Alps KeySwitch snob begins to falter . . .

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

. . . don't get me wrong, I still prefer full travel clickey keys with sculpted caps and tiered rows . . .

. . . bu t I finally gave in and went to pick up the chicklety, flat as a pancake KBD Mouse Combo I've been wanting at my favorite "little computer store" . . . which actually translates as the ONLY COMPUTER STORE THAT'S WORTH THE FLOORSPACE IT TAKES UP . . . of the ones I've found anyway. I put the KBD Box on the desk and then found one in black, with a cord and no mouse for about $14 instead of $20 and grabbed that one instead.

The other one was white and too iBook lookin' for me, but the black one is at least Black iBook lookin! :approve: The compact size and layout are just about right. It has the PageNav keys in a single column above the right cursor. It's a great setup for browsing, paging up and down and hitting home or end in my long list of bookmarks or perusing a page of forum posts and thumbing my way up to the top or all the way to the bottom. Same goes for my eBay searches with 200 item views.

I've been using a Cherry KBD, with mushy keys no less, and wanted to get back to something clickey, but went compact instead.

8-o My fingers are flying on this flat little "POS" and I'm really liking it! [:O] ]'> [!] !]'> [:I] ]'>

It must be three years of banging away at 90% sized flat NetBook KBDs . . . or something like that . . . heaven forbid I become a flat chicklet convert! :disapprove:

 

[mcdermd]

The first keyboard I've liked a lot since the old clicky keys is the Apple chicklet keys on both their portables and the aluminum keyboards. Even though they have a low action, the feedback is definitely pronounced and positive. I think it's the closest thing I've had to the positive feedback of the mechanical key switches.

 

[MacJunky]

Trash, you are an odd one, you are a self-proclaimed keyboard snob yet you are quite cheap and unwilling to drop cash on some nice mech keyboards.

I gotta say that I really like my DasKeyboard Pro S with Cherry MX Blue switches. If I keep it for 12 years that is $10 per year, seem expensive? I am ok with that!(so long as I am owning it in the end and not renting or something silly.) Just take care of it and it should be ok.

Anyway, and now you are hopping on the rubber dome membrane-train? For shame trash!

As far as membrane keyboards goes I used to use a Focus Electronics FK-6200. It is a membrane switch w/ tactile module. It felt pretty good as far as domes go and was a fairly long lasting keyboard. It is still good, I just do not use it for fulltime primary desktop use anymore since I got my DasKeyboard with real proper mechanical clicky switches. and an IBM PC/AT keyboard for my 286. Though I think I am going to start using it with my socket 462 system once I get a spot for it sorted out.

My HP DV4's scissorboard is ok for the most part, but I would gladly have a notebook that is 1/2 to 1" thicker if it had proper mechanical keys!

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Trash, you are an odd one, you are a self-proclaimed keyboard snob yet you are quite cheap and unwilling to drop cash on some nice mech keyboards.

Bingo! I am quite cheap and unwilling to drop cash on a KBD ever since my $100 (? in 1987 Dollars!) DataDesk Mac101 finally died and the $40 used replacement died too. They got me through about ten years of KBD bliss. I've been collecting KBDs of different types for fun, playtime and as donors. I'm in the process of building three custom design KBDs, one of which I've been playing around with, on and off, since I first prototyped it around 1990 . . .

I spent good money on a new DinoKids KBD/Mouse back in the day, mostly because it was the best on the lap KBD I've yet to find, it had a nice compact layout, mechanical switches and was cool as all get out. When my son got too old for it, I passed it up to me! [] ]'>

This chicklet job is really growing on me now though, I'll post a piccie of it tonight. :approve:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Anyway, and now you are hopping on the rubber dome membrane-train? For shame trash!

I just hopped back off for a bit.



I dug out my Nimitz Class mechanical, clickyswitch monster KBD for Keystone trials.

Not bad for something like $5.00. It has battery powered onboard programmable function key sets . . . four of them! :lol:

 

[Concorde1993]

That keyboard almost looks similar to the ones the supervisors/inspectors use at the Chrysler plant where I work (especially the 24 function layout on the top).

I wouldn't mind having one of those.

 

[CelGen]

Ooh, one of those!

It's an aftermarket version of the IBM 3488 InfoWindow terminal keyboard that is designed to work with a regular computer. I have two myself here. They require some pretty funky settings to be configured so the computer knows how to handle the key arrangement.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Yeppers! Mine's a model MCK-142Pro from ORTEK TECHNOLOGY, INC. It runs just fine w/o the 4 AAs, but I've yet to really put it through its paces.

Meanwhile, here's a pic that includes my chicklety space-saver. I picked up one white wireless one to take apart to check for hacking potential. }

My all time favorite (wireless in this case, or otherwise) rodent sits alongside the KBD. between $5 and $10 shipped off eBay, gotta love it!

The only drawback is that now I constantly reach for the AWOL scroll button on my ADB Teardrops!