The bump generally happens roughly halfway down the keystroke. This is shaped slightly differently depending on the specific switch, but the effect is the same: your fingers can feel when this bump slides past the copper “leaves,” activating the keypress to your computer. The stems on a tactile switch have a small indentation on the stem legs (the bump!). More “clacky” sound and feel (but the difference is slight).Popular red switches (usually red, yellow, or black) when the key is pressed all the way down and makes contact with the PCB (the circuit board inside your keyboard case) The first thing you’ll feel using linear switches is the “bottom out,” I.e. When you press the key down, you won’t actually feel precisely when the stem hits the copper leaves (and actuates the keystroke, I.e. The stem “legs” on linear switches are smooth. Generally have a softer sound (deeper, more “buttery”).If you encounter Kailh Box Jades, you can probably assume that “jade” is similar enough to blue and green, and therefore it’s probably a clicky switch!) What is a linear switch (and how does it work?)
(And if you see switches like the Akko Rose Reds, you can be reasonably sure those are linear switches. There are way more colors, but these are the basics. Generally speaking, the colors refer to the type of switch (at least the common colors) Switch Type There’s the tiny bump, but with a small audible “click.” These are generally louder. Clicky: These are a sub-type of tactile switches.This “tactile feedback” helps your fingers feel when the key has actually been registered. Tactile: These switches provide a tiny “bump” when you press them (generally around the actuation point).There’s no tactile or auditory feedback when you press them, and they require the least amount of force to actuate. Pressing them is a straight, smooth path from the top to the bottom. Whew! Normal” keyboards (mostly “membrane keyboards”) don’t have mechanical switches with all those parts, but rather a thin rubber membrane with fewer moving parts (which is cheaper, but doesn’t feel or sound like mechanical switches)! Switch Comparison: Linear vs Tactile vs ClickyĪll switches fall under 3 broad categories: Lower housing: The bottom half of the switch “shell” or “box.” Spring: This is what provides the resistance when you press a key down, and also gives it that “bouncing” feeling.Or a flathead screwdriver, but that’s harder). It has a hole in the center for the stem to fit into (the upper and bottom housings snap together, and you need a “switch opener” tool to take them apart. Upper housing: This is the part of the switch that contains the spring and rests on top of the lower housing.Tactile & clicky switches have a small bump on their stems! Linear switches do not. The stem is generally colored to match the switch color. Switch stem: This is the part of the switch that extends down into the switch and moves up and down when you press the keycap (it’s connected to the underside of the keycap).They’re usually made from ABS or PBT plastic, and come in tons of different colors & styles! (and shapes and profiles) Keycaps (not actually part of the switch): The keycaps are the part of the switch that you actually touch.Let’s break down a switch (from top to bottom, kinda): The switch compresses down when you press a key, then moves back up when you release pressure. Tactile switch on the left, linear on the rightĪlso, click here to see our 10 best tactile switches for 2022!Ī keyboard “switch” is the physical mechanism that lies just underneath your keycaps (the top part that your fingers make contact with), and plugs into the PCB (circuit board in your keyboard case). I’ve tried dozens of different switches over the years, so let me dive into how the tactile switch functions, why it matters, etc. It’s purely another audio cue that the key has been pressed. The click doesn’t affect how the switch operates. A clicky switch is a specific type of tactile switch (that has a small bump but with the addition of another mechanism that provides a very small “click” noise.A linear switch, by contrast, does not have a tactile bump within the switch mechanism, so the key press is smooth until the entire key has been pressed down (called “bottoming out”).This bump provides “tactile feedback” to your finger, helping you “feel” when the key has actually registered to the computer. A tactile keyboard switch is one that has a small “bump” feel part of the way through the key press.Getting into mechanical keyboards, but overwhelmed by switch terminology? What IS a tactile switch keyboard?
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