Does anyone have experience with this keyboard?

[IBI]

I've seen it under several brands with minor differences but as it's pretty distinctive I assume it's the same keyboard.

It does apparently have 'Integration of all components on a single membrane' so I assume it's a rubber dome keyboard ('SFT Technology' if that means anything) but it's moved the windows keys to somewhere sensible, doesn't have a space eating numpad, and has full n-key rollover according to the spec sheet.

So have anyone got any thoughts on it? Apart from it's non-mechanical nature it seems like the ideal compromise between a gaming and writing keyboard. And it looks quirky.

[sashomasho]

So have anyone got any thoughts on it? Apart from it's non-mechanical nature it seems like the ideal compromise between a gaming and writing keyboard. And it looks quirky.

we had such a keyboard at work before, we have even some more from the same series bought with some fijitsu-siemens machines, but they are with 104 keys layout. i'm not very fond of ergonomic keyboards, so I didn't take a look under the hood, but I know that the keys are awful, stiff and unpleasant to use. keep in mind, that I've never liked rubber dome keyboards, so i don't recommend this one, but nobody else complains about them.

[puntium]

I think this is the same as a Kinesis maxim. I used one for about 6 months. Didn't really like it. The keys are "squishy", they don't bottom out, instead have really soft landings. It feels like you're pressing they keys into a squishy surface. No click feedback at all.

Also i didn't find it to be particularly ergonomic. MS natural < 4000 always seemed better to me. ymmv in that aspect though.

[IBI]

the keys are awful, stiff and unpleasant to use. keep in mind, that I've never liked rubber dome keyboards, so i don't recommend this one, but nobody else complains about them.

I think this is the same as a Kinesis maxim. I used one for about 6 months. Didn't really like it. The keys are "squishy", they don't bottom out, instead have really soft landings. It feels like you're pressing they keys into a squishy surface. No click feedback at all.

I'd rather have a mechanical keyboard too, but they're few and far between with a UK layout and full n-key rollover. I would have settled for a good rubber dome board if it had some nice extra features like adjustable ergonomics, but this sounds as if it isn't one. Looks like I may end up with the Raptor K1.

Also i didn't find it to be particularly ergonomic. MS natural < 4000 always seemed better to me. ymmv in that aspect though.

Did they ever do one without a numpad? Apart from the * key I never use it and it takes up a lot of space that could be occupied by the mouse instead.

[puntium]

Did they ever do one without a numpad? Apart from the * key I never use it and it takes up a lot of space that could be occupied by the mouse instead.

Not that I know of. I never use the numpad's either, but given the choice I end up always wanting to use an ergo keyboard with a numpad rather than a non-ergo without.

[xyzzy]

It does apparently have 'Integration of all components on a single membrane' so I assume it's a rubber dome keyboard ('SFT Technology' if that means anything) but it's moved the windows keys to somewhere sensible, doesn't have a space eating numpad, and has full n-key rollover according to the spec sheet.

It's basically the same layout as the Cherry ErgoPlus, which is mechanical (brown switches) and - I think - more adjustable.

You can spot one every now and then on eBay.de or, less frequently, eBay.com. The last 2 I've seen went for around EUR 130.

[lowpoly]

There must be some common history with the Cherry. The adjustment construction on the Siemens is different, which may be a good thing. It's a bit flimsy on the Cherry.

The relocation of the LEDs makes me lean toward membrane (there is contradictory info out there about this). That way they don't have to put holes into the rubber dome mat. Don't know it that would be a problem though. Maybe they just moved the f-key row closer to the rest.

The Fujitsu Siemens is still available new, like the Maxim.

BTW, have fun with your ErgoPlus xyzzy, you just beat me to it.

[itlnstln]

If you like ergo layouts, you will probably like the Northgate Evolution (see avatar).  It is a behemoth, though, so it may not meet your size requirements, but it will not move on your desk .  It is hard to find a good ergo, mechanical 'board, though.  The DataDesk Smartboard is out there, and I think it uses Alps switches like the Northgate, but I have not tried it. There are also the other, more exotic types from Maltron, et. al. and the coveted IBM Model M15, but good luck finding/affording that one.  The M15 is a spacesaver layout, too (no numpad).

[xyzzy]

BTW, have fun with your ErgoPlus xyzzy, you just beat me to it.

Ahhh so that was you who came out of nowhere 15 seconds to the end of the auction? I didn't even notice your bid but at the very last moment I decided to raise my bid about €5 and if it wasn't for that, you'd have won it.

I hoped the auction would go pretty much unnoticed as the seller used a very generic title and description, and he wouldn't ship outside EU. But I should've imagined that some other geekhacker would be watching it anyway.

Will post some photos when I receive it. Hope it's not too heavily used, anyway I have quite a few brown switches waiting here if some need to be replaced.

PS: out of curiosity, why did you want a 2nd one? Didn't you just win one N.I.B.?

[itlnstln]

Can someone let me know when there is an Ergo Plus on ebay if they see it?  This is another board I would like to try (it might be a little out of the price range, though).  Thanks.

