geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Stratus Autra on Wed, 13 March 2019, 23:30:16
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Hello, Geekhack!
I recently got a Focus 5001 keyboard off of eBay, and maybe I should have looked at the pictures a bit closer when I was buying it, because when it came in the mail, the keyboard was chock-full of dust and the Alps switches were basically sandpaper. I linearized and lubed the switches and their housings, and while the switches were cleaned enough to be tolerable, I tested it out on my PC.
The problem I have is that the macro key doesn't do anything. It sends a strange scancode that appears as "<" on my PC, and pressing a macro key with the macro key activates the default option, i.e. copies of the regular function row. So if I press a left-handed key that said "F1", I get the F1 scancode as if I pressed the top keys. However, if I press the turbo key in tandem with the function row, the function keys don't send any scancodes, although the turbo functionality isn't visible on my computer. Another problem that I have is that the keyboard doesn't send any characters unless I fiddle with the AT/XT switch. The calculator works perfectly, no matter what happens to the keyboard. My particular Focus model uses the coin-cell battery type, so corrosion isn't an issue. I wonder if it's an aging controller, or if it's another problem that appears because of Focus's cost-cutting.
Since I'm replacing the Alps switches in this board with Matias clicky switches in the near future, should I also invest in a Teensy and replace the chips on the board?
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Hello, Geekhack!
I recently got a Focus 5001 keyboard off of eBay, and maybe I should have looked at the pictures a bit closer when I was buying it, because when it came in the mail, the keyboard was chock-full of dust and the Alps switches were basically sandpaper. I linearized and lubed the switches and their housings, and while the switches were cleaned enough to be tolerable, I tested it out on my PC.
The problem I have is that the macro key doesn't do anything. It sends a strange scancode that appears as "<" on my PC, and pressing a macro key with the macro key activates the default option, i.e. copies of the regular function row. So if I press a left-handed key that said "F1", I get the F1 scancode as if I pressed the top keys. However, if I press the turbo key in tandem with the function row, the function keys don't send any scancodes, although the turbo functionality isn't visible on my computer. Another problem that I have is that the keyboard doesn't send any characters unless I fiddle with the AT/XT switch. The calculator works perfectly, no matter what happens to the keyboard. My particular Focus model uses the coin-cell battery type, so corrosion isn't an issue. I wonder if it's an aging controller, or if it's another problem that appears because of Focus's cost-cutting.
Since I'm replacing the Alps switches in this board with Matias clicky switches in the near future, should I also invest in a Teensy and replace the chips on the board?
The FK-5001 isn't programmable. This appears to be a persistent myth xD .
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The FK-5001 isn't programmable. This appears to be a persistent myth xD .
If that's the case, then I'm definitely getting a Teensy to replace the controller on this keyboard. I will add the macros back into the keyboard, and maybe fix the issue with the binding arrow keys.
If what you say is actually true, then what was the macro key for? I spotted some sort of custom Intel chip, and it appears to be a programmable microcontroller. Maybe the difference between a Focus 5001 and a 9000 is the firmware?
Does anyone want an uncoming upgrade and restoration thread in a few weeks?
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The FK-5001 isn't programmable. This appears to be a persistent myth xD .
If that's the case, then I'm definitely getting a Teensy to replace the controller on this keyboard. I will add the macros back into the keyboard, and maybe fix the issue with the binding arrow keys.
If what you say is actually true, then what was the macro key for? I spotted some sort of custom Intel chip, and it appears to be a programmable microcontroller. Maybe the difference between a Focus 5001 and a 9000 is the firmware?
Does anyone want an uncoming upgrade and restoration thread in a few weeks?
I have no idea what the macro key is for. However, the manual doesn't list any sort of programmability xD .
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Does anyone want an uncoming upgrade and restoration thread in a few weeks?
Yes please, it's always interesting to see what goes into a mod :)