Mechanical Keyboards – What Makes Them Click?

Whether gaming or typing away data on your computer, a keyboard is a vital peripheral that can enhance your using experience. If there is one type of keyboard that rules them all, it's undoubtedly a mechanical keyboard. Their distinct, satisfactory keypress and sound signature make them ideal for work and play. However, if there is one thing that intrigues most users, it is what makes them click.

Learning about the mechanical switches and their characteristics is essential to understand the sound of a mechanical keyboard. Membrane keyboards are budget-friendly but do not offer any customization or ergonomic design. So, before we get into the details, let's start with the basic definition of a mechanical keyboard.

1. What are Mechanical Keyboards?

The mechanism that registers a keypress leads to the name mechanical keyboard. A mechanical keyboard consists of mechanical switches underneath each keycap with alphanumeric text. The switch completes the electrical circuit, passing electricity. The computer receives a signal from each switch that completes the circuit, indicating that the user presses a particular key.

The total time that the computer takes to register a key includes:

● Pre-Travel Limit

● De-Bounce Time

● Operating System Latency

● Application Latency

The time a keyboard takes to send a signal and successfully register a keypress is vital in gaming. Any delay can put you at a disadvantage against other players, leading to a loss. However, besides time, there are other aspects to look for in a mechanical keyboard.

Mechanical Keyboard Layout

There are multiple layouts available for computer users. Choosing the right one can be tricky. Here are the layouts and their specific preferred uses:

● Full-Size: It has been the standard size since its invention. It features 104 keys, including the function, arrow, and numeric pad. The size and options are ideal for office work and casual gamers who work from home. Do check out the full-size mechanical keyboard MK600RD by MEETION. It's a combination of durability and aesthetics.

● TKL: As per research conducted by Input Club in 2022, TKL (Ten Keyless) is the most popular layout among gamers. The numeric keypad is the least used feature by gamers. TKL layout takes out the numeric pad, leaving behind the function and arrow keys, which can come in handy in streaming and regular gaming.

● 75%: Removing the function and arrow keys leaves us with 75% of the full-size keyboard keys. It is a popular size among professionals and video editors who like to have a compact keyboard on their tabletop. Casual gamers can also go for a balance between functionality and performance.

● 60%: It is the most popular layout for gamers. It excludes all the unnecessary keys that gamers rarely use. The 60% remaining keys are vital for performance. These keyboards have a low footprint, so you have loads of space for mouse movement, which is critical in competitive gaming.

Build Material of Mechanical Keyboard

There are certain conditions where build quality can become critical, for example, office use, industrial use, construction sites, and gaming. These applications pose different threats to the keyboard, therefore requiring other materials.

● Gaming: Repeatedly using specific keys in gaming can damage the mechanical switches over time. Therefore, they must have a significant cycle length. In addition, gamer rage is equally possible, so having a firm base keyboard is the way to go.

● Industrial Application: The usage is less frequent than any office or gamer but requires reliability. Keyboards with IPS rating and high-quality base are ideal for this scenario.

● Office Use: Office use requires ergonomics and quiet design. Keyboards with damping material and silent mechanical switches are best for office use.

● Construction Sites: A rugged metal keyboard base with dust-proof key switches is vital for construction ties. The conditions are harsh, and they can easily damage a low-quality keyword.

Types of Mechanical Keyboards

Visiting a gaming product website can be overwhelming. There are loads of choices for mechanical keyboards. Keyboards can be silent, low-profile, clicky, responsive, aesthetic, and more. Selecting the best one requires some knowledge base. Here are some of the mechanical keyboard types:

● Low-Profile: These are generally expensive due to their compact design and low height. The mechanical switches are more complex to manufacture, leading to a higher cost, but they function similarly to regular switches.

● Silent: These keyboards are equipped with silent switches, which are specially designed for quiet environments or streamers who do not want clicky sound.

● Aesthetic: You need your centerpiece to look amazing when making a gaming setup that speaks aesthetics. Keyboards with RGB lighting and two-tone colors are the most popular in this category.

2. Why Do Mechanical Keyboards Click?

The click sound is the signature of a mechanical keyboard. The keyboard switch is responsible for the distinct click sound from the mechanical keyboard. Every key on a keyboard has a switch underneath. When a user presses the key against the spring force of the switch, it registers a keypress. The movement eventually causes the keycap to bottom out, creating a click. There is another click that initiates as the user releases the force. The key snaps back into the initial condition, making the click sound.

3. How Mechanical Keyboards Work?

Loads of components and features make a mechanical keyboard work. The mechanical switches are the main highlight. Let's get right into these switches and the features that make mechanical keyboards work.

Mechanical Keyboard Switches

These switches are like buttons responsible for registering a key by completing an electric circuit. These switches include the stem, spring, slider, case, and leaf spring conductors. All of them work together to create a circuit. Here are some of their characteristics:

Actuation Force

The amount of force required to press a key entirely is actuation force. Every switch has a spring that brings the key back to a neutral position, and the stiffness of the spring determines its action force. In gaming, players require a low actuation force, while industrial settings prefer a high actuation force.

Tactile Feedback

Designers call the point at which the keypress registers an actuation point. Before the actuation point, manufacturers add a bump between the slider and stem. Pressing a key leads to a physical feedback confirmation. It is ideal in loud areas where the clicking is inaudible.

Key Travel Distance

The distance the keycap travels before registering a key press is called the pre-travel limit or actuation distance. The total distance it travels to reach the bottom is called travel distance.

N-Key Rollover (NKRO)

In the earlier versions of USB keyboards, they could only register a fixed number of keys, which caused a problem for gamers. After reaching the limit, the keyboard does not send a signal. The term used by gamers is called ghosting. Gamers need to maneuver, so they require an endless number of simultaneous keypresses. So, the designer came up with NKRO technology. It allows an infinite number of simultaneous keypresses and registers them efficiently.

Anti-Ghosting

Similar to NKRO, a keyboard that features NKRO also has anti-ghosting properties. The keyboard will register keys irrespective of the number of keys pressed simultaneously. Depending on the product, there could be a limit, like 7 or 10 presses at a time.

4. Things to Consider When Choosing Mechanical Keyboards.

Now that we know all the critical features, parts, and applications of a mechanical keyboard, we can make an intelligent decision when purchasing one. Here are the features that a user should look for in a bullet form:

● First, observe the usage conditions and find the suitable keyboard accordingly.

● Consider the mechanical keyboard switch type: Silent, Clicky, or Linear.

● Pick the suitable layout: Full-Size, TKL, 75%, or 60%.

● Gamers should look for NKRO, Anti-Ghosting, and Macro-programming capabilities.

● Office users can look for keyboards installed with O-rings and silent keys

● Look for the keycap quality. Generally, double-shot PBT is the best type.

● Cable quality also matters for frequent travelers. It can be detachable or fixed.

5. Conclusion

So, the click sound is from the keycap hitting the bottom or snapping back into the position. However, other things are also equally crucial in keyboards. Switch types, layout, design, ergonomics, base material, and cable significantly impact product performance. Experts expect the global mechanical keyboard market to reach $2.657 billion by 2033. Gamers are the top consumers of mechanical keyboards, and there is no replacement for mechanical keyboards in industrial settings. So why not check out MEETION's top-of-the-line mechanical keyboards and get one today!