[lowpoly]

Ahhh so that was you who came out of nowhere 15 seconds to the end of the auction? I didn't even notice your bid but at the very last moment I decided to raise my bid about €5 and if it wasn't for that, you'd have won it.

I hoped the auction would go pretty much unnoticed as the seller used a very generic title and description, and he wouldn't ship outside EU. But I should've imagined that some other geekhacker would be watching it anyway.

Will post some photos when I receive it. Hope it's not too heavily used, anyway I have quite a few brown switches waiting here if some need to be replaced.

PS: out of curiosity, why did you want a 2nd one? Didn't you just win one N.I.B.?

So that was close. I had to put in another bid in the last seconds because my initial bid turned out to be too low during the last minutes, waiting for confirmation. Refresh twice... and gone. Well, a lost auction always means saved money for more auctions to come.

I decided to keep mine NIB so I thought a used one which I'd actually could use would be fine. It also came with 5700 numpad which I don't have yet.

Can someone let me know when there is an Ergo Plus on ebay if they see it?

Haha, you wish.

[xyzzy]

Can someone let me know when there is an Ergo Plus on ebay if they see it?  This is another board I would like to try (it might be a little out of the price range, though).  Thanks.

IMHO, it wouldn't be a very good idea to post those links on here. Every time I spot an interesting item on eBay, I try not to publicize it as more interested buyers will likely result in a higher final price. The fact is that anything posted here is quickly indexed on Google. Which means that the number of potential buyers is exponentially increased to people outside of this forum.

I wouldn't mind posting/sharing interesting auctions links if there was a sort of private area where only members with at least, say, 50 or 100 messages could get access to (*), but in the current state I wouldn't share them with the whole internet.

By the way, I'll make sure to PM you and Sofa King should I spot another ErgoPlus

(*) crap, that means I have to write some more as I wouldn't be allowed in o_O.

[itlnstln]

By the way, I'll make sure to PM you and Sofa King should I spot another ErgoPlus

Thanks!!!

[xsphat]

The fact is that anything posted here is quickly indexed on Google. Which means that the number of potential buyers is exponentially increased to people outside of this forum.

So what you're saying is we should post links to our own auctions then. I think it's a good idea.

[xyzzy]

So what you're saying is we should post links to our own auctions then. I think it's a good idea.

Not necessarily. People who visit / post on here do know the characteristics and value of their boards, so they're likely to put a good title, description, photos and shipping options on eBay when they want to sell it.

In the case of this last Cherry ErgoPlus, the item was listed solely on eBay.de (with auction setup to ship only to Germany, so it wouldn't show up in any other eBay site). The title was "Cherry ergonomische tastatur", the description was in german too, and nowhere in the auction was specified the product number / name. Only the photos showed that it was an ErgoPlus.

But if someone posted a message here saying "Cherry ErgoPlus for sale on eBay" and a link to the auction, a lot more people would have found it, including people searching google for "ebay cherry ergoplus", so I'm pretty sure the potential buyers would have been 10x more.

As far as I remember, the last ErgoPlus spotted on eBay.com late last year went for around USD 400, while the last 2 advertised with poor title/keyboards on eBay.de sold for less than EUR 140 each (around USD 200 at the current exchange rate).

[lowpoly]

There were two before that since I started looking.

One had the auction ended early by the seller ("item destroyed"). So he just got - what he thought - a good offer and didn't care about the bids that were already on it.

The other one sold to Japan for EUR 220,- (IIRC).

Four in two or three months - there will be more.

[xyzzy]

There were two before that since I started looking.

One had the auction ended early by the seller ("item destroyed"). So he just got - what he thought - a good offer and didn't care about the bids that were already on it.

The other one sold to Japan for EUR 220,- (IIRC).

Four in two or three months - there will be more.

They were all posted in eBay.de right? The one I was talking about that sold for USD 400 was posted on eBay.com, which has a broader audience.

[lowpoly]

Yes, ebay.de. I remember the $400 one too, I think it was linked in the M15 thread (auction should be invalid by now).

[lowpoly]

I now have three of these Siemens Nixdorf boards. One is missing the wrist rest. It was the cheapest but turned out to have the least yellowing. So, they do yellow. I paid too much and should have gotten one or two less. Oh well.

These are rubber domes  but with carbon contact, not the standard membrane switch.

The construction has improved on the Cherry ErgoPlus with a different 'roofing' mechanism that avoids the weakness in the middle.

I expected to find some hints inside that these were actually made by Cherry. I found nothing, no clue whatsoever. Just some logo I don't know.

The 'pcb' is like nothing I've seen before. Regular circuits printed on a membrane. Controller, LEDs, everything is attached to the membrane.

The rubber domes have 'silicone rubber' printed on them.

The cable is detachable (phone jack type).

Switch feel: starts with the typical rubber dome tactile cycle until it makes contact. After that you have to push harder. That resistance stays about the same until the keycap bottoms out.

Now for the pics (anybody recognize the logo in the last pic?):









Someone needed an 'A'.

[Chloe]

anybody recognize the logo in the last pic?

It's an ESD warning symbol.

[lowpoly]

Mystery solved. Thank you!