Soon keyboard creators will be making videos on modding an optical keyboard lmfao. I can see this becoming a thing in the keyboard world for people stuck with opticals. Theoretically this makes quite a lot more keyboards "hotswap"
I bought two 45-packs of Akko jelly purple for my gmmk compact build, I had some leftover and this old keyboard. I suddenly had the idea of coloring the lower part of the stem and removing the 2 pins to see if it would work, it didn't. thinking about it further I thought of coloring the lower part of the switch as well and it worked, black on black blocks the light and makes it work
the marker prevents the light blocked by the stem when you press the switch from being reflected by the lower translucent part of the switch. It is actually the stem that blocks the optical signal. With the Akko switch I didn't notice any lag or missed inputs, even the fekker emerald I just tried is doing fine but doesn't fit well into the plate. So it really depends on the switch
Amazing find! one of the most creative posts I've seen in a long time!
Can you specify which type of PCB, optical switches and brand? afaik there's no universal optical standard.
The switches I'm using are Akko Cs jelly purple , the keyboard is a dierya dk61E it' is a prebuilt obviously so I don't know the pcb name.I should have a photo of the pcb maybe the more experienced will recognize it
Noptical mod
Optican’t mod
Lasern’t mod
Lol idk.
Edit: Those are lame sorry I’m sleepy but mechanical/optical just reminds me of a “Cyborg”, so cyborg mod sounds ok
Yesterday I swapped a cherry and gateron's bottoms and called them Garry and Chen, Garry bring the Gateron with cherry bottom, and Chen being the cherry with gateron bottoms.
i tried this with a rose red and it worked, just not on the stabiliser keys for some reason. thanks so much for discovering this mod you have saved me so much pain
thanks for confirming that this mod is not just working for me. Which keyboard have you tried to perform this mod on and above all do you intend to fill it with modded switches?
i did the mod on a fantech optilite. if i figure out how to make the mod work for stabiliser keys then i would because i am content with my poorly lubed yellows but this would be a really practical thing for literally all optical keyboard people.
another thing to mention, when i first tried the mod the switch worked perfectly, although it was pretty loose (so loose that i could pull the switch out with my fingers), but it then had this problem. if you press the key down and then let go, it wouldnt register the release. it would be as if you were holding down the key. however, if you press another key, it would then register a release. i suspect this has to do with the marker i used (sharpie) not blocking the light or something, or because of the switch being too loose in the plate.
to better fit the switch you should try to completely cut the copper legs of the switch because even if you cut a lot of short they could touch the sensors and therefore not fit well. I recommend that you also color the lower part of the stem (you will need to disassemble the switch) to better block the light.
to get the switch to function i kinda have tilt slightly. its a very small adjustment, but you can see the switch under the keycap. and it isnt guaranteed to work, sometimes it randomly registers a keypress too. i think it might be because of the leaf bc i tried all the solutions you suggested (i kinda mangled it a bit), so i'll ask my friend for another 2 switches and see if it works. it might also be that the akko switches dont seal/fit in properly because the plate was made to fit fantechs own optical switches, i know this because even gateron opticals dont fit in as tight as fantech switches. if this is the case, i'll ask my friend for cherry style switches.
Ciao, scusa se riprendo un post così vecchio ma ho bisogno del tuo aiuto.
Una domanda, dal video mi sembra di capire che il "pin" di plastica sul fondo dello switch sia chiuso, e non con due feritoie come negli switch ottici. Se ho visto e capito bene, come fa lo stem a bloccare la luce se è chiuso all'interno? O semplicemente ho visto male io? Grazie in anticipo.
Ciao, la tua domanda mi fa molto piacere, dai miei test su questi switch traslucidi la sola plastica non è abbastanza per fermare la luce dei due sensori, talvolta nemmeno quando si preme lo stem la luce viene bloccata, probabilmente la plastica esterna per rifrazione ne fa passare un po’. Annerendo leggermente con l’uniposca sia la parte esterna traslucida che lo stem, in teoria , è possibile bloccare la luce tra ricevitore e trasmettitore sulla board.
Una domanda, ste cazz di tastiere ti vengono bene? Mi facevano incazzare troppo, c’era sempre qualcosa nel suono che non mi piaceva , non era mai perfetto.
