Havit Magic Eagle Mechanical Keyboard How to Light Up All Keys Again

When choosing your mechanical switches, you lot only desire the best. The trouble is that in that location are many kinds of switches, and there'southward no easy way to larn and compare them. Luckily, we've done the enquiry and created this guide for you!

Welcome to 2020's Ultimate Guide to Mechanical Switches!

After you lot've spent time reading this, you lot'll take a deeper understanding of mechanical switches, and more than importantly, you'll be able to choose the ones that are best for y'all.

So allow'south begin!

Unfortunately, at that place is no easy answer to the question, "Which switch practise I choose?"

It really depends on your preferences!

• What noise practice you like to hear when typing on your keys? And how tolerant is your surround to the click-clack of the switches?
• Do you like feeling a bump each time you lot printing a key or do you prefer a smooth printing?
• What's your typing style? Are you a light typist or do you tend to lesser out?
• Will y'all be using them mainly for gaming or typing?

If you don't know the reply to any of these questions, don't worry! This guide is here to help!

Table of contents

1. What are mechanical switches?
2. Types of mechanical switches: linear, tactile, and clicky
3. Understanding the characteristics of a switch
4. 4 key factors to consider when choosing your mechanical switches
5. In-depth mechanical switches comparing guide
6. Mechanical switches accessories
7. Terminology & references

What are mechanical switches?

Mechanical switches are the mechanisms underneath each key. They determine the activation of a keystroke.

Mechanical switches components

Let's take a deeper await at the components of a mechanical switch and learn their importance one past i.

1. The keycap
   The keycap isn't part of the mechanical switch merely it is partially responsible for the noise generated when the key is bottomed out.
   
2. The stem
   The shape of the stalk varies the actuation and travel altitude of the switch. It creates the keystroke feel and determines the switch blazon.
3. The upper housing
   This part protects and guides the stalk. Information technology is also the part that the keycap hits when you lot press the central.
4. The coil bound
   The resistance of the ringlet spring determines the amount of force per unit area needed to activate the key. It also guides the switch to slide back to its original position.
5. The base of operations housing
   This is where the upper housing is mounted. This is the piece that attaches and clips to the PCB.
6. The crosspoint contact
   A tiny metal or golden piece where the electricity flows. One time y'all press a key, the contact mechanism hits the PCB and closes the switch circuit, thus rendering a key press.

If you want to learn more virtually how other kinds of switches piece of work, cheque out this cool video!

Types of mechanical switches

In that location are 3 types of mechanical switches: linear, tactile, and clicky. They are defined past their keystroke behaviour.

Ruby MX Cherry linear switch mechanism.

Linear switches

Linear switches have the simplest operation.

They move straight up and down without any tactile feedback or clicking dissonance.

The smooth keystroke allows for more rapid actuation, making them the preferred switch for gamers.

Ruby MX Brown Tactile switch machinery

Tactile switches

Tactile switches provide tactile feedback.

They provide a noticeable bump in the middle of travel to allow you know that your key printing has been registered.

They are platonic for typing considering you get a slight indication of a keypress without needing to bottom out your keys.

Cherry MX Blue Clicky switch mechanism.

Clicky switches

Clicky switches work the same way as tactile ones. But they offer a distinct "click" sound when the fundamental is activated.

They are neat for those who want a distinct indication that of a keypress and for those who beloved the "clicky" sound.

Agreement the characteristics of a mechanical switch

Likewise the keystroke experience, there are 5 technical characteristics of a switch. Depending on your typing technique and the general purpose of your keyboard, you would need certain values for each characteristic.

1. Operation Strength

It's how hard you have to press the key. Operating force is measured in centinewton (cN) or gram-force (gf). one gf is equal to 0.98 cN, so they are almost equivalent. You can say that a switch with 0.50 cN has 0.fifty gf.

