Matias switch
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| Manufacturer | Matias Corporation |
|---|---|
| Product code |
PG155B01 (tactile) PG155B02 (clicky) |
| Switch type | Clicky; tactile |
| Sense method | Metal leaf |
| Keycap mount | Alps mount |
| Switch mount | Plate mount |
The Matias switch is a clone of the simplified Alps CM switch, manufactured by Matias Corporation primarily for its own keyboards. The switches are to be sold to other companies and to keyboard enthusiasts.[1] Price is planned to be $100 (USD or CAD?) for a box of 800 switches (12.5¢ per switch).[2][3]
Matias Quiet Switches are used in the new Matias Quiet Pro. Matias Click Switches were introduced into the Tactile Pro 3 to replace the Fuhua Alps ("Fukka") switches that were discontinued in early 2012. They are the sole switch in the Tactile Pro 4.
A Matias representative claims also that they have eliminated the ping ("chorus of springs") which used to plague the Fuhua switches;[3] this is reported to be caused by having excessively thin springs that pick up vibrations from other switches.[4]
Contents
Description
Matias switches are based heavily on the simplified Alps design. The shell is completely transparent, allowing for LEDs to be mounted directly underneath the switch. Alps-type switches with tactile and click leaves do not have room for an integrated LED, and having the switch lit from below is Matias's alternative to using linear switches with integrated LEDs for lock keys. The major reason for this is customer complaints and returns arising from misunderstanding over the linear lock keys on the Matias Tactile Pro keyboards, which are by design and necessity, not a defect. Lock keys are thus able to have the same sound and keyfeel as the other keys on the keyboard.
Variants
Matias Click switch
Matias Click switch (part no PG155B02) is a clone of the simplified white Alps CM switch. It is intended as a direct replacement of the white Fuhua Alps switch.
Like the white Alps and the Fuhua Alps, there are no rubber dampers and the tactile leaf is held loosely to allow it to click.
Matias Quiet switch
Matias Quiet switch (part no PG155B01) is a clone of the simplified white Alps CM switch, with the damped slider from the cream Alps CM switch.
The slider has two rubber bumpers that cushion both the down-stroke and the up-stroke. The bumpers dampen the clack noise on bottoming out, as well as the noise when a key is released, thus making keyboards with this switch quieter. Unlike cream Alps, the rubber bumpers are white instead of black.
Matias first intended to make the switch with an orange-coloured slider, but had to change the colour to white because the pigment used in test batches interfered with the plastic's properties.[3]
Gallery
Matias switches
Click leaf visible through shell
Contact mechanism visible through shell
Internals visible through shell
Click switch internals, top view
Click switch internals, bottom view
Comparison with grey simplified, front view
Comparison with grey simplified, rear view
Tactile Pro 2 switches
Strong Man was the OEM for the Tactile Pro 2, and they claimed that the switches used were their own product. Matias referred to these switches as "Matias switches", to provide a more professional name than "Strong Man switches". The switches have since been found to be the same grey Fuhua Alps switches that were used in the original Tactile Pro, devoid of the Alps branding.
See also
- Matias Quiet Pro - The first keyboard model with the quiet switch.
External links
- Flickr — Matias Quiet Pro Keyboard — detailed switch close-ups
References
- ↑ Matias press release. 2012-09-20, posted by a Matias representative in Deskthority thread Product news: Matias Quiet Pro Keyboard with sound-dampened ALPS switches
- ↑ Deskthority forum thread New ALPs switch coming from Edgar Matias
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 geekhack, Matias vendor forum, forum thread New switches from Matias -- 2 years in the making
- ↑ geekhack — Another quiet mechanical keyboard thread
