All You Need to Know About Hot Swap Mechanical Keyboard
A hot-swappable keyboard is a keyboard designed to use hot-swappable switches, giving you the ability to change the key switches by using a switch extractor tool without having to solder and desolder them from the PCB.
A hot-swappable keyboard lets you change key switches without having to completely deconstruct the entire keyboard or learn a new skill like soldering.
Hot-swappable keyboards are becoming more common because they allow you to customize your keyboard to meet your specific needs. They also make repairs MUCH easier and faster.
You can get a hot-swappable keyboard from brands like Keychron, DustSilver, or Drop Shift.
But that begs the question: are all mechanical keyboards hot-swappable? The answer might surprise you!
Read on to learn all about hot-swappable mechanical keyboards and what you need to know before you buy one.
What is a Hotswap Mechanical Keyboard?
Hot-swappable keyboards allow easy replacement of your switches without having to solder or desolder components to or from the PCB.
Hot-swap keyboards (also known as hot swapping or hot-swapping) are popular with gamers, modders, and DIY enthusiasts because they allow for quick and easy keyboard switch changes without a lot of manual hardware work.
Hot-swapping is a term borrowed from the IT world where it is used to describe the process of changing or replacing components in a system without having to stop, shut down, or reboot the system.
As an example, you may have run into a situation where you needed to restart your computer after adding a printer. That's an example of a cold swap, one that requires a reboot.
Hot swapping allows you to change things on the fly without having to worry about any of it.
In the world of mechanical keyboards, being able to do this is really important for customization and making sure you get exactly what you want.
The great thing about hot swapping is that you can easily replace any part of the board, including the keys.
Why should you get a HotSwappable keyboard?
There are many reasons why you should consider getting a hot-swappable keyboard.
One reason is that it allows you to customize your keyboard in ways that would be impossible if you had to solder or desolder something.
Another reason is that it makes it easy to repair your keyboard when something goes wrong.
If you're like me, I'm always fiddling with my mechanical keyboard and trying out different switches and keys.
If you find you don't like a particular keyboard switch, it's easy to change it to try something else.
For example, maybe your keyboard came with Cherry MX Blue switches, but you prefer the typing experience you learned for your brown switches.
A hot-swappable keyboard makes swapping them quick and easy—all you need is the switch puller and you're ready to go.
Or maybe a switch is malfunctioning, like it's not registering properly or getting key chatter. Since your hot-swappable keyboard uses hot-swappable switches, fixing the problem is quick and easy.
Additionally, you can configure a unique switch layout like a heavy spacebar and different switches for your WASD keys.
Since it has hot-swappable switches, you have easier access to all your components so you can properly lubricate your switches and access the stabilizers where you can dial in the sound and feel.
Are all mechanical keyboards hot swappable?
Unfortunately, the reality is that many mechanical keyboards are not hot-swappable.
For example, some popular brands like HyperX, Logitech, and Razer make keyboards that are not hot-swappable.
When you're looking try this out for a hot swap mechanical keyboard, the ability to customize your switches usually comes up in the title when you search places like Amazon. If it's not listed in the product title, it's almost certainly not hot-swappable.
Do hot swappable keyboards work with all switches?
Wouldn't it be great if all these things were universal and you didn't have to worry about whether or not your desired switch would work with your hot-swappable keyboard?
In fact, that would be great, but that's not the case.
There are different types of hot-swappable switches and different types of hot-swappable keyboards.
All things are not equal.
So, to be on the safe side, when choosing your hot-swappable keyboard, make sure you know what kind of hot-swappable switches are compatible with that model so you don't end up getting frustrated and wasting time on switches that don't fit properly.
Are switches the same as keys?
No, actually they are completely different, but also two parts of the same system.
The keyswitches are the part that actually executes the operation of a keypress and registers it on the PCB, and is the part of the keyboard that the RGB backlight shines through for those keyboards that have that feature.
The keys are the pieces that cover the upper part of the switch where the character is printed or engraved and are mainly made of two different types of plastic polymer:
ABS keys are constructed from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, which is widely used in consumer goods, most notably Lego blocks.
Many people prefer PBT keycaps because they are considered to be of better quality than ABS keycaps. They hold their texture longer and don't tend to wear down and become slippery like some ABS keys tend to do.
Keycaps are a completely different part of the keycap, but they are an essential part of a mechanical keyboard.
Also, the keys are almost always interchangeable on mechanical keyboards.
About Us
Dustsilver is a leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories for young people, including keyboards and gaming accessories. We are a company specializing in the production of mechanical keyboards. We customize cool mechanical keyboards for interesting young people. It is changing the rules of the game.
Website - https://dustsilver.com/