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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: microsoft windows on Sun, 13 November 2011, 18:19:22
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l found this old Keytronic keyboard in the garbage at work.It's model E03417XTAT. lt's got double-shot keys and interesting key switches that register a key stroke before l fully depress them, leading me to think that they're capacitive switches. Does anybody here know about capacitive keyboards from Key Tronic?
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Keytronic did a lot of foam-and-foil. But don't nearly all kinds of key switch register before fully depressed?
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You should find better things to do with your life than say dumb things on forums.
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Keytronic did a lot of foam-and-foil. But don't nearly all kinds of key switch register before fully depressed?
These key switches bottom out quite hard, but l only need to press them down a tiny bit in order to register a key stroke. Sometimes, if l even rest my hand lightly on the Enter key, it'll sometimes record a key stroke.
lt's an interesting keyboard. l'm not sure if l've ever seen anything like it. Each key's also got a separate rubber dome that sits between the keycap and the switch to provide some tactile feedback. lf l take the rubber dome out, the weight of the key cap causes the key switch to just fall down to the bottom, and the key sticks.
Maybe l'll take apart a switch on it some time to get to the bottom of this.
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Here's some photos of the keyboard.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]31865[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]31866[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]31867[/ATTACH]
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Maybe l'll take apart a switch on it some time to get to the bottom of this.
Ah, well, since you've stumped The Number One Keyboard Expert On The Planet™ — and since I have a keyboard with the same switches — I'll save you the trouble. It is a capacitive foam-and-foil.
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I found this topic and thought I'd add some pics of a Key Tronic I got a few years ago and the original DAS Keyboard. They appear to be identical and both have what I assume are capacitive foam-and-foil switches. The keys on both are also "ergo weighted" from 35 grams to 80 grams.
http://www.computermart.com/e03600qlps2.htm
Force levels used on KeyTronicEMS keyboards with Ergo Technology.
Ref: http://www.freeopenbook.com/upgrading-repairing-pc/ch18lev1sec2.html
[ATTACH=CONFIG]40222[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]40216[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]40217[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]40218[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]40219[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]40220[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]40221[/ATTACH]
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They appear to be identical and both have what I assume are capacitive foam-and-foil switches.
[...]
(Attachment) 40217[/ATTACH]
No, that is a rubber dome. Good rubber dome, though. For years, I used nothing but Key Tronic rubber domes -- nothing else compared.
Here's some photos of the keyboard.
(Attachment) 31865[/ATTACH] (Attachment) 31866[/ATTACH] (Attachment) 31867[/ATTACH]
Except for the national layout, that looks precisely like a KeyTronic that I have, which I have taken apart and confirmed having capacitative foam-and-foil switches. Mine had a quite mushy landing, though.
One silly thing that you can do is to take it apart, plug it in and type with your finger tips right on the circuit board. :-)