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90 points amichail | 4 comments | | HN request time: 0.211s | source
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LoganDark ◴[] No.42204240[source]
I've never heard the term "magnetic keyboard" before. They're called hall-effect keyboards...

For those not in the know, hall-effect key switches can tell the analog position of each key, rather than only whether it's pressed or not as in traditional key switches.

replies(1): >>42204337 #
1. digitalPhonix ◴[] No.42204337[source]
Right, but the hall effect sensor measures the strength of a magnetic field.

The key/switch has a little magnet on the stem and the hall effect sensor is measuring the strength of the magnetic field as the magnet moves up/further & down/closer to the sensor.

replies(1): >>42204495 #
2. LoganDark ◴[] No.42204495[source]
> Right, but the hall effect sensor measures the strength of a magnetic field.

Yes I recognize that. But I've seen hall-effect keyboard many, many times and magnetic keyboard never (before this post). I guess some company decided to call their keyboard a magnetic keyboard and now a specific subset of people think they're all called that - even though they've been called hall-effect keyboards since their inception.

replies(2): >>42204761 #>>42207953 #
3. digitalPhonix ◴[] No.42204761[source]
I don’t know the marketing reasons behind hall effect keyboard v/s magnetic keyboard, but a technical reason for calling it magnetic keyboard is that they are probably not actually using hall effect sensors.

Hall effect sensor is commonly used to refer to any magnetic field sensor but there are many others types. Given the size of the keys I suspect they are actually MEMS Lorrentz force sensors, so “magnetic keyboard” might be more correct.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEMS_magnetic_field_sensor

4. ◴[] No.42207953[source]