Stabilizing a 3u spacebar

jacopods

22 Oct 2017, 00:36

I am designing a layout with 3u spacebar and I would like to know my options on stabilizing it.

As far as I can see a 3u cherry stabilizer does not exist and needs to be made. I am wondering about using dummy switches since the stabilizer holes are exactly 1u apart. Does anybody have any experience or suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

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Wodan
ISO Advocate

22 Oct 2017, 00:48

Use a 2u stabilizer. Works well for 2.75u keys. 3u should still be okay

Getting caps will be fun though

hansichen

22 Oct 2017, 02:07

The SA round group buys had 3u and 4u keycaps, that's probably the only choice. But I'm not sure which kind of stabs they use, I would expect 2u stabs for the 3u cap as this would work but you would have to look at all different manufacturers

jacopods

22 Oct 2017, 03:14

I wrote the wrong measure. The stabs distance in my caps is 2u,not 1u. They are 1u apart from the center stem.

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t8c

22 Oct 2017, 08:31

They exist! https://eu.mouser.com/Search/m_ProductD ... 7RTbZMU%3d . Let me know if you would like to buy some as I would love a few myself!

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kbdfr
The Tiproman

22 Oct 2017, 08:48

The option with dummy switches (i.e. switches without a spring) is a good idea (and, by the way, the standard solution used by Tipro in their keyboards). My Enter key works flawlessly with that.

3u space bars, exactly fitting 3 switches, but nevertheless using a stabilizer, can be found in Acces-IS point of sale keyboards
(own pics, sadly the the stabs were tossed long ago):
Access_spacebar_1.jpg
Access_spacebar_1.jpg (50.44 KiB) Viewed 6119 times
Access_spacebar_2.jpg
Access_spacebar_2.jpg (58.11 KiB) Viewed 6119 times
(ninja'd by t8c :mrgreen: )

jacopods

22 Oct 2017, 16:06

t8c wrote: They exist! https://eu.mouser.com/Search/m_ProductD ... 7RTbZMU%3d . Let me know if you would like to buy some as I would love a few myself!
Mh, that is interesting, but I cannot understand if they are pcb mount or plate mount. Will try to contact them and make sure it is what I need. (I need plate)

jacopods

22 Oct 2017, 18:20

According to

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=85933.0

They are pcb mount, but the part number for the plate mounted is provided in the above link

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