Happy Hacking Professional Bluetooth

[xtrafrood]

Hehe, the Amazon links on that site the OP listed are affiliate links. I'm guessing that pfdi-22 is PFU's affiliate link )

AA cell is an odd choice. Why no use LiPo?   

[LiquidEvilGaming]

Hehe, the Amazon links on that site the OP listed are affiliate links. I'm guessing that pfdi-22 is PFU's affiliate link )

AA cell is an odd choice. Why no use LiPo?

Easier to replace, cheaper to replace...and should they fail unlike a Lipo which would likely be inside the keyboard as opposed to an external bump..the failing AA"s won't damage the keyboard the Lipo most likely will.

Honestly this is one of the biggest things i applauded about the Logitech G602 was the switch to AA's.

[LiquidEvilGaming]

Hehe, the Amazon links on that site the OP listed are affiliate links. I'm guessing that pfdi-22 is PFU's affiliate link )

AA cell is an odd choice. Why no use LiPo?

Easier to replace, cheaper to replace...and should they fail unlike a Lipo which would likely be inside the keyboard as opposed to an external bump..the failing AA"s won't damage the keyboard the Lipo most likely will.

Honestly this is one of the biggest things i applauded about the Logitech G602 was the switch to AA's.  If they went with a rechargeable pack i likely would not be as interested as i am now.

[xtrafrood]

Hehe, the Amazon links on that site the OP listed are affiliate links. I'm guessing that pfdi-22 is PFU's affiliate link )

AA cell is an odd choice. Why no use LiPo?

Easier to replace, cheaper to replace...and should they fail unlike a Lipo which would likely be inside the keyboard as opposed to an external bump..the failing AA"s won't damage the keyboard the Lipo most likely will.

Honestly this is one of the biggest things i applauded about the Logitech G602 was the switch to AA's.  If they went with a rechargeable pack i likely would not be as interested as i am now.

LiPo may have problems with temperature but honestly, who is going to leave their HHKB out in a hot car or outside in the snow?

[Polymer]

Hehe, the Amazon links on that site the OP listed are affiliate links. I'm guessing that pfdi-22 is PFU's affiliate link )

AA cell is an odd choice. Why no use LiPo?

Easier to replace, cheaper to replace...and should they fail unlike a Lipo which would likely be inside the keyboard as opposed to an external bump..the failing AA"s won't damage the keyboard the Lipo most likely will.

Honestly this is one of the biggest things i applauded about the Logitech G602 was the switch to AA's.  If they went with a rechargeable pack i likely would not be as interested as i am now.

LiPo may have problems with temperature but honestly, who is going to leave their HHKB out in a hot car or outside in the snow?

It isn't just that, it is replacing it when it is no longer delivering the lifetime it should.  Where would you get it?  How much would that be?  How long would it keep a charge for?

I like the idea of AAs..although LiPO would've given them a greater chance to add it to the current internals of the case...

[xtrafrood]

Hehe, the Amazon links on that site the OP listed are affiliate links. I'm guessing that pfdi-22 is PFU's affiliate link )

AA cell is an odd choice. Why no use LiPo?

Easier to replace, cheaper to replace...and should they fail unlike a Lipo which would likely be inside the keyboard as opposed to an external bump..the failing AA"s won't damage the keyboard the Lipo most likely will.

Honestly this is one of the biggest things i applauded about the Logitech G602 was the switch to AA's.  If they went with a rechargeable pack i likely would not be as interested as i am now.

LiPo may have problems with temperature but honestly, who is going to leave their HHKB out in a hot car or outside in the snow?

It isn't just that, it is replacing it when it is no longer delivering the lifetime it should.  Where would you get it?  How much would that be?  How long would it keep a charge for?

I like the idea of AAs..although LiPO would've given them a greater chance to add it to the current internals of the case...

There are common LiPo packs in use for Drones/RC stuff but I get where you're coming from. Those Drone LiPo packs are probably too big to fit in a HHKB anyway

[iLLucionist]

They traded away aesthetic for the return of functionality.
How is this objectively bad?

I'm a man who values looks before functionality but even then I have to say that I can approve of this. AA batteries will always be more functional than lithium ion in the event that bulk and weight are of no concern.

Well... like I've pointed out with the new Apple wireless keyboard, aesthetics didn't need to be traded for functionality. At least that's the way I look at it.

