I haven't gone far enough to determine what this is yet. However, if you click on the graph, then select additional presses, you'll notice that it's quite consistent between presses.
Yes, and that's exactly why I was asking.
Yes and no...
Hmm, I'd need some low wear (or NIB) older MX Browns. The only ones I have are quite worn.lepidus wrote: Do you know if there is any difference between new and older cherry browns? I could swear the cherry browns from an old compac board I had were way more tactile than current browns. I'm not sure if its due to switch difference, of just because pretty much every board nowadays place the switches upside down.
They are different switches. The through-hole RGB switch is newer and likely uses a different slider (possibly different contact leaf as well). The older one looks more like a standard Cherry switch.
An ideal force curve is a straight/curved line. The bumpiness shows evidence of a number of quality issues (e.g. spring binding, slider imperfections, housing imperfections, dust/dirt, etc.). Using this testing method it's pretty hard to determine what's causing the deviations, but we do know they are there.
Let me know your address and I'll send over some stock R4 samplers. Will probably throw in a few "Zealiostotles" (Aristotle stem + Zealio housing) so you can measure the click/tactile response on those!
Hey HaaTa,HaaTa wrote: Hmm. In terms of all the Cherry MX Black switches I've tried over the years. They tend to vary a bit, some smoother than others.
To me what's sad, is that there's this wide deviation. I'm also not surprised by your comment that some later MX Blacks were quite smooth (could've been new tooling for all we know, or added more lubricant in that run of switches).
I have not had a chance to test Cherry MX Slient (Pink) switches yet. If anyone is willing to send me some (1-2), I'll happily test them.
I have thought about this, but I don't know manyt switch designs in which is spring is so exposed that it would clearly rub against stationary parts. Could you give an example of a design in which this is very prominent?HaaTa wrote: So, something I've talked about for quite a while that affects most keyboard switches is "spring friction". Or said another way spring binding.
When springs are compressed, they are held into place in switches. The coils of the spring rub against the side of the housing causing additional resistance against the movement of the slider. The material, plating, lubricant and corrosion can have a lot to do with this to varying degrees depending on the switch design.
The number of coils may have a positive or negative affect as well. Few coils means less contact points, but each contact point applies more friction. More coils means more contact points and more chances to get caught on housing imperfections.
In terms of length of springs. this mainly matters for switch pre-load force. Otherwise it doesn't really matter.
Something don't see talked about very much (if at all) is vibrations/force transfer through the spring. When you compress a spring, it doesn't compress uniformly when the coils are being resisted by friction due to the housing. This causes force impulses to be transferred through-out the spring. I suspect this is one of the sources of noise on my force graphs, though it's pretty hard to validate without some sort of highspeed camera and the switch cut open.
Anyways, yep. Springs can affect how a switch feels. But I think the design of the switch itself is more important.
