(another) question - springs

[Laser]

I have some mx clear switches on a cheap cherry keyboard, and i intend to test them with different springs. What i can already say about them is:
- the default clear springs are too heavy (for me of course)
- the springs from mx blue switches feel too light with the clear top switch

So, i know different vendors sell alternative springs (62g, 65g, 80g). Which one is bewteen the blue - clear springs range? Also, when testing, the springs from black cherries felt little lighter than the clear ones. Placebo?

Thanks

[Jmneuv]

I'm on your tail today :p
65g is well in the middle. black = placebo seems to be true, see below
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46449.0

[Laser]

Thanks for (both) answers, and great thread reference (which also links to another good threads)! from that table it seems the clear springs are a little heavier than the black ones ( 11.08 vs 12.96 k(g/mm) - but that's not too important, anyway).

[dorkvader]

Thanks for (both) answers, and great thread reference (which also links to another good threads)! from that table it seems the clear springs are a little heavier than the black ones ( 11.08 vs 12.96 k(g/mm) - but that's not too important, anyway).

You are correct.

It's like when listing switches by actuation force and bottom out force, clears and cherry "heavy" (black) are swapped.

Putting cherry "light" springs into a clear switch makes them feel too light for me as well. Some even fail to return! From what I have been told, this is why 62g springs were made, to be just a little heavier than cherry "light" to ensure all the "ergo" clears will actuate and return properly.

Putting black springs into clear housings (making panda clears, I think they're called) is something some people do, though there's not enough of a difference for me to want to try.

Finally, it's not on Rknize's graph, but 65g are basically in the middle between cherry "light" and cherry "heavy". You can extrapolate this form his data, though.

[Laser]

Thanks for the info

I will try to compare the black springs with the 65g i ordered, when they'll arrive, with the clear switch. The default clear spring, as i remember, was almost painful when bottoming out. I think i have no problem if the force is higher at the beginning of the push, it's the end of the move which should be made lighter, so the pandas might be allright. In any case, i hope one of these springs (heavy or 65g) will match my fingers (the blue ones i'm using now are certainly too light).

[Muirium]

Isn't the design motive of a tactile switch meant to be to make it as easy as possible not to bottom out? I like heavy switches anyway so I'm likely biased, but aren't stock clears already pretty good if you don't insist on fully pressing them to the bottom every time?

[Laser]

You're right of course in the fact that it's not hard to press the stock clears when stopping right after the actuation point.
But i found it impossible to press *just* to that point, even when typing very fast (i do touch-type). I mean, i didn't "insist" (nice touch, that ) in bottoming out, on the contrary, but i found myself everytime pushing the keys more than those 2 mms. And the switches are unforgivable, below that level. Probably the clears are like a hard teacher: if using them for a prolonged time, one either runs away, builds strong fingers, or learns to fly over the keyboard in a kind of kung-fu stop-motion-after-actuation martial typing style. So probably i'll choose some form of kung-fu ... panda