How are AA batteries more functional? A Li-Ion will last longer, you don't have it sticking out, and you don't have to replace the batteries. Saves a lot of hassle if you ask me.

[intelli78]

Hmm, this isn't the HHKB update I was hoping for.

[LiquidEvilGaming]

They traded away aesthetic for the return of functionality.
How is this objectively bad?

I'm a man who values looks before functionality but even then I have to say that I can approve of this. AA batteries will always be more functional than lithium ion in the event that bulk and weight are of no concern.

Well... like I've pointed out with the new Apple wireless keyboard, aesthetics didn't need to be traded for functionality. At least that's the way I look at it.

How are AA batteries more functional? A Li-Ion will last longer, you don't have it sticking out, and you don't have to replace the batteries. Saves a lot of hassle if you ask me.

li-Ion will eventually die (and if it does so in a poor fashion it could cause a good amount of damage)  Rechargeable AA's are cheap simple to replace.   When in smaller tech like this i always prefer an easily removable battery source hence as i mentioned earlier loved when Logitech moved the G602 to AA's.  Given when the run time on batteries is so long when you can use 2 AA's i don't see the real advantage of a li-ion.

THe Li-Ion if inside the board could end up damaging it should anything bad happen with the battery

An internal L-ion is much harder to replace then two AA's and whom is to know if they would use a proprietary size/battery cable etc

If it happens to die when i am not near a charging source or i don't have time to connect it and let it sit and charge i can swap out AA's easily on a whim or even buy some should i not have rechargables with me.

Short of a major case redesign i'm not sure they could fit a battery big enough inside the case to provide longer lasting power than 2 AA's can?  I mean panasonic eneloops are 2550 mAh /AA Do they make safe li-ions small enough that could fit inside the case to compete with that these days? 

It's all subjective of course but personally with devices such as this i tend to move toward AA's over rechargeable internal cells.

[iLLucionist]

li-Ion will eventually die (and if it does so in a poor fashion it could cause a good amount of damage)  Rechargeable AA's are cheap simple to replace.   When in smaller tech like this i always prefer an easily removable battery source hence as i mentioned earlier loved when Logitech moved the G602 to AA's.  Given when the run time on batteries is so long when you can use 2 AA's i don't see the real advantage of a li-ion.

THe Li-Ion if inside the board could end up damaging it should anything bad happen with the battery

I can see that. I had the original macbook air and I literally had to throw it away because to top and bottom shell started to separate because the battery was expanding.

[Belfong]

So why can they built it like the old Nokia feature phone? Flat Li Ion battery that's easily replaceable.

[iLLucionist]

So why can they built it like the old Nokia feature phone? Flat Li Ion battery that's easily replaceable.

I'm thinking... it should be possible to built in custom BT controller with a Li-Ion and just mod a regular HHKB. Such a battery should fit in nicely, there is plenty of room in HHKB case.

[funderburker]

A quick question - does AA batteries hold more power or they are just using it more effectively?

[xtrafrood]

Depends on the AA cell. Most non-rechargeables are +/- 800 mAh but one could get rechargeables with much more capacity.

PFU is pretty big. I don't see why they couldn't find a producer of a safe battery for tablets or cell phones that would fit the HHKB case. Their customers are obviously well informed of the products, why couldn't they do this and offer a replacement battery on the website?

My thought is AA is the easiest to access without opening the case. I guess PFU hates it when people open the HHKB

[funderburker]

Depends on the AA cell. Most non-rechargeables are +/- 800 mAh but one could get rechargeables with much more capacity.

PFU is pretty big. I don't see why they couldn't find a producer of a safe battery for tablets or cell phones that would fit the HHKB case. Their customers are obviously well informed of the products, why couldn't they do this and offer a replacement battery on the website?

My thought is AA is the easiest to access without opening the case. I guess PFU hates it when people open the HHKB

But they could've made a pocket in the case for AA batteries. Or AAA batteries. Well, will never know for sure. Still voting for Hasu to become PFU HHKB team director.

[iLLucionist]

Depends on the AA cell. Most non-rechargeables are +/- 800 mAh but one could get rechargeables with much more capacity.

PFU is pretty big. I don't see why they couldn't find a producer of a safe battery for tablets or cell phones that would fit the HHKB case. Their customers are obviously well informed of the products, why couldn't they do this and offer a replacement battery on the website?

