Focus FK-3001

[khronokrator]

Would something like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170631214366

[chyros]

Hey Chyros, it turns out one of the terminals on my board was so corroded that one of the wires simply broke off at the slightest application of pressure while I was taking the board apart. Can it be resoldered, or am I SOL? 

Ah man, it'll take a while to get one of those batteries, too.

That's pretty normal. The wires the terminals are connected by are pretty flimsy anyway. Focus cases are pretty hard to open (you need to SLIDE rather than pull) and there's not a lot of slack on them so they often come off immediately. Of course you can resolder them, it's just metal to metal .

It looks like a standard size battery, but they're probably nicads rather than metal hydride batteries. Those aren't made in the western world anymore, but I managed to import some replacement nicads for another Focus board I own from China. Takes ages to arrive, but worked in the end . If you have a battery with the appropriate voltage you can jury rig the terminals of the battery to those of the calculator (make sure you connect the right ends!) and then see if that makes the keyboard work. If it does, order some proper batteries from China, that's how I did it.

I have a project tangent to this in the works, about which I'll be making a full report at some point in the future .

Do they have to be nicad?

Well with the battery I had I found that the batteries of that voltage and charge were much smaller so they didn't fit the enclosure properly, while the ones that were of the same size were much more powerful.

[Mattr567]

Would something like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170631214366

Wonder the same.

[chyros]

Would something like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170631214366

Wonder the same.

That's a 9000 battery. Don't know if it will work with the 3001 as well.

[khronokrator]

Yeah, I just bought something identical to that eBay page off Amazon before I left for work this morning. Hope it works.

[Mattr567]

Would something like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170631214366

Wonder the same.

That's a 9000 battery. Don't know if it will work with the 3001 as well.

I'll check the one in it when I get back. It was delivered! Can't wait to get home.

[engicoder]

My 3001 uses a few non rechargable 357/LR44 coin cells that are commonly used in calculators and some watches. Much nicer than that Varta monstrosity in the 9000.

[Mattr567]

IT ****ING WORKS, ALL OF IT

The calculator works, and so does the keyboard! The numbers look a bit screwed up on the screen but that can be fixed. Also does the solar panel! The battery must be shot since, when I take it in the sunlight the calculator lights up!!!

The only weird thing is that print screen activates shift and *, and the pause key activates ctrl and numlock 0.0 Maybe the PCB needs some cleaning. Its quite dirty. Or maybe its my USB converter.

[khronokrator]

IT ****ING WORKS, ALL OF IT

The calculator works, and so does the keyboard! The numbers look a bit screwed up on the screen but that can be fixed. Also does the solar panel! The battery must be shot since, when I take it in the sunlight the calculator lights up!!!

The only weird thing is that print screen activates shift and *, and the pause key activates ctrl and numlock 0.0 Maybe the PCB needs some cleaning. Its quite dirty. Or maybe its my USB converter.

Congratulations, my friend! Glad to hear that yours is actually working. As I've said, I agree with Chryos that these weird Focus keyboards are endlessly fascinating.

As for my own FK-9000, my soldering skills are fairly abysmal and I think I botched the resoldering of the left wire to the terminal. If it works at all when the battery arrives, it'll frankly be a minor miracle.

[Mattr567]

IT ****ING WORKS, ALL OF IT

The calculator works, and so does the keyboard! The numbers look a bit screwed up on the screen but that can be fixed. Also does the solar panel! The battery must be shot since, when I take it in the sunlight the calculator lights up!!!

The only weird thing is that print screen activates shift and *, and the pause key activates ctrl and numlock 0.0 Maybe the PCB needs some cleaning. Its quite dirty. Or maybe its my USB converter.

Congratulations, my friend! Glad to hear that yours is actually working. As I've said, I agree with Chryos that these weird Focus keyboards are endlessly fascinating.

As for my own FK-9000, my soldering skills are fairly abysmal and I think I botched the resoldering of the left wire to the terminal. If it works at all when the battery arrives, it'll frankly be a minor miracle.

Well, I am typing to you on it now, completely cleaned up, and it works great! The FK-3001 is a really awesome! On PS/2 the problem still exists with the pause keys and the print screen keys 0.0 I'll have to check it out tomorrow. Will switch to Windows from Linux to see if it is the the issue. Otherwise something is up with the PCB, idk.

