Any keyboards with Cherry switches mounted on a curved plate?

[spremino]

Are there any keyboards with Cherry switches mounted on a curved plate, the way Unicomp keyboards do for BS?

I have found what looks like a USA patent for such a keyboard:

http://www.google.nl/patents/US4560844

But I can't find any implementations.

Thanks.

[fohat.digs]

Are there any keyboards with Cherry switches mounted on a curved plate, the way Dell AT101 did for ALPS switches,

What? I have completely disassembled two AT101Ws and an AT101 in the past week, and I can assure you that the plates are all flat.

[lonedruid]

Lol some serious **** u stumbled over on interblnet right there

[spremino]

What? I have completely disassembled two AT101Ws and an AT101 in the past week, and I can assure you that the plates are all flat.

I have fixed my original post. Thanks.

I have never owned a Dell keyboard. I have looked only at a few pictures of disassembled ones and it looked like the plates were curved.

[suka]

Are there any keyboards with Cherry switches mounted on a curved plate, the way Unicomp keyboards do for BS? I have found what looks like a USA patent for such a keyboard http://www.google.nl/patents/US4560844

Sue me, sue me 



Wait: no mold, no circuit board, multiple curves - guess not then ...

[spremino]

Suka, yours is an interesting alternative solution. I guess that afterwards you connected each switch by using wires, didn't you?

[MKULTRA]

I actually had this idea awhile ago and was discussing it with another member.  The only production board was the Kinesis which is an ergonomic keyboard.  It is definitely possible though.

[BearManJim]

Wasn't sure whether Maltron keyboards mounted their switches onto a plate?
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard/maltrons-range-of-ergonomic-mechanical-keyboards.asp

The Maltron is very much not plate mounted ;-)  You'll know what I mean when I see one.  It's basically a contoured shaped piece of plastic with square holes cut in it (probably by hand, on the keyboard I've got) and Cherry switches push fit in there.

That's like how you'd plate mount the switches, I guess, except that the keyboard matrix wiring is done using *lots* of individual jumper wires point-to-point - there's no PCB.  If you're careful you can sometimes pop the switches out but you have to be careful not to break those connections.

I reckon for someone with more patience than me it should be possible to switch the mechanisms for MX blues.  I even have some donor switches here to try.  But it's likely to be a fairly fiddly operation and those usually result in me breaking things.  When I got this keyboard I had to fix a part of the keyboard matrix, which has left me with a desire not to do so again!

Guess not then...

That forum thread however linked to this interesting project mod;
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=16112.0

[suka]

I guess that afterwards you connected each switch by using wires, didn't you?

Yes, exactly. Works really well and speeds up prototyping a lot since no PCB has to be designed and produced. You can find details on my boards in my DIY thread over at DT.

[spremino]

That forum thread however linked to this interesting project mod;
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=16112.0

Then you can bend a PCB... I didn't know that.

I started this thread because I realized that modern mechanical keyboards emulate a bent panel by sculpting key caps differently depending on their row. However, that makes key presses push not in plumb way over all switches. I guess that that could impact the response and feel of the switch, but I could be guessing wrongly.