My thought is AA is the easiest to access without opening the case. I guess PFU hates it when people open the HHKB

I really don't understand it either. It seems sloppy. Like typical PC laptop designs.

[LiquidEvilGaming]

Depends on the AA cell. Most non-rechargeables are +/- 800 mAh but one could get rechargeables with much more capacity.

PFU is pretty big. I don't see why they couldn't find a producer of a safe battery for tablets or cell phones that would fit the HHKB case. Their customers are obviously well informed of the products, why couldn't they do this and offer a replacement battery on the website?

My thought is AA is the easiest to access without opening the case. I guess PFU hates it when people open the HHKB

But they could've made a pocket in the case for AA batteries. Or AAA batteries. Well, will never know for sure. Still voting for Hasu to become PFU HHKB team director.

I can't really argue that point, much as i prefer AA or AAA batteries one has to wonder if they could not have incorporated them into the casing a little better.

[joric]

First review:

[LiquidEvilGaming]

First review:

Can't wait till some reviews in English come out...especially ones that delve very specifically into how good the bluetooth connection itself is.  Most specifically with iOS hopefully.

[joric]

Someone speaking japanese could submit subtitles for it: https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_video?ref=player&v=s6BmoR18lfQ

[joric]

Here's a text version in japanese http://japanese.engadget.com/2016/04/11/hhkb-happy-hacking-keyboard-profess/

Upd: "HHKB Professional BT" is automatically power if there is no 30-minute character input has become the specifications turned off. The power will turn on the power button long press, but then re-connect automatically to the terminal which has been pairing just before"

Sorry for Google Translate, but it seems that they've used a dedicated wakeup button to switch keyboard on after 30 minutes of inactivity. This is really ****ty. I  bet they didn't change the keyswitch board at all, and it's the same 5V-only power hog TP16834 capsense controller. Hasu could've done the same a long while ago, I already wrote about a separate wakeup button here https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=12047.msg2107950#msg2107950

[iLLucionist]

Soo... wtf is with those arrow keys cluster and the spacebar? I thought this was a HHKB with HHKB layout?? I must say that the bulge looks less ugly than I anticipated. This looks more like they put a fc660 in a HHKB form factor.

[LiquidEvilGaming]

Soo... wtf is with those arrow keys cluster and the spacebar? I thought this was a HHKB with HHKB layout?? I must say that the bulge looks less ugly than I anticipated. This looks more like they put a fc660 in a HHKB form factor.

That's the Japanese layout as is with the normal JP HHKB layout, i'd venture to guess the American version will look more like the normal HHKB Pro 2 we are used to.

[iLLucionist]

Soo... wtf is with those arrow keys cluster and the spacebar? I thought this was a HHKB with HHKB layout?? I must say that the bulge looks less ugly than I anticipated. This looks more like they put a fc660 in a HHKB form factor.

That's the Japanese layout as is with the normal JP HHKB layout, i'd venture to guess the American version will look more like the normal HHKB Pro 2 we are used to.

Ah, that makes sense. I hope somebody will get the American HHKB and post a review of that.

[xtrafrood]

Soo... wtf is with those arrow keys cluster and the spacebar? I thought this was a HHKB with HHKB layout?? I must say that the bulge looks less ugly than I anticipated. This looks more like they put a fc660 in a HHKB form factor.

That's the Japanese layout as is with the normal JP HHKB layout, i'd venture to guess the American version will look more like the normal HHKB Pro 2 we are used to.

Ah, that makes sense. I hope somebody will get the American HHKB and post a review of that.

RIP the screens on those devices! He stacked them on top of each other.. oh the humanity

Edit - If the Hasu controller gets an update for the HHKB2 JP layout, I would totally buy that board/controller and open the case up

[iLLucionist]

Soo... wtf is with those arrow keys cluster and the spacebar? I thought this was a HHKB with HHKB layout?? I must say that the bulge looks less ugly than I anticipated. This looks more like they put a fc660 in a HHKB form factor.

That's the Japanese layout as is with the normal JP HHKB layout, i'd venture to guess the American version will look more like the normal HHKB Pro 2 we are used to.

Ah, that makes sense. I hope somebody will get the American HHKB and post a review of that.

