Disassembly

While magnetic switches are getting increasingly more common, they're still rare enough and undergoing extensive R&D to bring out variations quicker than for mechanical switches. The Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro is also widely regarded as one of the best magnetic switches on the market, and costs more than pretty much any other such switch too. Taking one apart reveals a similar construction with four major pieces, including the branded translucent polycarbonate top housing with an integrated arc-shaped light diffuser, a POM stem that comes lubed on the sides for smoother travel in the switch housing and containing a rare earth magnet at the bottom to help with the actuation mechanism, a 20 mm long fat steel spring that Gateron says is custom-made for faster rebound, and a nylon PA66 bottom housing that is not only sealed fully at the bottom for better acoustics and typing feel, but also has guide rails with tight tolerances to minimize stem, and thus also the entire switch, wobbling while traveling down. The stem here can't be swapped around given the diffuser lens, and also has a bump on the side which will no doubt be used for non-linear switch feedback. The Hall sensor in the PCB picks up the motion of the magnet traveling up and down with the switch stem, which is then matched to the actuation distance set by LUMINKEY and can be customized by the end user. It can also be used for multiple keystrokes, as with this keyboard, or for analog control as with some other keyboards.


Disassembly of the LUMINKEY Magger68 Pro, or even the non-Pro, is quite simple with the use of eight Torx T6 screws on the back. The four at the top are longer than those on the bottom, in case you get confused when putting the keyboard back together. Remove all eight and you can now fully separate the three sections seen above—the top panel, the bottom panel, and the plate/PCB piece itself. The Magger68 uses a sandwich assembly thus, not that different from a gasket mount but with thicker silicone used to effectively sandwich the plate/PCB between the metal case panels, similar to an O-ring seal. The bottom panel also contains a second silicone sheet, this time used to dampen keystrokes and minimize any reverberations.


The PCB is black and very well assembled throughout, with each switch associated with a tiny Hall sensor and SMD LED. Powering the keyboard is a USB microcontroller I was unable to identify. The other items seen above are voltage regulators, analog multiplexers etc., so not exactly items that will dictate the capabilities of the keyboard. LUMINKEY also says there are dedicated hardware LED drivers here, but so far I am really getting the feeling that this keyboard and the Varmilo Muse65 share a lot in common. All the components, including the switch sockets, LEDs and capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered PCB.

Before we move on, be advised that disassembly may void the warranty and that TechPowerUp is not liable for any damages incurred if you decide to go ahead and do so anyway.