"They only have a plastic latch glued to them to fake the clicking sound of a buckling spring switch." - I do not think you understand how the cherry switches function as this is an inaccurate statement. They are often described as linear, tactile, and tactile click. The latter being the type you attempted to describe.
"A Teletype keyboard is a motor-driven mechanism where, when you push a key, a clutch is released, a shaft revolves one turn, and, via levers and cams, contacts close and open and the bits are encoded and sent." - Is it a true statement that these switches essentially open and close a contact which in turn opens or closes a circuit? If so I would argue that although probably much cooler they accomplish the same thing as cherry switches :)
> The latter being the type you attempted to describe.
From the schematics it seems that all Cherry keys have the same "mechanic" internally, the tactility is added with external plastic latches – unlike buckling spring keys, where the spring itself clicks during actuation and drives the switch.
> Is it a true statement that these switches essentially open and close a contact which in turn opens or closes a circuit? If so I would argue that although probably much cooler they accomplish the same thing as cherry switches :)
No doubt that all electrical switches, be they IBM or Cherry, are less cool than true mechanical ones. :) But there's still noticeable differences between the different technologies.
"A Teletype keyboard is a motor-driven mechanism where, when you push a key, a clutch is released, a shaft revolves one turn, and, via levers and cams, contacts close and open and the bits are encoded and sent." - Is it a true statement that these switches essentially open and close a contact which in turn opens or closes a circuit? If so I would argue that although probably much cooler they accomplish the same thing as cherry switches :)