Editing Cherry article numbers

[[File:Cherry 3000 label.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Cherry back label with article number G80-3000HAU.]]

This guide to '''Cherry article numbers''' is a work in progress and may contain errors. If you have a keyboard that has a code position that does not follow this guide, then please add it to the guide.

The article numbering scheme is not always consistently followed, for each and every model.
The scheme is most reliable for the [[Cherry G80-3000|G80-3000]] model.

Some keyboards have been updated slightly even though they have kept their full article number. Therefore, knowing the [[Cherry date codes|date of manufacture]] could also be useful. There have also been very limited editions of keyboard with special prints or covers that retain their base models' article numbers.

==Format== 
[[Cherry]] article numbers ''usually'' follow one of these forms:

*'''G8'''''X'''''-'''''YYYY''
*'''G8'''''X'''''-'''''YYYY ZZZ'' ['''/'''''RR'']
*'''G8'''''X'''''-'''''YYYYZZZZZ''['''-'''''N''] ['''/'''''RR'']
*'''G85-'''''YYYYZZ''
*'''JK'''-''PPPPZZ''['''-'''''N'']'''/'''''RR''
*'''JM'''-''PPPP''

JK and JM represent consumer keyboards and mice respectively, with a four-digit part number ''PPPP''. The rest of the codes begin with "G8", where the ''X'' digit signifies the [[#Series|series]], typically including the switch family.

The ''YYYY'' part is the [[#Model number|model number]], consisting of four or five digits.

The ''Z'' part is a letter code that could include information about such things as the type of [[#Keycaps|keycap material]], [[#Layout|layout]], [[#Connector and switch variation|connector]] and for G80 keyboards also the [[#Connector and switch variation|switch variation]].

Older Cherry boards tend to have a 3 letter code. Five-letter codes have been spotted on boards from 1994 onwards, but keyboards with three-letter codes were produced up to early 1996.
Article numbers beginning with '''G85''' have only a two-letter [[#Layout|layout code]].
Some older, long deprecated models do not have any letter code at all.

After the letter code, there could be a hyphen and a digit, ''-N''. Often, "-0" is on keyboards that are light grey (Ger:"Hellgrau") and "-2" on keyboards that are black.

Last, there could also be a space, a slash and a two-digit numeric code. The meaning of this is unknown. There has been speculation that it would be some kind of revision number.

==Series==
The first few characters before the first dash in the product code signify the ''series'', where each series has a different [[Switch terminology|switch type]]:

*'''G80:''' [[Cherry G80 series|G80 series]] — Full-Travel Mechanical
*'''V80:''' prototype G80 keyboard (eg [[Cherry V80-5000|V80-5000]])
*'''G81:''' [[Cherry G81 series|G81 series]] — Full Travel, Sealed Contact (FTSC) with [[Cherry MY|MY switches]]
*'''V81:''' prototype G81 keyboard (eg V81-1000)
*'''G82:''' [[Cherry G82 series|G82 series]] — rubber sheet (LPK)
*'''M82:''' bundle of G82 keyboard together with a mouse
*'''J82:''' rubber sheet, of different design from G82 (eg J82-16000)
*'''G83:''' [[Cherry G83 series|G83 series]] — New Technology Keyboard (NTK) with [[rubber dome|rubber sheet]]s
*'''M83:''' bundle of G83 keyboard together with a mouse
*'''G84:''' [[Cherry G84 series|G84 series]] — [[Cherry ML|ML switch]] keyboards
*'''J84:''' durable compact keyboards
*'''G85:''' [[Cherry G85 series|G85 series]] — [[Cherry SX]] [[scissor switch]] keyboards
*'''M85:''' bundle of G85 keyboard together with a mouse
*'''T85:''' engineering sample for G85 keyboard (T85-20050)
*'''G86:''' [[Cherry G86 series|G86 series]] — Advanced Technology Keyboard (ATK), with spill-proof rubber sheets
*'''M86:''' bundle of G86 keyboard together with a mouse
*'''T86:''' engineering sample for G86 keyboard (T86-63400)
*'''J86:''' vandal-proof keyboard with metal keys (J86-4400)
*'''G87:''' [[Cherry G87 series|G87 series]] — membrane
*'''ESA:''' [[Cherry G80 series|G80 series]] — Full-Travel Mechanical-  So far only seen on [https://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Cherry_Russian_Dyesub_keyboard.jpg ESA-3000-HASRO] and [http://imgur.com/a/P1n9R ESA-3000HAGD0]

As of November 2013, G88, G89 and G90 do not appear to exist.

