Keyboard Builders' Digest / Tips & Tricks
Keyswitch break-in machines
The number of break-in related posts in a single day reached my threshold of sensation.
Published February 14, 2022
Although I probably couldn't be less interested in lubing and breaking-in switches, I have to admit that this is an often recurring question. And on Sunday alone there were at least 5-6 posts about break-in machines on r/mk so I consider this a trend worth featuring now… – at least once.
DingKey Designs' keyswitch break-in machine
DingKey Designs' keyswitch break-in machine (pictured above and available for purchase here) is 3D-printed and comes fully "pre-assembled" which means there is an easy one-step assembly without the need of screws.
The device, sporting ball bearings and POM wheels, is able to run continuously without any overheating and "has been proven to achieve over 17,000 actuations per hour without any issues". Total capacity: 36 switches with a planned expansion to 72 keys – probably by adding two extra "wings" on a perpendicular axis.
Watch the break-in machine in action – with sound.
Open-source break-in machine alternative
Another alternative is {keekeen}'s similar machine "designed to actuate/break-in MX style switches consistently and repetitively for a smoother push feel".
Its capacity is 36 switches as well and this one has some videos on youtube. Watch the machine in action, the assembly process and its operation guide.
GitHub repo: https://github.com/keekeen/MX-Switch-Break-In-Machine
Published on Mon 14th Feb 2022. Featured in KBD #65.
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