Hello,
I think a very good idea would be some sort of 3D printed press tool to uniformly bend worn-out Alps leafsprings back to their original shape. I have lots of black Alps that I would like to restore, but I fear hand bending them will cause inconsistencies. I am not good at 3D design, though.
3D-Printable Alps click leaf re-bending tool.
- abrahamstechnology
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Laser with SMK Cherry mount
- Main mouse: Mitsumi ECM-S3902
- Favorite switch: Alps and Alps clones
- DT Pro Member: 0212
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- Location: Midwestern US
- Main keyboard: KBT Race S L.E.
- Main mouse: Logitech G700
- Favorite switch: Ergo Clear
- DT Pro Member: -
Ideally you would bend them to work the same, not look the same, but that gets tricky, and while you can match the spring pressure at any one point, they will differ everywhere else.
In order for them to all be consistent all the way through, the material in all of them needs to be the same, same work load, same stresses, same shape, and that just isn't possible at this point.
In order for them to all be consistent all the way through, the material in all of them needs to be the same, same work load, same stresses, same shape, and that just isn't possible at this point.
- abrahamstechnology
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Laser with SMK Cherry mount
- Main mouse: Mitsumi ECM-S3902
- Favorite switch: Alps and Alps clones
- DT Pro Member: 0212
Aren't they all the same? For a given switch series, that is.LeslieAnn wrote: ↑Ideally you would bend them to work the same, not look the same, but that gets tricky, and while you can match the spring pressure at any one point, they will differ everywhere else.
In order for them to all be consistent all the way through, the material in all of them needs to be the same, same work load, same stresses, same shape, and that just isn't possible at this point.
-
- Location: Midwestern US
- Main keyboard: KBT Race S L.E.
- Main mouse: Logitech G700
- Favorite switch: Ergo Clear
- DT Pro Member: -
Yes, but certain keys have been used far more than others.abrahamstechnology wrote: ↑Aren't they all the same? For a given switch series, that is.LeslieAnn wrote: ↑Ideally you would bend them to work the same, not look the same, but that gets tricky, and while you can match the spring pressure at any one point, they will differ everywhere else.
In order for them to all be consistent all the way through, the material in all of them needs to be the same, same work load, same stresses, same shape, and that just isn't possible at this point.
- abrahamstechnology
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Laser with SMK Cherry mount
- Main mouse: Mitsumi ECM-S3902
- Favorite switch: Alps and Alps clones
- DT Pro Member: 0212
The idea is they would conform to the shape of the press, thus be consistent.LeslieAnn wrote: ↑Yes, but certain keys have been used far more than others.abrahamstechnology wrote: ↑Aren't they all the same? For a given switch series, that is.LeslieAnn wrote: ↑Ideally you would bend them to work the same, not look the same, but that gets tricky, and while you can match the spring pressure at any one point, they will differ everywhere else.
In order for them to all be consistent all the way through, the material in all of them needs to be the same, same work load, same stresses, same shape, and that just isn't possible at this point.
-
- Location: Midwestern US
- Main keyboard: KBT Race S L.E.
- Main mouse: Logitech G700
- Favorite switch: Ergo Clear
- DT Pro Member: -
Metal fatigue is different on every switch due to age and cycles, simply bending them all to look alike/be the same shape will not result in a uniform feel. You will actually make it worse than it already is because you are adding even more fatigue to make them the same shape, which is no longer a way to judge how they will perform. Frankly, it never was, shape is only one factor in how a spring performs.
There is only one way to make them all work identical again is to melt them down and start over.
There is only one way to make them all work identical again is to melt them down and start over.