Key Tronic


Keytronic is a technology company founded in 1969. Its core products initially included keyboards, mice and other input devices. KeyTronic currently specializes in PCBA and full product assembly.

Keyboards

After the introduction of the IBM PC, Keytronic began manufacturing keyboards compatible with those computer system units.
Most of their keyboards are based on the 8048 microcontroller to communicate to the computer. Their early keyboards used an Intel 8048 MCU. However, as the company evolved, they began to use their own 8048-based MCUs.
In 1978, Keytronic Corporation introduced keyboards with capacitive-based switches, one of the first keyboard technologies to not use self-contained switches. There was simply a sponge pad with a conductive-coated Mylar plastic sheet on the switch plunger, and two half-moon trace patterns on the printed circuit board below. As the key was depressed, the capacitance between the plunger pad and the patterns on the PCB below changed, which was detected by integrated circuits. These keyboards were claimed to have the same reliability as the other "solid-state switch" keyboards such as inductive and Hall-Effect, but competitive with direct-contact keyboards.

Corporate information

The company, which has been described as a contract manufacturer, was founded in 1969, went public in 1983, and has an estimated 5,000 employees.
During 2016-2017, statements and press releases about Cemtrex's proposed acquisition of Keytronic have been released.