Keyboard switch manufacturer Cherry has this month introduced its new switch in the form of the MX Black Clear-Top. The new mechanical keyboard switches will be available to purchase from distributors worldwide early next year during 2023 and characteristics of the linear switch include : an actuation force of 63.5 centinewtons, a pre-travel of 2 millimeters, and a total travel of 4 millimeters.
Cherry explains a little more, “the switch was highly praised among enthusiasts, especially for its smooth, linear typing feel and rich acoustics. In combination with the scarce availability, the “Nixie” is considered an MX variant that has enjoyed high esteem in the community for years and is traded at high prices.”
Mechanical switches
“The community name “Nixie” originates from a variant of the classic MX Black, which was specially adapted to the wishes of the former German company Nixdorf Computer AG: The requirement was a milky upper part of the housing, an increase in the actuating force from 60 to 63.5 centinewtons, as well as the relatively rare solution at the time of having a diode integrated into the switch for n-key rollover, or NKRO for short. The switch was mainly found in the “Nixdorf CT06-CT07/2 M Softkeys” keyboards for use on minicomputers, servers, or terminals. The production of these customer switches took place at CHERRY until the end of the 1980s, which makes the Nixie switch an absolute rarity these days, and even used ones are rarely found.”
“With the official and new MX Black Clear-Top, CHERRY MX responds to the community demand that has existed for years and relaunches the iconic switch under a different product name to highlight the enhancements. During the design and manufacturing process, care was taken to ensure that the MX Black Clear-Top retains the features of the original while also incorporating all of the modern production optimizations to elevate the switch to today’s industry-leading MX standard. “
With or without grease ex-works
The CHERRY MX Black Clear-Top is offered exclusively as a 5-pin version with fixing pins for the printed circuit board (PCB). There will be a choice between a version with and without factory-applied lubricant. The former contains high-performance lubricant at selected points within the switch, explicitly applied and with high precision in ideal doses using an automated process. This ensures even lower-friction actuation with optimized acoustics without negatively affecting the typing feel or lifetime. In terms of ingredients and qualities, the applied lubricant corresponds to the community favorite KRYTOX GPL 205 GRADE 0, which guarantees reliable long-term lubrication. So, if you prefer a consistently high-quality lubricant and don’t want to modify yourself further, this solution is the ideal choice. “
Source : Cherry
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