Das keyboard professional s remove switches

Das keyboard professional s remove switches how to#
Das keyboard professional s remove switches install#
Das keyboard professional s remove switches skin#
Das keyboard professional s remove switches Pc#

A mark on the back of the PCB with a Sharpie wonвЂ™t hurt.

Sometimes the PCBs arenвЂ™t labelled, and once the keycaps are off it can be tough to tell one switch from another. A more complex Razer keyboard, with a much more frustrating disassembly process.ДЄs you work, make a note of which particular switch you want to replace. If you have a more elaborate gamer-style keyboard, you might need to pry off plastic bits and remove the feet to access retention screws. On our example keyboard, a rather typical, mod-friendly Vortex Poker 3 design, all I have to do is remove the keycaps and then remove six screws. This process will be different for different keyboards. YouвЂ™ll now need to remove the outer case to access the printed circuit board.

Das keyboard professional s remove switches Pc#

To start this process, remove your keyboard from your PC and place it in a clean workspace. These switch variants are often called вЂњRGB,вЂќ even though they donвЂ™t actually include the LED lights in the switches themselves. Otherwise the light will be blocked by the opaque switch. If youвЂ™re careful, you can re-use the original oneвЂ¦but you might want to get a backup LED before you start, just in case.ДЇinally, if your keyboard uses switches with transparent plastic cases for the bottom-mounted LEDs, youвЂ™ll want to get replacement switches with transparent plastic, too. If the LED is mounted above the switch, youвЂ™ll need to de-solder the original LED from the board to remove the switch, and re-solder it back in place when youвЂ™re done.

Das keyboard professional s remove switches install#

If your board uses LEDs mounted beneath the switch, youвЂ™re golden-just leave the current LED in place and install the new switch on top of it.

HereвЂ™s a look at the difference: LED above switch on left, below switch (directly on PCB) on right. Most commercial keyboards install the LEDs either above the switch, in a specially-formed hollow in the plastic of the switchвЂ™s case, or beneath it, directly onto the PCB itself and shining up through a transparent switch case. If your board includes lighting, youвЂ™ll need to replace the LED, too-theyвЂ™re not built into the switches. But you shouldnвЂ™t install a plate-mounted switch directly to the PCB because it will be unstable and more likely to malfunction. You can generally install a PCB-mounted switch onto a plate keyboard without issue-even if the extra plastic prongs are in the way, you can snip them off and sand them down. PCB-mounted switches include two extra plastic prongs on the bottom for added stability, which arenвЂ™t needed for plate mounts. On the left in the image below is a keyboard with plate-mounted switches on the right, a keyboard with PCB-mounted switches. This is referred to as PCB or plate mount: different switch housings are designed to be inserted directly into the keyboardвЂ™s circuit board, or onto a metal or plastic plate that sits above the circuit board to protect it. But youвЂ™ll also need to match the specific switch to your specific board. Matching the manufacturer and вЂњcolorвЂќ of the switch is the biggest part of getting the feel of the switch right. If your board uses Cherry MX Blue switches, you just have to find another Cherry MX Blue switch, right?Д«roadly speaking, yes. This is more complex than you might think.

Das keyboard professional s remove switches how to#

RELATED: How to Use a Soldering Iron: A Beginner's Guide Selecting the Right Replacement SwitchД«efore we start, youвЂ™ll need to find a replacement switch for the key thatвЂ™s malfunctioning. ItвЂ™s not particularly hard if youвЂ™ve done some work with electronics before, but if youвЂ™re not up to speed, check out this article to get informed. This guide presumes a basic knowledge of soldering techniques. If you continue with this guide, you do so at your own risk. Always use caution when operating them, and never leave an active soldering iron outside of its holster.

Das keyboard professional s remove switches skin#

WARNING: soldering irons operate at temperatures hot enough to severely burn skin and start fires.