What is it?

This is the Ultimate Cherry MX Keyswitch version of my Hexadecimal Keypad designs.

Providing my Ultimate Hex Keypad design for your Retro Computing projects, which provides the ultimate key travel and tactile feedback of Cherry MX keyswitches. Providing ultimate comfort for hexadecimal data entry, and also providing full flexibility in how you choose to assemble your Hex Keypad layout. Also, the choice of a simple switch matrix, or a diode protected matrix (for preventing key ghosting).

The pin headers used for connecting the Keypad are breadboard friendly (see my Youtube videos), or the headers can easily connect with female header sockets, that you might use on your own Retro computer project PCBs.

In addition, this Keypad has been designed using the standard 0.75 inch (19.05mm) centres key spacing, for natural comfort in Keypad data entry.

Cherry MX Brown Keyswitches were carefully chosen to fulfil the ultimate Retro style Hex Keypad style, with full-travel non-clicky tactile feedback.

How to Use the KeyPad

The Keypad provides a standard 4x4 matrix for the sixteen 0-9 and A-F Hexadecimal keys, together with two common wired function switches.

Normally you would connect the 4x4 matrix to an 8 bit I/O port to enable polling the 16 hexadecimal keys. The 2 function keys would normally have their common connection to GND, therefore providing 2 switched inputs to GND. Typically used to implement a system Reset (RST) switch, and a Function (FN) select switch input.

Pinouts for both the 8 way and 3 way pin headers are shown in the attached schematic diagram.

I provide the Keypad in Kitset form, so you can easily assemble it with your own soldering iron. All that is required is to solder in place the pin headers, optionally solder diode bypass solder-bridges, and then solder the supplied 18 genuine Cherry MX Brown Keyswitches. Four Nylon PCB Stand-offs and eight Nylon Screws are also supplied, for mounting your Keypad.

Below you'll find a YouTube video where you can see me describe my 2 year Ultimate Hex Keypad design journey, and then watch me assemble one of my Ultimate Cherry MX Hex Keypad Kitsets. Additional videos are also available on my Youtube channel, where I earlier described the project background and the design and testing of my earlier budget Tactile Switch version of my Hexadecimal 4x4 Matrix Keypad (also available from my Tindie Store).

What You Get

Each Ultimate Cherry MX Hex Keypad Kitset contains:

• 1x Silkscreened Double-Sided "MX Keypad" Hexadecimal Keypad PCB
• 18x Cherry MX Brown non-Clicky Tactile-feedback Keyswitches
• 18x 3D Printed two-colour MX Keycaps (Retro Beige, White or Black Color)
• (Option) 18x 3D Printed two-colour MX Keycaps (in second Color)
• (Option) 18x 3D Printed two-colour MX Keycaps (in third Color)
• (Bonus Gift) 1x Keycap Puller (Only if a second or third color Option selected)
• 1x 3D Printed Cherry MX Keyswitch Mounting Plate
• 16x 1N4148 Small Signal Diodes (for optional diode matrix protection)
• 1x 3D Printed Cherry MX Switch Opener (for optional diode insertion)
• 1x 20 Pin Header strip (for making the 8 + 3 Pin Headers)
• 4x M3 12mm Nylon PCB Stand-offs
• 8x M3 6mm Nylon Screws (for affixing the Stand-offs)

Note: In addition to the two original Keycap colors featured in the video (i.e. "Retro Beige" or White), I've now added a third color option (Black Keycaps with white legends). See the Black Keycap Keypad photo. In addition I have now added a Bonus FREE Gift of a Keycap Puller (see photo), included only if you choose any combination of multiple Keycap color sets. This allows you to easily change out the Keycaps, when you buy a multiple color Option.