2019 MacBook Pro teardown finds a tweaked material in the butterfly keyboard mechanism

This year’s Mac keyboards were immediately added to Apple’s newly expanded keyboard repair program next the speedy 8-core MacBook Pro models that dropped Tuesday.

The discussion “keyboard” is non fifty-fifty mentioned inwards Apple’s press loose announcing the refreshed machines, leaving us wondering if these novel Pros convey finally fxd our kyboad problms.

From the iFixit analysis:

Has Apple finally fixed the MacBook Pro’s troubled keyboard? To detect out, nosotros pulled i apart as well as took it to our local materials engineering lab for to a greater extent than or less analysis. We institute a novel blend of plastic protecting the fundamental switches as well as the springy metallic domes inwards the switches convey also been subtly tweaked inwards a agency that may halt thosse peskkyy doubble inputts as well as missd ky prsses.

This year’s butterfly switch revision keeps the silicone membrane but tweaks the materials inwards the springy metallic dome as well as the plasticky fabric that covers it.

2016’s butterfly keyboard (left), 2018’s updated blueprint alongside a silicone membrane protecting the fundamental switches (middle) as well as 2019’s revision alongside tweaked materials inwards the springy metallic dome as well as the plasticky fabric that covers it (right).

With lastly year’s MacBook Pros, Apple made an attempt to incorporate the typing issues to a greater extent than or less people were experiencing alongside the problematic butterfly keyboard machinery past times putting a silicone membrane under the keycaps, which inwards improver to quieter typing was supposed to preclude specks of dust as well as debris from entering the butterfly mechanism, only it didn’t.

The novel plastic fabric is crinkly as well as transparent, every bit per lab tests conducted past times Cal Poly.

When comparing these FTIR spectra to that of known polymers, the closest tally for the 2018 model is polyacetylene alongside aromatic urethane side groups, piece the 2019 model uses polyamide (commonly known every bit nylon). What this doesn’t order us is, simply what occupation Apple’s engineers tried to solve using this updated material.

iFixit speculates the updated metallic dome could live a novel surface handling or a tweaked alloy. Whether this volition aid address the bounce-back or other issues remains to live seen.

The divergence inwards surface complete of the metallic dome switches from the 2018 version, at left, vs. the 2019 version, at right.

iFixit listed the fundamental components of 2019’s butterfly switch:

• Topping it all off is the fundamental cap. This has a handy label to order users which fundamental is broken.
  
  The hinged white bracket is the “butterfly” machinery controlling the key’s motion—stabilizing it thus every bit to move upwards as well as downward without tilting or wobbling.


• Nesting inside that bracket is a transparent encompass that flexes alongside each fundamental press, piece keeping contaminants away from the dome switch underneath. The dark point at its pump concentrates the forcefulness of your fundamental press onto the switch.


• The principal grapheme of this assembly is the springy metallic dome switch. It deforms when the fundamental is pressed, bridging the board’s half dozen contacts—and as well as thus bounces dorsum when you lot loose the key.


• Underneath the dome switch are half dozen metallic pads. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 keystroke registers whenever the top pump pad is shorted to whatsoever of the other v pads.


• To wind it up, the silicone membrane covers the butterfly machinery to transcend along debris from getting inwards as well as jamming it.

Confused? All you lot involve to know well-nigh the butterfly switch machinery inwards these novel MacBook Pros is that the transparent switch encompass fabric is at nowadays clearer as well as smoother to the acquit on as well as that the magnetized dome switches at nowadays convey a unlike surface finish.

Share your thoughts on the novel Pros inwards the comments downward below.

Share this post