Also it seems that when I disconnected the battery terminal wires (had to de solder them to separate the pcb from the back case) the calc stopped working disconnected from the computer, it could also just be that it got too dark Also the battery aren't like yours, they are two button cells together. This also means absolutely 0 leakage! I didn't know this but you can flip up the calc display, looks cool as ****

For a keyboard that was in the "for parts or not working" section of ebay it works pretty damn well. The switches feel good but they still need to be taken apart for cleaning, will do that sometime, it is very time consuming.

[khronokrator]

Yeah, I think the worst thing Focus could've possibly done was to use that Ni-CD monstrosity (a very apt name for it, indeed) on the Fk-9000. Then they apparently did themselves one better and decided that it would be an integral part of the circuitry of the keyboard, according to Chyros, so it won't work without it. 

It's too bad, because I really like this keyboard. How is the keyfeel on yours? Did you get SKCMs or clones?

I got my FK-9000 cleaned up, or at least as cleaned up as I could without pulling the switches out. Hope I can get a FK-5001 sometime, sounds like it'd be a hell of a lot more reliable.

[Mattr567]

Yeah, I think the worst thing Focus could've possibly done was to use that Ni-CD monstrosity (a very apt name for it, indeed) on the Fk-9000. Then they apparently did themselves one better and decided that it would be an integral part of the circuitry of the keyboard, according to Chyros, so it won't work without it. 

It's too bad, because I really like this keyboard. How is the keyfeel on yours? Did you get SKCMs or clones?

I got my FK-9000 cleaned up, or at least as cleaned up as I could without pulling the switches out. Hope I can get a FK-5001 sometime, sounds like it'd be a hell of a lot more reliable.

Its an 1st gen FK, so it has full SKCM Whites, made in Taiwan vs China for later ones. Made in June 1990. 2 years after it came out in '88. They feel nice but not super smooth, they don't feel scratchy but slower I guess. Needs a bit more work. It was filthy when I got it, not caked but pretty close, used canned air to blow the dust sitting on the switch housings. I imagine what the insides are like.

So I got lucky I guess. I am not sure what the hell could be wrong with the print screen and pause keys, why would they be producing such random characters consistently?! And the fact that they are the only with this problem. The rest of the board is perfect.

I bet Chryos could help.

[khronokrator]

Has to be a PCB problem. A matrix error, like with my Leading Edge, perhaps?

Chyros, the oracle of Alps, we beseech thee.

[Mattr567]

Has to be a PCB problem. A matrix error, like with my Leading Edge, perhaps?

Chyros, the oracle of Alps, we beseech thee.

Fixed!, switched it to Enhanced PC/AT, PS/2 from PC/AT. Now there is nothing wrong with the board! Just need to get the LCD to display characters properly and retrobright it. And the LCD will be a quick fix. I was originally worried the calc didn't work at all. Also the solar panel works with the battery terminal disconnected, it just wasn't getting enough light, until I shined my desk lamp more directly at it.

[khronokrator]

Again, your luck makes me very envious. 

Would make sense, actually. I'm shocked I didn't think of that earlier, since you can enable that exact same setting in a Northgate via its DIP switches. Hah. And you actually *have* DIP switches to play with!

[Mattr567]

Again, your luck makes me very envious. 

Would make sense, actually. I'm shocked I didn't think of that earlier, since you can enable that exact same setting in a Northgate via its DIP switches. Hah. And you actually *have* DIP switches to play with!

Kinda, its just two switches and different combos of the two make XT, Enhanced XT, AT, and Enhanced AT. With the Northgate you could do all kinds of cool **** like layout changes. I suppose its a bit more than just a single AT/XT switch.

Yea, I can't believe how lucky I am that everything works! Even the damn 26 year old solar panel works. Also there is barely any rust on the plate, just one small patch of minor rust. My SGI Granite has multiple little patches. The caps are in good condition, but yellowed as well. A couple have some nicks but I will sand the nicks down to be flush.

Super happy with this board!

[khronokrator]

Yeah, the plate on mine is in really good condition, too. Virtually no rust whatsoever, and what is there is only very tiny nicks. I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping the stupid Varta monstrosity will allow the keyboard to actually work, otherwise... it's a paperweight, second in a row in fact. At least I didn't spend a fortune for it. 

The calculator works amazingly well, though, which I guess is... something.

