RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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If you've been eyeing up any of the latest best gaming keyboards or the best PC controllers hitting the market over the last few years, then you've no doubt come across the terms 'Hall Effect' and 'TMR'. Magnets are at the heart of the user experience for both peripherals, and are becoming widely adopted by all major manufacturers as standard.
But what exactly is Hall Effect or TMR? More importantly, how do the two technologies compare and contrast? While it may seem like a marketing gimmick or the latest new buzzword, there's actually plenty to be excited about. In this article, I'll be going through how both technologies work in detail and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.
What is Hall Effect and how does it work?
Put simply, the Hall Effect is the difference in voltage across an electrical conductor from an electronic conductor, which was named after the scientist who discovered it, Edwin Hall, in 1879. It's the effect that pushes charges to one side, directing electrons in a current flow through a straight line. Specifically, this charge separation is what's known as Hall Voltage.
In the most straightforward sense of the concept, the Hall effect is simply a semiconductor and a magnet, with the magnetic field generating a voltage as the semiconductor moves. In the gaming or modern tech scene, it's defined by how magnetic sensors detect movement rather than the previous method of mechanical components. It means greater precision, enhanced durability, and fewer points of failure.
When it comes to points of failure, stick drift has been affecting even top gaming controllers, and remains a constant fear, as a DualSense or Xbox Wireless Controller could (eventually) see its analog sticks drifting (so the game thinks you're moving the analogue stick on a gamepad, when you're not), or the dead zones no longer trigger as intended. This happens due to wear and tear on the potentiometers, which feature small metal contacts over a resistive track that can wear away with many years of use.
Things are similar with the Hall Effect keyboards when compared to regular mechanical or optical decks. With a standard mechanical gaming keyboard, two metal pieces come together to close an electrical circuit. With Hall Effect, however, it's simply a magnet in the switch itself that moves closer to the board, without metal ever actually touching.
In real-world terms, this is what allows Hall Effect gaming keyboards to have fully adjustable actuation points (usually 0.1mm to 4.0mm) instead of the fixed depth of older, mechanical models. Because Hall Effect lacks any physical connections, switches using that technology will (theoretically) last far longer, too.
What is TMR and how does it work?
(Image credit: Wooting)
TMR (or Tunnel Magnetoresistance) is the far newer technology of the two, being discovered in 1975 by Michel Jullière. In its simplest explanation, tunnelling magnetoresistance is a quantum mechanical effect that occurs in a magnetic tunnel junction, based upon changes in an external magnetic field. It's the changes in resistance between two ferromagnetic layers, with one being fixed and the other free to react, with an insulating barrier between them.
Tunnelling magnetoresistance is used in gaming for contactless magnetic sensor technology, promising precise inputs, no stick drift, and low overall power consumption. Because it works by detecting even the slightest and smallest difference in magnetic fields, it allows for incredibly exact actuation when used in gaming keyboards and PC gaming controllers. It's signal actuation down to a granular scale. Because TMR measures resistance and not voltage, it needs less signal amplification, resulting in a low overall power draw.
Hall Effect vs TMR: Direct comparison Feature
Hall Effect
TMR
Operating method
Detects changes in voltages across a conductor
Measures resistance changes caused by quantum mechanical tunnelling through an insulating barrier
Power consumption
Higher (usually around 1-10 mA)
Incredibly low (Microamps to the sub-milliamp range)
Sensitivity
Moderate sensitivity as it requires a stronger magnetic field
Incredibly high sensitivity
Polling rates
1,000Hz to 8,000Hz
1,000Hz to 8,000Hz
Physical wear
Massively improved over potentiometers with a non-contact design
Non-contact with a high resolution design for less of a deadzone reliance
Primary uses
Magnetic switches, magnetic joysticks
Ultra-precision keyboards, high-end wireless gamepads, automotive sensors
Manufacturing maturity
High (low component costs)
Maturing as prices are beginning to drop
Is TMR better than Hall Effect? Yes, but there's a catch...
Now that I've outlined the key differences and similarities, it's time to talk about exactly why TMR is the superior magnetic sensor technology for today's tech. We can start by reiterating TMR's key advantages over Hall Effect: a massive resistance delta, extremely low noise floor, low power consumption, smaller micro magnets with low-strength flux fields, and ultra-high positional precision when weighed up against the older Hall Effect tech.
With that being said, why isn't TMR the more recognizable and more popular standard across the industry? Well, there are a few key reasons why Hall Effect remains the more familiar of the two magnetic methods.
Fundamentally, it comes down to the high costs of TMR components, combined with the fact that peripheral makers often need to make major changes to their production lines if they switch to using TMR.
Hall Effect components have been in use considerably longer than TMR in game controllers and gaming keyboards , with manufacturers already having SMT assembly pipelines, key suppliers, and proven benchmarks for what Hall Effect quality control looks like.
We also need to consider the key use cases for TMR for gamers. Its incredibly high sensitivity potential requires adept calibration. Because a magnetic sensor is only as good as the firmware th...
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