TMR vs Hall Effect: which magnetic tech is best for your gaming keyboards and controllers? It's not just about better accuracy and faster response times
TMR and Hall Effect sensors and switches are becoming more widely adopted for keyboards and controllers, but what do they mean, and which is best?
Hall Effect and TMR are two magnetic technologies used in gaming keyboards and controllers. Hall Effect, discovered in 1879 by Edwin Hall, detects changes in voltage across a conductor and is known for greater precision, enhanced durability, and fewer points of failure like stick drift and dead zones. TMR, discovered in 1975, measures resistance changes caused by quantum mechanical tunnelling through an insulating barrier, resulting in lower power consumption, higher sensitivity, and faster polling rates.
TMR offers superior performance in terms of precision and power efficiency, but its adoption in the gaming industry is limited due to high component costs, the need for significant production line changes, and the requirement for precise calibration of firmware. Hall Effect, on the other hand, has been widely used for a longer time, with established SMT assembly pipelines, suppliers, and quality control benchmarks.
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