Pivot plate
Provided by the ASK Keyboard Dictionary
Aka/also known as: flipper, hammer, rocker
A pivot plate is a component of buckling spring key-switches that is moved when the namesake spring is pushed and buckles. It takes the form of a (mostly) plastic piece that has a knob for attaching a coil spring. At rest, the pivot plate should be lifted from the sensor underneath to not create a circuit. When pressured by a buckled spring, it will make a circuit - for Model F keyboards, its material is carbon infused and an increase in capacitance is measured by a pad card; for Model M keyboards, it will physically bridge contacts on a membrane assembly by applying pressure to it.
