Ganryu

Beyon: I'm pretty close actually. Uppsala. I've personally decided to completely ignore velocity sensitivity. It makes it far too pricey and unecessarily complicated. If I ever want velocity sensitivity I'll buy the real Axis 64 instead.

Cool :o Thanks for your reply! I've contacted a couple of companies about making the hexagonal keycaps, but looking at the Janko it seems I should be able to make my own in similar style. The only thing is I don't want them to be completely flat. That will make playing too difficult. As for the cherry mx switches I don't know but yes I think you made a post in this thread before and for some reason I can't fathom I dismissed the suggestion. They look perfectly fine to me, now that I see them. The only problem is that they are a little too big, but I think I can live with that. I've been thinking of using the Cherry ML switches as an alternative. They are definitely smaller and would get me below 20mm distance between the keys.

I have almost all the parts I need available now. I haven't ordered them, as I need to plan this thing out before I start working on anything. My current stage is trying to figure out how to handle the coding elements of this project. I will need, ideally, 192 inputs. On the old PIC model it seems skill with assembler is necessary for such a project, but the STM32 seems to support C instead so I would prefer to work on that one. From what I have heard from other people the 128 input limit on the MIDIO128 is a result of the software itself, and adding more theoretical inputs is possible but it will slow down processing speed.

I have found switches that are perfect for my needs. They will go at 0.4 euro per piece, which is acceptable: http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm These are desktop keyboard switches and I can live without using custom switches for velocity sensitivity or anything like that. Now I just need some way to make a suitable blueprint. Is there some free cad apps for doing this that are actually useable?

I'm not in the US. I'm in Sweden. Secondly I can't use that service anyway. I will need custom molded plastics, unless there is another option. The keys must not be flat. Flat keys will be useless to me as I won't be able to play it without looking. The keys must have a shape that allows me to know if my finger is in the center of the key. This is also why the low-travel keys do not work. There will not be enough tactile feedback. I need to feel atleast some movement for the keys to be playable. Thanks for your reccomendation anyway, though.

Don't worry about hijacking this thread :P Anyway. Yes I've been thinking of velocity sensitivity, but it's not a high priority for me. I've been in contact with the original designer of the Axis 64 and he uses a special kind of custom ordered switches. As far as I understand it it's done with a switch that has a break period between position on and off. You then measure this period and calculate velocity.

Thanks again for your help! I guess I'll try calling them, but I'm a bit iffy about international calls hehe. As for the switch itself, I guess the one I linked (color blue) was the one you used?

Thanks! Was it these? http://www.rjselectronics.com/?Switches_LED_Illuminated:Small:RJS_TC011 It's quite strange, but I can't manage to find any of the illuminated switches in non-illuminated form. All I find if I check tactile non-illuminated switches is a bunch of 0.25 mm travel switches which are all useless to me. It seems I might have to get them all illuminated. How much did you have to pay for your switches, btw?

Sorry for bumping, but I think you have missed my PM, ssp.

Any update on those switches? I really want to know.

I'm really curious about those switches. I scrapped the ones I mentioned before. They require too much pressure. I had some plans to attempt velocity sensitivity with SPDT switches but gave up. Too much work and too difficult and I'm not even sure it can be done reliably.

I'm curious about something else as well. The PDF document I link in the first post for the switches has a field labelled changeover time. I assume this might have something to do with how the switch interacts with the contacts in the middle positions when it's not released completely and when it's not pressed down completely. Basically between up and down positions. It says in this field "non-shorting". What exactly does this mean?

I guess that means that actuator strength pulling direction and operating direction both indicate maximum force before it breaks as well. It sounds reasonable that it would break much easier if you pull too hard than it you press too hard on it.

Thanks, but I already know what newton is. The reason I suspect it might have something to do with durability in that specific instance is because the field above is titled "terminal strength" and has a value of "5N for 1 minute" leading me to believe that it is simply the maximum force it can tolerate before breaking. Secondly, it's because there's a such difference between the values in "operating force" and "actuator strength". The first one is 2+-1N and the second is "30N" (and 10N). There's quite a different there.

I found these switches I might use for a future project. http://www.alps.com/products/WebObjects/catalog.woa/E/PDF/Switch/Push/SPPH4/SPPH4.PDF I have a few questions, though: Operating force says 2+-1 N. I assume this means operating force is between 1-3N but exactly how hard is that? Like a conventional laptop key? Someone told me 1N is about 100g mass. Is that realistic? Then there is further down a listing for actuator strength under "mechanical performance". Actuator strength: Operating direction: 30N Actuator strength: Pulling direction: 10N What does this mean? I assume it has something to do with how durable it is, but you never know. Thanks in advance!