Recommendation for switches

brian257

11 Nov 2015, 15:41

I had previously posted looking for Cherry M84 switches and MEI switches, but I can not find them in the volume I need so looks like I will need to make entire new circuit boards. I am trying to find a new switch that is in current production to support an old product and I am hoping someone can recommend a switch to use. Unfortunately, the Cherry M84 are too tall and with the ML I can only find low profile keys that make it too short. The keys project through a front bezel so height is important

Ideally I would like a button with the cruciform shape so I can reuse the old keys, but I will buy new keys if I have to. I need mostly keys that are about 15mm square and some that are about 18mm square.

Any recommendations on switches I should look at? I think I have looked online at every pushbutton I can get from Digikey and Mouset.

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Muirium
µ

11 Nov 2015, 16:19

You're out of luck. So many vintage switches died out long ago. M84s are some of the shortest switches I know, and they're not even made any more. I think you'd be better moving other things around to make your spec compatible with what's available: MX and its clones.

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seebart
Offtopicthority Instigator

11 Nov 2015, 16:23

True, it seems unpractical to search for M84s and MEI are horrible. Seeing that you are in FL you might be able to find some old keyboards for desoldering.

brian257

11 Nov 2015, 16:53

Desoldering old keyboards is easy enough, but the problem is that I need a reliable source for thousands of switches. I would like to redesign the circuit board once to use a switch that is in current production.

The problem I have with the MX switches is that the PCB is in a housing that places it where the buttons are just too tall.

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