Query: name change and formal definition of "switchplate"

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I don't know where the term "[wiki]switchplate[/wiki]" came from. The implied meaning is the switch mounting plate (which does get called the "switch plate"), but the actual meaning is a mystery. We know it covers Alps SKCC/SKCL/SKCM, but without any official definition, we can't say whether it covers related devices in:

• [wiki]Mitsumi standard mechanical[/wiki]
• [wiki]Omron B3G-S series[/wiki]
• [wiki]Hosiden switch[/wiki]
• [wiki]Marquardt Series 6184[/wiki]
• [wiki]NEC oval[/wiki]
• [wiki]Alps SKFL series[/wiki]
• [wiki]Futaba MD series[/wiki]

All these types have the switch contacts contained in a discrete module that (in most cases) can be readily removed and replaced. In most cases, the module can be fully stripped, but with several Alps types (including SKFL) the carrier is moulded around the contacts, and in Mitsumi switches the contacts don't come out. Futaba MD series is unusual in that neither the switch terminals nor the actuator leaf are part of the contact module; in all other cases, the contact module contains the terminals and contact actuator leaf. In some cases, the contacts and terminals are one and the same, but in other cases the terminals and contacts are separate items.

Having a formal definition would provide some clarity as to exactly which switches are covered.

Candidate terms include: contact assembly, contact module, contact unit.

There are many examples of switches that don't follow this pattern, but the most obvious ones are:

• [wiki]Cherry MX[/wiki] — the contacts are secured by the switch base
• [wiki]SMK J-M0404 series[/wiki] — the contacts are secured by the upper shell, as with most Alps clones
• [wiki]Mitsumi miniature mechanical[/wiki] — this is a curious design where the contacts are moulded into the shell

[Findecanor]

In my perspective, "switchplate" is a kind of contact module/unit/assembly. The term applies completely to one popular switch and is an established term in the community and already has a title in the wiki, and therefore I think it should remain as its own title in the wiki.
You could perhaps write a longer article about contact modules/units/assemblies but then I think it should have a separate "Switchplate" section and with a redirect to it. Alternatively, create a separate article and link between them.

[seebart]

What bothers me most is I find the term "switchplate" slightly misleading. When anyone writes PCB, I know what they mean without a doubt. Same for mounting plate, barrel or even backplate. Assembly is a good centralization that includes amongst other items the switchplate.

[Findecanor]

It is ambiguous yes, because people also use "switch plate" when they mean "switch mounting plate". There should perhaps be a link to "Mounting plate" in the header.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

In my perspective, "switchplate" is a kind of contact module/unit/assembly.

You're already being vague, and that's my biggest concern. Nobody knows what the term means, or where it came from, or what it does and doesn't cover. I don't even know where I got it from — and I have a feeling I popularised it in the first place. If we artificially restrict the term to Alps SKCC/SKCL/SKCM, then we may as well scrap the term and replace it with whatever term covers the other switches mentioned. If we do extend the term, then we need to precisely define what it can and cannot be.

To me, it's just too similar to "switch mounting plate" (since I've seen people use "switch plate" to mean "mounting plate" on quite a few occasions), but it does have the advantage of being able to hold an unambiguous meaning (should one be assigned), where replacement terms may be less able to be tied to specific concept. "Contact assembly" seems too vague. Contact module/unit seems clearer — a discrete part that has the contacts in and that can be inserted and removed collectively.

[Chyros]

I think this is more of a community term if anything, though I regularly use it myself. In the context I use it in it's a pre-packaged contact terminal sandwich such as with Alps, Omrons and NECs - basically a set of terminals that becomes a single, pre-packaged part. Of course the term isn't set in stone, but unfortunately this is true for many terms, including the very one we're all most interested in; "mechanical".

[Engicoder]

I agree with Daniel that the common use of "switch plate" to refer to the contact module is unfortunate and misleading, but as Chyros mentioned, there is significant momentum behind this usage. This may be a case where we define and introduce a new term, such as "contact module" for future use and have a disambiguation page, ala Wikipedia, as the landing page for "switch plate" in the wiki. It will probably always have two meanings.

Perhaps the Wiki needs a Glossary, or is that counter to the whole concept of a wiki?

[Daniel Beardsmore]

This is the master glossary:

[wiki]Category:Keyboard_terms[/wiki]

I'm not sure of its value as it's less useful than the search box. For the most common subset of terms, I created this page (linked prominently from the front page):

[wiki]Keyboard terminology[/wiki]

It needs a lot of copy editing, but the idea is sound. Contact arrangements are covered in more detail on another page I added recently:

[wiki]Metal contact switch[/wiki]

The above page needs to be joined by pages on electromagnetic sensing by people who understand it well enough to write about it. See the redlinks here:

[wiki]Keystroke sensing[/wiki]

I've written on this page as much as I understand. (This is the old "contact mechanism" page.)

[Daniel Beardsmore]

What the hell? webwit's broken the wiki tag.

Fixed.

[seebart]

Perhaps the Wiki needs a Glossary, or is that counter to the whole concept of a wiki?

It's not the whole concept of a wiki, but it's an important one and a very good point!