The Keyboard Topic
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Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11220Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11220Members, Reinforced - Shadow
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription"><3 for your favorite keyboard</div> My favorite is the IBM model M keyboard.
For those unfortunate enough to not know, the IBM model M is a keyboard using a buckling spring style actuator for each single key. It's that old clicky IBM keyboard that lacks evil windows keys, has great tactile feel and each button provides a satisfying *click* when pressed. The components are housed in a really hard plastic shell and they are known for their durabillity. There are people who are still using their original model M keyboard that they purchased alongside that 386 in the 80's. It seems to be either people hate 'those old clicky keyboards' or they love them with no inbetween. When I got into computers the model M was out of fashion and I never had one of my own, I did have the opportunity to use one on a few occassions and it has a truly awesome feel. Today, after much searching I managed to locate 2 of them with a Swedish keyboard layout, never opened and in their original box for not a whole lot of money. They where of a newer version, from '97, they have the same clicky feel according to teh interweb, built in drainage channels for fluid(<!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->) and they come with a detachable PS/2 cord, the chassis and cord are only average in this newer model and not as heavy duty as the original version, but no matter I bought 2 of them. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Today's keyboards generally use a big mushy rubber pad where each button is located above a rubber dome attached to a rubber sheet. When a key is pressed the rubber dome provides resistance so that the key will not just fall down by gravity alone. The Rubber dome buckles and presses against a switch of some kind. On my current keyboard the switch is 3 layers of plastic with circuits printed on the top and bottom layers and the middle layer having holes over each key, so when you press a key hard enough it brings the connectors of the 2 layers into contact, from having been sepparated by a distance of the thickness of the middle layer. It's a cheap and easy to massproduce design, but an actual switch for each key that provides much larger initial resistance to prevent accidentally happening into a key and provides tactile and audible feedback the instant the key is depressed is a much different and IMO much better design.
So how about you, do you prefer the mushy and silent keyboards. Ergonomic freaks of nature that force you to press keys at least as hard as the last time so that if you smash a key it simply won't work again for 10 minutes unless you stomp on the key, laptop style slime keyboards which are only slightly mushy and only require to be depressed a very short distance, buckling spring clicky keyboards or something else entirely?
For those unfortunate enough to not know, the IBM model M is a keyboard using a buckling spring style actuator for each single key. It's that old clicky IBM keyboard that lacks evil windows keys, has great tactile feel and each button provides a satisfying *click* when pressed. The components are housed in a really hard plastic shell and they are known for their durabillity. There are people who are still using their original model M keyboard that they purchased alongside that 386 in the 80's. It seems to be either people hate 'those old clicky keyboards' or they love them with no inbetween. When I got into computers the model M was out of fashion and I never had one of my own, I did have the opportunity to use one on a few occassions and it has a truly awesome feel. Today, after much searching I managed to locate 2 of them with a Swedish keyboard layout, never opened and in their original box for not a whole lot of money. They where of a newer version, from '97, they have the same clicky feel according to teh interweb, built in drainage channels for fluid(<!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->) and they come with a detachable PS/2 cord, the chassis and cord are only average in this newer model and not as heavy duty as the original version, but no matter I bought 2 of them. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Today's keyboards generally use a big mushy rubber pad where each button is located above a rubber dome attached to a rubber sheet. When a key is pressed the rubber dome provides resistance so that the key will not just fall down by gravity alone. The Rubber dome buckles and presses against a switch of some kind. On my current keyboard the switch is 3 layers of plastic with circuits printed on the top and bottom layers and the middle layer having holes over each key, so when you press a key hard enough it brings the connectors of the 2 layers into contact, from having been sepparated by a distance of the thickness of the middle layer. It's a cheap and easy to massproduce design, but an actual switch for each key that provides much larger initial resistance to prevent accidentally happening into a key and provides tactile and audible feedback the instant the key is depressed is a much different and IMO much better design.
So how about you, do you prefer the mushy and silent keyboards. Ergonomic freaks of nature that force you to press keys at least as hard as the last time so that if you smash a key it simply won't work again for 10 minutes unless you stomp on the key, laptop style slime keyboards which are only slightly mushy and only require to be depressed a very short distance, buckling spring clicky keyboards or something else entirely?
Comments
It has been burned, melted, shanked, stabbed, bashed, thrown against a wall, thrown across the room, milk spilled in it, and thrown in a bathtub, and still works. I love it to death.
yes im a spoiled rich pecker
Eh any normal PS/2 keyboard will do xD, I'm working on some beige PS/2 Compaq keyboard atm.
The 286 case is at least as large as a full-size tower, though I think the 286 case is a little larger. You can recognize them by the giant red switch that sticks out of the right side of the case, if you ever see them in a museum or junkyard. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Anyways, now I'm using a "KeyTronic" keyboard. It's got those useless "Windows" keys near the Ctrl and Alt keys. At least it isn't USB.
Saitek Pc Gamer KB
I actually bought two so that if this one breaks I'll have a backup mouse.
It cost £2.
I win. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Wireless keyboard = win
The coolermaster one is nice too.
although I don't like the Zboard (be it DOOM3, WoW or whatever) mainly because when i play fps games, i use the numpad, keys 2,4,6,8 for movement, not 4,5,6,8, as would be usual, therefore, this keyboard is useless for me.
This baby. The mouse that comes with it is safely discarded in favor of an Mx series wireless, but the keyboard: oh boy, does it rock. Super duper clickity keys with real tactile feedback, sleek design, seperate numpad which is also a calculator a thermometer and a calendar/clock, and a media control pad on both the keyboard and the numpad which lets me control Winamp without losing focus on the program I'm in the middle of. I could jump to a random track while typing this message!
It has been burned, melted, shanked, stabbed, bashed, thrown against a wall, thrown across the room, milk spilled in it, and thrown in a bathtub, and still works. I love it to death. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I liked mine a lot too, but my dad spilled coffee on it. Fried immediately. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<img src='http://www.tomshardware.com/game/20031108/images/img_3726.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
The lighting up isn't that useful, but just looks cool. Unluckily there aren't any stands on this either, so I just use some random cardboard to prop it up.
I used to have one of those IBM keyboards as well that clicked, but it just started to malfunction like crazy a couple months ago.
<img src='http://img123.exs.cx/img123/3140/img37269jm.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
As you no doubt guessed from its boring name, its a bare-bones keyboard. Square, and with none of those useless fancy crap buttons that get in the way. And a PS/2 connection, because it just feels more natural and responsive when playing FPS games than crappy USB keyboards.
The way God intended a keyboard to be.
This one is 2 or 3 years old, and the one I had before that (same exact one) lasted even longer, however it unfortunately met its end due to a Dr. Pepper spill (a very rare occurance around me, who worships every drop of thy holy liquid). I don't know what I'll do if anything ever happens to this one because apparently IBM no longer makes them, and nobody else has the brains to make a keyboard w/o 10 jillion extra keys on it...
If your keyboard needs drivers, it sucks. Fin.
<a href='http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;244139' target='_blank'>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...kb;en-us;244139</a>
(insert MS hatez0r standard joke about not needing a special registry value to do this).
Handy. ;D