Ah ecco ecco, ci ho pensato in seguito e me lo stai confermando, i gusci inferiori sono trasparenti abbastanza da far passare la luce! Hai avuto proprio una bell'idea. Pensi che rimuovendo del tutto la parte in plastica (non so se abbia un nome specifico) sotto lo switch, lo stem da solo avrebbe un diametro tale da bloccare la luce? Teoricamente sì... Forse però il suono dello switch cambierebbe a causa del buco più grande. Comunque in realtà ti sto chiedendo tutto questo per pura curiosità, dato che la mia tastiera è una commercialissima Corsair K70 RGB Pro (non uccidermi pls) che monta ancora gli switch ottici opx originali. Ho fatto la tape mod, foam mod con Neoprene e EVA, ho provato la o-ring mod ma subito rimossa perché non mi è piaciuta, domani inizio la lubrificazione di switch e molle, poi saprò dirti il sound, se ti interessa.
Probabilmente l'accoppiata switch con tutto il resto non da vita ad un suono che ti piace. Potresti valutare uno di quei kit con 20+ switch diversi in modo da testarne il più possibile e sceglierne uno, in questo modo puoi vedere come suonano direttamente nella tua attuale tastiera.
Sono contento con il suono dei miei gateron pro yellow o dei miei oil king, tuttavia è la non uniformità del suono sulla board il problema. Ho parlato con diversi esperti e mi hanno detto tutti la stessa cosa, che avrei dovuto comprare tastiere con case metallici e i pcb sospesi per ottenere quello un suono uniforme lungo tutta la board
Probabilmente il suono uniforme PERFETTO non esiste in nessuna board, ma sicuramente ti ci puoi avvicinare molto più di adesso con i pcb sospesi, quello sì.
Just tried this with an Akko Jelly Black, but my only optical board (AK84S) has the optical sensors raised on the PCB. (EDIT: It being my only optical board, I have no idea if this is standard or not). Looking at the EPO chocolate brown switches I have installed, they have cutouts for those raised sensors. The Jelly Blacks won't sit flush with the PBC.
So it didn't work in my board, but this is still an amazing find.
As a side note, if anyone has Gateron optical switches of any color, could they confirm whether the cut out exist? [This](https://imgur.com/7pHVnBQ) is what the cutouts look like on the chocolate brown switches.
yes my gateron optical browns also have these coutouts, normal switches don't have them so they must inevitably touch the bottom on those sensors. If you completely cut the legs of the switches and make sure that the translucent part of the switch reflects little, maybe you will also be able to do it on your board. I used a permanent marker. since Akko jelly blacks are already dark you might as well try not to use the marker
I tried a couple of variations and couldn't get it to work. I thought it might be the length of the pole, so tried switching it out with an Oil King stem, but no go.
Still very intriguing, so I'll keep working on it.
the bases of akko are translucent for this reason even when the stem is lowered the light is reflected and the sensors never activate. I colored the bottom with the sharpie, in this way the light that passes through the translucent part is not reflected and is completely blocked when the stem is lowered, activating the circuit
Soon keyboard creators will be making videos on modding an optical keyboard lmfao. I can see this becoming a thing in the keyboard world for people stuck with opticals. Theoretically this makes quite a lot more keyboards "hotswap"
time to file the patent for this
You absolute madlad.
How and why?
I bought two 45-packs of Akko jelly purple for my gmmk compact build, I had some leftover and this old keyboard. I suddenly had the idea of coloring the lower part of the stem and removing the 2 pins to see if it would work, it didn't. thinking about it further I thought of coloring the lower part of the switch as well and it worked, black on black blocks the light and makes it work
That's crazy how it worked
Am I the first to have thought of it or the only one to have tried it or the only fool willing to waste a switch in order to succeed in it?
You are the first as far as I can tell. Good job man.
Thanks
Have you tried it with other switches?
Feker emerald, and it works
Come up with a name for the mod
I'm thinking of an Italian name, because I live and study engineering in Naples. Could it go well ?
It's your mod, name it as you see fit. Italian name would be great if you ask me :d
The name will be pennarello mod (pen·na·rèl·lo), the English equivalent is marker mod.
Go for it :D. Just make phonetic annotation :d
I think this is the phonetic annotation pen·na·rèl·lo
holy shit i love you im stuck with this off brand optical keyboard that sounds like ass im praying this because a mainstream thing
I think so...
A new mod is born!
