I Think My Switch Is Stuck! - The Tale of Cherry MX Locks
Over the years of collecting mechanical keyboard switches, I’ve been lucky enough to have encountered dozens upon dozens of rare and unique ones that have stuck in my mind to this day. Prototypes, factory errors, and even a few switches so rare that there is literally zero documentation about them anywhere in the world all fill that personal list from top to bottom. However, I realize that talking about switches so far outside of most people’s reaches, and even sometimes my own grasp, doesn’t make for the most exciting of articles about switches. To this newest generation of keyboard enthusiasts, though, there is one pretty rare MX-style switch which has made its way to the top of everyone’s “must try” lists – Cherry MX Locks. These often undiscussed and even more rarely seen switches are something that few people have seen and even fewer have had the chance to try at a meetup before. However, the list of people who really know how these unique Cherry switches work is even shorter...
Jul 23, 2024
http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet62/oet62rev.pdf
According to this document, keyboards are not exempt from verification, and penalties for selling unauthorized devices can be steep: o forfeiture of all non-compliant equipment o $100,000/$200,000 criminal penalty for an individual/organization o a criminal fine totalling twice the gross gain obtained from sales of the non-compliant equipment o an administrative fine totalling $10,000/day per violation
Additionally CISPR 22 certification may be needed if you are selling in Europe.
I hope olkb and massdrop are not putting themselves at risk.
...why bring it up? Are you concerned about emissions?
I bring it up because of my curiosity about electrical engineering and the challenges of brining a product to market.
Also, the pcb is probably the only item that would fall under fcc jurisdiction and it probably qualifies as a sub assembly so it would be exempt. Now if he was selling a fully assembled board that might be a different scenario.
Pertaining to subassemblies: 15.101(e)Subassemblies to digital devices are not subject to the technical standards in this part unless they are marketed as part of a system in which case the resulting system must comply with the applicable regulations.
From the explainer document: (Note, however, that circuit boards or cards that are connected to external devices or increase the operating or processing speed of a digital device are considered peripherals.)
From these descriptions it looks like this keyboard/kit/peripheral/subassembly would fit under the description of Class A digital devices and their peripherals which means it would be subject to FCC verification.
Don't shoot the messenger.