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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Sat, 05 December 2009, 11:00:16

Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Sat, 05 December 2009, 11:00:16
Being somewhat of a novice when it comes to keyswitches, what is the good thing about Cherry keyswitches? What do they feel like?
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Sat, 05 December 2009, 11:06:57
How does a Cherry feel in comparison to a rubber dome?
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 05 December 2009, 11:50:12
Quote from: Computer-Lab in Basement;139094
How does a Cherry feel in comparison to a rubber dome?


Depends on which one you are talking about. I think these ones are Black Cherrys which are stiff and linear.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Sat, 05 December 2009, 12:02:08
I need to be more active on this forum. I need to learn about the different keyboards.
Title: how low can you go?
Post by: ricercar on Sat, 05 December 2009, 14:17:14
$20 BIN was too low to resist. Thanks for the heads up, Ripster. Got to remember to STERILIZE this mofo when it arrives.

Are all the backlights on popo keyboards red ? This one doesn't specify.
EDIT: I can answer this all by myself (http://www.tg3electronics.com/products/backlit/blt)!


(http://www.telusplanet.net/public/centre/1882-1-1.jpg)
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: elbowglue on Sat, 05 December 2009, 14:27:47
OMFG that keyboard posted in the prior post has the same sh*tty layout as the recent brown cherry SPOS board... all the way to the tilda key next to the spacebar.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 05 December 2009, 20:12:05
Quote from: ripster;139054
I've been thinking of getting these for a loong time but am afraid I'll find bits of somebody's brains when I open them up.  Nice modding platform if you don't care for Cherry Blacks but want LEDs.  Be prepared for some SERIOUS soldering though.

Standard TG3 Bl-82 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-TG3-Cherry-82-key-LED-Backlit-Keyboard-Red-Vintage_W0QQitemZ290375404713QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item439bb90ca9)

Trackpad version (http://cgi.ebay.com/Data911-MDS2000-Keyboard-Mouse-Combo-M2C-TG3-TP_W0QQitemZ360213352822QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Security_Fire_Protection?hash=item53de639176)

More trackpad versions (http://cgi.ebay.com/TG3-Rugged-Backlit-USB-Keyboards-KBA-BLTC-D3365A-HU_W0QQitemZ290377695831QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item439bdc0257)  Probably bolted to that round thing.  

Police departments must be feeling the effects of the recession and are selling off their keyboards.   If you watch a lot of cop shows these are the Cats Ass.


is the Standard TG3 Bl-82 what they use in the squad cars? If so I think I saw one of them once. It didn't feel so good to type on IIRC.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 05 December 2009, 20:57:00
lol, yeah you are probably right.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: ch_123 on Sun, 06 December 2009, 05:03:30
Quote from: ripster;139240

How often you use Tilde?


Quite regularly, but for stuff that I can't imagine would be applicable to policemen...
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: elbowglue on Mon, 07 December 2009, 01:13:06
Nah- it's whenever I try to do alt-f4, or alt-s or whatever (the app I use requires use of alt-s alt-f whatever stuff) I keep doing Tilda-f4, tilda-s, tilda-f.  I gotta look down to find the alt button.  Just in the wrong place.

stupid tilda near the spacebar.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: ricercar on Mon, 07 December 2009, 15:22:03
I got the $22 popo keyboard with trackpad.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: alipstadt on Sat, 12 December 2009, 00:55:17
I'm the guy who bought the BL82 for $86.  I've been reading this forum on and off for years, but created an account to respond to this thread.

In fact, I'm writing this very post on the BL82 in an NYC cafe.  I also own the "consumer" variant, a Deck 82 (Toxic).  While they have the same Cherry Black linear switches, the BL82 - because of the membrane - has some tactile feedback, and I find myself, even with my lousy typing skills, bottoming out on it less.  I do miss the Windows Key, which I use often. The keyboard is equally moddable, sharing many of the same components, and I am considering changing it over to Blues when I have a lot of spare time.  I still need to get used to this thing.  

All that said, while the Toxic is DEFCON geek chic, this is board just plain tacticool and would go well with my Toughbooks.

Additionally, the BL82 is being used in conjunction with a Fujitsu U820 with the screen facing away from the notebook keyboard, making for a... unique setup.  I've done this setup with both compact Apple aluminum boards (i.e., BT and USB), the Deck, and I'm thinking of adding a HHKB 2 JP to the mix.

(http://www.lipstadt.com/pub/u820-BL82.jpg)
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: alipstadt on Sat, 12 December 2009, 02:00:22
Been that kind of week. I bought the Deck, this BL82, and just checked out on a HHKB Pro 2 JP.  An IBM M13 is waiting in the mailbox at home...
I'll have enough for a proper sig for this forum soon enough.

I just wish I knew where my first standalone keyboard - the AT Model F - is.