RIP the screens on those devices! He stacked them on top of each other.. oh the humanity

Edit - If the Hasu controller gets an update for the HHKB2 JP layout, I would totally buy that board/controller and open the case up

I'd probably try that as well. I'm curious if it would be possible to buy a Li-Ion accu for a smartphone or something and hook that up to hasu controller. There should be plenty of room to build that into HHKB.

[joric]

Got HHKB from Amazon to the shipping service, supposedly there's one more week till it gets to me. Hasu already got one from the local store, promised to post pics later.

Upd: That "empty space" is actually a large ferrite bead (as you can see there's no USB interface, just USB power supply):



The main board has quite changed. The main controller is ultra-low power MSP430, the bluetooth chip is BCM20730.
Looks like there's no proprietary topre chip (TP16834) anymore. And it still has analog mux, but LW051A instead of HC4051.



Uses a small 20pin PCB-PCB connector, no more JST-13, no more wires (only a few that go to the batteries).

[Belfong]

Got HHKB from Amazon to the shipping service, supposedly there's one more week till it gets to me. Hasu already got one from the local store, promised to post pics later.

Upd: That "empty space" is actually a large ferrite bead:

Show Image

The main board is quite changed. The main controller is ultra-low power MSP430, the bluetooth chip is BCM20730:

Show Image

Uses a small 20pin PCB-PCB connector, no more JST-13, no more wires (only a few that go to the batteries).

awesome shot of the internals.

I'd really like to know, does it sleep after 30 min of inactivity and you need to wake it up by pressing the on switch? Is that really true?!

[joric]

Another unboxing (shows that "smart case" that goes to preorderers).
Status LED turns off after a while (as on bluetooth Filco's).
The smartness of the case wasn't really shown.

[iLLucionist]

Got HHKB from Amazon to the shipping service, supposedly there's one more week till it gets to me. Hasu already got one from the local store, promised to post pics later.

Upd: That "empty space" is actually a large ferrite bead:

Show Image

The main board is quite changed. The main controller is ultra-low power MSP430, the bluetooth chip is BCM20730:

Show Image

Uses a small 20pin PCB-PCB connector, no more JST-13, no more wires (only a few that go to the batteries).

Very nice pictures and internals. I'm not a PCB designer, but it looks like they actually put some effort into the design.

[iLLucionist]

Another unboxing (shows that "smart case" that goes to preorderers).
Status LED turns off after a while (as on bluetooth Filco's).
The smartness of the case wasn't really shown.

Actually, that bulge looks WAY smaller like this. It's also very to the lower end of the board. Don't think I find it that ugly anymore.

[Belfong]

Another unboxing (shows that "smart case" that goes to preorderers).
Status LED turns off after a while (as on bluetooth Filco's).
The smartness of the case wasn't really shown.

Actually, that bulge looks WAY smaller like this. It's also very to the lower end of the board. Don't think I find it that ugly anymore.

That's my thought as well. And it looked to be pretty solidly built. My only concern is not aesthetic but whether I need to press the start button to wake the keyboard up.

[iLLucionist]

That's my thought as well. And it looked to be pretty solidly built. My only concern is not aesthetic but whether I need to press the start button to wake the keyboard up.

The way I read it, is that you need just to start typing again and it'll establish a connection again real quick.

I am actually thinking of buying this one now.. damm..

[joric]

Paid for the last mile. Shipping weight is 1095g, dimensions are 34x17x14 cm, probably includes that really smart smart case for the first 1000 of buyers. Paid 3250 JPY for shipping to Europe (EMS, 7 days, fully insured, http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01DVH7C0O/ + http://zenmarket.jp). Now I wait.

[iLLucionist]

Paid for the last mile. Shipping weight is 1095g, dimensions are 34x17x14 cm, probably includes that really smart smart case for the first 1000 of buyers. Paid 3250 JPY for shipping to Europe (EMS, 7 days, fully insured, http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01DVH7C0O/ + http://zenmarket.jp). Now I wait.

What is that really smart smart case, seriously?

[Belfong]

I think they meant smart as in nice to look at, pleasant to the eye. Not smart as in intelligence.

[joric]

Might be. It was just a google translate after all. Can't even find that page anymore.

