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[2021-10-13 13:26:33 UTC; Updated to removed duplicated 1st sentence.--martyb]
Drop's new mechanical keyboards go up to $500:
High-end mechanical keyboard and PC peripherals brand Drop (formerly Massdrop) today revealed its next lineup of prebuilt mechanical keyboards. The brand added options to three different series, with its most premium one, Paragon, priced at a whopping $500 apiece.
In addition to making its own products, Drop has a shop where keyboard fanatics can get everything from mechanical keyboard switches to unique and artisan keycaps, stabilizers, and even fancy, detachable cables. The keyboards released today are supposed to make it easier for people who don't want to build their own clacker to get an enthusiast-level option without having to deal with group buys, which take many months before you actually get a product in hand.
[...] Drop's Paragon keyboards are currently available for preorder but aren't expected to start shipping until around November 15.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 14 2021, @02:00AM (1 child)
It's not necessarily about clicking. Not all mechanical keyboards click. Common keyboards are properly called rubber dome keyboards (or sometimes membrane keyboards, but that's confusing). They have a sheet of silicone rubber molded into the layout of the keyboard where there's a hollow dome under each key, and contact traces on the bottom of the dome. When you press the key, the dome collapses (this causes the tactile feedback) and the trace contacts a matching trace below it, which is how the keypress is detected. This means you have to press the key all the way to the bottom before it registers. The elasticity of the rubber is what pushes the key back up when you release it.
Mechanical keyboards have an individual self contained spring and switch under each key. When you push the key down, the plunger pushes the contacts on the switch together. By choosing the spring and switch, and how the plunger interacts with the switch, it's possible to configure the key resistance, sensitivity, tactile feedback or lack thereof, and clickiness (or not). Most mechanical keyswitches register at about 1/3 to 1/2 of the total travel, so it's possible to type without ever banging the key against the bottom stop, which is a lot gentler on the fingers, and much more responsive.
"Membrane" keyboards can also refer to sealed keyboards where the keys are simply drawn on a flat surface, like on a Speak & Spell or certain devices that need to operate outdoors or in harsh environments. Prior to the mid-90s, pc keyboards were mechanical, but modern membrane/dome keyboards were developed to lower costs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 14 2021, @01:46PM
Great answer, thank you for responding.