any 30g Topres.....).
Do lighter springs exist? And if they do, are they practical, or will a 30g Red be too light?

chzel · 25 Feb 2015, 08:40

There shouldn't be any problem for linears, unless there is too much friction!
Tactile ones OTH will most likely have trouble returning past the tactile bump.

IKSLM · 25 Feb 2015, 08:56

I'm using 2 keyboards which originally had mx-blacks but now they run on originative 55g springs which are a bit lighter than the mx-red. It feels awesome. I did it on the PCB mounted switches, you will have to desolder them if they are plate mounted.

Ace · 25 Feb 2015, 21:18

Care to inform me where you obtained those lighter springs? And how resistant are Red springs. It's 45g to actuate (same with Topre, I believe; 30g to actuate, but more to bottom), but I actually have no idea how much force is needed to bottom out.

Stabilized · 25 Feb 2015, 21:59

The lightest I have seen have been 50g (bottom out force) and they are sold by Sprit:
http://deskthority.net/group-buys-f50/m ... t8416.html

Not sure about lighter then that, I have seen some on Taobao, but I don't know if that was actuation or to bottom out.
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z ... 8eagphec44#
The lowest weight available is 35g.

EDIT: I have been reading on GH that Sprit is taking orders still, but not contacting anyone/shipping anything out; so I am not sure if that is a worthwhile option at this point.

Muirium · 25 Feb 2015, 22:07

Some of Sprit's 50g springs (with shiny gold plating… because it's all he had left in stock) are on their way to me. They're going in linear MX switches of course. Anything with a bump spells trouble.

As for 30g Topre… that's a dome. Whole different thing to a spring. (The conical spring Topre's domes have inside them are just there for the capsense. I've tried taking them out and the difference is too slight to notice!)

Stabilized · 25 Feb 2015, 22:20

I have some of the 50g springs from Sprit, they are pretty light, but not exceptionally. They are definitely lighter then Reds but have a very nice 'spring' to them (for the lack of a better word). They feel springy!

I have yet to test them out on a whole keyboard (under the HHKB function in my Gon) but they are destined to go into some Gaterons I have coming (slowly, thanks to Chinese New Year).

Findecanor · 25 Feb 2015, 22:54

Check out the Gateron switch group buy that is running right now. The "Gateron Clear" is 35g and the switch is supposedly very smooth, while at the same time sliders, springs and housings are interchangeable with Cherry MX. The price is also very low per switch.

IKSLM · 25 Feb 2015, 22:54

AbuBakr Akram wrote: ↑Care to inform me where you obtained those lighter springs? And how resistant are Red springs. It's 45g to actuate (same with Topre, I believe; 30g to actuate, but more to bottom), but I actually have no idea how much force is needed to bottom out.

I bought it over the originative (the web store seems to be "offline" now). Here is the force chart for different springs:
(i have the originative 55, mx-red is "cherry light")

Ace · 26 Feb 2015, 00:55

Findecanor wrote: ↑Check out the Gateron switch group buy that is running right now. The "Gateron Clear" is 35g and the switch is supposedly very smooth, while at the same time sliders, springs and housings are interchangeable with Cherry MX. The price is also very low per switch.

Excellent! Is that 35g for actuation or bottoming out? Not that it matters; it's low enough.

EDIT: Can you, by chance, provide a link?

Nuum · 26 Feb 2015, 09:37

I think I've read on GeekHack that Gateron measures the switch weight at the activation point, like Cherry does.

Ace · 26 Feb 2015, 09:50

Thought so. Thanks!