Switches

In addition to the stabilizers, Wind Studio also offered to send along some switches to help make this article possible. I was expecting to see some inexpensive older switches from the likes of Outemu or Gateron perhaps, but not these. If you are not aware of CreateKeebs, it's another recently formed keyboard brand based out of China that has made a name for itself in offering keyboards, keycaps—including some artisan keycaps—and first-party switches designed and developed in house. What we have here are two packs of the CreateKeebs linear switches simply called SOTC linear. I am not sure where the "Sea Millet" or "Raindrop" fit into the naming since they are not mentioned in the product page. Each pack comes with 35 switches packed in a 2-piece plastic blister for added protection. I also appreciate the detailed specifications and switch composition found on the back of the box.


The CreateKeebs SOTC linear switch has navy blue housing and a white stem inspired by an iceberg in the polar region. The housing is opaque and made of POM (polyoxymethylene) whereas the stem is made of LY—a marketing name used for a mixture of POM and UHMWPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) and/or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). It's meant to be extremely smooth with a low coefficient of friction, thus allowing for the switch to have an extremely smooth travel up and down for a linear switch. The self-lubricating POM housing helps with this as does the part where these switches come pre-lubed out of the factory. A gold-plated stainless steel spring completes the switch design which itself is fairly straight-forward for a 5-pin Cherry MX-style cross-point mechanical switch. The extension on the stem pushes the copper sections together in the bottom housing to complete the circuit and actuate the switch.


Don't worry if all the pins from the hot swap switch sockets are not visible here as the IXPE pad provided by Wind Studio only has cutouts for the three larger pins (the plastic ones) for a typical 5-pin switch, thus you need to know this PCB is in a south-facing configuration before you insert the switches lest you bend the metal pins inadvertently. Simply push the switches straight down until they click in place into the hot swap sockets and you will know when you hit the end. Do this for all 67 switches and be aware that it may seem like there are two installation options for a few switches but it's usually one for most.