2. Activation Point

It is the point where a keypress is recognized by the keyboard. This is measured in millimeters. Information technology is also known every bit Actuation Point or Operating Position.

iii. Total Travel Distance

It's the altitude your keycap travels until it hits the upper housing of the switch. It'southward basically the distance until you bottom out. This is as well measured in millimeters.

4. Tactile Position

Tactile position is where you feel the bump on tactile and clicky switches. On linear switches, there'south no tactile position.

5. Reset Point

Reset position is the distance at which the cardinal is deactivated when released.

At present let's put these 5 characteristics in a graph and compare two switches:

KAILH SPEED SILVER VS Scarlet MX Bluish

The red line in the graph represents the force and distance when you press a central, while the black line shows the force and altitude when yous release a cardinal.

Kailh Speed Silver is a Linear switch from the Kailh Speed series.

The operating forcefulness of Kailh Speed switches is known to be on the lighter side at 40cN and increases to almost 80cN every bit y'all striking its total travel distance at three.5mm.

At ane.1mm, the switch activates. As you release the central, information technology resets at 1mm.

Having the brusk activation signal shut to the reset point is a neat reward if you want to double-tap or triple-tap quickly while gaming.

Cherry MX Blue is the most common Clicky switch out there.

Scarlet MX Blue'south operating forcefulness is slightly heavier at 60cN. But in one case you lot surpass the tactile position, in that location is simply a slight increase in pressure until you bottom out at 4mm.

The activation indicate is further at 2.2mm, and resets at ane.6mm.

If y'all who don't mind trading a fleck of speed for auditory and tactile feedback, then you'll savor these switches

Based on the pressure needed, we can classify Kailh Speed Silver as a light pressure switch while Ruby MX Bluish as a medium pressure switch.

Speed switches

Whether they're Clicky, Tactile or Linear, the Kailh Speed switches have the shortest activation point of ane.1mm-1.4mm. They're platonic for fast typing and gaming.

Run across more examples of switches.

Mechanical switches durability

What about durability? Will these switches last long or would yous need to restock every so often?

The answer is 50 to 80 million. That's correct, keyboard switch manufacturers guarantee that each switch has a cardinal lifecycle of fifty to 80 1000000 key presses! How have they ensured this? Well by creating testing machines that painstakingly press all the switches that amount of times.

These manufacturers hateful business organisation and their quality command tests are intense. Cherry MX switches for example can withstand extreme temperatures from -40ºC to 180ºC! The reason behind this is when switches are in sea freights, they need to suffer temperatures inside the cargo. If containers are at the acme directly nether the sun, temperatures inside the enclosed metal can reach scorching degrees.

Check out what it'south like inside the Cherry-red MX factory!

Hot-swappable vs soldered switches

A majority of mechanical keyboards take their switches soldered onto them. This means that once you buy your mechanical keyboard, y'all're stuck with the switches it comes with. This tin can be a problem because what if you realize you want a unlike kind of mechanical switch? Or what if one switch breaks?

Sorry gnaw, you need to buy another board...Not!

At that place's a new trend happening in the keyboard earth. Now, you can hot-swap your mechanical switches. This means that the switches aren't soldered onto the board anymore. Y'all can remove and supercede them any time you want.

And this benefits y'all because:

• You tin change your switches depending on your needs without buying another keyboard.
• You can potentially combine dissimilar types of switches in one keyboard layout.
• Y'all can easily change your malfunctioning switches to new ones.

The Dygma Enhance keyboard is one instance of this trend. All its switches are hot-swappable!

4 Fundamental factors to consider when choosing your mechanical switches

1. Environment
2. Tactile preference
3. Hand size, strength, and typing manner
4. General purpose of your keyboard

1.- Your environment

Where will you lot be using your keyboard? Will you lot be in an function surrounded by other people? Volition you be alone in your room?

The first thing yous should consider is your surroundings. Why? Auditory feedback can be a deciding factor of your popularity in an office. And Clicky switches generate a high-pitched and loud "click" sound. People volition either love you or detest yous.