We shall expect pictures once you get it all spiffed up! The world really needs more love for the intriging Focus boards... you see FK-2000s literally all over the place (I'd almost say they're more common than the Model M), rather less so of the exotic calculator variants.

[chyros]

Pretty sure the reason that you were getting those weird key combos is the controller sending XT scan codes for them, shift * was the original combination for print screen iirc (check old XT boards).

[Mattr567]

Pretty sure the reason that you were getting those weird key combos is the controller sending XT scan codes for them, shift * was the original combination for print screen iirc (check old XT boards).

I guess, but it was in PC/AT mode so it must be an older protocol than what we normally know as AT. Most AT boards just have one setting.

[chyros]

Pretty sure the reason that you were getting those weird key combos is the controller sending XT scan codes for them, shift * was the original combination for print screen iirc (check old XT boards).

I guess, but it was in PC/AT mode so it must be an older protocol than what we normally know as AT. Most AT boards just have one setting.

It's probably some kind of compatibility setting. True AT wouldn't have that combination.

[khronokrator]

Alright, so the aptly named Varta "monstrosity" came today and you were completely right, Chyros. Swapping the battery in seems to have solved the problem! So, thank you, my friend. 

All is not completely well, however. The C and especially S keys almost never register, requiring me to mash them multiple times, and the #2 key in home row (not the numpad) doesn't work at all. Also, the T key sometimes outputs multiple characters per keypress, e.g. ttttt. I'm thinking it sounds like dead keys, and I'm hoping it isn't a greater electrical problem.

The feel of the switches is pretty horrible anyway and I think I'm going to transplant them out, since for me disassembly will be a nightmare.

I also have no idea how the programmable F keys work.

[Mattr567]

Alright, so the aptly named Varta "monstrosity" came today and you were completely right, Chyros. Swapping the battery in seems to have solved the problem! So, thank you, my friend. 

All is not completely well, however. The C and especially S keys almost never register, requiring me to mash them multiple times, and the #2 key in home row (not the numpad) doesn't work at all. Also, the T key sometimes outputs multiple characters per keypress, e.g. ttttt. I'm thinking it sounds like dead keys, and I'm hoping it isn't a greater electrical problem.

The feel of the switches is pretty horrible anyway and I think I'm going to transplant them out, since for me disassembly will be a nightmare.

I also have no idea how the programmable F keys work.

Congrats! Yea those are dead keys for sure.

Today I cleaned a couple of switches, and yea, they are dirty, need to do the whole board. Right now it is my daily driver. Will post some pics soon.

[Mattr567]

Eww

[khronokrator]

Eww at the yellowing, or the slider? 

I'm going to make mine a daily driver... eventually, when I get some time and dig out my soldering equipment. I've got a Zeos keyboard with decent enough SKCMs that it can be a donor.

[ander]

Hey guys – I bought the other FK-3001 Mattr567 mentioned on pg. 1. I couldn't resist the tantalizing possibility it might contain Alps Blues. Yeah, I know it's unlikely—but for $40 + shipping it seemed a reasonable risk, and it'll be a nice (and seldom-seen) board no matter what.

Obviously people were asking the seller to "look under a cap", because this was appended to the description:





These didn't have Alps Blacks, to my knowledge... So I'm guessing she obediently removed a cap and "looked under it"—at the color of the double-shot legend.  :?)

In a rare fit of marriage-defying chutzpah, I also picked up this Quimax KI-5170, as it was considerably less than the other few that have appeared recently (but seemed in very nice shape). I'd read about its contactless magnetic valve switches, and that was just too intriguing to pass up. I'll post a review about both boards when I can. Cheers!

[chyros]

Alright, so the aptly named Varta "monstrosity" came today and you were completely right, Chyros. Swapping the battery in seems to have solved the problem! So, thank you, my friend. 

No worries mate, always happy to help .

All is not completely well, however. The C and especially S keys almost never register, requiring me to mash them multiple times, and the #2 key in home row (not the numpad) doesn't work at all. Also, the T key sometimes outputs multiple characters per keypress, e.g. ttttt. I'm thinking it sounds like dead keys, and I'm hoping it isn't a greater electrical problem.

Almost certainly a contact problem. Clean out the switches and check the soldering on the dead ones. Test for continuity with the switch open and closed and see what that yields, that should give an answer. Try re-flowing the solder flux, or if that doesn't work, substitute in another switch.

I also have no idea how the programmable F keys work.