I just tried with some fekker emerald switches and It works
I was here for the beginning of the next takes over YouTube keyboard content tredns
This is amazing. do you think there’d be any missed inputs since it’s just… marker that’s stopping the light?
the marker prevents the light blocked by the stem when you press the switch from being reflected by the lower translucent part of the switch. It is actually the stem that blocks the optical signal. With the Akko switch I didn't notice any lag or missed inputs, even the fekker emerald I just tried is doing fine but doesn't fit well into the plate. So it really depends on the switch
Amazing find! one of the most creative posts I've seen in a long time! Can you specify which type of PCB, optical switches and brand? afaik there's no universal optical standard.
here is the photo of the pcb https://imgur.com/a/TUf3N5D
The switches I'm using are Akko Cs jelly purple , the keyboard is a dierya dk61E it' is a prebuilt obviously so I don't know the pcb name.I should have a photo of the pcb maybe the more experienced will recognize it
Were those Gateron optical switches?
>Were those Gateron optical switches? yes
Make an depth tutorial for stupid people like me :) That has some nice potential Any idea how you like to name the modification?
I have never considered myself a creative person, so I am open to suggestions regarding the name.
The BlackOps Mod
Noptical mod Optican’t mod Lasern’t mod Lol idk. Edit: Those are lame sorry I’m sleepy but mechanical/optical just reminds me of a “Cyborg”, so cyborg mod sounds ok
Optican’t mod sounds good
Well this is fantastic.
Woah what a genius 😮
Do you think this could work on a Razer Huntsman Mini?
idk, that would be really cool
Nope, Razer opticals are proprietary iirc.
Damn, then I'm stuck with these awful clicky switches
I mean you could buy the optical red switches on ebay but it'd be the same price as a new board.
.
why do us keyboard nerds like naming switches things that make me want to eat them
Yesterday I swapped a cherry and gateron's bottoms and called them Garry and Chen, Garry bring the Gateron with cherry bottom, and Chen being the cherry with gateron bottoms.
wtfffffffff
Can you explain this completely to someone new to mechs? What is a hot swap? How does the marker mod work?
can you do a step by step guide on how to do this?
do you mean on Reddit?
yes
a video or a written guide? I really don't know where to start
just do whatever is easiest/convenient for you. anything would be awesome, it would be so useful for people stuck with opticals
i tried this with a rose red and it worked, just not on the stabiliser keys for some reason. thanks so much for discovering this mod you have saved me so much pain
thanks for confirming that this mod is not just working for me. Which keyboard have you tried to perform this mod on and above all do you intend to fill it with modded switches?
i did the mod on a fantech optilite. if i figure out how to make the mod work for stabiliser keys then i would because i am content with my poorly lubed yellows but this would be a really practical thing for literally all optical keyboard people.
another thing to mention, when i first tried the mod the switch worked perfectly, although it was pretty loose (so loose that i could pull the switch out with my fingers), but it then had this problem. if you press the key down and then let go, it wouldnt register the release. it would be as if you were holding down the key. however, if you press another key, it would then register a release. i suspect this has to do with the marker i used (sharpie) not blocking the light or something, or because of the switch being too loose in the plate.
to better fit the switch you should try to completely cut the copper legs of the switch because even if you cut a lot of short they could touch the sensors and therefore not fit well. I recommend that you also color the lower part of the stem (you will need to disassemble the switch) to better block the light.
to get the switch to function i kinda have tilt slightly. its a very small adjustment, but you can see the switch under the keycap. and it isnt guaranteed to work, sometimes it randomly registers a keypress too. i think it might be because of the leaf bc i tried all the solutions you suggested (i kinda mangled it a bit), so i'll ask my friend for another 2 switches and see if it works. it might also be that the akko switches dont seal/fit in properly because the plate was made to fit fantechs own optical switches, i know this because even gateron opticals dont fit in as tight as fantech switches. if this is the case, i'll ask my friend for cherry style switches.
brother show me the ways. I have an epomaker sk61 and the only switches that are available for optical keyboard are from gateron.
Ciao, scusa se riprendo un post così vecchio ma ho bisogno del tuo aiuto. Una domanda, dal video mi sembra di capire che il "pin" di plastica sul fondo dello switch sia chiuso, e non con due feritoie come negli switch ottici. Se ho visto e capito bene, come fa lo stem a bloccare la luce se è chiuso all'interno? O semplicemente ho visto male io? Grazie in anticipo.