When gaming or typing fast, that sound can be deadly annoying for people. Trust me, I know.

On the other hand, there are people who like hearing the clicky sound when typing as it gives them a clear indication that a key has been pressed. Too, Clicky switches bring a scrap of nostalgia considering it resembles the quondam 80's IBM reckoner keyboard.

Spotter this video of clicky switches through the years.

So when you decide on your switch, expect at your surroundings and consider the people around you lot, if in that location are any. Ask them if they would exist all right hearing the click-clack of your new keyboard. If they're cool with information technology, awesome. If non, then get new friends. But if you lot're non in the business concern of burning bridges, then Tactile and Linear switches are but as cool.

If you lot want to go an idea of how different switches audio, here's a playlist of each switch keypress.

Pro tip: Use clicky switches if you work alone to not annoy others or if yous're a identify that tolerates some click-ballyhoo

ii.- Your tactile preference

The second cistron you should consider is the typing feeling. Do similar feeling a slight bump in every keypress? Or would you prefer information technology smooth?

Tactile and Clicky switches are the ones that have a bump mid travel. Linears, every bit its name suggests, provide a linear keypress.

When typing, the tactile feedback from Tactile and Clicky switches gives more accuracy. Yous'd know if a key press has been registered without needing to bottom out your keys. Once you feel the bump, you can chop-chop movement on to the next key

Bottoming out is when you printing a key all the fashion down until the keycap hits the upper housing of the switch.

When gaming, speed matters. Linear switches have a consistent keypress, thus are the preferred choice for gamers.

Pro tip: Commonly, tactile switches are better for typing and linear switches are better for gaming.

3.- Your manus size, strength, and typing style

Aye, something as unproblematic every bit your hand size fundamentally affects your switch option. And yous know what they say: big hands… big fingers.

People with large hands tend to have misclicks compared to people who have smaller hands. If this is your instance, then information technology would be ideal for y'all to apply switches with:

• High activation points - 2mm and higher
  • The farther the activation indicate, the farther altitude is needed to activate a key.
• Medium to heavy operating force - 55cN and higher
  • The higher the operating force, the higher the pressure needed to activate the switch.

Combining these two backdrop would mean that it would have you lot slightly more effort to actually activate a primal. And it would be enough to help avoid misclicks.

But what if yous're a gentle giant? You have big hands simply you're a light typist. Y'all're more avant-garde in typing and hardly ever misclick. In that instance, go for switches with:

• Medium to high activation points - i.4 higher
  • Since you don't oftentimes misclick, you tin can become for a switch with a slightly shorter activation signal.
• Medium operating force - 55-75cN
  • Every bit a light typist, you can easily command the strength in your fingers. So a switch with medium pressure force would exist the correct corporeality.
• Tactile and/or clicky feedback
  • Being a light typist also means that yous don't bottom out your keys. Once you lot feel that bump mid travel, yous can then move to the next key. Then switches with tactile and/or clicky feedback would be your go to switch.

Now permit'southward motion on to people who accept small to medium sized hands who type lightly, simply sometimes bottoms out. What y'all need are:

• Speed switches
  • With these switches, you have an border at gaming speed. Merely they're not only skilful for gamers.
  • These switches are also cracking for typing, only as long as you lot don't boom the keys. Exist gentle.
  • The shorter the activation point the faster the keypress is registered, making information technology beneficial for fast authentic typing.

And last we have those people who honey pounding their keyboard. We all have that one friend who types equally if it's the worst twenty-four hour period of his or her life and taking it out on the keyboard is the simply release. Well, if you lot're that person, not only do y'all need love and affection only also switches that have:

• Heavy to superheavy operating force - 75cN and college or Speed switches
  • Even if they're operating force is low-cal, their short stem may however conform your typing fashion. They tin can requite you a quicker rebound whenever you lesser out.
• O-rings
  • O-rings dampen the sound your keycaps make when it hits the upper housing of the switch. They too cushion the feeling of your keypress. And permit'south face it, y'all need a little bit of softness in your life.

