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The only thing I don't like about this article is it didn't talk about the actuation tech. It basically only showed switches with springs. My Void Switch design doesn't have springs at all!
https://github.com/riskable/void_switch
I'm typing on my AHEK-95 right now which has 95 Void Switches and a custom hall effect PCB (and custom firmware). It also has two custom analog rotary encoders (which is just a ring of six magnets over two hall effect sensors; the firmware is what figures out what direction the ring moved).
I sent one of my AHEK-95 keyboards to Chyrosran22 (known for his brutal keyboard reviews) and he reviewed it:
https://youtu.be/iv6Rh8UNWlI?si=9xGNm4jIDLFzx80c
One other thing missing in the article: Hall Effect sensors are temperature sensitive! My AHEK-95 has a number of features in the firmware to work around this (constant re-calibration) but anyone with other Hall Effect keyboards might have experienced it: Some keys seem to stop responding reliably after a while (usually a week or two in winter). This is because the temperature changed (enough), causing sensor drift. The fix is to just reset the keyboard (<1 second) which forces a recalibration but it can be annoying (my father in law has a Wooting keyboard that suffers from this after a few weeks if there's big temperature fluctuations at his desk which is right next to an exterior door).
Anyone with a 3D printer should print my Void Switches! It's a teeny tiny amount of filament (use PETG for best results) and only requires some 4x2mm magnets. I uploaded a model to Printables that has all the parts in one 3mf file: https://www.printables.com/model/233699-void-switch-fidget
Aside: Last time I ordered 4x2mm magnets, I ordered six thousand from AliExpress. That was after my last order of five thousand that I blew through quite quickly :D. I highly recommend ordering them in bulk like this because they end up costing about a penny each and they're useful in so many 3D printed things.
By chess_buster 2026-02-058:411 reply We've printed your switches at my university, they feel really great. Now we need to build a full keyboard in order to try out the typing experience, when used inside a keyboard.
Do you think the PCB and typing assembly could be made curved, like the assembly of a Model F or M keyboard?
Yes, you can make PCBs that can flex a bit but for that you're much better off using Flex PCB and being clever about the frame.
By jadeopteryx 2026-02-1017:41 Excellent. Will do. Thanks for the hints and assessment!
By TGower 2026-02-0415:27 Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your work! Was a great reference when working on hall effect datahand style project.
By BrittonR 2026-02-0423:44 Thanks for sharing, I’ll print this out to try. What’s the license in the pcb and switches?
I don't know how their switches worked, but the Wang 2200 terminals¹ that my father worked with had an interesting angle on tactile feedback; on each keypress a single chunky solenoid attached to it physically moved to give a satisfying "chunk" noise and vibration.
The idea presumably was to give solid mechanical feedback to professional typists used to the same from electromechanical typewriters throwing the type arm onto the platten.
Note this was late 70s/early 80s so I may be confusing/conflating it with other machines.
¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_2200#/media/File%3AWang22...
I can't say for sure about the Wang terminal keyboards, but what you're describing sounds a lot like a mechanism from some IBM Model B keyboards (usually called Beamsprings). I have an IBM 5251 keyboard that has a solenoid that hammers the side of the metal case whenever you type, and I've heard that it was added as users would have been used to typewriters and wanted to know for sure when they had registered a keypress
By dcminter 2026-02-0416:17 So honestly I don't quite remember if I encountered this with the Wangs, or if I'm recalling my Dad telling me about it from his experiences.
If the latter then odds are that it was either a machine from Wang and in that case most likely the 2200, or otherwise it will have most probably been equipment associated with the Gamma 10 from De La Rue Bull, or possibly the Ferranti Pegasus - both of which I know he worked with.
Of course, he might have been telling me a third-party anecdote in which case it's possible the IBM Display Station was the machine in question.
That all said, last time I was discussing this with someone they mentioned that the 2200's terminal had a "solenoid" trace on its PCB so it's quite possible that this really was the relevant device. Last time I personally had hands on a live 2200 was about 1993 though, so I really can't be sure.
