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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: BucklingSpring on Sun, 17 February 2013, 11:41:45

Title: IBM Rubber Dome technology 18 years later
Post by: BucklingSpring on Sun, 17 February 2013, 11:41:45

(Sorry for the cross post, I thought this one was interesting enough have a thread for itself)

Today I decided to make a little experiment. Weight testing a rubber dome switch on a 1984 1995 IBM M 71G aka Quiet Touch vs a 2013 Unicomp QT Ultra-Quiet

So I just stacked a bunch of Canadian dimes on the E key (year 2000 and up = 1.75g)
(Used E since it is the most frequently used  in English)

1984 IBM M 71G aka Quiet Touch -> 36 dimes -> 63g
2013 Unicomp QT Ultra-Quiet       -> 32 dimes -> 56g

The IBM RD is ~11% stiffer after 29 18 years!!!! - But I don't know if IBM and Unicomp are using the same dome material.

IBM 71G - Sorry my camera didn't want to focus on the rubber  :'(
(http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=39652.0;attach=13603;image)

Unicomp QT Ultra-Classic
(http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=39652.0;attach=13605;image)

Title: Re: IBM Rubber Dome technology 29 years later
Post by: ch_123 on Thu, 21 February 2013, 09:20:55

Quote

1984 IBM M 71G

These things didn't enter production till the 90s, you should look at the manufacturing date, not the copyright date on the IBM logo.

Title: Re: IBM Rubber Dome technology 29 years later
Post by: BucklingSpring on Thu, 21 February 2013, 18:25:22

I was surprised when I read the label - I read it a bit to fast and jumped to conclusions
OUPS - 1995 - I stand corrected  :-[

[attachimg=1]

Original Post corrected

Title: Re: IBM Rubber Dome technology 18 years later
Post by: h2gofast on Wed, 27 February 2013, 21:44:41

I have a couple of these and they take a beating.  My little one throws his bookbag on it everytime he comes home from school.  Pop, snacks, the things an f'ing timex.