Bottoming out

When bottoming out your keys, even if it's a Linear switch, it will ever brand a sound. Simply proficient news is that you can minimize this sound.

And if you're the kind of person who is particular with dissonance, remember these other elements that tin can touch on it:

• Keycap size and material
• Presence of a mat (or cushion) underneath the keyboard
• Fabric of your keyboard: plastic or metal
• O-rings
• How hard yous hit your keyboard

If you want to hear how audio changes whenever keys are bottomed out, bank check out the playlist below.

4.- Full general purpose

The overall purpose of your keyboard volition also help you lot decide the switches you need. Will information technology be for gaming? Typing? Or both?

If it's solely for gaming, Linear switches are what you should get, specifically Speed switches. The smooth and consistent keypress helps with rapid movement.

If it's for typing, then Tactile and Clicky switches are smashing because of the feedback they provide. Just if you lot're non a fan of the tactility and "click" sound, then Speed switches would be your all-time bet.

If it'south for both, then choose depending on your typing technique and environment. Buy a keyboard with hot-swappable switches and so y'all can try multiple switches and encounter which one is the best.

But really, it's all upward to y'all. We are only here to give y'all recommendations but at the end of the day, you are the helm of your ship. Then keep immature skipper. You are now fix to dive into the world mechanical switches!

In-depth mechanical switches comparison guide

Beneath is a list of the well-nigh popular keyboard switches, along with their dissimilar characteristics.

They are grouped in types: linear, tactile, and clicky. Accept a look at them and sort them however you desire! This volition help y'all make up one's mind which switches all-time fit your needs.

The brands

Below you lot will find a list of the most popular keyboard switch brands in the market place, each with a brusque story of their history.

Reddish MX

Cherry Corporation started out as an American company dedicated to electronic switches for automotives. In 1984, they received a patent for a new keyboard switch that ultimately divers the Cherry name, the Cherry-red MX.

In 2008, Cherry Corp merged with German language company, ZF Electronics. This led to the refocus of the Cherry-red make into soon becoming the leaders in the keyboard switch market.

Ruby-red MX switches are known for their unique cantankerous-shaped stem ofttimes called the "Cherry MX mount". They take been regarded as being the best mechanical switches due to their quality and durability. Merely in 2004 their patent expired and their monopoly concluded. Many manufacturers such equally Kaihua, Gateron, and Outemu copied the design and produced their own line of switches.

At present Cerise is competing with more affordable switches – some are better, some aren't. Despite the competition, Ruby-red is even so doing their best to be the all-time . Because of complaints from customers of the 'scratchy' switches, Reddish did a retooling of their switches to get the super smooth feeling that anybody wanted. Now that's taking customer feedback seriously.

Nosotros are lucky to witness this rapid expansion and innovation of mechanical switches, with Crimson on meridian. Pun intended.

Cherry's MX switches are widely considered to be the aureate standard of PC-keyboard switches, and they come up in several kinds (designated by "colour") with singled-out pressure, texture, and audio-feedback characteristics.

-Computer Shopper, The states

You can larn more well-nigh Blood-red on his website. Boilerplate toll: $5.50 - x pack.

Kailh

In 2009, Kaihua Electronics started manufacturing Cherry MX's current rival, Kailh switches.

In the beginning, Kailh switches were simply regarded equally copycats of Cherry MX. To put information technology bluntly, they were crap.

They only got their big suspension when they, forth with other switch manufacturing companies, partnered with Razer and created the Razer switches. After several years, they started improving and innovating and made a proper noun for themselves.

Besides the Kailh Traditional switches, they now offering Kailh Speed switches, Kailh Box switches, Kailh Low Profiles, and many others. Kailh Speed switches are known for their shorter activation points and light pressure level forcefulness. Kailh Box switches feature a boxed stem, designed to be dust and h2o resistant.

