Actually useful Cherry MX catalogue?

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Daniel Beardsmore

25 Oct 2014, 16:37

Has anyone got a brochure or catalogue for Cherry MX that doesn't completely suck?

I've gone through all of mine and I can't find one that:

a) Lists every switch on sale
b) Has the force curve for each switch

For example, my March 94 Keymodule MX brochure gives the force curve for "MX with tactile feel" but does not cite any part numbers, so I cannot be certain which switch this is for. This is the graph that people use for clears, but I can't prove this from catalogues, as Cherry were forever changing the English language names of their switches (the same catalogue uses "Keyswitch with soft tactile feel" and "MX soft" on the same page: three names for one switch on the same frigging page) and failing to cite actual part numbers anywhere.

It also only lists five switches, and in 1994 there were surely more than five varieties on sale.

In particular, I wanted to cite for certain the tactile, peak and terminal forces for MX Clear here: [wiki]Force[/wiki] (the first section of which, I have just rewritten and illustrated). I have Clear switches in datasheets, but not with force curves! Cherry also never cite the terminal force in their specifications.

On the wiki, [wiki]Cherry MX Clear[/wiki] cite as 65 cN actuation, but as "MX with tactile feel"—if this is indeed clear—it will instead be 55 cN actuation, 65 cN tactile force, and a terminal/peak force of something like 95 cN.

IvanIvanovich

25 Oct 2014, 18:14

I have this one, which does list all the MX switch parts except reds since they weren't being made yet. It only has the force curves for blacks (linear), blues (click), clears (tactile), browns (tactile ergonomic) and the lock switch (alternate action) of all things. Doesn't have them for white, green, or any of the 'grey' switches even though they are mentioned.

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Daniel Beardsmore

25 Oct 2014, 23:14

Is that real? i.e. did you scan that from a single brochure, or could that be a mixture of different documents joined together? I have those documents, but not in a single PDF.

IvanIvanovich

26 Oct 2014, 02:49

I got it as a PDF from Cherry website awhile ago before they redid it and purged a lot of info.

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Daniel Beardsmore

26 Oct 2014, 13:21

Cherry posted that? That's lame.

I've updated the MX Clear page under the assumption that the curve depicted is MX Clear (everyone else assumes this, too). Also, I have another document (Cherry MX numbering (March 1988).pdf under [wiki]Cherry catalogues[/wiki]) that listed them in March 1988, so I've updated the year of introduction.

jacobolus

27 Oct 2014, 09:00

All the force curves I’ve ever seen from Cherry were more like concept sketches than physical measurements, and they only loosely correspond to reality.

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Daniel Beardsmore

27 Oct 2014, 19:23

For now that's going to have to be good enough.

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