Stabilizers are components you can place on your PCB to stabilize a key. You can do this with keys that are larger than usual. On split keyboards like the Kyria, you have the option to add stabilizers to up to four of the thumb keys.
On thumb keys, you may press the key off-center more often than not. Without a stabilizer, this might cause the stem of the switch—the part where the keycap is connected to the switch—to press in at an angle, possibly sliding over the housing of the switch next to it. This might give a scratchy feeling to your switch.
A stabilizer distributes the force when you press a key, so that the stem of the switch always presses downward, instead of slightly off-center. For many, this improves the feeling of the switch and prolongs the lifetime of the switch, since less physical contact is made between the stem and the housing.
Stabilizers can be PCB mounted and plate mounted. At splitkb.com, we sell PCB mounted stabilizers. This means that the stabilizers can click into the PCB, making for easy assembly. Our cases generally are not compatible with plate mount stabilizers.
