I’m just getting going with my lovely model 100 - but getting a bit of wrist pain (which I’ve always been prone to, and why I wanted a split keyboard!)
So obviously I’m playing around with layout etc, but one thing I notice is that I’m bottoming out quite a bit when I’m typing. (I’m coming from microsoft 4000 ergonomic keyboards which I generally find really good, and I’m hoping to make the model 100 even better!). And seeing if I can soften my typing (with some success, and it definitely helps my wrists if I don’t bottom out).
Now with the microsoft I’m definitely bottoming out, but it’s cushioned so it doesn’t seem to matter as much.
So I’m wondering what you’d suggest to avoid or soften the bottoming out?
O-rings? If so, what sort/size?
Different switches? If so, what should be on my shortlist to sample? (I’m thinking ideally there’d be a gentle press to activate, then a lot of force to push back before hitting the bottom… is that a sensible thing to look for in a switch?)
Starting with the caveat that what will work for you may not be what worked for me, I’d suggest considering the Gazzew U4 boba silent tactile switches, probably with the weakest (62g) springs. I have those on my keyboard, and they have been exactly what I wanted: tactile, silent, soft. I ended up lubing them while I waited my model 100 to arrive, without even knowing if I would really consider changing switches, but in the end one of my model 100 came with speed coppers that I did not like as much as I though I would. Nothing wrong with them, just not for me.
Here is my rationale: they have silicone dampeners that help with making them silent, but also provide cushioning when you bottom out.
I am not sure how soft/hard the microsoft 4000 key are, but if you can find details from it, you could try to locate mechanical switches that would approximate that behavior. It will likely not be a perfect match, since you are comparing what is likely a membrane keyboard with mechanical switches.
You’re welcome. The only drawback with those switches is that they are not always available.
I got mine a long time ago from https://kirballskeys.com/, but they do not seem to have the clear rgb 62 g I bought.
On the other hand, they seem to have something I did not see before: springs from gazzew with different strengths. I am both disappointed and relieved they did not have it when I bought my switches: disappointed because I could have set the switches even lighter when I had the switches lubed, but relieved because if I had seem them before I put the switches on my keyboardio, I would have bought them, and disassembled all switches to try new springs.
It seems you can even build your own switches, but I would not recommend it.