Upd: It's there in the description to the unboxing video. Looks like it's just a cheap cloth pocket:

There are three BT models: PD-KB600B (US layout), PD-KB600BN (US layout, blank keys) and PD-KB620B (JP layout). Mine shown here is the blank one - PD-KB600BN. The fact that the keyboard came with a soft keyboard case -- or "HHKB smart case" as PFU calls it -- confirms I was indeed one of the fastest (≤ 1000th) to preorder the keyboard. There is nothing "smart" about the case by the way; it's just a name.

[iLLucionist]

Might be. It was just a google translate after all. Can't even find that page anymore.

Upd: It's there in the description to the unboxing video. Looks like it's just a cheap cloth pocket:

There are three BT models: PD-KB600B (US layout), PD-KB600BN (US layout, blank keys) and PD-KB620B (JP layout). Mine shown here is the blank one - PD-KB600BN. The fact that the keyboard came with a soft keyboard case -- or "HHKB smart case" as PFU calls it -- confirms I was indeed one of the fastest (≤ 1000th) to preorder the keyboard. There is nothing "smart" about the case by the way; it's just a name.

But what IS a soft keyboard case? How does it differ from the regular keyboard? I'm confused... is it the keyboard case ITSELF or is it a carrying cloth bag?

[joric]

But what IS a soft keyboard case? How does it differ from the regular keyboard? I'm confused... is it the keyboard case ITSELF or is it a carrying cloth bag?

A cloth sleeve. I coudn't find exact model but it clearly says "BIRD" on the label, looks like there's no PFU branding at all. Looks pretty generic.

[losing_ctrl]

Actually, that bulge looks WAY smaller like this. It's also very to the lower end of the board. Don't think I find it that ugly anymore.

I must agree. My initial judgement was too harsh on the bulge, now I'm thinking it's no big deal, and would like to get one of these. Ha!  I'll await further testimonials as to how good the BT works with regards to latency and connecting, staying connected, and reconnecting after going to sleep.

[Polymer]

But what IS a soft keyboard case? How does it differ from the regular keyboard? I'm confused... is it the keyboard case ITSELF or is it a carrying cloth bag?

It is in the pictures...It is just a cloth/neoprene cover for the keyboard...Carrying case, sleeve, cache, cover, whatever you want to call it..

[iLLucionist]

But what IS a soft keyboard case? How does it differ from the regular keyboard? I'm confused... is it the keyboard case ITSELF or is it a carrying cloth bag?

A cloth sleeve. I coudn't find exact model but it clearly says "BIRD" on the label, looks like there's no PFU branding at all. Looks pretty generic.

Show Image

Show Image

Doesn't particularly look like a MUST HAVE or something.

[the_marsbar]

I agree - that is actually quite nice. The PFU marketing guys made a poor choice with the angles of the photos on their website IMO.

If I hadn't recently bought two HHKBs I'd have gotten the BT one instead of my regular black board.

[hasu]

I got it and took some pics of internal.
http://imgur.com/a/YfcYt/all

I'll add info(of internals) in this thread.
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=12047.msg2152474#msg2152474

[adhoc]

I got it and took some pics of internal.
http://imgur.com/a/YfcYt/all

I'll add info(of internals) in this thread.
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=12047.msg2152474#msg2152474

We're getting a better version of bluetooth connectivity than stock confirmed.

[iLLucionist]

I got it and took some pics of internal.
http://imgur.com/a/YfcYt/all

I'll add info(of internals) in this thread.
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=12047.msg2152474#msg2152474

Very nice pics of the internals, this looks promising.

[joric]

Seems like it sells for 27500 JPY (248 USD) rather than 29700 JPY (267 USD) directly at PFU:
http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/direct/hhkb/detail_hhkb-pro-bt.html "27,500 ¥ (excluding tax) (tax-included price: ¥ 29,700)"
Does tax always apply?

[iLLucionist]

Seems like it sells for 27500 JPY (248 USD) rather than 29700 JPY (267 USD) directly at PFU:
http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/direct/hhkb/detail_hhkb-pro-bt.html "27,500 ¥ (excluding tax) (tax-included price: ¥ 29,700)"
Does tax always apply?

Do they ship to Europe directly?

[adhoc]

Is there a usb dongle with bluetooth receiver included, or do you have to have a bluetooth receiver already available on your device?

[TopreFan333]

I'll await further testimonials as to how good the BT works with regards to latency and connecting, staying connected, and reconnecting after going to sleep.

Same here -- I'd happily make this upgrade if it turns out to be usable.