geekhack

geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Voixdelion on Sat, 19 July 2014, 15:38:03

Title: Has "MX" become a generic short for "Mechanical" or are these people just lame?
Post by: Voixdelion on Sat, 19 July 2014, 15:38:03

I saw this listing on ebay a while back, and it used to say "Cherry MX BLUE" in the title and description.  The pictures of the keystem tell me otherwise, so I wrote them a brief note to let them know they might have an error in the listing or at least the wrong picture to go with it.  They wrote back saying thanks and that they had altered it accordingly, but it appears that they only removed the reference to Cherry Corp. and are still calling it an MX BLUE keyboard.  This seems to me like that is asking for trouble from someone looking to buy an actual BLUE MX board who doesn't know what to look for. 

I could be wrong, but I think what they mean by that is only that it is some blue Mechanical switch, and are using the MX as an abbreviation rather than as a designation of specific type.  Unless the MX switches are now ALPS compatible stems, and I missed something,... .

I wrote them another note, but does anyone know anything about the blue seeming to be ALPS compatible if not ALPS switches that they might replace the info with (if they do indeed want to be correct in the listing) ?

Here is the listing as currently altered per my first note:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Size-104-Keys-Conflict-free-Keyboard-MX-BLUE-Switches-Game-/130949149472?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item1e7d2d7320

Title: Re: Has "MX" become a generic short for "Mechanical" or are these people just lame?
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 19 July 2014, 15:54:17

i think it's just chinese ebay sellers being chinese ebay sellers

Title: Re: Has "MX" become a generic short for "Mechanical" or are these people just lame?
Post by: epzy on Sat, 19 July 2014, 15:58:59

>eBay. :P

Title: Re: Has "MX" become a generic short for "Mechanical" or are these people just lame?
Post by: Daniel Beardsmore on Sat, 19 July 2014, 20:07:40

Quote from: Voixdelion on Sat, 19 July 2014, 15:38:03

I wrote them another note, but does anyone know anything about the blue seeming to be ALPS compatible if not ALPS switches that they might replace the info with (if they do indeed want to be correct in the listing) ?

The OEM is Taiwan Tai-Hao, who make keyboards, Alps clone switches, and double-shot keycaps. Tai-Hao keyboards use both Cherry MX and APC switches, so there is some potential for mix-up from anyone who has no idea which is which. Of course, eBay sellers suck in countries besides China …

Tai-Hao keyboards: http://www.tai-hao.com/english/products.php?main_id=1

Tai-Hao mechanical switches: http://deskthority.net/wiki/Tai-Hao_APC_series

You can tell APC switches because they're numbered using a condensed typeface, with a NW code such as "A12".