Hello! I want to change rubber pads for switches that are installed on Elektron devices. But I can’t find the right size. Any suggestions?
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Hi @eriklieders
I’m not sure how you’d do that, frankly that seems like quite an adventure.
I guess technically you could do it, but you’d need to bodge wire 128 key switches and find a way to fit them in the case.
Firstly, the dimensions are tricky and set some tight constraints. The pads on Hapax are 16mm apart. Usually, keyboard switches are put 19.05mm apart, and their physical footprint are sized consequently (cramming them in a tighter space is clearly not the usual use case). Cherry MX switches are 15.6mm wide, so I guess it’s not impossible, but there’s less than a millimeter of margin for error on each switch.
And there are the Z-axis constraints as well: can it fit under the faceplate? What’s a good travel distance?
Then you’d need the proper keycaps. If you plan on still using the stock faceplate, you’d need keycaps of 11.5mm in size. That clearly calls for custom made keycaps.
Don’t forget that you’d also need to take into account the backlight for each pad. So you need to plan your key switch, key cap, and wiring accordingly. In fact, you’d probably have to replace the RGB LEDs entirely.
If you need to cut the top PCB to make some space for your mod, you’d need to rewire almost all traces, probably add your own deghosting diodes, and resistors adapted to your new LEDs.
We’re probably talking 1000 bodge wires at that point.
If you succeed, do share the result, but honestly, it sounds impossible to me.
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Yeah. That seems to be a massive project with enough complication to be risky. That said, if you ever make a limited edition Hapax Pro with mechanical key switches, sign me up.
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guys thanks for the replies. The first problem is that I can’t find keycaps smaller than 19mm anywhere. This appears to be the minimum size. All custom offers only color or pattern, but you cannot set the size smaller.
Keycaps could be 3d printed to fit those dimensions.
This service isn’t really on the market, since the overwhelming majority of potential customers want custom designs/color for standard sized keycaps.
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I disassembled the device the other day. Looks like that. I tried to try on cherry mx low profile, but they are too big and the diode on the board interferes with the installation (I will not solder and change the LEDs). I ordered smaller switches on aliexpress, I also found caps of the right size there. Now i need to think about how to install them on the board.
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When I first saw this post I was really skeptical, but seeing how tenacious you are about this I’m rooting for you and can’t wait to see how this works out. 
Nice. I love watching your progress.
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