Force component of the actuator leaf in Alps switches

[Daniel Beardsmore]

This one is for the switch designers.

I got out my Omron B3G-S switch to report on how they feel. Now, my Omron switch was completely broken during a botched attempt to remove and dismantle the switchplate. As a result, the actuator leaf is mangled and no longer protrudes under the slider.

The only springs left in the force equation are the return spring and the click leaf. The result is amazing: instead of the stiff, balky feel it had before, it now has a perfectly fluid force curve — essentially it now feels just like buckling spring, with the low tactile point and high reset point, just lighter and smoother. The slider doesn't stick at the tactile point while you ramp up the force in your finger: you just glide over it in one continuous fluid motion. No Alps or Cherry switch feels like this; the closest production switch with this sort of feeling is Futaba clicky, but that seems to be a bit of a disaster.

This ties in with what I was musing about blue vs white Alps, that it's the actuator leaf that's responsible for the change in feel. The actuator leaf only adds a small amount of tactility (which you can discern if you remove the click leaf from blue Alps) but it does seem to strengthen the tactility to the point of making the switch balky and halting.

It looks like the trick of getting an incredible-feeling switch is to replace the actuator leaf with something that doesn't affect the force curve anywhere near as much.

[Muirium]

Is this idea Alps-specific? Or rather: is MX not invited to the buckling spring impersonation party? Because that sounds quite the tasty mod. Have you also tried it with your Matiaiae?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Cherry MX doesn't separate the click and tactile component out from the contact mechanism.

I was thinking that maybe what we need is a "negative force" contact mechanism (think SMK or Cherry) but then SMK switches don't have this same smooth feel. Futaba is the only other switch that feels that way, and it's completely different inside.

I've not tried any other switches, no.