And the truth is... I'm still looking for my ideal keyboard: LED backlit, double shot, English/Hebrew, tactile, and while we're at it, lets add a touchpad.

Or maybe I can skip the backlighting and just learn to type better.

Anyone know where to order English/Hebrew Cherry MX or Model M keycaps? :smile:
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: ricercar on Sat, 12 December 2009, 17:35:26
What's the legend on that red key, alipstadt? I can't see the auction pics well enough.

Mine arrived. Windexed the sucker before I touched it with my flesh. Keys are going into a bath and my hands are getting a washing many times before this one is satisfactorily cleaned. Space bar sounds like there's cellophane caught underneath. More on sterilization and cleaning later.

Wow; this is a solid keyboard. No torquing here on any axis. Compact, easy to read, red glow, trackpad. Perfect for an in-car Music Server project. I'm startled how hard the keys are to press. My only other exposure to blacks is like a rubber dome compared to this one. I have to bear down really hard to contact these, and they bounce back like they're little fighters. No key bounce or double tap on this baby, never no way no how.

The funky key arrangement slows me only a little. I'm a big fan of PGUP and PGDN on the right edge of the board; home and end should be adjacent, but I'll be able to grow accustomed to having the page keys between them.

No need for a Blue Cube. A generic USB mouse+keyboard adapter appears to power this one adequately; I'm getting no LED dimming or lost caps/shift/alt/ctrl like I do with my Kinesis and a generic USB adapter.

Totally understand why the third auction pic is so blurry; time exposure required to show back lighting in a normal indoor environment. Damnation, my SDcard reader isn't working. Original Pics later.

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=6367&stc=1&d=1260661060)
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: alipstadt on Sun, 13 December 2009, 13:02:06
The red key is the F12 key. It is a shorter cap, with no markings.  My Panasonic CF-M34 has a similar thing - when I switched out the stock scissor keyboard for a backlit rubberized water resistant membrane board, the F12 key was lit red, rather than white like rest of the board.

The reason for this (and probably the reason it's cut shorter than the other keys) is that terminal software that runs on police cars use F12 as an emergency, SHTF, panic button.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: ricercar on Sun, 13 December 2009, 14:38:15
What alipstadt said matches descriptions of popo software I've encountered.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: alipstadt on Mon, 14 December 2009, 02:13:23
Nah, was just curious from my CF-M34, did some research and confirmed with a friend who is NYPD.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: chimera15 on Mon, 14 December 2009, 02:45:38
How difficult would it be to cut the trackpad off those?  They seem to go a lot cheaper than the non trackpad versions.  Is the trackpad incorporated into the pcb, or is it separate?
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 14 December 2009, 08:27:51
Quote from: ripster;142067
ok, now i got it. Paid informants?
Show Image
(http://savagetruth.blogharbor.com/the-wire-20070824025854274-000%5b1%5d.jpg)

WHITEY SALE!!!
 
 
 
 
Stupid all-caps rule.
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: alipstadt on Mon, 14 December 2009, 12:56:19
Heh, went ahead and grabbed one of the PS/2 trackpad combos, too...
Title: TG3 PoPo Specials Complete With Blood Splatter
Post by: ricercar on Thu, 17 December 2009, 07:41:59
Quote from: ripster;139099
be aware that the blood spatter membrane will make the keys feel a bit mushier.  I've seen mods where they were cut away or you probably could simply pull the whole membrane..


Truth. I removed my not-just-a-membrane to clean it. Very simple. It's sort of like Spock with a beard. Imagine a rubber dome keyboard's evil twin with holes at the summit of each dome to seal around the key cap shaft. (Pics, presently. Camera probs & flu to surmount.)
Title: brains and blood
Post by: ricercar on Thu, 17 December 2009, 19:28:17
Here's the beast. My initial assessment was it's a keeper, all red and compact with pointer and keyboard in one. But my Cherry brown-trained fingers soon grew tired on this one. I received Kishy's black board around this time, and quickly learned popo keyboards are firmer than normal Cherry Blacks.

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=6494&stc=1&d=1261098707)

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.

While sealed solidly against the keys, membrane blood-proofing is easily dislodged along the case boundary edges by curious forceps, so then I had to take the beast alla way apart. I'd broken the water-tightness before ever testing it, D'oh! Just as well. There was a fine black powder on the membrane where the keycaps didn't cover it. It rinsed right off, but all the joking about body fluids forced a thorough cleansing.

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=6495&stc=1&d=1261098707)

Oh, the black spots on the previous pic are places where water drops remained when I re-installed the membrane, not black blood.

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=6496&stc=1&d=1261099285)

I'm contemplating a replacement of blues for the blacks, but the blues I already have are mostly heading into a Kinesis Contour, so I can have both a blue and brown Contour experience, as the mood takes me.

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=6497&stc=1&d=1261099285)

I'm sort of stumped with what to do on this project now.