geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: ander on Sat, 14 January 2017, 00:51:54
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Dunno how "great" a find it is, but:
Suspended Mechanical Touch 2.4G Keyboard and Mouse For Laptop,Desktop - Orange
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suspended-Mechanical-Touch-2-4G-Keyboard-and-Mouse-For-Laptop-Desktop-P122A/262634714214)
Seller: "It's a maglev keyboard that actually floats the keys, using magnetic force to provide tactile resistance when you push them. 2.4Ghz Wireless Mechanical keyboard and compact laser game mouse combo: Enjoy the latest in reliable hassle 10m free wireless technology, Remove the cable tie, let the life more freedom. Low-profile, hisper-quiet keys ensure comfortable and smooth typing."
New open box, $18.98 + free shipping
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ArIAAOSwEjFXeTcb/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6T4AAOSwwo1XeTb7/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/CgoAAOSwEjFXeTdX/s-l1600.jpg)
Magnetic floating keys? Like those high-speed maglev trains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev) that don't touch the ground? Anyone know about these?
Hmm, aluminum case... It could be decently made, despite the low price. Nice alien-looking mouse, too. And there are those "hisper-quiet keys".
"Suspended The Keyboard, Mechanical Keyboard Handle". One of the better Chinglish product names. :?)
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ISO Enter and ANSI Left Shift. It's so weird to me.
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Yeah, right. Someone must have misinterpreted the word "floating keys".
I googled the product code and found it also here (http://usb.brando.com/wireless-keyboard-with-mouse-hk-5200-_p11439c0034d015.html). No mention of magnetic levitation.
The keys look very cheap to me. It is so cheap that it does not have a Scroll Lock light ...
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Looks cheap to me.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Momk--uML._SL1002_.jpg)
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If it actually is a magnetic separation keyboard, I'm all for it. It seems to be shrouded in mystery somewhat, though - no-one seems willing to show a cap-off picture, for example.
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ISO Enter and ANSI Left Shift. It's so weird to me.
Yeah, but that's not really the point, is it?
Looks cheap to me.
It is cheap! No one's pretending this is a Filco. I posted it here on the chance it was some new, unknown switch technology that either you knew more about than I did, or which was sufficiently intriguing that someone wouldn't mind taking a chance.
Seem to me, too, that if they were focused solely on making as much dough as possible, they wouldn't have bothered with the metal case.
Findecanor is probably right, though... On the more thorough page, here's no mention of the switches at all. Even if it had the most basic clones, they'd mention that, wouldn't they? So it's likely the normal $54 price is because it's wireless and includes a mouse?
If it actually is a magnetic separation keyboard, I'm all for it. It seems to be shrouded in mystery somewhat, though - no-one seems willing to show a cap-off picture, for example.
Do they understand your question? Or maybe the caps can't be popped without the kind of force that intimidates non-KB geeks? Or maybe they think that anyone who's asking them to pop a key on a KB that's under $20 shipped doesn't appreciate the value of their time? ;?)
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Okay, I've added a question mark to my title.
Even if this doesn't really have maglev switches, you could still zoom it around your table, pretending it was one of those maglev trains. I suggest you do this when no one else is around, though.
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I looked at these around March of 2015 if not sooner when I was figuring out what keyboard I wanted to buy for my setup. They seemed interesting, especially if they actually use magnets.
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Seem to me, too, that if they were focused solely on making as much dough as possible, they wouldn't have bothered with the metal case.
The metal case just looks like a hunk of sh!t to me:
(http://gd1.alicdn.com/imgextra/i1/538307125/TB28BXdapXXXXbPXXXXXXXXXXXX_!!538307125.jpg)
If you ask me, they labeled it a suspended keyboard because the keys appear to float above the case. It strikes me as a rubberdome, though:
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d141/entrancawei/2014/YYG/fangshui-KM-hk200/05.jpg)
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The metal case just looks like a hunk of sh!t to me...
Ah. Well, there you go. This just shows you how manipulative ads can be: You show just the angles that make a product look substantial and omit the shi!t-implying ones.
Good work on that, 139. (You don't mind if I call you by your nickname, do you?) You've demonstrated the kind of investigative reporting that's made GH a beacon of KB-related truth and freedom.
That said, this cheapo non-maglev board ended up selling for $35. Wonder if the buyer will insist on a refund? At least we'll know that no one who saw this thread bought it with any illusions.
If you ask me, they labeled it a suspended keyboard because the keys appear to float above the case...
That really makes sense now. I'm not convinced the seller intended to cheat anyone; they may have seen the word "suspended", tried the board, and honestly thought that's what was going on. But of course lots of MKs have the "suspended" look.
I can't help wondering: Would a real maglev KB be practical? There have been switches that used magnetism for actuation, but what about one that used magnetism for resistance, by opposing the magnets's poles? Rare-earth magnets are quite strong, even key-size ones, but:
- Would such a switch provide enough extra smoothness and/or an interesting enough force curve to make it preferable to a spring?
- Would the cost of so many rare-earth magnets make the price prohibitive? (This may be moot, considering how turned on KB people are by prestige pricing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premium_pricing). Anyone willing to shell out $500 on a key cap with a little monster face wouldn't be deterred by a $300 board with unique switches... That is, unless they're interested in spending that kind of dough only on silliness.)
Also, considering in what detail KB geeks go on and on about the slightest novelties in tech and design, would such a revolutionary switch cause such a dramatic increase in forum posts that it'd lead to a drop in productivity sufficient to ruin the U.S. economy? Or do you think Donald Drumpf will accomplish that faster than any of us could? For example, by remaining obsessed about how millions more Americans actually voted against him than for him, rather than attending to his actual duties, about most of which he remains clueless and/or apathetic?
And rather than putting his name on luxury hotels, wouldn't it make more sense for him to endorse trailer parks, gun clubs, and the the other kinds of places where the kinds of people he was able to gull into backing him actually hang out? (I'm not using a maglev KB to type this, but I could be.)
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I'm not convinced the seller intended to cheat anyone; they may have seen the word "suspended", tried the board, and honestly thought that's what was going on. But of course lots of MKs have the "suspended" look.
I don't think anyone was trying to cheat anybody. You can find the board listed as model HK-5200 on various sites including Aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/RUYINIAO-HK5200-2-4GHz-Slim-Wireless-Mechanical-Keyboard-and-Mouse-Set-Receiver/2025986519.html) and eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4G-USB-Receiver-Wireless-Gaming-Computer-PC-Keyboard-Mouse-Blue-HK5200-/152154370841). The word 'suspended' is most likely a case of Engrish. I especially appreciate the description on eBay:
Close the waterproof structure, does not fear the liquid splashes down can prolong its service life
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And say what you will about the boards, but I think those mice are quite cool-looking:
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1fo0CFVXXXXXQXVXXq6xXFXXXX/221046797/HTB1fo0CFVXXXXXQXVXXq6xXFXXXX.jpg)
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1eq7DFVXXXXaGXpXXq6xXFXXXD/221046797/HTB1eq7DFVXXXXaGXpXXq6xXFXXXD.jpg)