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Author Topic: Ode to an Nec APC-H4100E  (Read 2197 times)

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Offline rowdy

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Ode to an Nec APC-H4100E
« on: Sun, 17 June 2012, 04:36:54 »
Years ago I used to have an NEC APC IV PowerMate 1 4C 286 PC with an APC-H4100E keyboard.  It was a great keyboard, and a pretty good computer for the time.

At some stage in the past I disposed of both computer and keyboard.

Now, while searching for information on mechanical keyboards and also having a clear out at work, I found another APC-H4100E keyboard, albeit being used as a footrest under someone's desk.

It had about half a centimetre (~1/4" for those who care) of dust, hairs and food crumbs all over it (mostly hairs), and the left arrow key had been kicked completely off, key cap, switch and all.

I rescued it, and during this weekend completely disassembled it, thoroughly cleaned it, and put it back together (except for the left arrow key).

It has an AT connector, and so is useless on my Mac.  But I also found an AT to PS/2 adaptor that no-one wanted, and was able to connect the APC-H4100E to my old games machine at home.

It works, as far as I can tell, all keys with the obvious exception of the missing left arrow (although the left arrow on the numeric keypad works).

Typing on it brought back many memories, of Turbo Pascal apps written in the dead of night at my parent's house, of 20M (megabyte) hard drives, VGA graphics adaptors and huge beige boxes.

The sound and feel of the keys brought a tear to my eye *sob*

I have to get a mechanical keyboard now, if they feel even remotely like this.  And probably have to get one for work too.  After the old APC-H4100E, even this shiny near-new Apple aluminium keyboard I am typing this on seems a fragile, rubber illusion.

My other half tried typing a few lines on the APC-H4100E, but she reckons it is far too noisy, which does not bode well for my proposed acquisition of a mechanical keyboard for home, but I can close the door hehehehehe.

Except ... wait a minute ... why don't I type this on the APC-H4100E ... ???

My eyes blur again ...
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline Daniel Beardsmore

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Ode to an Nec APC-H4100E
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 18 June 2012, 18:36:35 »
Wait … does your Master Compact really have a key with two squares on it?

The Apple Wired Aluminium keyboard is the most limp affair that I've ever encountered. Sony island keys offer a little bit more resistance, but they're still pretty lifeless. There are a few relatively decent scissor switches out there, and I need to try Cherry ML again one day to see how they compare – my distant memory had them feeling similar to island keys, but with a nice clack.

Does the APC-H4100E sound anything like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guzOG8njkUw

Not sure whether the NEC switches sound woolly, or whether that's just a poor recording.
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Offline rowdy

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Ode to an Nec APC-H4100E
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 19 June 2012, 05:16:00 »
Master Compact?  Who said anything about a Master Compact?  What is a Master Compact, anyway? ;-)

Yes my APC-H4100E sounds remarkably like the one in the video (with me still being amazed, but appreciative, that people would actually upload a video of just typing on different keyboards), but much more worn.  The keys on mine are quite yellow, and most of the keys are as shiny as, although the numeric keypad shows a distinct lack of shine, suggesting that the previous user/s of this keyboard did not do much number entry.  Weird, considering that there is a Lotus 1-2-3 function template sticker across the top.

The keys on mine also appear identical to those.

Inside each key is a small upside down V shaped bit of metal that a flange on the blue bit presses against as the key is depressed, and the metal deforms slightly to provide the tactile click.

The audible click actually occurs just after the keypress is generated, so being really careful it is possible to type almost silently on these keyboards.  There is also a slight tactile bump at the point of the audible click (again, just after the switch contact is made).
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline Daniel Beardsmore

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Ode to an Nec APC-H4100E
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 19 June 2012, 05:34:09 »
Oh, I'm being silly, I thought those were your photos. There's one of an Acorn Master Compact with a key that looks like it's labelled with two squares, but it's really two very similar if not identical round characters of some kind. Can't find a large enough photo off-hand. The Compact is part of the Acorn BBC Master Series of 8-bit machines introduced in Britain in 1985.
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Offline rowdy

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Ode to an Nec APC-H4100E
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 19 June 2012, 05:46:50 »
Not me (this time).  I even got rid of my Acorn Archimedes years ago too.

Edit - silly me too, I just posted a link to a picture of the old APC IV, and only just now realised what that might suggest to people.
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ
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