Cherry Mx Breakout Board

Cherry MX Breakout Boards with reverse-mounted addressable RGB LED and hot-swap.

Overview

Cherry MX Breakout Boards

<table> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Switch.gif"></td> <td>

Two breakout boards designed in KiCad.

Both feature reverse-mounted addressable RGB LED LTST-A683CEGBW.

Both are hot-swap capable (Kailh Socket / Mill-Max 7305).

Total board dimensions: 26 x 19 mm.

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

Mill-Max 7305 holes are compatible with standalone switches so they can be soldered directly to the board.

Schematic	PCB (Kailh Socket)	PCB (Mill-Max 7305)

Kailh Socket Renders

Top View	Bottom View

Kailh Socket 3D Model was obtained from QMK. All credits go to them. The exact file can be found here.

Mill-Max 7305 Renders

Top View	Bottom View

Real Photos

<table> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real3.jpg"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real2.jpg"></td> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real1.jpg"></td> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real4.jpg"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real5.jpg"></td> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real6.jpg"></td> <td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Real7.jpg"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

Hooking up with Arduino

<table> <thead> <tr> <th>Code</th> <th>Wiring diagram</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><pre lang="cpp"> #include "FastLED.h"

const int ledPin = 6;
const int buttonPin = 7;

int ledHue = 0;
const int ledSaturation = 255;
const int ledBrightness = 255;

CRGB leds[1];

void setup() {
  pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT_PULLUP);
  FastLED.addLeds<WS2811, ledPin>(leds, 1);
}

void loop() {
  if(digitalRead(buttonPin) == LOW) ledHue++;

  leds[0].setHSV(ledHue, ledSaturation, ledBrightness);
  FastLED.show();
}

</pre></td>

<td><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board/media/Wiring.jpg"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

What socket is right for me?

<table> <thead> <tr> <td></td> <td>Kailh Socket</td> <td>Mill-Max 7305 & 0305</td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Cost per switch</td> <td>$0.10 on <a href="https://kbdfans.com/products/mechanical-keyboard-switches-kailh-pcb-socket">kbdfans.com</a></td> <td>about $0.88 on <a href="https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/mill-max-manufacturing-corp/7305-0-15-15-47-27-10-0/ED1039-ND/1765737">digikey.com</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Requires compatible PCB?</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Soldering difficulty</td> <td colspan="2">Both socket types are easy to solder and there shouldn't be any problems</td> </tr> <tr> <td>General Notes</td> <td colspan="2">Kailh Sockets are much cheaper when it comes to custom builds but require custom PCB. Mill-Max connectors are not as stabilized as they make an extra gap between PCB and switch. Mill-Max 7305 is preferable over 0305, it's thinner so the gap is not that wide. Swapping switches seems easier using Kailh Sockets, Mill-Max connectors tend to bend sockets' pins. In my opinion, Mill-Max connectors should be taken into an account only when you modify pre-existing PCB as they have no advantage over Kailh Sockets and simply cost more </tr> </tbody> </table>

Datasheets

• Cherry MX
• LTST-A683CEGBW
• Kailh Socket
• Mill-Max

Files in this package

• CAD source: Kailh_Socket.stp, LTST-A683CEGBW.step, Mill-Max-7305.step
• Documents: Cherry MX.pdf, Kailh Socket.pdf, LTST-A683CEGBW.pdf, Mill-Max.pdf

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Source & license

• Original author: sszczep
• Source repository: https://github.com/sszczep/Cherry-MX-Breakout-Board
• License: MIT

Imported into the CommunityCAD Archive with attribution preserved. All rights remain with the original author under the stated license.