Although Kailh's research in technology has won them a spot amidst the hearts of keyboard enthusiasts, they've also had their off-white share of disreputability. Last year in 2018, they were called out past Novelkeys for having a 1.32mm (+- .02mm tolerance) X axis on their Box switches, when near keycaps need the stems to be ane.3mm (+- .02mm tolerance). The .02 add-on caused some irreplaceable harm to some keycaps and left some customers with unusable switches.

Nevertheless, Kailh switches are yet well-known across the world and continuously exceed many expectations .

We were very fortunate to visit Kaihua Electronics in Dongguan, Cathay. And we couldn't have been more amazed. Who would've known this so-called "copycats" would have one of the most sophisticated factories that nosotros've always seen! The quality control facilities were outset-class and their standards didn't tolerate anything less than perfect. How they operated was listen-blowingly impressive. Truthful enough, their regard for high quality is very much reflected in their products.

You can larn more than about Kailh on his website. Average toll: $3.50 - 10 pack.

Gateron

Gateron switches are common amid keyboard enthusiasts, peculiarly in Europe. They are manufactured by Huizhou Gateron Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., which was established in 2000.

Gateron switches also have the MX stem. Some people adopt them over the arguably "scratchy" Cherry-red MX switches. Because of Gateron'due south popularity in the customs, they even produced another line of exceptional switches, Zealio, dedicated for Zeal PC.

Gateron was one of the switches that we were thinking of shipping with the Dygma Raise. But when nosotros visited their factory during our trip to China, nosotros weren't that impressed. They lacked the loftier quality control that we saw in Kaihua. So it was after that trip that we decided to sell the Raise with Cherry MX and Kailh switches.

Only yous never know. We oasis't airtight our doors all the same and if the time comes that nosotros become a lot of people asking for Gateron switches, we volition consider paying their factory a visit next time.

Gateron website. Average cost: $3 - 10 pack.

Matias

Matias was founded in 1989 in Toronto. They've always been in the business of manufacturing keyboards both for Mac and PC. But it wasn't until 2004 that their Tactile Pro 3 got recognized in Macworld as the "Best Onetime-School Keyboard". The switches they used were Alps switches.

In the late 80's and through the 90's, Alps Electrical Co. was regarded equally how we see Ruby Corporation today. Almost keyboards then used Alps switches. Now, Alps Electrical no longer produces keyboard switches but the Alps proper noun is still used to denote the stalk type on the switch.

Today, Matias switches are globally recognized as a recreation of Alps. They are bachelor in 3 types such as the Repose Click , Click , and Tranquillity Linear.

Matias website. Average cost: $5 - 10 pack.

Outemu

Outemu switches are made by Dongguan Gaote Electronics Co. Their switches are the most identical to Ruby MX. They even accept the same characteristics corresponding to the same color schemes as the MX ones. But like whatever other cardinal switch manufacturer, Outemu also has its own line of switches such as Outemu Water ice, which also has a transparent base like the Zealio switches.

Outemu website. Average price: $iii - 10 pack.

Razer

Razer Inc. is an American gaming hardware manufacturing visitor established in 2005. It's almost incommunicable to search for any gaming peripheral without bumping into Razer.

In 2014, Razer teamed up with Kaihua, Greentech, and TTC to develop the Razer mechanical switches, which were then installed on the Razer BlackWidow serial. Since then, Razer has also developed their own production lines of gaming switches and introduced hybrids such as the Razer Opto-Mechanical switches and Razer Mecha-Membrane.

Razer switches are only available in the Razer keyboards and cannot be bought off-the-shelf.

Romer-Thousand

Logitech International is an established electronics company that provides computer and mobile peripherals. Afterward seeing a lack of mechanical switches specifically designed for gaming, they decided to develop their signature switch, the Romer-G.

