Another Scissor Design: PG1442
Kaihua now has at least three mechanical scissor-switch designs for laptops, in various stages of completion--the PG1425 and PG1442, and now the PG1421. The PG1425 has a unique horizontal spring, although we still aren’t certain if that spring impacts the stem, the scissor arms, or both. The PG1442 has a centered light pipe design, which is ideal for backlighting, and it has a vertical spring (just like most switches) that makes the whole package taller than the PG1425.
The new PG1421 appears to have borrowed from both of the aforementioned designs. We’re speculating here, and it’s difficult to draw firm conclusions from a single render, but it appears that the PG1421 uses both a horizontal spring and clear middle housing that may offer some of the same benefits as the PG1442’s light pipe.
The horizontal spring should enable a switch package that’s as thin as the PG1425. The middle part of the switch looks to be clear--like RGB switches--but the surrounding pieces are opaque. That means an LED could be more or less centered under the switch yet shine only through the middle of the housing.