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Remember that TV show 'How It's Made'? Whenever I would feel a little under the weather, I'd sit down in front of the TV and watch the step-by-step process of making a golf ball. Good television, that. Wooting has since put together something similar for keyboard nerds: a rundown on how a Hall effect key switch is made.
It starts with plastic injection, which is used for the top case, bottom case, and stem. The machine takes plastic pellets and injects them into a mould, with a cavity in the shape of the final plastic component.
Interestingly, any unused material from the process is not recycled back into the machine to be reused. As Calder notes, "For the Lekker Tikken switches, we don't use any recycled material to make sure the mechanical properties are better so we get less wobble, more consistency and just a better product overall for your switches."
Next up is switch assembly. No prizes for guessing what goes on here. It's one of the more satisfying machines in the video: a series of tumblers and mechanical arms that work to piece together the switch, starting with the top case. Into that lands the stem. This is also when lubricant is applied to the stem and top case—lubricant being useful for smooth operation of the switch and assembling the switch.
Next, the switch earns its Hall effect credentials with a magnet pushed down into the stem. That's all there is to a Hall effect (or TMR) switch—a sensor on the keyboard PCB does the rest. With that in place, the all-important 22 mm spring can be added to the stem, along with the bottom case, which also gets a dosing of lube for good measure. All that's left to do is add the LED diffuser into the switch, which takes place elsewhere.
Then it's onto testing. Each switch gets tested for the gram force (gf) of the switch (the Lekker Tikken is rated to 54 cN, which is sorta 54 gf) and the gauss value of the magnet, which measures the strength of the magnetic field. Magnets are not actually that easy to make with a high degree of consistency so I imagine this is pretty key.
If the switch passes, it goes on to the final assembly to be sold as either an individual switch or bundled with a Wooting 60HE v2. If not, it goes in the bad bucket.
And that's how a switch is made. Hey, wake up!
1. Best overall:
Wooting 80HE
2. Best budget:
Gamakay x Naughshark NS68
3. Best 60%:
Wooting 60HE v2
4. Best 75%:
Keychron K2 HE
5. Best mechanical:
Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless
6. Best silent:
Be Quiet! Light Mount
7. Best ergonomic:
Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB
8. Best membrane:
Glorious GMBK 75%
