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SMK KUS09 Series

Contents

Overview

KUS09 is a type of spring-over-membrane keyboard implementation from SMK. Each switch comprises a plate-mounted guide shaft that mounts a keycap, which in turn sits on two springs. The outer spring provides the return force, and the much narrower internal spring provides the membrane operating pressure.

Aside from the mounting plate and guide shaft modules, all other keyboard components—keycaps, springs and stabilisers—are from KAS08 series. KUS09 is simply KAS08 adapted to use a metal mounting plate.

The illustration below is from the KUS09 datasheet from 2001:

Specifications

Operating force Low-profile: 90 gf (88.3 cN)
High-profile: 100 gf (98 cN)
Total travel 3.5 mm
Power rating 12 V DC at 2 mA
Contact resistance 500 Ω maximum
Operating life 10 million cycles

Examples

Only one example is known, a TEC PKBAP-3600 point-of-sale keyboard externally branded TEC Corporation of Japan (now Toshiba Tec Corporation), listed in the Deskthority forum topic WTS : Amstrad PC1512 Keyboard, Tec keyboard, Escom FK-2002 …. The term “KUS” can be seen on the membranes along with the SMK branding, although there is no formal verification that the unit is specifically KUS09 Series.

Documentation