geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: yak on Mon, 14 February 2011, 16:16:12
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Just ran across this at the Swedish auction site Tradera, it lives next door to free (1 Swedish Krona). Looks somewhat interesting and might be interesting as a "buy and see what you get" kind of purchase. Can anyone identify what kind of board it is? Re-branded?
http://www.tradera.com/AT-tangentbord-auktion_340827_127464097
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One thing is very weird about it. It has an international layout, although modified to shrink the backspace to let the Enter key grow - since there's a key between Z and the left shift key. Yet the keycaps are all labelled as for a U.S. keyboard.
This makes me suspect that the keyboard will be an imported keyboard from a company not knowledgeable about local conditions - that is, a Chinese company trying to sell keyboards on its own, rather than making them to the specifications of a Western importer. So on general principles I wouldn't be optimistic about the switches.
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You may aswell pick it up if nobody else bids on it.
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...But the keyboard is very similar to a Chicony 5191, that has blue cherrys...
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...But the keyboard is very similar to a Chicony 5191, that has blue cherrys...
That is what made me interested (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=15225).
The layout and spacing is the same as the Chicony, but on the other hand, that layout is not unusual. The case is a bit different, but there are similarities.
I asked the seller. There is no model ID number other than "KB102" anywhere. "Propac" (now part of Aqeri) made equipment for military use and tough environments.
The description says that the keyboard is washable. That makes it probable that it is a rubber dome, I think.
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Interesting pointers. I took the part about the keyboard being washable as the seller's own interpretation of what drainage channels imply.
In any case, as the seller indicates he will only ship inside Sweden I'll leave it up to Findecanor or some other Keyboard Viking to pick it up for possible forensics. As far as I can tell, the keyboard was never identified in the other thread either so its still an unknown (and hence disturbing) element in the geekhackeverse. Worst case: rubber dome with a Big Ass. Best case: a water proof mechanical (o_O).
One question: what do you take the AT plug to imply in terms of production date range and the likelihood of it indeed being a rubberdome?
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Seller sent me this..
(http://piczasso.com/i/daeoc.PNG) (http://www.imagehosting.com/)
Don't tell me those are fake white cherries with some eerie splash-guard?
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What Ricercar wrote about another keyboard with splash-guard:
The popo blood-proofing membrane acts like an extra spring. The key shafts are tightly sealed in the membrane, so when the keys are pressed, the membrane deforms, and it really-really wants to restore itself aggressively. It's so aggressive that it's possible to get the keycap held in the fully-down position, held by only the friction and resistance to deformation of the membrane.
Hmm.. Fake white cherries would not be good. From what I have read, they are far from as durable as real cherries and Cherry's own keycaps do not sit well on them.
However, that could possibly also be just a plunger over a membrane ... or a foam-and-foil switch ... with the rubber sleeve in the picture providing the resistance.
Very unlikely that they would be Cherry Clears.
Edit: I have laid a bid on it, because I want to know what it is.
I have searched so much on the web for a keyboard with the same case. The one most like it was a Nantan keyboard, but that one had white ALPS or orange Omrons. Not seen with Cherries.
Edit: I won it for 1 SEK. Only bidder.
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Good move Findecanor. Looking forward to hearing more about this oddity... :)
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I picked it up this morning. Edit: With pictures.
First impressions
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15637&stc=1&d=1298654923)
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15642&stc=1&d=1298655319)
It is actually not as yellow in real life as in the picture -- that is an artifact of lighting and camera.
The board was in practicaly new condition, and came in what I think is its original box with manual. The cable is coiled and very short. The manual has a picture of yellow water pouring down on the keyboard ...
It is awful to type on, and I think that is mostly because of the rubber splash-guard. The key travel is low with a very soft landing. If you press a key down too much, it takes longer for it to snap back up again.
The click sound is even more higher-pitched than on my (real) Cherry boards. They feel a bit less tactile, but I think that is also because of the rubber guard.
Key caps
The key caps are high, thin and double-shot.
There is a rubber cup around each shaft.
Only the Space Bar and right Shift have stabilizers. The numpad has none.
All wide key caps have slots for Cherry stabilizers, though .., except for Enter.
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15643&stc=1&d=1298655076)
Two of the four stabilizer slots on the Enter key have been dremel'ed down and a plunger has been glued there. The plunger goes through a cup in the rubber sheet where an ANSI / key would be, but there is nothing on the inside. There is only the rubber sheet to provide any stability.
Inside
The switches are indeed clicky fake Cherries. Real Cherry key caps are very loose on them.
The manual specifies the actuating force as 90 +- 20 cN. I have no way of measuring, but without the rubber sheet they are definitely stiffer than my Blue Cherries.
The switches are of the plate-mount variety without fixing pins, and the rubber sheet was obviously designed to fit onto a plate, but there is no metal plate inside the keyboard!
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15639&stc=1&d=1298655076)
The PCB has soldering pads for both ANSI and ISO layout.. Some holes for stabilizers have been drilled, but are unused, others were not drilled.
The controller is from Holtek. No diodes. All jumpers are in-between switches, none inside them.
Identification
Who made it is still a mystery ...
The box has a sticker that say "ARDOR" "keyboard of" "waterproof".
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15638&stc=1&d=1298655076)
The model number and the FCC-ID on the underside label is only "KB102". "Made in Taiwan R.O.C"
The PCB has the "PCB is KB-2101/2" on both sides, and that's it.
The PCB and key caps do not match any Chicony parts that I have seen on the web -- there are differences.
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15640&stc=1&d=1298655076)
The manual leaflet does not give any hint either.
What is it good for?
Much nicer to type on without the rubber sheet. However, it must obviously have been part of the case design because the PCB is not stable inside the keyboard without it, and rattles quite a lot.
I'd rather type on other boards, though.
Keycaps are relatively nice, except for the broken Enter key.
I think that if I cut off the domes from the rubber sheet, I could use it for dampening in boards with plate-mounted Cherry switches.
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15641&stc=1&d=1298655076)
Seen here with a real Cherry switch, that I used just for testing. You can see that it was designed to rest on a plate.
I'll likely use the fakie switches for testing mods.. Maybe they would be better with Sixty's lighter springs. Too bad that no metal plate was included.. I want one for a build.
Edit: It occured to me that I should have reused my old thread instead. I'll move the post later.