There's a chap in the Netherlands with a Wang 2200 museum - perhaps I should just write to him and ask :D
This guy sells new beam-spring keyboards with optional solenoids. https://www.modelfkeyboards.com
I have never seen one in person.
By timw4mail 2026-02-0414:44 There are new models that are recreating beam spring too. (Although I don't think they are in stock yet).
By tristor 2026-02-0415:46 I have one, the reproduction of the model F104, and it's great. However I no longer use it daily as I've since built a custom ergonomic mechanical keyboard to do the same duty. I did not opt for the solenoid. The F keyboards use buckling springs, just like the M keyboards, the beam-spring keyboards are of a different design.
Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on?
At some point everyone was talking about / showing off their mech keyboard in developer scene. I don’t think I’ve seen much in recent years.
I myself went deep into that for a while. Got a couple of keyboards and now I have two Apple Magic Keyboards. Don’t even know where I stashed my mechanicals.
The foam has disappeared, but the enthusiasts are going on. While it's not a craze, I believe mechanical keyboard is still superior for longer writing sessions (Apple's and Logitech's scissor switch keyboards are pretty good, too).
Gamers are moving to hall effect switches because of the things they enable, but from what I have seen, some people are still building their keyboards, and people still use mechanical keyboards.
I'd love to continue use mine, too, but they are bit too noisy for my office, and I don't continue computers at home as much, anymore.
Another chilling effect is caused by the tariffs, because people can't get their keyboards or parts as easily anymore. I got mine from Kickstarter directly, but it's impossible for me now.
By toyg 2026-02-0414:38 > Another chilling effect is caused by the tariffs
Maybe that's why prices in Europe seem to have gone down significantly. It used to be very expensive to get anything over here (UK), but now we're almost spoilt for choice.
By arcologies1985 2026-02-048:222 reply Various patents expired and now you can get excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50. Basically everyone I know who types for a living has one.
Gamers have moved on to analog keyboards which are controversial because some of their features straddle the line into cheats. e.g. with an analog keyboards you can negate all inertia in Counter-Strike or do speed tricks in Trackmania not otherwise easily accessible to keyboard players.
Could you give examples of excellent typing keyboards from China for $30-50? Every mechanical keyboard I've owned eventually suffered from key chatter or inconsistent actuation.
Just get a hall effect or TMR keyboard and all your problems with key chatter will go away. Also, I recommend you just build it yourself. It's a fun hobby and if you don't know how to make PCBs it's a great way to learn (keyboards are one of the easiest things to make from a PCB complexity standpoint).
Ever play "connect the dots" as a kid? That's what it's like making a keyboard PCB. It's the adult version of "connect the dots".
It's not a "rabbit hole", it's a pending addiction :D
From the article I like the characteristics of hall effect better than TMR (although one of the cons under HE, "Since the sensor is reading magnet position, any wobble in the switch can change the magnet’s alignment and affect the signal", is a bit troubling). There are indeed $30-50 ones on Amazon. Any particular brand recommendations?
By arcologies1985 2026-02-0415:271 reply If you notice these things at all, you are the target market for an analog keyboard.
Under the Cons section the article says:
> Full analog functionality often depends on proprietary software support (and not all boards execute it well).
Could you elaborate how that works? I'm on Linux. I find with Keychron I can visit the web-based tool to configure the keyboard, but if it's proprietary software I'm out of luck.
By FuturisticLover 2026-02-0411:26 In India, many brands are now offering low-cost mechanical keyboards. They were costly earlier but one can find super amazing one with 50% less cost now.
By Findecanor 2026-02-0410:38 They have become mainstream, so they are not special any more.
Even keyboards with what used to be enthusiast features, such as aluminium case, double-shot PBT keycaps, switch foam, plate foam, flex cuts, hot-swap, damping, etc. are available off-the-shelf at very reasonable prices now.
By locknitpicker 2026-02-0412:091 reply > Is the mechanical keyboard craze still going on?
