If you’re a fan of video games, the first thing you think of when talking about keyboards is mechanical switches. This type of keyboard has established itself as the perfect option for gaming, and for good reason. But, you should never exclude the membrane keyboardsbecause they can be very good options.
Throughout my life I have used a lot of different keyboards, brands and types. I must say that I have played with both mechanical keyboards and membrane keyboards. The membrane type should not be ruled out, as they are an interesting solution if you have a very tight budget.
How to choose the best possible option?
We are going to rule out capacitive keyboards, as they are intended for more electronics and development functions. These types of keyboards are activated when we play them directly, without pressing any key. We can say, by simplifying, that it is a PCB without more which we touch and it activates. Some of these keyboards are covered with different thin materials.
The bone membrane keyboards They have an internal circuit with two contacts under each key. When we press the key, the two contacts come together and generates an electrical signal. The keyboard, in this case, sends the signal after pressing.
We do not have an internal mechanical element, we can easily say that it is a mechanism that connects two pins. This type of keyboard is characterized above all by its extremely inexpensive. This is not the only strong point of this type of keyboard, since they are also more lightfurther thin and further silentthan mechanical keyboards.
And mechanical keyboard is characterized by having a separate switchwho is names commonly as axis. In this case we have a internal contact in shaft body. When we press the key, the shaft body generates an electrical signal.
The keyboard mechanic It is characterized above all by a much longer lifespan than a type keyboard membrane. In addition, it allows the creation of different zones, combining different types of mechanical switches. This makes it possible to generate a different feeling for each key, but in this case it will be much more expensive.
It all depends on our needs and our economy.
In my experience, you can play perfectly with a membrane type keyboard, they work perfectly. They’re thin, cheap keyboards that are simple to use, and best of all, they’re extremely inexpensive. For those who are going to play casually or are on a tight budget, this is a great option.
If we are going to play intensively, we are interested in a mechanical keyboard. There are some very interesting options, such as those based on Cherry MX Speed Silver switches, which are very pleasant to play and quieter than other keyboards. In addition, Cherry has reduced-size switches that allow you to create more compact keyboards.
Mechanical switches offer us a great capacity for customization. A membrane switch is simple and does not allow any type of customization, there are no different types of routes and axes. Within the mechanics we have different axes, paths and actuation forces. Creating a custom keyboard isn’t cheap, but if you can afford it…