==Model number==
The number after the first dash in the product code signifies the model number.

All discovered model numbers have four or five digits.
Model numbers ending in 1 tend to be custom orders for large corporations. There are four-digit models numbers where the first digit is 0.

Some model numbers used by Cherry: [[Cherry G80-1000|1000]], [[Cherry G80-1501|1501]], [[Cherry G80-3000|3000]], [[Cherry G80-3800|3800]], [[Cherry G80-1800|1800]], [[Cherry G80-1851|1851]]. 

Some models are available for several series, with the same case and other exterior features but with different switches. For instance, the 3000 model is in both the G80, G81 and G83 series.
Other series have their own models.

==Keycaps==
The first letter in a three or five-letter letter code always signifies [[Keycap printing|keycap type and quality]]:

*'''L''' = '''L'''asered [[PBT]],[[POM]] or ABS (Usually one of the first two)
*'''P''' = [[Keycap printing#Pad Printing|Pad-'''p'''rinted]] ABS
*'''H''' = [[Double-shot molding|Double-shot]] ABS ('''H'''ochdruck Spritzguss, "high-pressure injection moulding")
*'''S''' = [[Keycap_printing#Dye_Sublimation|Dye-'''s'''ublimated]] PBT ('''S'''ublimationsdruck)
*'''O''' = unknown (see [[Nortel NTNX51HH]], G80-9035 OAAUS)

The only exception to these rules that we have seen so far is the [https://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Cherry_Russian_Dyesub_keyboard.jpg ESA-3000-HASRO] which has dye-sublimated keycaps, while having 'H' in the article number. This would usually suggest double-shot keycaps.

==Connector and switch variation==
On G80 boards, the second letter in the letter code signifies [[Cherry MX|MX]] switch variation and cable connector, although this tends to be very confusing as the numbering scheme is not always consistent.

Keyboards of other series usually have the letter 'A', 'P' or 'U' to signify only the connector (DIN, PS/2 or USB). The exception is the G85 series where all keyboards have USB.

{| class="wikitable"
! align="left" |Letter
! align="left" |MX Switch (G80 only)
! align="left" |Connector
! align="left" |Note
|-
|A
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]]
|DIN
|[[G80-5000]] has [[Cherry MX Brown|Brown]] switches
|-
|B
|[[Cherry MX Brown|Brown]]
|PS/2 (usually)
|G80-1191 HBG has black switches and DIN-5 plug<ref>Deskthority — [http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/cherry-g80-model-1191-made-by-tandem-broken-t8507.html Cherry g80 Model 1191 made by tandem. (FIXED)]</ref>
|-
|C
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]]
|DIN w/ PS/2 adapter
|
|-
|D
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]]
|DIN
|On an early [[Cherry G80-1000]]
|-
|E
|[[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]]
|DIN
|
|-
|F
|[[Cherry MX Blue|Blue]]
|DIN
|
|-
|G
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]]
|DIN
|Shorter cable, or sometimes [[Cherry MX Brown|Brown]] switch
|-
|K
|[[Cherry MX Brown|Brown]]
|DIN
|
|-
|M
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]]
|USB only
|
|-
|O
|Blue
|DIN
|
|-
|P
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]] or [[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]]<ref> Deskthority — [https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=16&p=239789#p239789]</ref>
|PS/2 or USB-combo
|P code keyboards with MX Clears seem to only be Reuters keyboards
|-
|Q
|[[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]]
|PS/2 or USB combo
|[[Cherry G80-1502|G80-1502]] has [[Cherry MX Black|Black]] switches
|-
|R
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]] or [[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]] or [[Cherry MX Blue|Blue]]
|PS/2 or USB combo
|
|-
|S
|[[Cherry MX Blue|Blue]]
|PS/2 or USB combo
|
|-
|T
|[[Cherry_MX_Silent_Black|Silent Black]]
|USB only
|Silent Black is found in the G80-3494LTCEU
|-
|U
|[[Cherry MX Black|Black]]
|USB only
|
|-
|V
|[[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]]
|
|OEM
|-
|W
|[[Cherry MX Blue|Blue]]; [[Cherry_MX_Silent_Red|Silent Red]]
|
|OEM; Silent Red is found in the G80-3494LWCEU
|-
|X
|[[Cherry MX Brown|Brown]]
|
|OEM
|-
|Y
|[[Cherry MX Red|Red]]
|
|
|}