Go to MS-DOS, then press prog+PF1, then enter the characters you want to input, and end with PF1 again. There's a very low maximum amount of characters and modifiers take up more than one, though. If you've hit the maximum, which changes depending on the alignment of the stars with Mars and Jupiter, it will end the programming automatically without needing to press PF1 again. If it's worked, after pressing PF1 again, the characters on the screen will delete.

[Mattr567]

Hey guys – I bought the other FK-3001 Mattr567 mentioned on pg. 1. I couldn't resist the tantalizing possibility it might contain Alps Blues. Yeah, I know it's unlikely—but for $40 + shipping it seemed a reasonable risk, and it'll be a nice (and seldom-seen) board no matter what.

Obviously people were asking the seller to "look under a cap", because this was appended to the description:


(Attachment Link)


These didn't have Alps Blacks, to my knowledge... So I'm guessing she obediently removed a cap and "looked under it"—at the color of the double-shot legend.  :?)

In a rare fit of marriage-defying chutzpah, I also picked up this Quimax KI-5170, as it was considerably less than the other few that have appeared recently (but seemed in very nice shape). I'd read about its contactless magnetic valve switches, and that was just too intriguing to pass up. I'll post a review about both boards when I can. Cheers!

Good luck! The person said the calculator also didn't work, but she may have meant not at all, vs my seller who just meant how well it worked, not if it worked at all which is what really matters. It doesn't need a battery to work so either it does or doesn't.

Eww at the yellowing, or the slider? 

I'm going to make mine a daily driver... eventually, when I get some time and dig out my soldering equipment. I've got a Zeos keyboard with decent enough SKCMs that it can be a donor.

Same here. Will be my daily. One reason vs like SGI for instance is the spacebar. On most older Alps boards, the stability isn't very good, like on my SGI, or a AEK. it may have a wire, but it normally has only one stabilizer cylinder thing which causes it to feel mushy and softer, like on my SGI. With the FK-3001 they have one on both sides so it is super responsive. Also try to clean all the switches. I know it is a pain in the ass, trust me I have been cleaning on and off my switches for a couple days and it sucks but it makes such a huge difference.

[khronokrator]

The stability (and the stabilizers) are frankly ridiculous on the FK-9000. Two stabilizers on the enter key alone! Many expletives were uttered trying to get that sucker back on.   

The last time I tried to clean Alps switches in a Chicony donor board I pretty much bent the spring when I was trying to put it all back together again. That scared me off for a good long while. I need to study Chyros' videos more, but in general I don't do well with tiny complex parts... too much "jittery fingers syndrome."

I'm actually really impressed that the calculator is working perfect in mine. No 'buggy digits' at all, even if you fill up the entire screen! All in all, the board's actually in fairly good condition minus the somewhat alarming huge bend in the PCB (wonder if that one was some kind of manufacturing error, as the keyboard itself is otherwise pretty immaculate).

These weird Focus boards have a lot of character, if I do say so myself. It's just a pity their build quality is so mediocre. 

Also, Chyros... apologies if I show my ignorance here, but you do mean the command prompt when you say MS-DOS? Or Dosbox?

[ander]

Go to MS-DOS, then...

Wow—that's like saying, "Call up your high school girlfriend..." Not that I haven't been tempted.

[chyros]

Well it was meant to be used in MS-DOS, but fortunately you can use the command prompt too .

And yeah, I agree, that's why I like Focus boards a lot myself ^^ .

Btw, almost all boards with bigass enters have two stabilisers .

[chyros]

Go to MS-DOS, then...

Wow—that's like saying, "Call up your high school girlfriend..." Not that I haven't been tempted.

I actually found one if those actually floppy floppy disks a few weeks ago that had DOS on it xD . That was quite a trip down memory lane xD .

Not been tempted to call back my girlfriend though, she was a psychotic ***** .

[Mattr567]

So I finally finished cleaning all of my switches  Took ****ing forever, but it was worth it.

So right now its mechanically perfect! It will stay in this state till maybe Juneish? It will stay yellow, and the battery terminals will stay disconnected. Maybe ill get to the screen next weekend or something. To get it back (you should do this too Chryos, your FK 8000 deserves it) you heat up the ribbon cable on low heat with a hair dryer and then rub it with a eraser. Weird but it works!

