I’d like to create a post for others to clearly find out which switches can/can’t be used in the UHK. The product page clearly states that Kahils are used, and I have successfully replaced the original switches with Kahil Box Spring.
I read somewhere on this forum that Low Profile switches do not work, but mediums do. Can someone please clarify which work? And ideally with some product links.
I assume that analog switches or magnetic (the ones that can determine distance of key pressed) don’t function as described, but would they work normally?
Basically any switches that use the standard 3 or 5 pin position of normal Cherry MX switches should be compatible with the UHK. Some switches may block the LED if they’re not backlight compatible, but they should still activate keypresses.
Most low profile switches don’t work because the pins don’t line up with the sockets. The analog/magnetic switches don’t work because they need a different sensor for the distance detection. If you look at the bottom of a magnetic switch, they don’t even have metal contact pins like a normal switch. They only have the two outer-edge plastic pins similar to a 5-pin MX style switch. They have a magnetic plunger that sends the distance signal to a sensor underneath it, instead of using the metal socket pins.
EDIT:
For clarity, I should’ve mentioned that the magnetic switches won’t work with Cherry MX style sockets because the sensor that detects the plunger’s magnet is not part of the switch itself, but rather the sensor is soldered to the PCB of the keyboard. Therefore, since the magnetic switch has no metal pins, and the MX socket has no hall effect sensor; they have no means of conducting a signal to each other.
Thanks for clarifying. What about this low profile switch made by Kailh? The images look confusing because in one image it has 1 (metal) pin, another has 2, and another has a weird thing connected to the pin. I think it has 3 pins total?
Also, on the topic of low-profile switches, low profile keycaps should all work regardless of switches used, right? Like, there shouldn’t be any issues regarding clearance when pressing the key up/down. The only thing would we finding keycaps that are low profile and match the unique keycap sizes of the UHK, meaning some keys may sit lower/higher than others.
The big round plastic part in the center is counted as a stabilizing pin. The 3-pin switch has the middle plastic pin and two metal pins. A 5-pin switch is the same as a 3-pin, but with two extra plastic stabilizer pins on the outer edges. With a standard 5-pin switch, you can clip off the little outer plastic pins and fit them into a 3-pin socket with no problem. The UHK will accept both 3 and 5-pins though. No need to clip the stabilizers.
There’s a zillion switches & caps out there, so we can’t feasibly go through em all.
The Kailh Choc V2 switches for example, have a 4-pin layout, and I think the center pin is bigger, so they don’t fit a standard MX socket:
I’ve seen those Shadow Series switches before, but I thought they were just a new Kailh Choc V2 variant, which again, aren’t compatible with standard MX sockets. BUT… after looking at the video on Kailh’s site, the Shadows do have a 3-pin layout that at least seems like it could fit standard MX. The product compatibility info also says- “Works with any PCB compatible with Cherry style switches. 5 pins can be modified to 3 pins by clipping off the extra 2 pins if necessary.” Then if you scroll down the page, you’ll see a “Switch Replacement Guide - Adaptation Instructions” showing what looks like the layout for normal 3-5 pin sockets:
EDIT: After looking closer at the Shadow Series, it appears they are NOT compatible with standard MX sockets. The two metal pins are aligned in a more rightward position compared to the MX switches. The center plastic stabilizer pin also has a wider diameter than the MX’s.
Now, I’ve also heard that low profile switches might not fit because the thickness of the plate above the PCB can be too tall for the switch. I’m also not familiar with Lofree keyboards, which is what it looks like those switches are designed for. Looks like they’re a KAILH*LOFREE collab, so it might be a unique format.
As for the “weird thing connected to the pin”… If you mean the black thing in the second image you posted; that looks like a Kailh low profile hot swap socket adapter.
So, IDK for sure, but I guess it’s probably worth looking into the Shadow Series switches further. I’d honestly try to contact Kailh directly and get confirmation of their compatibility with standard Cherry MX hot swaps if I were you.
As for keycap compatibility, just make sure the stem on the caps are the same MX “+” shape as the switch. Normal height caps will not fit low profile switches without hitting the plate or getting stuck on the switch’s plastic housing. I assume most low profile caps should work with normal MX switches, but they might expose a bit more LED under-shine than you’d like.
Fortunately, finding customizable low profile caps for MX style stems is possible here:
Just choose the “LPF” cap style, and there’s a template for the UHK layout. If I’m not mistaken, I think their LPF caps are a uniform height.
I have some of their XDA profile caps which are taller than LPF, but a flat uniform height:
If you join FK Custom’s Discord, they’re really active & helpful on there if you wanna ask questions about their caps.
