Question about multi-switch/layout plates

[tentator]

I'm starting another small 60% handwired job with one of those 60% plates that allow different switches (alps/cherry) and different layouts (iso/ansi/modifier bottom row) but I wanted to ask you a suggestion about how are you guys actually mounting to those plates the stabilizers and the switches in all those places where actually the grid has too much of a hole (almost all modifiers, in particular shifts, enter and \ keys)?

I could understand a shot of hotglue or so to hold the switches in place on the lager holes but on the shifts or enter keys I cannot figure out a good way to fix the stabilizers so far (I tried with both cherry and costar stabilizers)..

This is one of those plates as an example.. you see the iso/ansi enter space and the shifts with big lids, top and bottom to the usual stabs anchor points, that basically prevent any mechanical holding of them...

detail of shift and ansi enter on the plate

photo109275380194586245.jpg (205.09 KiB) Viewed 2484 times

Thanks in advance,
tent:wq

[duynguyenle]

The quick answer is that you don't. These 'universal' plates are made with PCBs in mind. I suppose you could try and hot-snot glue the stabilisers in place, but for hand wiring jobs, your best bet would be to draw out your desired layout in Swill's tool and have the plate custom cut by a specialised sheet metal fab. (A local company probably can do it for you for cheap, but if none is available where you live, lasergist is also a good option albeit very pricey)

[tentator]

uhm.. I see.. but even if pcb mounted the stabilizers I really wonder that they still don't get stick to the metal plate.. I mean quite the opposite of "stable"!
What is that Swill tool you mention? But I immagine you mean to send a cad to a laser metal cutting company, right? Well here in Switzerland that is really expensive.. would rather ask outside..

[ideus]

For hand-wired projects you should get plate mounted stabilizers, they came in both, Cherry and Costar, the cut outs fit them well.

[tentator]

Well in theory but this plate is universal so the platemounted stabs definitely don't fit

[ideus]

Yeah, I forgot to reinforce the fact that you have to get a specially cut plate, the commercially available, universal, ones do not take but PCB mounted stabs.

[duynguyenle]

uhm.. I see.. but even if pcb mounted the stabilizers I really wonder that they still don't get stick to the metal plate.. I mean quite the opposite of "stable"!
What is that Swill tool you mention? But I immagine you mean to send a cad to a laser metal cutting company, right? Well here in Switzerland that is really expensive.. would rather ask outside..

Swills tool is a online utility that generate any keyboard layout you can imagine, with proper stabiliser cutout, which you can then download the CAD files and have it custom cut (the tool even has integration with Lasergist which is an EU-based lasercutting service, really quite convenient and decently priced)

Edit: stabilisers for Cherry keycaps don't need to be exactly nailed down to be stable, there can be some play in the stabs, but once you put the keycap on, the stems on the keycap constrain how much movement there is in both the lateral and longitudinal directions, since both left and right stabiliser posts are fixed relative to the switch by the keycap stems.

[tentator]

Ok I see.. any suggestion about a good epoxy putty I could use to fix this "universal mistake" I did? )

[duynguyenle]

Ok I see.. any suggestion about a good epoxy putty I could use to fix this "universal mistake" I did? )

I think it's probably easier to get a plate custom cut from lasergist, lower chance of messing up (I don't really recommend gluing in stabilisers, you might get glue where you don't want to and make the stab slider seize up). Generating a plate file and ordering it is very easy and seamless since Swill incorporated the ordering system into the tool itself.

[Findecanor]

Ok I see.. any suggestion about a good epoxy putty I could use to fix this "universal mistake" I did? )

Epoxy putty would not hold up. Not even if the filling isn't load-bearing, because of tiny flex in the plate.

The only way I have found to fill holes in a plate is to epoxy (glue, not putty) sheet metal to the back of the plate, the larger the contact area the better. Then you could perhaps use epoxy putty to fill any gaps there may be in the surface.