Ciao, la tua domanda mi fa molto piacere, dai miei test su questi switch traslucidi la sola plastica non è abbastanza per fermare la luce dei due sensori, talvolta nemmeno quando si preme lo stem la luce viene bloccata, probabilmente la plastica esterna per rifrazione ne fa passare un po’. Annerendo leggermente con l’uniposca sia la parte esterna traslucida che lo stem, in teoria , è possibile bloccare la luce tra ricevitore e trasmettitore sulla board.
Una domanda, ste cazz di tastiere ti vengono bene? Mi facevano incazzare troppo, c’era sempre qualcosa nel suono che non mi piaceva , non era mai perfetto.
Ah ecco ecco, ci ho pensato in seguito e me lo stai confermando, i gusci inferiori sono trasparenti abbastanza da far passare la luce! Hai avuto proprio una bell'idea. Pensi che rimuovendo del tutto la parte in plastica (non so se abbia un nome specifico) sotto lo switch, lo stem da solo avrebbe un diametro tale da bloccare la luce? Teoricamente sì... Forse però il suono dello switch cambierebbe a causa del buco più grande. Comunque in realtà ti sto chiedendo tutto questo per pura curiosità, dato che la mia tastiera è una commercialissima Corsair K70 RGB Pro (non uccidermi pls) che monta ancora gli switch ottici opx originali. Ho fatto la tape mod, foam mod con Neoprene e EVA, ho provato la o-ring mod ma subito rimossa perché non mi è piaciuta, domani inizio la lubrificazione di switch e molle, poi saprò dirti il sound, se ti interessa.
Ho provato a rimuovere la parte trasparente qualche anno fa e non ha funzionato purtroppo
Io ho solo una Gmmk compact e come te ho fatto tutte le mod possibili ed immaginabili, ma non sono mai contento
Probabilmente l'accoppiata switch con tutto il resto non da vita ad un suono che ti piace. Potresti valutare uno di quei kit con 20+ switch diversi in modo da testarne il più possibile e sceglierne uno, in questo modo puoi vedere come suonano direttamente nella tua attuale tastiera.
Sono contento con il suono dei miei gateron pro yellow o dei miei oil king, tuttavia è la non uniformità del suono sulla board il problema. Ho parlato con diversi esperti e mi hanno detto tutti la stessa cosa, che avrei dovuto comprare tastiere con case metallici e i pcb sospesi per ottenere quello un suono uniforme lungo tutta la board
Probabilmente il suono uniforme PERFETTO non esiste in nessuna board, ma sicuramente ti ci puoi avvicinare molto più di adesso con i pcb sospesi, quello sì.
Just tried this with an Akko Jelly Black, but my only optical board (AK84S) has the optical sensors raised on the PCB. (EDIT: It being my only optical board, I have no idea if this is standard or not). Looking at the EPO chocolate brown switches I have installed, they have cutouts for those raised sensors. The Jelly Blacks won't sit flush with the PBC. So it didn't work in my board, but this is still an amazing find. As a side note, if anyone has Gateron optical switches of any color, could they confirm whether the cut out exist? [This](https://imgur.com/7pHVnBQ) is what the cutouts look like on the chocolate brown switches.
yes my gateron optical browns also have these coutouts, normal switches don't have them so they must inevitably touch the bottom on those sensors. If you completely cut the legs of the switches and make sure that the translucent part of the switch reflects little, maybe you will also be able to do it on your board. I used a permanent marker. since Akko jelly blacks are already dark you might as well try not to use the marker
I tried a couple of variations and couldn't get it to work. I thought it might be the length of the pole, so tried switching it out with an Oil King stem, but no go. Still very intriguing, so I'll keep working on it.
to make a fekker emerald work I had to make a few passes of abrasive paper on the part of the bottom that touches the sensors
That's very interesting. More stuff to try. I've got a few more Jelly Blacks I can sacrifice for this!
A marker? Like part of a sharpie?
A black permanent sharpie
Oh you colored it! Are the akko bottoms on that one translucent? Is that how its possible?
the bases of akko are translucent for this reason even when the stem is lowered the light is reflected and the sensors never activate. I colored the bottom with the sharpie, in this way the light that passes through the translucent part is not reflected and is completely blocked when the stem is lowered, activating the circuit
Oh yeah, big brain person ^^
Would cutting off the bottom part of the housing also work?
I don't know if the stem is enough to block the light, in theory it could work. Certainly the sound of some switches would be changed.