CHERRY MX UPDATE: MORE THAN 100 MILLION ACTUATIONS AND A BOUNCE TIME OF LESS THAN ONE MILLISECOND

03/2020 by HOLGER DASSLER - Back to overview

CHERRY is continuously improving and optimising its MX switches. One of these developments is a significantly longer service life: new CHERRY MX switches achieve far more than 100 million actuations without loss of quality. The bounce time has also been massively reduced. With these improved specifications, CHERRY MX continues to position itself as the undisputed market leader.

CHERRY MX: Gold standard since 1983

CHERRY has been developing and producing its MX switches since 1983, establishing the gold standard for first-class mechanical high-end keyboards. The ever-increasing popularity is changing the demands placed on switches, which has resulted in new switch variants such as the MX SILENT and the MX LOW PROFILE. At the same time, CHERRY continuously optimises existing technology in its focus products, such as the MX RED, MX BLACK, MX BROWN and MX SPEED SILVER.

 

German quality during development and production

Thanks to an experienced development team and in-house production, including quality control, at the German office in Auerbach, potential changes can be planned hand in hand and then efficiently tested and quickly implemented. The production perfections achieved in recent years have influenced the technical characteristics of the MX switches to such an extent that they result in significantly improved specifications -- in particular in switch lifespan and bounce time. 

 

100 million actuations thanks to Hyperglide

An increase in the gliding surface area on the front side of the stem (opposite the TLS surface) in conjunction with the eight guide rails on the inside of the upper part of the switch housing results in wobble-free operation and increased durability. This technical solution is called "Hyperglide" and doubles the number of guaranteed actuations: CHERRY MX REDMX BLACKMX BROWN and MX SPEED SILVER now allow more than 100 million keystrokes without loss of quality instead of the previous 50 million.

Optimized Gold Crosspoint Technology

CHERRY didn't just update the stem, but its Gold Crosspoint technology received an update as well. By modifying the bending radius of the contacts, the contact force has been optimised. Additionally, since November 1st, 2019, all MX switches are manufactured in the brand-new, ultra-modern production facility in Germany using advanced machines and refined manufacturing processes. This has resulted in a significantly shorter bounce time of less than one millisecond.

Verified specifications through laboratory tests

The perfected design and the new specifications of the MX switches have been extensively tested in the company's laboratory through strict quality control, which has enabled CHERRY to verify the longer lifespan and shorter bounce time and to guarantee consistent quality over a long period.

Keyboards with new MX switches

It's possible to identify improved MX switches in mechanical keyboards of CHERRY partners by looking at the specifications on the packaging. If a lifespan of 100 million operations and a bounce time of less than one millisecond are specified, the keyboard has new MX switches installed.