Often, custom boards with serial numbers ending in 1 can have confusing letter codes that do not match the switch type. (For example [[Cherry G80-3300|G80-3300 Terminals]] that are found with Brown or Clear switches.)

==Special feature==
If the letter code is five letters long, there is also a third (middle) letter.
The meaning of this letter is not entirely understood, but it is believed that it may indicate the connector or a special feature of the keyboard.

Some codes that have been sighted:

*A: Found more often on older boards, which have windows keys(now people usually call this: Winkey/Tenkeyless/TKL), such as G80-5000HAAUS, G80-3000LFADE
*B: G80-11800 with trackpad or trackball
*C: G80-3000 with '''c'''ombo PS/2 + USB connector
*E: Seen on G80-8200LPEDE; 121 keys with winkeys, card reader and relegendable keys, PS/2 ([http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/cherry-mx-8000-/401092916749 source images])
*M: Winkey on early boards, such as G80-3000LS"M"GB, G80-11900HR"M"US
*N: Only appeared in G81 series, such as G81-3000HKNBE, HKNNO, LPNUS
*P: G80-3000 with '''P'''S/2 connector
*Z: G80-150''x'' with card reader

==Layout==
Last one or two letter(s) in the layout code signifies/signify the [[Keyboard layouts|layout]].
Modern boards have the two-letter layout codes.
Older boards with three-letter letter codes have only one letter used for the layout.
{| class="wikitable"
!One letter
!Two letters
! align="left" |Layout
|-
|A
|AR
|English and Arabic
|-
|
|AY
|Austrian dialect novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|B
|BE
|Belgian**
|-
|
|BY
|Bavarian dialect novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|
|CD<ref name="imgur_G81-7920LUBCD-2">[https://imgur.com/a/dDUo8Ce G81-7920LUBCD-2]</ref>
|French Canadian
|-
|-
|C
|CH
|Swiss
|-
|D
|DE
|[[Region-specific layouts#ISO QWERTZ|German ISO]] ("QWERTZ")
|-
|M
|DK
|Danish ISO
|-
|E
|ES
|Spanish ISO
|-
|
|EU
|ANSI with Euro symbol on letter 5.
|-
|F
|FR
|[[Region-specific layouts#ISO AZERTY|French ISO]] ("AZERTY")
|-
|
|FY
|Frankish novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|G
|GB
|[[Region-specific layouts#ISO QWERTY|British ISO]]
|-
|
|GR
|Greek ISO
|-
|
|HU
|Hungarian ISO
|-
|
|HY
|Hessen "Hessische" dialect, novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|H<ref name="reddit_G80-1207HPH">[https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/6c39ed/vintage_vintage_cherry_board_with_hebrew_lettering/ Reddit: Vintage Cherry board - with Hebrew lettering!]</ref>
|IL
|Hebrew
|-
|I
|IT
|Italian ISO
|-
|
|JA
|Japanese (JIS)
|-
|
|KL
|UK, English and Klingon ISO
|-
|
|KO
|Korean, Roman and Hangul ANSI
|-
|
|NL
|Dutch ISO
|-
|N
|NO
|Norwegian ISO
|-
|
|OY
|Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz, Bavaria) dialect novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|
|PL
|Polish ISO
|-
|P
|PO
|Portuguese ISO
|-
|
|PN