Will get some proper pics and maybe a typing test tomorrow. It is my new daily. Legit clicky alps is so sastifying, I was really struggling to find it in my MX Blue G80. I am also not deterred by build quality, I came from a G80 so yea.. 

BTW the date is June 1990, if that is relevant to the Focus timeline.

[khronokrator]

The weird thing is, considering their common heritage and (possibly) manufacturer, Northgate bigass enters only use a single stabilizer, IIRC. And that's what I'm most used to, hence the many expletives I unleashed upon the FK-9000.

And thanks again, Chyros. I'll probably plug the FK-9000 in tomorrow and test its programmable keys in the command prompt. If I can get this board cleaned up well enough I may take it along on my next vacation, provided the TSA doesn't completely flip out during security screening.

[Mattr567]

The weird thing is, considering their common heritage and (possibly) manufacturer, Northgate bigass enters only use a single stabilizer, IIRC. And that's what I'm most used to, hence the many expletives I unleashed upon the FK-9000.

And thanks again, Chyros. I'll probably plug the FK-9000 in tomorrow and test its programmable keys in the command prompt. If I can get this board cleaned up well enough I may take it along on my next vacation, provided the TSA doesn't completely flip out during security screening.

My 3001 has two as well, a Alps stab and a Costar stab. A bit of a pain in the ass but not as bad as my Zenith Z-150's enter key 0.0 Wonder if the two make a difference.

[khronokrator]

It might make bigass enter keys more stable and less prone to "sticking?" I couldn't say for sure. I know "sticking" seems to be a big problem for bigass enter keys in general; I've had experience with several Omnikeys whose enter keys were so bad they'd literally stick down.

Also, do post pictures of your board, Mattr. 

[jacobolus]

I’ve seen L-shaped enter keys on Alps-switch keyboards with:

* Just a stabilizer peg
* One Alps-style stabilizer plus a peg
* One Costar-style stabilizer
* Two Alps-style stabilizers
* Two Costar-style stabilizers
* One Alps-style and one Costar-style stabilizer

And possibly others I’m not remembering.

[chyros]

(you should do this too Chryos, your FK 8000 deserves it)

Engicoder has been helping me with a project related to this, I suspect you're going to love it . Might take a while yet, though. 

[Mattr567]

Here they are! Interesting how they have two different keys to switch between calc and keyboard mode. Also it uses some screws to hold the case together at the top.

[engicoder]

(you should do this too Chryos, your FK 8000 deserves it)

Engicoder has been helping me with a project related to this, I suspect you're going to love it . Might take a while yet, though.

No pressure :-P  I think it should work for the 3001 as well but might take a little dremel work.

[chyros]

(you should do this too Chryos, your FK 8000 deserves it)

Engicoder has been helping me with a project related to this, I suspect you're going to love it . Might take a while yet, though.

No pressure :-P  I think it should work for the 3001 as well but might take a little dremel work.

Nope, none at all xD . It's going to be amazing though, I can't wait for it .

BTW, nice pictures Matt, would you mind sticking them on the DT wiki? IIRC there's no info or pics on that page AT ALL Oo .

[Mattr567]

(you should do this too Chryos, your FK 8000 deserves it)

Engicoder has been helping me with a project related to this, I suspect you're going to love it . Might take a while yet, though.

No pressure :-P  I think it should work for the 3001 as well but might take a little dremel work.

Nope, none at all xD . It's going to be amazing though, I can't wait for it .

BTW, nice pictures Matt, would you mind sticking them on the DT wiki? IIRC there's no info or pics on that page AT ALL Oo .

Thanks. I am going to get that page up and running. That page doesn't even pop up on the Keyboards with Alps switches section of the wiki. May I ask what this project is?

[Mattr567]

Check it: https://deskthority.net/wiki/Focus_FK-3001

Did a bit more than add some pictures

[khronokrator]

The weird double switching configuration seems to be something Focus retained with the FK-3001 and the FK-5001 until they made their successors, the 8000 and 9000 respectively.

I honestly prefer the bigass Futaba lock switches on the 8000/9000 over the configuration of the 3001/5001, but the earlier models are probably better built, and are certainly less prone to dead calculator and/or keyboard syndrome. (Especially with that godawful NiCad battery. What was Focus thinking?)

I also really like the Alps locking lights on the 9000; they look seriously cool.

[Mattr567]

The weird double switching configuration seems to be something Focus retained with the FK-3001 and the FK-5001 until they made their successors, the 8000 and 9000 respectively.

