geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Pylon on Wed, 14 July 2010, 19:04:03
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There's a guy locally in my area selling a 71G4644 for $5. I'm thinking about getting it, though it isn't a proper mechanical. But it's better than what I have now (gray HP w/ rubber domes) So how are rubber domed Ms?
Also, is it possible to convert a rubber dome M to buckling springs?
The only mechanical keyboard I've used is some third-party Apple keyboard with some sort of black Alps, and a Model F 5291.
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Rubber dome Model M's are decent keyboards. But they can't be easily converted to buckling springs.
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It's a good keyboard, but you can get a mechanical model m for not much more, even on ebay you can find them in the $10-15 range all the time
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I love Model Ms and I love rubber dome keyboards. I do not like the feel of the Model M rubber dome in the incarnation of the Galactex Smartrex GALII11 keyboard. The keys feel very shallow, and I think it's because the dome collapse "tactile" bump happens way, way too high up in the keystroke. It's also quite stiff. Less of a problem but the keys (that you're not typing on) have a loud, sympathetic rattle while typing on it.
I would like to try a real life Unicomp Enhanced Quiet Touch model some day but nobody wants to pay $70 for a rubber dome keyboard. Thing is nobody is 100% sure that the Unicomp Enhanced Quiet Touch is the same as the Smartrex. The Smartrex is heavy and solid and looks pretty good in spite of some nonstandard key arrangements. I very much prefer the Key Tronic 3600 which you can get new in random places for $10-$30.
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There's no logical reason why the SmarTrex would be unlike any other rubber dome Model M in any significant way. That said, it is true, nobody is 100% sure if it's completely the same.
Someone give Unicomp a ring? Should take all of 5 minutes to get the answer to that. Describe the keyboard, surely someone in the building will remember, then ask if it's the same design as the other rubber dome units.
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Kishy, that's right. I'm curious myself, but since the keycaps and the domes are such a custom build for Smartrex, I would assume the "Enhanced Quiet Touch" are the same. After typing on a Model M, I have to say that I think the "tactile bump" of the rubber dome version is at the same point as a bucking-spring Model M, so it's a reasonably good assumption that the "Enhanced Quiet Touch" is the same as the Smartrex.
It's still a cool keyboard!! Black and solid and has colors and a telephonic inverted numeric keypad. Nice!!