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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: ander on Tue, 02 February 2016, 02:30:44

Title: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: ander on Tue, 02 February 2016, 02:30:44
Sony BVE-9100 Edit Control System with BKE-9400 Editing Keyboard (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-BVE-9100-Edit-Control-System-with-BKE-9400-Editing-Keyboard/272118457913)

According to DT, this board—which is actually a BKE-9400A (see 3rd photo)—has Topre switches (https://deskthority.net/wiki/Sony_BKE-9400A). I wouldn't know how to harvest 'n' reuse them myself, so I thought I'd pass this along.

As I post, it's at $9.99 plus $57 shipping (U.S.) with about 10 hours to go (ending 02 Feb, 11:02 AM PST).


(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/63gAAOSwzhVWqmWv/s-l1600.jpg)


(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/cAYAAOSwL7VWqmW1/s-l1600.jpg)


(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hNQAAOSwKtlWqmXa/s-l1600.jpg)
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping; ends 02 Feb, 11:02 AM PST
Post by: ebacho on Tue, 02 February 2016, 02:56:01
Fair warning I've been looking for one of these for a while so I have a snipe in.  PM me if you're thinking about bidding.
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping; ends 02 Feb, 11:02 AM PST
Post by: sth on Tue, 02 February 2016, 03:41:48
Fair warning I've been looking for one of these for a while so I have a snipe in.  PM me if you're thinking about bidding.

if you win it can i have the diss key?
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping; ends 02 Feb, 11:02 AM PST
Post by: Ludovician on Tue, 02 February 2016, 03:47:25
Topre switches aren't discrete units so you can't really harvest them unfortunately.
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping; ends 02 Feb, 11:02 AM PST
Post by: ebacho on Tue, 02 February 2016, 13:49:46
Fair warning I've been looking for one of these for a while so I have a snipe in.  PM me if you're thinking about bidding.

if you win it can i have the diss key?

Probably gonna try to keep the unit together for the foreseeable future at least.
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping; ends 02 Feb, 11:02 AM PST
Post by: jwaz on Tue, 02 February 2016, 13:56:52
Fair warning I've been looking for one of these for a while so I have a snipe in.  PM me if you're thinking about bidding.

if you win it can i have the diss key?

I think I might have one for you, I have a bag of these somewhere
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: ander on Tue, 02 February 2016, 21:22:38
It went for $68.59 plus shipping, with 22 bids!
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 02 February 2016, 21:52:45
I’m surprised this price wasn’t substantially higher. These things weigh a million pounds, have a really nice jog wheel, and include more than twice as many Topre keys as an HHKB.
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: chyros on Wed, 03 February 2016, 02:13:30
I’m surprised this price wasn’t substantially higher. These things weigh a million pounds, have a really nice jog wheel, and include more than twice as many Topre keys as an HHKB.
It was a US only item, maybe that's why?
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: N3RDLY on Wed, 03 February 2016, 03:01:39
Dangit I've wanted these keycaps for my HHKB looks like I missed out. :(
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: joeym on Mon, 15 February 2016, 07:30:59
Sorry for the dumbness, but can these old proprietary keyboards be adapted to modern computers without too much trouble? Or does that involve some real tough stuff?
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: CPTBadAss on Mon, 15 February 2016, 07:32:20
Such a cool keyboard, congrats to the winner!
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: 1391406 on Mon, 15 February 2016, 09:21:21
Topre switches aren't discrete units so you can't really harvest them unfortunately.

I would think you can harvest the domes and springs.
Title: Re: Sony BKE-9400 w/Topre switches, $9.99 + shipping [FINISHED]
Post by: ander on Tue, 16 February 2016, 05:03:10
...These things weigh a million pounds, have a really nice jog wheel, and include more than twice as many Topre keys as an HHKB.

What doesn't have more keys than an HHKB?


Sorry for the dumbness, but can these old proprietary keyboards be adapted to modern computers without too much trouble? Or does that involve some real tough stuff?

It depends. You can usually use a Teensy or Arduino PCB with Soarer's conversion software (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50437.0). But my understanding is, first someone has to figure out the protocol the particular board uses, and write the proper code for it. For that to happen, there has to be a certain demand for converting that board—and that seems unlikely with such a rarely appearing one as this.