|Pan-Nordic ISO (Danish, Swedish/Finnish, Norwegian combo)
|-
|Q
|
|Greek ANSI<ref>Deskthority — [http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/cherry-g81-3054haq-greek-ansi-t8463.html Cherry G81-3054HAQ (Greek ANSI doubleshots)]</ref>
|-
|R
|
|Russian (Cyrillic) and English (various)
|-
|
|RC
|Roman and Chinese ANSI
|-
|
|RD
|Russian (Cyrillic) and German (ISO)
|-
|
|RG
|Russian (Cyrillic) and English (ISO)
|-
|S
|
|Scandinavian (Danish) ISO
|-
|O
|SF
|Swedish/Finnish ISO
|-
|
|SK
|Slovak ISO
|-
|
|SL
|Slovenian ISO
|-
|
|SY
|Saxon dialect novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|T
|TS
|Czech ISO ("QWERTZ")
|-
|
|TQ
|Turkish
|-
|U
|US
|[[Region-specific layouts#ANSI QWERTY_without_AltGr|US ANSI]]
|-
|V''*''
|RB
|English (US-ANSI) and Cyrillic (Russia, Ukraine, etc.)
|-
|V''*''
|RO
|English (US-ANSI) and Cyrillic (Russia, Ukraine, etc.)
|-
|
|VY
|Berlin ("Berliner") dialect, novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|X
|
|Used for special orders. Does not signify layout.
|-
|
|XB
|Matrix layout for [[Cherry G80-1950]].
|-
|
|XX
|ISO, [[Blank key|no legends]]. Sold primarily to other companies that add custom legends.<ref name="NewKeyboardSwitchPoll">Deskthority forum post about legendless G80-3000: [http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/new-cherry-mx-keyboard-which-switch-t3947.html#p77693 New Cherry MX keyboard - Which switch?]</ref>
|-
|
|XY
|ANSI, [[Blank key|no legends]]. Sold primarily to other companies that add custom legends.<ref name="NewKeyboardSwitchPoll" />
|-
|Y
|
|Yugoslav ISO
|-
|
|ZY
|Frankish dialect novelty layout (German ISO)
|-
|
|?
|Cologne "Kölsch" dialect, novelty layout (German ISO)
|}

''*:'' There is very small difference between RO and RB. Both variations have been spotted as V.

==Examples==

'''G80-3000LFADE /00'''

*G80 = MX switches
*L = lasered caps
*F = MX Blue Switches with DIN connector
*A = Winkeyless layout
*DE = German ISO layout

{{-}}
'''G80-1000HFD'''

*G80 = MX switches
*F = MX Blue Switches
*H = double-shot caps
*D = German ISO layout

{{-}}
'''G81-3000SAD'''

*G81 = MY switches
*S = Dye sublimated keycaps
*A = DIN connector
*D = German ISO layout

{{-}}
'''G83-6105LUNCH-0'''

*G83 = Rubber dome switches
*L = Lasered keycaps
*U = USB connector
*CH = Swiss ISO layout

{{-}}
'''G84-4100LCAIL-2'''

*G84 = ML switches
*L = Lasered keycaps
*C = Combo PS/2 and USB connector
*IL = Hebrew layout

{{-}}
'''G85-23100DE-2'''

*G85 = Scissor switches
*DE = German ISO layout

{{-}}
For other examples see [[:Category:Cherry keyboards]].

==See also==
[[Cherry date codes]]

==References==
A lot of the information in this guide has been gathered from ads seen at vendor's and on auction sites.
Some of the information also comes from "Dating Cherry Keyboards" on the old Geekhack Wiki.

Where explicitly cited above:
<references />

[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Cherry keyboards]]