geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: InSanCen on Thu, 26 November 2009, 17:15:01
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Seeing as I have just agreed to buy one (NIB).
I have a regular customer, and somehow he the idea that I was a bit OCD about what keyboards I use (Picking up the Genius rubber dome, throwing it, then dragging the M out from under the counter... PS/2 hot swap be damned, Manager not liking be damned).
So, a conversation ensues about keyboard quality. He starts out "We have this keyboard in India..." so I interject "Goldtouch?" and he nearly falls over in shock.
Long story short, when he comes back over, he's bringing me one back (If he gets a good price, 2)
He has assured me it will be the "top" model, which is mechanical. The cost? about 15 Pounds (UK) maximum.
So, what am I in for. has anyone got personal experiences with them? How is a Buckling Spring and Cherry Black fan going to find them?
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I bought a Goldtouch Ergonomic for $5 at a garage sale. Turned out to be a rubber dome, so I'm installing some mechanical switches in the hinged and swiveling case.
You sure the Goldtouch from India is mechanical?
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I have heard of those Goldtough Indian keyboards before. Some of them are mechanical, but are at the lower end of the quality spectrum, explaining their low price.h
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TVS Gold?
There seem to be quite a number of multilingual ones (lots of dialects). At those prices you could probably collect the whole set! :rofl:
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I've heard all about problems with the TVS Gold too.
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I've heard all about problems with the TVS Gold too.
Probably fewer problems than a DAS that costs six times as much.
C'mon. Fifteen quid for a keyboard with Cherry switches. You can accept it having a bit of character.
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Is there anyone here who uses a Das?
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@Rajagra - Exactly. At that price, you just can't go wrong. Even if I just harvest switches in the event of hating it.
@ricercar - Yup, it is the mechanical one. Apparently, there are 3 common ones on sale, and the mechanical is the most expensive. I made very sure to emphasise that I am NOT interested in ANY type of domes (Topre fans hate me now!)
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There are some good-feeling rubber domes out there. But they're far outnumbered.
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There are some good-feeling rubber domes out there. But they're far outnumbered.
Yeah, there are. The IBM KB-9930 I had wasn't bad, but having mechanical boards is far better. So I gave it away. I just plain refuse to pay Topre prices, irrespective of what technology it uses to get a letter on your screen. Even my much lusted after M13 cost me less than a third of what a Topre would set me back.
It's personal preference, and the reason I am on this forum. I am interested in mechanical boards, not rubber domes. The customer is well aware that if the board is a rubber dome, then he has bought himself a new board, as I will not be buying it.
On the other hand, a lot of his friends buy off me as well, and between them, make 30 or so trips from India to the UK a year. Potential supply of boards to sell onto fellow GH members in the UK (At cost price I might add). Good introduction to (blue?) cherries if nothing else.
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You should try one of the first Dell Quietkeys. They are some of the highest quality rubber domes out there.
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You should try one of the first Dell Quietkeys. They are some of the highest quality rubber domes out there.
I have one of the early Dell Quietkeys, and they are pretty good, no comparison to the buckling springs though...
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You should try one of the first Dell Quietkeys. They are some of the highest quality rubber domes out there.
Comparing the relative quality of rubber dome boards is like comparing the smell of **** from different types of animals. At the end of the day, it's still ****.
I've used a Quietkey, it's fine but just about any mechanical board I have used would beat it.
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The original ones hace sliders, greatly enhancing the feel. They actually aren't crap.
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They were the ones I was talking about. Again, alright, but I'd rather pay for a mechanical board, even if I could get a Quietkey for free.
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OK time to clear up some confusion...
Goldtouch is a brand of split-ergonomic keyboards with rubber domes. They bought the design from Lexmark and modified the M15 design with rubber domes.
the TVS Gold is a very low cost Cherry MX Blue keyboard in a standard layout, costing about $20USD in India.
Quite a big difference. Just posting to clear up some confusion that seems to have arisen about the two 'boards.
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Thanks zwmalone. That is a valuable post, clearing much confusion.
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But aren't Maxiswitch and Goldtouch owned by a common parent company?
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Sure enough it is... So are the patents still valid 15 years on?
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Don't patents last for 50 years without renewal? Or is that with copyrights?
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Depends on how much you pay. And I think it's much less than 50 years.
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I wonder when the M15 patent expires?
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There's a market for ergonomic keyboards.
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OK time to clear up some confusion...
Goldtouch is a brand of split-ergonomic keyboards with rubber domes. They bought the design from Lexmark and modified the M15 design with rubber domes.
the TVS Gold is a very low cost Cherry MX Blue keyboard in a standard layout, costing about $20USD in India.
Quite a big difference. Just posting to clear up some confusion that seems to have arisen about the two 'boards.
The chap in question called it a goldtouch too...
I have since verified that it is indeed a TVS gold... apparently Goldtouch is what everyone in India calls it. In the same way that most of the UK call all Vacuum cleaners "Hoovers" it may not be correct, but everyone know what you are talking about.
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Don't patents last for 50 years without renewal? Or is that with copyrights?
Currently it is 20 years after date of patent application. If filed before 1995 in the US, it was 20 years from application or 17 years after granting, whichever was longer. Used to have to renew it to get the full term - not sure about now.
You were likely thinking of Copyright, which is a whole different thing. It keeps getting lengthened and broadened in scope (currently life of "creator" + 70 years in most major countries) thanks largely to corporate influence - if they have their way, Public Domain will soon be a thing of the past, and we will all be the poorer for it.
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That means the M15 patent should expire around 2015.
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That means the M15 patent should expire around 2015.
The question is whether in six years someone wants to make a new generation of that keyboard.
It might need some different keyboard technology though, be it magnetic, buckling beam, some other kind of capacitative or even something else. Buckling springs aren't really the most ergonomic to type on due to their weight.
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Webwit might be able to confirm this, but I thought that the M15 used a lighter spring than other Ms. That might just be another internet rumor, though.
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Do the keys feel much different than a normal Model M?