Microswitch travel distance test results

[Katana Man]

The travel distance it takes for a microswitch to reset is important to me.  My buddy and I do a technique we call "vibrating" where we tense up the muscles in our arms and the arm begins to shake. We then hold our fingers at the switch sweet spot, and the speed is much faster than the traditional method.  This technique does not require your brain to rhythmically think about "up down up down" which is slower in comparison.  Vibrating works great for games like Track and Field, Hyper Sports, or any game that requires rapid firing.  As the night goes on, we notice that the speeds get even even faster probably because the muscles warm up.  It is certainly more work than normal pushing of the buttons, but when you want to break records, it's key. It's hilarious watching each other's face go red as we go for a heavy weight lift in Hyper Sports  

So back to the topic, the reset distance is important for speed.  This is why there are die hard leaf switch enthusiasts out there. Leaf switches are fast.  Personally, I like to hear and feel where the sweet spot is.  You can't do that with leaf switches, so I prefer microswitches.   

Another advantage to short reset distances can be seen in some games that have multiple pushbuttons going at the same time. Again, I'll use the example of Track and Field, and Hyper Sports, the efforts of your second pushbutton is negated if the first pushbutton hasn't released yet! So a shorter reset distance registers the press but releases quicker letting the other button register it's press.

I used my digital calipers to test the reset travel distances. Here are the results in case anyone is interested:

• Cherry: 0.007"
• Zippy:  0.005"
• Groovy Soft Touch: 0.005"  (based on Zippy with softer springs)
• Versa-Micro User Adjustable: 0.001"

Oh my! The Versa-Micro's are awesome.  I couldn't believe it was resetting that fast! Of course the Versa-Micro's are the most expensive switch ($2.49 each vs. $0.89), but I'm getting them.

[DashRendar]

My buddy and I do a technique we call "vibrating"

 

[Nephasth]

Yea, if you remove the few arcade references from the first paragraph, it's pretty disturbing...

The travel distance it takes for a microswitch to reset is important to me.  My buddy and I do a technique we call "vibrating" where we tense up the muscles in our arms and the arm begins to shake. We then hold our fingers at the switch sweet spot, and the speed is much faster than the traditional method.  This technique does not require your brain to rhythmically think about "up down up down" which is slower in comparison.  Vibrating works great for games like Track and Field, Hyper Sports, or any game that requires rapid firing.  As the night goes on, we notice that the speeds get even even faster probably because the muscles warm up.  It is certainly more work than normal pushing of the buttons, but when you want to break records, it's key. It's hilarious watching each other's face go red as we go for a heavy weight lift in Hyper Sports

[Katana Man]

LOL