Editing Cherry MX Brown

The '''Cherry MX Brown''' switch is a light, tactile, non-clicky mechanical keyboard switch in the [[Cherry MX]] family.

{{Infobox dswitch
| image name        = Cherry MX Brown.jpg
| manufacturer      = [[Cherry]]
| product code      = MX1A-G1xx
| product name      = Soft tactile
| introduced        = 1994
| contact mechanism = [[Contact mechanism#Metal leaf|Metal leaf]]
| switch type       = Tactile
| actuation force   = 45 cN
| family            = [[Cherry MX]]
}}

[[File:Mx_brown_illustration.gif|right|Cherry MX Brown Illustration]]

==History==
The switch type was created as response to a request from [[Kinesis_Corporation|Kinesis]] who wanted a tactile, low-force switch without the clicky sound of the [[Cherry MX Blue]]. Their [[Kinesis Advantage|contoured keyboard]], introduced in 1992, was the first keyboard with the switch.<ref name="GH_Kinesis" /> Cherry used them first in 1994, as the default switch in Cherry's first own ergonomic keyboard, the [[Cherry G80-5000|G80-5000]]. Then officially named "ergo soft" it was not found in the default Cherry product catalog and was only available as a special order item. After the G80-5000, Cherry did not officially release a keyboard with the MX Brown switch under their own brand until the [[Cherry G80-3800|G80-3800]] in 2011. However, [[POS keyboards|POS boards]] containing the switch, such as the [[Cherry G80-1950|G80-1950]] and the [[G80-8113]], were available earlier.

MX Brown switches continued to be used in OEM orders, especially for Compaq server hardware. The more common Compaq [[G80-11800]] is considered to be a good donor board for MX Brown switches, while the much less common Compaq [[G80-1838]] remains a relatively rare collectors item.

Nowadays, the Cherry MX Brown is a popular switch and available from Cherry directly. Many mechanical keyboards continue to be available with Cherry MX Brown switches. It was voted ''Best keyboard switch'' at the Deskthority Awards 2011.<ref name="DT_Award" />

The switch is sometimes called "Tea axis" in Asia. The Chinese and Japanese word for "brown" (茶色) literally means "tea colour".

As of 2012, these switches are available from the manufacturer, or through re-sellers.

==Key Feel==
[[File:CherryMXClearBrownForceTravel.png|right|thumb|250px|Force/Travel diagram (cN / mm) comparing Cherry MX Brown to Cherry MX Clear. Each graph is the slider colour.  Shadowed lines are the up-strokes]]

Light, tactile, non-clicky. Compared to other tactile Cherry switches, such as the [[Cherry MX Blue|Blue]] and [[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]], the tactile point is much less pronounced. It feels mostly like a linear switch if pressed hard. It is easier to feel the tactile point if the key is pressed lightly.

Enthusiasts who have been unhappy with the lightness of the tactile point have instead transplanted the slider from a [[Cherry MX Clear|Clear]] switch to create the [[Cherry MX Ergo Clear|"Ergo clear"]], which is much less smooth.

==Keyboards==
*[[Cherry G80-3816]]
*[[Cherry G80-5000]]
*Cherry G80-8113<ref name="g808113"/>
*[[Cherry G80-11800]]
*Cherry G86-6241<ref name="cherryg86"/>
*Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro S / M / L (RGB)
*Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro S / M / L (White)
*Cooler Master MasterKeys S / M / L (PBT)
*Cooler Master MasterKeys MK750
*Cooler Master CM Storm Trigger
*[[Feenix Autore]]
*[[Razer BlackWidow]] Stealth Edition
*Reuters D3D trading keyboard
*[[Tesoro Durandal G1N]]

==Keypads==
*[[Cherry G80-1950]]
*[[Cherry G80-5700]]
*[[Goldtouch GTC-0033]] & [[Goldtouch GTC-0033|GTC-0077]]

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="250" heights="187">
File:Cherry_mx_brown_switches.JPG                      | A bunch of MX Brown switches
File:Cherry_MX_brown_001.jpg                           | MX brown switches in shipping box
</gallery>

===Disassembly===
The following switch was purchased new from [[The Keyboard Company]] in February 2013.
<gallery widths="250" heights="187">
File:Cherry MX Brown -- contacts.jpg                   | Electrical contacts
File:Cherry MX Brown -- disassembled, top views.jpg    | Fully disassembled (top views)
File:Cherry MX Brown -- disassembled, bottom views.jpg | Fully disassembled (bottom views)
</gallery>

==References==
<references>
<ref name="GH_Kinesis">Geekhack — [http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37100.msg706886#msg706886 Split with great keys?], post by ([[Kinesis Corporation|Kinesis]] employee) ''natas206''. Posted 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2015-07-23.</ref>
<ref name="DT_Award">Deskthority — [http://deskthority.net/deskthority-awards-f28/deskthority-awards-2011-winners-t1674.html Deskthority Awards 2011 Winners] Best keyboard switch 2011.</ref>
<ref name="cherryg86">Imgur — [https://imgur.com/a/wGXIb#UhQsN3F Ripster Keyboards - The Cherry G86-6241] Uploaded 2012-11-15.</ref>
<ref name="g808113">YouTube — [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJgvmK9sqbw&ab_channel=mcmaxmcmc Cherry G80-8113HRBUS Keyboard Typing Demo] Uploaded 2022-07-09.</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Cherry MX]]
[[Category:Tactile switches]]
[[Category:Metal contact switches]]
[[Category:Production switches]]
[[Category:List of all keyboard switches]]