I honestly prefer the bigass Futaba lock switches on the 8000/9000 over the configuration of the 3001/5001, but the earlier models are probably better built, and are certainly less prone to dead calculator and/or keyboard syndrome. (Especially with that godawful NiCad battery. What was Focus thinking?)

I also really like the Alps locking lights on the 9000; they look seriously cool.

Yea, I wish I had lock lights. They are much cooler than keyboard ones. I wanted to get a 8000 for that reason but I didn't find dealing with a chance of clones worth it. Also for the reasons you stated. On the 3001's wiki page I made a note of the battery change, and the awful leaking NiCads

So how do you like the 9000? Interesting board but I don't think I could get used the arrow cluster. Also have you cleaned your switches? Its totally worth it. Luckily my other Alps boards don't need it  I didn't notice a major change in cleaning my SKCM Oranges or SKCL Greens. The SKCM White change was huge. They click louder, stronger, and prouder. They feel smoother and more responsive.

[chyros]

Nice, thanks for the contribution . I'll reword and update it a little here and there when I get home, but it looks like this nice keyboard finally has a proper page like it deserves .

[khronokrator]

Yea, I wish I had lock lights. They are much cooler than keyboard ones. I wanted to get a 8000 for that reason but I didn't find dealing with a chance of clones worth it. Also for the reasons you stated. On the 3001's wiki page I made a note of the battery change, and the awful leaking NiCads

So how do you like the 9000? Interesting board but I don't think I could get used the arrow cluster. Also have you cleaned your switches? Its totally worth it. Luckily my other Alps boards don't need it  I didn't notice a major change in cleaning my SKCM Oranges or SKCL Greens. The SKCM White change was huge. They click louder, stronger, and prouder. They feel smoother and more responsive.

I'm really liking the 9000 so far, I just haven't had the time to clean & replace its switches, so it's seen very little actual use. Real life keeps getting in the way. 

I think clicky Alps are the ones most susceptible to "Dirty switch syndrome." They have too many extra moving parts compared to tactile and especially linear switches, any one of which can get gummed up with dust and debris over the years. Thus, they gain the most back after cleaning, and they tend to have the most wildly differing tactility and clickiness depending up on make and model year, how much use they've seen, how much dust they've accumulated, etc.

This is generally true of most clicky switches. Ironically, I've long been of the opinion that the best buckling springs are the ones that have been heavily broken in (not dirty, mind you, just ones that have seen a fair amount of use). Brand-new Model Ms are almost uncomfortably stiff, IMO.

Anyway, I'm strongly considering buying a 5001 from another GH member here, and if so I will most definitely compare notes, as the 9000 was basically the exact same board, just a later model.

[ander]

Well it was meant to be used in MS-DOS, but fortunately you can use the command prompt too :) .

Oh yeah, the command line! That is sort of like DOS, isn't it? I never thought of it that way.

In case anyone's interested, here's a little follow up on the FK-3001 I ordered:

It did, indeed, have Whites. And they were scratchy and needed cleaning. Fortunately—despite the note I always send KB sellers, asking them to please pack carefully—the seller shipped it in a single-layer box with no packing material whatsoever, and it arrived with the battery cover broken off. So it's going back, postpaid. At least I got to see what kind of switches it had. (My theory about "black under the caps" was apparently true.)

[Mattr567]

Well it was meant to be used in MS-DOS, but fortunately you can use the command prompt too .

Oh yeah, the command line! That is sort of like DOS, isn't it? I never thought of it that way.

In case anyone's interested, here's a little follow up on the FK-3001 I ordered:

It did, indeed, have Whites. And they were scratchy and needed cleaning. Fortunately—despite the note I always send KB sellers, asking them to please pack carefully—the seller shipped it in a single-layer box with no packing material whatsoever, and it arrived with the battery cover broken off. So it's going back, postpaid. At least I got to see what kind of switches it had. (My theory about "black under the caps" was apparently true.)

That sucks, mine came expertly wrapped. Did the calc work?

[ander]

That sucks, mine came expertly wrapped. Did the calc work?

Yes, perfectly! Ironic, huh?

[khronokrator]

I'm really loving these programmable function keys, I just wish they stored more than an average of 8 characters or so. 

Going to either clean and/or have the switches replaced relatively soon. This keyboard is definitely what I'd call "charming" and with some switch work would be my daily driver.