It depends on your definition of "craze".
Mechanical keyboards are more popular than ever, and became mainstream to the point where nowadays they are just considered keyboards. Even Logitech sells whole product lines of mechanical keyboards, and even has specialized lines of mechanical keyboards.
Also, multiple companies sell ergonomic keyboards that fall within the "craze" classification. Even if they don't ship with noisy switches, they are still in line with what mechanical keyboards were known for.
Nowadays even the pure mechanical keyboards have non-mechanical switches. Optical, magnetic, hall effect, etc. they ship in the standard cherry MX form factor. But aren't mechanical.
A few years ago you had blue switches, red switches, brown switches... You could count the types of switches with your fingers. Nowadays the offer is so vast that you can't keep track. Some companies even sell sample kits with an array of different types of switches for customers to try out. That's a relatively new development.
And do I need to mention the massive inflow of mechanical keyboards on offer from cheap Chinese manufacturers? We're not looking at 400€ mechanical keyboards, but 20€ mechanical keyboards.
The truth of the matter is that in the past you barely had any choice in keyboards. You could choose brand and color, but it was always the same keyboard. Anyone who wanted something beyond this pattern was drawn to mechanical keyboarss. Not today.
So, knowing this, do you think it is a "craze"?
By orbital-decay 2026-02-0413:171 reply Utilitarian device to type on became an object of obsessive consumption, collection, customization, showing off, fashion (RGB lighting, forced mechanical over scissor distinction even though many people prefer the latter, etc). Yeah of course it's a craze, without scare quotes.
The same gear obsession happened to the gaming mice world, but it was much tamer by comparison.
By locknitpicker 2026-02-0415:02 > Yeah of course it's a craze, without scare quotes.
This is a simplistic opinion to hold. You'd be better complaining that some people enjoy things. Form factor is important, also tactile response and sound. Features like embedding USB hubs or touchpads are essentially a given in laptops. Not being forced to throw a keyboard to the trashbin just because a key failed.
Is this a craze?
Ask yourself this: why are there people paying good money for gaming keyboards? Or Apple's magic keyboard. Is it a craze?
Or are you just complaining that other people enjoy things?
Think about it.
By petepete 2026-02-049:25 It's still a craze but the people who want a nice keyboard to use daily found theirs and drifted away from the novelty/modding, I think.
I've used a HHKB Pro 2 since 2010 and it's still going strong. I have a replacement ready if/when it dies, but other than a shiny space bar it looks and feels like new.
By d4rkp4ttern 2026-02-0412:161 reply I absolutely love my UHK [1] split mech keyboard that I ordered from Hungary several years ago. It’s the only one I stuck with after trying some other popular ones. Other than being split, the keyboard layout is standard so it’s easy to adapt to.
It probably helps me avoid RSI. I keep an apple trackpad between the two splits, so I never use a mouse. And a microphone in the middle as well, you can guess why. I clamshell my MacBook and almost always work on a monitor. Besides ergonomics, the biggest benefit is the on-board programmability; it lets me define custom layers and macros so I can trigger complex window management, app switching, and IDE navigation with simple key combos.
[1] https://uhk.io/
That's exactly how I used to work about 15 years ago, but I found that the Apple trackpad killed my wrists. These days I just have a regular mouse, and simply try to do as much as I can from the keyboard.
By d4rkp4ttern 2026-02-0415:13 I agree trackpad is not RSI-proof by any means, but for me mousing is worse. With the trackpad in the middle I can use either hand to scroll or click etc. I also keep that minimal and instead rely on keyboard tools like Vimium, and scroll kb shortcuts
By exitb 2026-02-049:07 Mechanical keyboard is still a sensible choice. With the advent of cheap 3D printing and custom PCBs, there's now also a lively DIY community, especially for odd/split layouts. I don't think it's a craze. It's just a hobby.
By dddw 2026-02-0413:35 It's less as hyped as during covid, but it's definitely still going strong. Its a hobby/collector thing. Cheaper than cars/watches/audio collecting.
