We use keyboards for various day-to-day tasks like typing, programming, gaming, copyrighting, and many simple tasks like searching over the internet.
The keyboards that we find commonly as a low-budget option are the membrane Keyboards. Membrane keyboards are popular globally and are used widely.
I have used several membrane keyboards since my school days, and a few years back, I switched to a mechanical keyboard. So, I can tell exactly how many years the mechanical keyboards lasted.
Why Should You Trust Me? Hi, I am Anirban Saha, an Engineer with a Specialization in Electronics and Communication Engineering. I have experience in Smart TVs, Electronics circuits, and Computer peripherals.
Let’s get started!
Membrane Keyboard Lifespan
So, How long do membrane keyboards last? Membrane keyboards have an average lifespan of 1-1.5 years with heavy usage. With moderate to low use, membrane keyboards have a decent lifespan of 2.5-3 years.
Membrane keyboards, though, have a decent lifespan according to the price costs. However, these have a significantly lower lifespan as compared to mechanical keyboards.
Lower to Moderate User: Hobbyists and people who surf the internet or use their keyboards less frequently in a day.
Heavy Users: Typists, Gamers, programmers, bloggers.
What are Membrane Keyboards?
Membrane keyboards are keyboards that do not have separate keys or do not have moving parts. At the base of the membrane keyboard lies the membrane that captures the keypresses and sends signals to the circuit.
Membrane type of keyboards is used commonly at home, offices, schools, colleges, and various other places. These keyboards are much cheaper and are easily available in the market.
As you have already seen the average lifespan you might be thinking if the lifespan for membrane keyboards is less then why do so many people use them?
Yeah, you are right! The membrane keyboards also have several benefits for which they are widely used globally.
Inside the Membrane Keyboard
To know about its lifespan, we also need to look into how the membrane keyboard actually works.
Membrane Keyboards do not have movable parts and contain a single membrane or film layer beneath the keys. Here is the cross-sectional diagram of the Membrane Keyboard.
(Credits: Fourohfour, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons)
“The membrane keyboard consists of three layers; two of these are membrane layers containing conductive traces.
The center layer is a “spacer” containing holes wherever a “key” exists. It keeps the other two layers separated.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_keyboard
So, normally the upper part of the membrane, as shown in the diagram, remains separated and hence the circuit remains open.
However, once the key is pressed the upper membrane and the lower membrane gap diminish and establish contacts that complete the circuit.
Then the keyboard registers your key press. This is how a membrane keyboard works.
Benefits of Membrane Keyboard
- Easily Available: Membrane keyboards are easily available in any store due to their high demand.
- Cheap Price: Membrane keyboards come at a very cheap price. Hence people prefer to get the keyboard experience at a lower cost.
- Silent: Membrane keyboards are silent and hence it is the most preferred option in offices.
Drawbacks of Membrane Keyboard
Membrane keyboards come with several drawbacks too:
- Low Lifespan: Membrane keyboards have a lower lifespan as compared to the lifespan of a mechanical keyboard. However, with moderate to low use, you can achieve its average lifespan.
- Bad Typing experience: The typing experience is not as par with mechanical keyboards as you don’t get the clicky feel and the feedback that you receive on keypress in a mechanical keyboard.
- Keypress Lacks Accuracy: The Keypress in a membrane keyboard does not have feedback and hence typing becomes less accurate and cumbersome.
- Not easily repairable: Once damaged, you need to replace the entire membrane and circuit or need to replace the entire keyboard.
Technology advancement in Mechanical Keyboards
Even membrane keyboards have evolved a lot in terms of quality and features. Though the basic technology remains the same, there have been a lot of advances made in membrane keyboards that helped increase their lifetime and the user experience.
Water Resistance
Nowadays, most brands implement membrane keyboards with splash resistance. Splash resistance is a very important feature and comes in handy as we are more prone to splash water or any liquid on our keyboard.
The liquid spill was one of the reasons why membrane keyboards have a short lifespan.
RGB Lighting
Even the budget gaming keyboards available in the market are membrane ones. They have implemented RGB lighting that improves the experience when we use a membrane gaming keyboard during gaming.
Anti-Ghosting
Membrane keyboards due to their hardware limitations ghost keys when multiple keys are pressed together. Recently, membrane gaming keyboards they solved by implementing changes in the internal circuit.
Finally, membrane gaming keyboards do have an anti-ghosting feature which is essential if you are into gaming.
Mechanical Feel
Currently, even membrane gaming keyboards are made with a mechanical feel.
Thus you get a better typing experience at a lower cost with a membrane keyboard with a mechanical feel as compared to a mechanical keyboard.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude the post on Membrane keyboard lifespan!
Membrane keyboards are the best keyboard options for people under a budget. Though the average lifetime is short, still choosing a good membrane keyboard is worth it.
If you use the membrane keyboard regularly to search the internet or perform simple tasks, then the membrane keyboard will last longer.
In brief, we found that an average user using a membrane keyboard regularly will have a good lifespan of the keyboard.
I’m Anirban Saha, Founder & Editor of TechBullish. With a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, and 5+ years of experience as a software developer, I have expertise in electronics, software development, gadgets, and computer peripherals. I love sharing my knowledge through informational articles, how-to guides, and troubleshooting tips for Peripherals, Smart TVs, Streaming Solutions, and more here. Check Anirban’s Crunchbase Profile here.
