How to design a plate mount for cherry mx

[fengshaun]

Hi all,

I'm trying to learn how to design plates for cherry mx switches in hopes of being able to make a custom keyboard from scratch. I have looked at matt3o's posts and some other ones about making custom keyboards, but I have yet to learn how to design plates.

So far, the biggest help has been the cherry mx datasheet (http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/mx.htm). There is a section for metal cutouts, but it looks nothing like other plate designs I've seen on this forum and I have no idea how to use those measurements. Does anyone know where I can learn how to design plates and use the measurements provided in the datasheet? The plate designs I've seen so far are in jpeg/png format and don't provide measurements (e.g. phantom keyboard plate designs on the wiki).

Thank you.

[rapax24]

hi, check this thread on geekhack http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47744.0
there,you'll find many useful resources for cad designing of plates with cherry mount holes.
as far as i understand the shapes and mesures for those designs are "community made" because the true standard for cherry mount plates is the one you can find in cherry datasheet.
The different mount holes you'll find are quite different and are designed that way to make possible opening plate mount switches without having to desolder them first.
hope this will be useful for you, my english is quite bad but i hope it's understandable

[fengshaun]

Thanks a lot! There is a lot of great information in that thread. But I'm a bit confused. There are so many variations for cherry plate mounts for 1x1 keys. The cherry mx datasheet just says a square 14mmx14mm is fine. Then there is jdcarpe's sketch with has 3 steps at each corner and indents in the center of both vertical and horizontal axes, and *yet* there is one design with horizontal inward indents only and 1 step at the corners! Which one works? Do they all work equally well? What is the advantage/disadvantages of the three designs?

in this post alone, there are 4 plate cutouts! http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=477 ... msg1019782

[Findecanor]

Hd5kmJA.png (4.9 KiB) Viewed 22007 times

1: Standard 14mm × 14mm square.
2: Allows the switch to be opened without desoldering/removing from the plate. The switch's LED slot must be facing up or down.
3. Allows the switch to be opened, but there is no preconception of which side the switch is facing.
4. Works just as well as 2, but is simpler to cut and may reduce the cost at certain machine shops. I am not sure, but it might also work with Alps switches.

Then there are different patterns for stabilisers. The stabiliser mounts and switch may be located at different positions depending on the keycap you use. Some patterns allow for several different keycaps, for instance both centre-stemmed and stepped Caps Lock.

Then there are variations for the stabiliser mounts: for Cherry's plate-mount, Costar plate-mount, and different variations that allow both. Less common are plates that are made for PCB-mounted stabilisers.
If you use Costar-stabilisers with the wire over the plate, then the stabilizing wire must be on the same side as the LED slot - the kink in the wire must travel over a portion of the switch and the switch is lower there.
If you use Cherry stabilisers with the wire under the plate, then you must be sure that there is no component on the PCB where the wire goes, and there must be a lengthwise slot between the mounts for inserting the stabiliser assembly from above.

Edit: I have measured and found that #4 does not support Alps.

[Muirium]

Great post! I've much to learn about mounting / accommodating different kinds of stabs, too. The exact dimensions and positions for the cutouts.

[fengshaun]

Thanks a lot Findecanor, I hope to understand more of your post once I get my hands on some switches/other hardware and be able to play around with them. But you clearly answered my question!

Now that the switch mount dillema is over, what is the difference between all the different stabilizers posted? Is it just that some of them allow for switch swap without desoldering?

The cherry mx spec says that for 1x3 to 1x10, the cutouts are the same but with varying widths. How should I determine the width of the cutout appropriate for 1x3 vs 1x5 or 1x10?