Why Scissor Switches?
And why you don't see many scissor switch based ergonomic keyboards today
When we started this project (rationale here), we wanted to use mechanical switches. They’re often considered the premium option because of their reliability and feel. However, mechanical switches have a few problems:
They’re loud – Some people like that, but to me it’s more of a nuisance. They bother people nearby and on Zoom calls.
Most aren’t low profile – I found one reliable ultra low profile switch (”Cherry MX ULP“), but it was hard to source.
Limited sizes – Mechanical switches only come in set sizes. We needed custom-sized arrow keys to match a 75% laptop keyboard layout.
Instead of mechanical switches, we decided to use scissor switches. These are what you see in pretty much every laptop keyboard these days. They are quiet, ultra low profile (~1mm), and can fit our custom key shape requirements. As an added benefit, they’re also easy to press, which doubles as an ergonomic feature.
The issue with scissor switch keyboards though is that you can’t produce them easily unless you go to a manufacturer. It has to do with the way they are put together. Some examples of what makes it hard:
The switches and keys are too thin to 3d print reliably, so you need molds to produce them
The switches fit into tiny hooks in the frame that machines assemble best
Making a flexible PCB and getting the rubber domes for the keys would be hacky to do yourself
Most hobbyists can’t solve these problems on their own. Manufacturers, on the other hand, have the machines and the expertise to churn out scissor switch keyboard modules easily.
So mass-producing the keyboard actually became the easiest way for us to make our ideal ultra-low profile keyboard. That’s why I flew to China with a few weeks notice to find manufacturing partners (which is a story for another time).
If you like the design decisions we’re making with this project, consider subscribing to this newsletter to follow along as we build it in public. I’ll share more as we make progress.
Thanks for reading,
Ryan Peterman
The manufacturing bottleneck here is wht most ergo keyboard projects skip scissor switches entirely. I tried prototyping smth similar last year with hand-assembled mechanisms and the tolerances were insane—everything fell apart within hours. The tradeoff is interesting tho: trading modularity for quieter typing and a lower profile makes sense if the end product is actually something users stick with long-term.
I like the feeling of scissor switches on my MacBook keyboard and I think it would be a great choice for an ergonomic keyboard regarding feel and sound, but a quick thought.
How much harder is it to fix/change scissor keys compared to hot swappable keyboards that allow you to switch the keycaps and switches if something becomes defected? Ergonomic keyboards like the Naya ergonomic keyboard have a modular low profile keyboard that can do this (plus they claim to have “silent”
switches).