APT tactile & clicky Hall effect keyboards review

[Go-Kart]

One thing I would really love to see, is a revival of Pawnerd's inductive switch project.

https://alltrons.com/analog-keyboard-technology/

Being able to turn any existing keyboard switch analog, and therefore adjust the actuation point in itself is amazing, but I think the real potential lies with Matias switches. Using this inductive switch technology would allow for removal of the contact leaves, which plague an otherwise great switch with chattering, and get rid of the large second bump after the first one caused by the tactile/click leaves.

Matias switches combined with this technology would absolutely destroy existing MX tactiles.

There we go! Brilliant. Without running the numbers, my only concern for a technology like induction would be range of effect/cross talk between neighbouring switches but that would be the only possible problem I could think of with such a switch design. Otherwise, looks promising.

[Muirium]

Just needs a capable controller. Inductance isn't the same thing as capacitance, but they're certainly related. Looks like something we could actually do.

Other than that: putting the sense coils on the PCB is very slick. Perhaps the same footprint would even work for a hybrid MX / Alps PCB? Depends where the switch pins go, I suppose, and where you'd need to centre the coils.

[Elrick]

One thing I would really love to see, is a revival of Pawnerd's inductive switch project.

https://alltrons.com/analog-keyboard-technology/

Being able to turn any existing keyboard switch analog, and therefore adjust the actuation point in itself is amazing, but I think the real potential lies with Matias switches. Using this inductive switch technology would allow for removal of the contact leaves, which plague an otherwise great switch with chattering, and get rid of the large second bump after the first one caused by the tactile/click leaves.

Matias switches combined with this technology would absolutely destroy existing MX tactiles.

Fascinating in seeing this happen in Real Life. If something comes of it then we should rejoice in getting something new added to the Keyboard Realm rather than another Cherry MX release (really getting sick and tired buying any more Aluminium Keyboards using MX switching).

Not thinking that Matias is able to provide much of anything here, since in the past he failed to supply any of his keyboards in sufficient numbers for retail, let alone his switches.

Maybe someone (manufacturer) in China could provide that tech, so it goes into the retail Chain far earlier and easier. Sorry but the Chinese are the new manufacturers able to deliver anything on Planet Earth, for 2021 and beyond (as much as we all hate it).

[Go-Kart]

Spoiler:

One thing I would really love to see, is a revival of Pawnerd's inductive switch project.

https://alltrons.com/analog-keyboard-technology/

Being able to turn any existing keyboard switch analog, and therefore adjust the actuation point in itself is amazing, but I think the real potential lies with Matias switches. Using this inductive switch technology would allow for removal of the contact leaves, which plague an otherwise great switch with chattering, and get rid of the large second bump after the first one caused by the tactile/click leaves.

Matias switches combined with this technology would absolutely destroy existing MX tactiles.

Fascinating in seeing this happen in Real Life. If something comes of it then we should rejoice in getting something new added to the Keyboard Realm rather than another Cherry MX release (really getting sick and tired buying any more Aluminium Keyboards using MX switching).

Not thinking that Matias is able to provide much of anything here, since in the past he failed to supply any of his keyboards in sufficient numbers for retail, let alone his switches.

Maybe someone (manufacturer) in China could provide that tech, so it goes into the retail Chain far earlier and easier.[/spoiler] Sorry but the Chinese are the new manufacturers able to deliver anything on Planet Earth, for 2021 and beyond (as much as we all hate it).

I'd estimate that only to be true for the immediate future. Whilst not wishing to bring politics into a keyboard thread, I think it's relevant to acknowledge that many leaders in the west have expressed thoughts, wishes and have even taken tentative first steps in regard to moving away from a reliance on the world's default manufacturing hub. For the foreseeable future at least I see China maintaining it's hold on manufacturing but it will be interesting to see where we are in ten years time. Particularly if entrepreneurs identify the change ahead of the shift and move early to take advantage and get a foothold.

[Muirium]

If we're really, really lucky, we'll get a second Shenzhen in Vietnam. Woo!

Small manufacturing, like we're into with keyboards, should be a different story really. They don't need the insane supply chain integration that phones and such demand. But China's hard to survive, let alone take on in a straight fight, even for simple products. Customers are going to have to open their wallets a good bit wider for more ethically sourced hardware. Will they? History says not.

[Go-Kart]

Voting with one's wallet is one of the few ways we can actually help affect broader change.

[Muirium]

True.

Another way is voting for political parties with protectionist trade policies who would tax Chinese imports and, ideally, spend the money on local companies / subsidising local labour. Though, the way we're all connected now (yes, even Brexitland…) that's easier said than done. Trade gets real sticky. Just look at the mess the Xinjiang slavery issue is causing: China's demanding western companies make it impossible for western consumers to know their clothes came from forced labour camps at the point of purchase. Classy.

[XMIT]

Oh I wasn't familiar with Pawnerd's work. That's amazingly clever. My biggest concern is power draw. Also strictly speaking it may not work with all switch based designs as they claim. Buckling springs would move away from the axis of the inductive sensor upon buckling. However, it's possible that the sudden drop in inductive response could be used to detect actuation. Just, it would be tough to do analog sensing since the spring's inductive response would be decidedly non linear.