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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: bgee on Mon, 29 November 2010, 04:59:01

Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: bgee on Mon, 29 November 2010, 04:59:01: Hi, guys.
Two weeks ago I received a very clicky and cool keyboard from shiva who found it in garbage box. It was a little bit dirty...(I found a lot of food inside, even fish bones :smile: )(http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=526)
, but hey! it was mechanical keyboard!
I wasn't successful in defining which switches it has (white something?) but after careful cleaning (few hours with q-tips, detergents and any cleansing solutions I had at home) it started to work.
Well my motherboard hasn't LPT port (http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=530)
, so still without trackball, but nevertheless - clicky and coolest feeling in the world.
Currently it looks like this - (http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=527)
and I'd like to ask you guys two questions: first - what sort of keyboard is this?
You can see F-Cat and Codegen Technologies on the inside view,
(http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=528)
but I failed to find something like this in the net as well as its layout - 12 F-keys placed in two rows, 4 keys (containing ESC) on the right.
And the second one - can I make C1-C3 keys place on the left to work? (http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=529)
There is need to replace driver? - my Windows7x64 identifies it as regular 104-keys keyboard...
Indeed my intention was to remap by AutoHotKey the C1 to ESC :rolleyes:
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: Parak on Mon, 29 November 2010, 07:55:17: Quote from: bgee;253723
Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=529)

(http://imgur.com/2ZwCo.jpg)

Looks like one of them BTC capacitive foam and foil boards.
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: spolia optima on Mon, 29 November 2010, 08:20:37: Quote from: Parak;253755

Looks like one of them BTC capacitive foam and foil boards.

could be, but my first thought was futaba switches. They're real close to MX blues, with compatible caps to boot.
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: Findecanor on Mon, 29 November 2010, 08:33:38: A BTC foam+foil switch has the coil or rubber cup over the slider, not under it.

These are likely to be some kind of Futaba switch. The switch housing matches. I can not find any other picture of a Futaba switch with that slider, though.
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: keyb_gr on Mon, 29 November 2010, 09:55:09: That kind of slider could really be only Futaba or SMK. On the SMKs you can look into the switch from above through the slider, so Futaba it is then.

The board itself seems to be some specialty job.

Oh, and if I'm not mistaken, that's a big old-fashioned 25-pin SERIAL port connector there. Seems more in line with a pointing device, too. The right kind of DB-9 to DB-25 adapter should sort this problem out.
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: bgee on Mon, 29 November 2010, 11:43:54: And what are those C1-C3 buttons? Are they somehow connected to CAT led on the left? (It's never off, by the way).
I not mentioned that the keyboard has some switch on the "display" side, switching from "X" to "A"...
XT\AT? Hm...
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: lowpoly on Mon, 29 November 2010, 11:57:37: Quote
XT\AT?

Yes.
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: TexasFlood on Mon, 29 November 2010, 13:29:23: Quote from: bgee;253723
Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/picture.php?albumid=86&pictureid=528)

Outside looks similar to this Futaba, although stem inside looks like the inverse.
(http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/sejin_041.jpg)
Inside stem also looks similar to whatever Gateway Anykey has, some rubber dome.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/laurie47/dsc00284-1.jpg)
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: keyb_gr on Tue, 30 November 2010, 14:29:44: "Inverse Futabas" weren't that uncommon, my Chicony KB-5182 (Futaba version) also uses them. They'll take Cherry MX keycaps, which I guess was the very point of the exercise. Futabas are somewhat peculiar with their upstroke clacking and all, but not that bad a switch. A bit like lighter BS that got the downstroke and upstroke thing mixed up.

As far as the special functions are concerned, I think the best idea would be trying to contact the manufacturer and ask whether they still have docs for this board (which has to be 20 years old).
Title: Unknown keyboard
Post by: ricercar on Tue, 30 November 2010, 16:05:46: I just found another one of these at one of my surplus haunts. Didn't buy it, but if you want it, send PM.