About Springs

Learning and discussion Key switches
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supposedly it prevents corrosion

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Sorry for reopening an old thread. As we have all experienced, this hobby is a never ending rabbit hole.

Iā€™ve also been on the topic of switch modding for a while now, which includes changing springs. Initially it was TX springs with different weights, then I discovered Sprit slow curve springs for me. The slow curve (or rather longer) Springs fit exactly to my taste; no I love them. Because of this I have probably ordered almost around 1000 Springs.

Now I have discovered that in the meantime the slow extreme II springs are on the market. Depending on the weight category, the initial force is up to 2-3g higher than the normal, older slow curved springs. Somewhat oppressive I now wonder if these springs might offer an even better feel / force curve. Has anyone of you can make experience in this regard?

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Iā€™ve gone down this rabbit hole. The slow extreme Sprit springs are great for tactiles, in my opinion, because they reduce the feeling of the initial bump by providing some extra initial force. My experiments never went to linear switches, but I imagine they will at some point because I have a drawer full of springs :joy:

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Thanks for the feedback!
Ugh there we go again. I just lubed 70 Holy Bobas and added krytox 106 to the 63.5g slow springs. I now run the risk of trying the slow extreme variant first before soldering the switches; in this hobby you are really never satisfied :joy:

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The 63.5g slow springs are a great weight. Iā€™d try them out first!

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Also, try out the new TX (L) longer springs too. I find I like them much better than the normal TX springs on all of my switches. Slightly longer, slightly stiffer at the top. My favorite thing is how they bounce back stronger.

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Yup. TX long springs are my current favorite springs for linears. Extra weight on top makes them spicy.

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I assume these long springs would take some of the bump out of a tactile? I was going to put an order in with TX and thought Iā€™d try some but I typically use tactiles and it seems like that weight would take some of the bump out.

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In most of the cases, they increase the tactility. What switch and spring weight you are using?

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the switch Iā€™m looking to ā€œspringā€ is Moyu stem in a Taro Ball housing. Iā€™ve used a similar frankenswitch recently and I liked it a lot. I used a regular old TX 65g spring in that batch of switches.

So Iā€™m just sorta shopping around. Hearing that the L springs might have more weight at the top made me think it might cut down on tactility a little bit. It might be worth a purchase just to try, Iā€™m fairly close to Mekibo so I get stuff pretty quickly.

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I think 65g L will be a good choice, you probably will get the benefits of long spring. There is a chance that 65g L just go beyond the optimal point for this combination, but I donā€™t think will happen base on the original spring weight for both of the switches you use.

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I really like the two stage springs nowadays.

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I love long springs. They just make a tactile switch much more tactile without needs of increasing the bottom out weight.

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How much would you say long springs, with the extra top weight (preload), impact the upstroke clack especially for linears? Since thereā€™s so many coils in long springs, do you think that could contribute to excessive spring crunch?

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TX long springs are only 2mm longer than normal, so they arenā€™t going to fully compact when pressed all the way down. Iā€™ve not experienced any crunch at all. However, I always lube my springs to avoid ping.

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Oh my bad, youā€™re right. I thought TX longs were similar to Giants. I should Google things more.

I got some of these, threw them in some Alpacas, and I swear spring crunch went to an 11. I bagged lubed them with 105, but I must have went too heavy as the switch took on this smacking sound that must have been due to excess oil spanning the gaps between the spring coils. Idk what I did wrong I guess.

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Would it be the spring is not working linearly? Like what happen in an IBM buckling spring switches. The spring is hitting the housing when compress and give that smacking sound.

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Youā€™re probably right.

I also think some were slightly bent and if you squeeze these springs between your fingers, theyā€™ll bow outward a bit more than shorter ones which I think causes them to rub on the stem pole for off-center key presses.

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Not all housing can use those extra long springs. Maybe put them in housing that gives more initial compression, might workout better?

This make me wonder how the queen switch housing is designed, as they are putting and 3 stage springs in. Some work need to be done to make the switch

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Upstroke remained the same soundwise. Same with spring crunch. Coils on TX long springs are noticeably sparser than normal springs, making them less likely to get tangled with each other in a bag. All it takes to split them up for installation is toss them like salad.

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