An Intro to Frankenswitches for Mechanical Keyboards

If you’ve been bumping around the mechanical keyboard scene for a bit, it’s very likely that you’ve encountered the word “frankenswitch” before. While it likely is a bit less intimidating to the average reader as opposed to someone like me who gets an angry red squiggle thrown in my face every time I write it out on a Word document, there’s still very little in the way of coherent discussion about this mysterious word. Put plain and simple: frankenswitches refer to any custom mechanical keyboard switch which is made up of components from two or more different stock switches. Given that there are over 2000 different, unique mechanical keyboard switches out there, the sheer number of possible frankenswitches that could possibly be made might explain why its had to pin down singular explanations on the topic. That is not to say that all possible combinations are made equally, though, as some of the most famous stock switches throughout the years have been inspired by or are frankenswitches themselves!

Alright, that’s great, Goat. I know that frankenswitches exist and there are at least a few hundred thousand possible ones out there. But why? Like all things mechanical keyboard related, customization is the name of the game. In much the same way that people might seek out green or blue keycaps, or 40% or 60% sized keyboards, there’s a lot of different sounds, feelings, and tactile responses that people are looking for in their builds that they might not have readily on hand. While some people may mix and match switches that they already have lying around collecting dust to perhaps emulate something they don’t want to spend more money on, other people go out of there way to buy entire packs of switches just to harvest specific components for their desirable material, structural, or other properties. Due to the sheer amount of possible combinations and niche features people may be swapping switch components around to try and target, I simply can’t cover the full gamut of thoughts and options out there. However, here’s how I would think about other people’s frankenswitches or even finding a combination of my own:

Frankenswitch-ing is all about trying to extract a specific sound or feeling from a switch with some drawbacks you don’t like and getting them into another design which either removes those drawbacks or highlights that targeted goal. One such goal might be…

The Perfect Sound

The material used in the housings of switches plays a big role in what your keyboard sounds like when you bottom out a switch. While these are not the only components which affect your sound, housings made of nylon may help give you a bass-heavy, deeper sound to each keystroke whereas traditional polycarbonate housings have a higher pitched and thinner sound to them. Given the wide array of new housing materials to come out in switches in the past few years such as nylon and polycarbonate mixes, POM, UHMWPE, ‘Ink Material’, etc. mixing combinations of these housings can allow for an impressive array of possible sound combinations. Just buy mixing something like our example polycarbonate top housing with a nylon bottom housing, you could have a deep, muted bottoming out and thin, high pitched topping out if that’s what you are interested. Even the material of switch stems as well as what lubricant you use can also all greatly impact the sound of a frankenswitch. Don’t worry though, frankenswitching isn’t all about sound either, as another important goal might be…

Push Feeling

While housing material choices clearly impacts the feeling of bottoming and topping out in linear switches, the complicated interplay that happens between stems and leaves in tactile switches can give rise to an even crazier world of frankenswitches. The tactile bumps in stock switches are directly a function of the specifically curved shape of the stem legs and location, height, and angle of the stem leaves. Changing this leaf angle ever so slightly or moving the interaction point between the stem leg curve and the leaf can wildly change the size, force, and duration of any tactile bump. Thus, given that each brand has multiple different styles of leaves inside of their switches, something as simple as swapping one tactile stem into a variety of different housings could produce an entire rainbow of tactile bumps, ranging from thin, sharp, and punchy, to thick, wide, and subtle. Frankenswitching doesn’t have to be just about performance though, as many people are just as focused on…

Aesthetics

Sure, in this day and age it’s hard to think that someone couldn’t find the exact type of switch they want in the exact color they want. While it might be possible to find something like an all-white linear switch or a black and red tactile switch with enough effort, what if you’re a keyboard builder who likes to match your entire build and you’ve got a complex keycap set to match like GMK Blurple or DSA Scientific? Swapping housings and stems into other switches are a great way to not only get an endgame-worthy color combination, but may also serve functional benefits as well if you’re looking to make your keyboard more or less RGB or LED friendly. That one specific clicky or tactile you really like might not come in an entirely clear housing you want leaving you feel stranded if not for the possibility of trading bottom housings with another switch from the same brand.

A final thing to keep in mind with these brief ideas getting your mind rolling about frankenswitches, though, is that they are all interconnected. Part of what makes the hunt for perfect switches so fun for some individuals is striking that perfect balance between form and function, as the best looking switch might feel bad and the best performing ones might be the ugliest switch you’ve ever seen. And then there’s even budget and availability constraints to consider too! Frankenswitching is, by its nature, entirely customized and specific to each person out there. So rather than exploring specific frankenswitches of notes or inflecting my opinion on you about x, y, or z type housing material or combination, I encourage you to go out and try stuff out for yourself! Not only will you gain a deeper understanding of switches along the way, but mixing and matching parts might accidentally lead to you discovering a perfect switch you would have never thought of before. But there are many combinations out there, so you better get to it!