The Romer-G design is different than the mutual MX switches. It has the shortest full travel altitude, iii.2mm, among all its competitors. It features dual contacts to register actuation and has a lifespan of seventy meg keystrokes. Also, the stalk of the key goes effectually the metal spring rather than within it. This allows the unabridged top of the central to be brightly lit up.

Similarly to Razer, Romer-G switches cannot be bought off-the-shelf.

Mechanical switches accessories

Keycap-switch puller

A keycap-switch puller is a pocket-sized tool with looped tongs on i side to remove keycaps and another set of tongs on the other to remove switches.

O-rings

O-rings dampen the audio your keycaps make when you lot lesser out.

They won't absolutely silence your keyboard, but they will definitely reduce the sound. They are placed around the stem of the switch.

Iii elements to consider when choosing O-rings:

• The diameter of the O-ring.

• The thickness (or depth) of the O-band.

• The hardness of the material.

Diameter

The most common O-rings are Ruby MX compatible. They take a diameter of v mm. If you're non sure about the diameter you lot need, search for your switch brand and check what other people are using.

Thickness

The thickness of the O-rings can shorten the keycap travel altitude. A common thickness is 0.4mm, which gives the equivalent travel reduction. But there are also O-rings 0.2mm thick. They barely reduce central travel distance.

Hardness

When buying O-rings, you'll see labels such every bit "50A" and "80A" in their clarification. The "A" refers to the "Shore A" hardness scale that measures the flexibility of rubber substances. The number refers to its hardness: 0 is incredibly soft and 100 is rock hard.

If you prefer a soft O-ring, yous would want to look for a hardness of xxx-40A on the soft side to 70-80A on the very firm size.

Pro tip: We recommend sticking with forty-50A, as once you get into the higher numbers, the band is firm enough that information technology tends to lose its audio reducing abilities.

Installing your O-rings

To install your O-rings, all y'all demand is a keycap puller and a little patience.

With the keycaps removed, simply flip them over and identify the O-rings onto the keycap stems.

Endeavour to printing it evenly and without twisting or distorting the ring. If y'all put information technology unevenly, you lot'll find that the keycap travel is adversely affected. The keypress will feel weird.

Based on the epitome below, you would want the O-rings to look similar the rightmost keycap. It should be pressed downward against the finish of the stem.

Terminology

Activation betoken

Activation Point (or Operating Position) is the fundamental travel altitude where the keypress is recognized by the keyboard.

Bottoming Out

Bottoming out is when you printing a key all the manner down until the keycap hits the upper housing of the switch.

Clicky switches

Clicky switches make an aural 'click' when typing. Clicky switches are typically preferred by typists considering of the clear indication of a keypress.

Key Lifecycle

The lifespan of a key switch, or how many times a fundamental switch can be activated earlier declining. Usually represented by 20 - lxx million keystrokes for mechanical keyboards.

Linear switches

Linear switches accept a smooth and linear keystroke.

Operating Force

Operating strength (Actuation Force) is the force required at this point. Put merely, information technology'due south how difficult you have to press the cardinal for it to be recognized. It is measured in centinewton (cN) or gram-force (gf, often referred to as 1000).

Plate Mounted vs PCB Mounted

Plate mounted means that the switch is mounted to a metal plate with the PCB under the plate. PCB mounted means that the switch is mounted straight to the PCB.

Tactile switches

Tactile switches have a crash-land mid travel a keypress. This crash-land typically represents the actuation indicate.

Total Travel Altitude

This refers to the total travel distance of the keys when pressed.

References

Deskthority, Tesoro, Howtogeek, Progamer, KeyboardCo, Cherry, Input.club, PCgamer, Kailh, Gateron, Matias, Outemu, KitGuru, MK'southward, PCgamingrace, Tomsguide, Daskeyboard, Progamerreview, xahlee

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Source: https://dygma.com/blogs/stories/the-ultimate-guide-to-mechanical-keyboard-switches-for-2020

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