Cherry’s MX switches are the most well-known in the mechanical keyboard world, and countless other brands mimic the switches’ iconic cross-stem design to deliver tactile typing. Now, a magnetic twist to the Cherry MX style has resulted in a 3D-printable mechanical switch with an adjustable actuation point.
Recently shared via Github by a user named famichu and spotted by Hackaday this week, the homegrown MagLev Switch MX is a 3D-printable switch with Cherry MX Red-like linear travel. With the familiar cross-stem design, the switches are compatible with any keycaps that would fit on a Cherry MX switch.
But instead of using a spring in each switch for actuation, like Cherry’s switches, the MagLev Switch MX uses a neodymium magnet in the stem and another in the bottom housing, with a Hall-effect sensor in between.