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Difference Between Mechanical AND Membrane Keyboard

Features of Mechanical and Membrane Keyboards

By Saman RamzanPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Introduction:

Are you looking for a keyboard that fits your requirements and interests, but you are unable to figure out which type of keyboard to chose? Then this article is for you, as in this article, we’ll clear all your confusion about mechanical and membrane keyboards. We’ll tell you what is mechanical and membrane keyboard and how these two keyboards differ? We’ll also take you through their features along with their pros and cons. So without further due, let’s get started.

What are Membrane and Mechanical keyboards?

Membrane Keyboards:

Membrane (regular) keyboards or Rubber Dome Keyboards are the keyboards that often come with the package of PC. These keyboards have flat keycaps and give mushy and silent sounds. You have to press the keycap down to the bottom to register the key because the keyboards have a rubber pad inside. The rubber pad has rubber domes which have an electro-mechanical membrane.

When you press the key, the rubber domes move down and create some resistance. You have to press the key harder for the membrane to touch the PCB and register the key. Releasing the key makes the rubber dome bounce back to its original position.

Mechanical Keyboard:

On the other hand, in mechanical keyboards, there is an individual switch for every key, which is consists of two metal contacts, one spring, and a plunger. When you press the key, the plunger moves the spring downwards and allows the two metal contacts to connect and complete the circuit.

Unlike membrane keyboards, you only have to press the key to the point the two metal contacts join, called activation point, and the key is registered. Releasing the key makes the spring move up, which disconnects the two metals. The Opto-Mechanical switches also have laser light under the plunger. When the key is pressed, the laser light falls on the sensor, and then the key is registered.

Membrane keyboards vs. Mechanical keyboards:

Following are some of the features that differentiate the two keyboards:

Feedback:

Membrane keyboards give you a comparatively quiet and mushy feel. On the other hand, Mechanical keyboards give you a variety of feedback depending on your choice, as in clicky, silent, tactile, Etc. You can use the Key cherry MX switch tester to test different mechanical keys where various keys are placed together to help you chose the switch type according to your comfort.

Response time:

When you press the key, the keyboard takes some time to scan the input. Response time is the time keyboard takes to make those scans of each key. Mechanical keyboards have a faster response time than membrane keyboards. Traditional mechanical keyboards have an average of around a 6ms response time. Keyboards having a response time of even 1ms are also available.

Key Roll-over and Anti-ghosting:

Membrane keyboards often ignore the keystrokes if you press more than one key at the same time. On the other hand, Mechanical keyboards often have NKRO or N-key rollover, which registers all the keys if you press more than one key simultaneously. If you are typing fast, then with anti-ghosting property, there are fewer chances of error because the keys will be registered according to the order of presses.

Customization:

You can choose mechanical key switches according to your requirement and the environment you’re working in, like Medium, stiff, linear, tactile, and clicky. Etc depends on the kind of feedback you want. You can change key force by changing springs and switches. On the other hand, in membrane keyboards, you cannot change the membrane key force because the membrane is not customizable.

Longevity:

In membrane keyboards, the rubber pad can wear out in less time. If one key stops working in it, then it cannot be repaired as these are not built by soldering together individual parts. The keycaps also cannot be replaced. On the other hand, mechanical keyboards are more customizable as you can replace keys according to the feedback you want. You can repair keys as well by soldering.

Cost:

Membrane keyboards are cheaper than Mechanical keyboards because the membrane in it is an electro-mechanical membrane, which is not expensive to make. On the other hand, Mechanical keyboards have good quality material and separate switches, which makes them expensive.

Ease of cleaning:

Membrane keyboards are more likely to get dirty, and they are not easy to clean as removing the keycaps requires more force. On the other hand, you can easily vacuum the dirt in Mechanical keyboards by removing the keycaps. Most of the mechanical keyboards are dust and waterproof.

Noisy:

The mechanical keyboard is much louder than the membrane, but blind typing is possible as all the keys are separated. Cherry MX switches’ features and Razor switches’ features are most popular. Mechanical switches have silent features as well, for example, Cherry MX red, which requires less activation force, but it neither has a tactile bump nor any audible click.

Conclusion:

I would conclude my article by saying that both the keyboards have their pros and cons. If you’re a gamer or a programmer or someone who has to spend a long time on a computer, then a mechanical keyboard is a better choice for you. The reason is that your hands will not get tired because you will not have to press the key harder to register it. Also, there will be lesser chances of error as the keys are separate.

On the contrary, if you have to work lightly on the computer and avoid noise and want it to be cheap, then a membrane keyboard will suit your requirements better. Also, it is portable because it is mostly plastic, which makes it lighter in weight.

Don’t forget to tell us in the comment section about the keyboard you are currently using. And why do you want to replace it?

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