Yup yup this has rung true with me. Incase anyone is interested here is a full list of switches I’ve tested on the UHK and they all work just fine (as @pcooke9 mentioned some may have LED blocking issues, I can’t comment on this because I don’t care for RGB sowwie)
Kalih box white (option when purchasing UHK)
Gateron melodic
Gateron Silent Ink
Durock POM T1 Sunflower Switch
DOOM Tactile Switch Single Switch
Buri Switch
Tacit V2 Switch
OwLab London Fog Switch Lubricated Switch
GEON Black Switch
KEEBFRONT Coley Switch
Durock Black Lotus T1 Switch
GEON HG Red / Silent Linear
GEON HG White / Tactile
Owlab Latte Switch
GEON HG Yellow / Silent Tactile
Gateron Mountain Top Switch
Gateron Mini-i Switch
KTT Darling
Sarokeys x Geon BCP (Pre-Lubed) Switch
KEEBWERK. BUSHI Switch
Gateron Silent Clear
Gateron Brown (KS-9)
Gateron Clear (KS-9)
Gateron Red (KS-9)
Gateron Blue (KS-9)
Gateron Yellow Ink
Dusk Panda Switches Blue Linear
Kailh Polia Switch
Vala Electric Switch
Durock L2 Switch Clear Housing
Durock L3 Switch Clear Housing
Newskill red
Newskill green
Newskill purple
I think I’ve tried maybe seven different switches.
You have any recommendations for heavy clicky/tactiles? I like em super heavy, & clicky enough to wake the neighbors . So far, my favs are Kailh Box Crystal Navy with the extra thick click bar.
None of these I’ve tried felt super heavy, and I’d say the Gateron Melodics felt the heaviest and are very clicky! I like them alot. Compared to the Kailh box whites the melodics are about as loud and have a deeper tone. But don’t take what I say as gospel, I’m just another village idiot trying to make sense of the keyboard scene and since switches can be highly subjective, I may be comparing them incorrectly . Honestly most of the linear switches on the list felt so similar that typing at speed made me think many of them were the same.
I personally just settled for the Newskill reds for one of my keyboards, and Gateron melodics for another. Those two feel end game to me.
I’m more interested in keycaps designs and colours than switches.
There’s a lot of us idiots in the mech keeb village
There are so many options and most of em feel the same to me as well, linear or otherwise. If they aren’t at least 80gf, I can barely even tell I’m typing.
I’m guilty of emptying my pockets on a million caps too. I’m really glad YUZU/FKCustom are around now
I just got some of the Kailh+Lofree Wizard switches (clicky) for the UHK80’s bottom row thumb cluster. I have to say, I really like 'em a lot. The action is much smoother than the Blues. The Blues feel VERY grainy and have a ton of stem wobble. The Lofree Wizards have no stem wobble at all. Seriously, none. The stem tolerance is so tight, they feel heavier than they actually are, because there’s no wiggle-mush on the way down. I love it! I wish they made some even heavier, but these are the stiffest Choc V2 style switches I could find.
Another thing to note; they don’t have the extra little stabilizer pin like the other Choc V2s, but somehow, they feel more stable in that regard as well.
Cool cool, glad it works. Thanks for sharing. I’m thinking of getting a 30-set of ghost, phantom, and wizard each. Thinking ghost (linear) for letters, phantom (tactile) for numbers and symbols, and wizard (clicky) for function and command keys.
Which keycaps are you using with it? Have you used any low-profile caps with it?
Yeah, the low profile switches will ONLY fit on the UHK80’s very bottom row (two keys on each half). The rest of the keys are ALL standard MX on both the UHK80 and UHK60v2. The UHK60v1 are all soldered MX style sockets.
I figured I’d post this here to further demonstrate the compatibility of the hot-swap sockets on the UHK80…
In this pic of the UHK80, the bottom-row thumb cluster switch is the Lofree Wizard (Choc V2 style). The switch in the middle is the upper-row thumb cluster using Kailh Crystal Box Navy (standard MX style). ALL but the very bottom row on both halves (two each side) use standard MX switches:
The Lofree Shadow Series switches are basically Kailh Choc V2s without the extra stabilizer pin on the corner. They will only fit in Choc V2 sockets. The main metal pins are also not aligned in the same position as standard MX, so Chocs & MXs won’t fit each others’ sockets interchangeably…
Here’s a bottom view of - (LEFT = Choc V2 Blue, CENTER = Lofree Wizard, RIGHT = Kailh Box Navy [MX]):
Below is a shot of the UHK80’s hot-swap sockets. Notice the placement of the sockets for the metal pins (circles with tiny slits inside). The Chocs are aligned leftward, and the MX are aligned rightward. Also notice how much bigger the center hole is for the Choc socket…
(BOTTOM = low profile Choc V2 socket, TOP = standard MX socket):
. So far, my favs are Kailh Box Crystal Navy with the extra thick click bar.
. Honestly most of the linear switches on the list felt so similar that typing at speed made me think many of them were the same.
