Mousetrap switch
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A mousetrap switch refers to an open, lever action switch. The components of such switches are mounted onto a panel (Cherry used bakelite); the components are wholly exposed, with no shell of any kind. The moniker refers to the passing resemblance to a mousetrap. Mousetrap switches are fairly long; they can be orientated vertically for staggered keys, but for matrix layouts, they have to be orientated diagonally to pack them in close enough to each other.
Cherry's open switches were intended for mains voltage applications up to 5 or 10 amps (depending on national voltage), but the miniature open design did have a series suitable for low voltage, low current operations.
Examples include:
