Author Topic: Ge fanuc industrial keyboard (Read 8789 times)

Infinite north · « **on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 20:19:02 »

Saw this the other day but I don't have a use for it. awesome metal case, industrial strength plug.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190424259109&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

kriminal · « **Reply #1 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 20:25:56 »

err what kind of switches would these have?

Infinite north · « **Reply #2 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 20:53:20 »

Good question! buy it and find out.

kriminal · « **Reply #3 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 21:21:07 »

Laggy-gaga · « **Reply #4 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 22:34:24 »

Look like cherry style, and 2-shot probably

Oqsy · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 23:00:08 »

I just bid on this sucker. Could work out well if it is indeed a 2 shot cherry (looks like something along the lines of an 1800

Infinite north · « **Reply #6 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 23:01:25 »

Quote from: Laggy-gaga;208566

Look like cherry style, and 2-shot probably

I don't know about that, if I was going to guess anything I would say alps but the key caps look funny so who knows.

Oqsy · « **Reply #7 on:** Mon, 02 August 2010, 23:08:49 »

It might indeed be ALPS, as the legends look red on the left modifier keys, much like my northgate.

kriminal · « **Reply #8 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 00:00:02 »

yeah when i saw it, my first thought was alps..

Laggy-gaga · « **Reply #9 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 03:36:04 »

Only Few alps keyboards use that kinds of enter key

ch_123 · « **Reply #10 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 04:39:31 »

Very similar to that German military trackball keyboard. My money is on Marquardt switches.

Quote

Only Few alps keyboards use that kinds of enter key

I can think of more than a few =P But yes, I guess a majority of US layout Alps keyboards used the inverted-L enter.

Oqsy · « **Reply #11 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 19:57:03 »

16 minutes to go and still the highest bidder... I don't trust a single one of you ebay sniper motherf#$%ers, but I think it's mine.

Infinite north · « **Reply #12 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 20:15:31 »

Well I am glad you got it, I would like to know whats in it. I just don't care enough to buy it. I hope it works out well for you.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #13 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 20:20:52 »

That is a neat keyboard. Definitely industrial strength.

Oqsy · « **Reply #14 on:** Tue, 03 August 2010, 20:38:53 »

before I won it I emailed the seller asking him to pull a keycap and take a pic, but he was afraid of damaging the board... oh well, i'll find out soon enough

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #15 on:** Wed, 04 August 2010, 01:20:59 »

Quote from: Oqsy;208876

before I won it I emailed the seller asking him to pull a keycap and take a pic, but he was afraid of damaging the board... oh well, i'll find out soon enough

Tell him he's a stupid pansy and plucking off a key won't do a damn thing, especially if he's advertising it as "industrial strength". Rather counter-intuitive.
Well hurry up and tell us! I WANT TO KNOW, I CAN'T WAIT.

ch_123 · « **Reply #16 on:** Wed, 04 August 2010, 05:00:30 »

Quote from: Oqsy;208864

16 minutes to go and still the highest bidder... I don't trust a single one of you ebay sniper motherf#$%ers, but I think it's mine.

I demand a cookie if it turns out to have Marquardt switches.

Oqsy · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 04 August 2010, 17:34:35 »

I'll let you know, ch

Oqsy · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 17:47:27 »

It does NOT appear to be cherry or ALPS switches. I'll have to look closer at the Marquadt switches to make a call there, but I seem to remember they had a cross shaped stem like cherries... this board appears to have a mechanical stem with a rubber dome slid BETWEEN the key cap and the stem, essentially taking the place of a spring. The action is interesting to say the least. I'll post pics tonight or tomorrow.

ch_123 · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 17:55:31 »

Quote from: Oqsy;209965

It does NOT appear to be cherry or ALPS switches. I'll have to look closer at the Marquadt switches to make a call there, but I seem to remember they had a cross shaped stem like cherries... this board appears to have a mechanical stem with a rubber dome slid BETWEEN the key cap and the stem, essentially taking the place of a spring. The action is interesting to say the least. I'll post pics tonight or tomorrow.

Sounds like a rubber sleeve switch. They're used in the IBM M4-1, various laptop keyboards from the early 90s, and the occasional desktop keyboard.

Seems like I won't be getting my cookie after all

Oqsy · « **Reply #20 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 17:56:00 »

Mitsumi? Sounds like a sexy japanese punk girl

Oqsy · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 17:56:59 »

I've never heard of or seen such a switch design. Oh well, live and learn

ch_123:
NO COOKIE FOR YOU!

microsoft windows · « **Reply #22 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 18:06:23 »

So this keyboard is a rubber dome with sliders?

Oqsy · « **Reply #23 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 19:05:15 »

It appears so, but the slider is below the rubber dome... it's bizarre.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #24 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 19:09:55 »

That does seem like a strange mechanism for a key. Maybe the rubber dome is used to keep dirt out of the key mechanism.

Oqsy · « **Reply #25 on:** Fri, 06 August 2010, 22:15:09 »

That might have been a design consideration, but the rubber dome also acts as a spring to make the key cap bounce back after actuation.

ch_123 · « **Reply #26 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 04:35:30 »

It's not a rubber dome with slider. The rubber sleeve provides the tactility and the hysteresis, and the shaft on the underside of the keycap sticks through a hole and actuates the membrane directly

See pictures of a dismantled M4-1 here.

Oqsy · « **Reply #27 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 12:48:15 »

The feel isn't that bad really... I just wish the space bar were a bit stiffer. It *is* hard to imagine this being used in an industrial setting, however.

sixty · « **Reply #28 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 17:00:45 »

I would be careful about this one.. the keycaps look 100% identical to a terminal age HP keyboard I own. Same red legends, same weird curve on the keycaps. The HP board is a rubberdome. But who knows, maybe you get lucky with this one.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #29 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 17:03:30 »

Well, different keyboards are for different people.

Findecanor · « **Reply #30 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 18:13:22 »

Quote from: Oqsy;209965

this board appears to have a mechanical stem with a rubber dome slid BETWEEN the key cap and the stem, essentially taking the place of a spring.

Sounds like a foam and foil keyboard, like the KeyTronic. A rubber cylinder in-between the keycap and slider. The keycap snaps to the slider.

Oqsy · « **Reply #31 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 18:14:18 »

sixty, have you read the thread at all? I've had the board for 2 days, and it appears to be a mechanical switch with a rubber dome for "hysteresis" as ch put it. It is definitely an AT board, and works fine with an AT-PS/2 adapter.

ch_123 · « **Reply #32 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 20:01:52 »

Well. It's basically a rubber dome switch, except the keycap actuates the contacts instead of the dome. I wouldn't call it mechanical.

Quote from: kishy;210139

Yeah, this is what that Mitsumi used. Nasty nasty thing, hated typing on that.

Approximate feel of a BTC foil and foam keyboard. Not sure if the Mitsumi has a membrane though.

The M4-1 feels like a stiff scissor switch keyboard. I'd imagine that the rubber sleeve would work better for shorter travel than longer ones.

Oqsy · « **Reply #33 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 22:09:08 »

Well, I suppose we could get into a debate on the meaning of the word "mechanical". It could be argued that rubber dome boards are mechanical as well, and the touch screen or roll up membrane boards are the only non-mechanical boards. I really don't want to have that debate, but if backed into a corner I could make a case.

Anyway, without taking apart the board and seeing the way the "switch" makes contact with leads or a membrane, I can't really argue by the definition for "mechanical" most widely accepted here. I also have no plans to disassemble this board to check any time soon.

sixty · « **Reply #34 on:** Sat, 07 August 2010, 22:56:50 »

Quote from: Oqsy;210218

sixty, have you read the thread at all? I've had the board for 2 days, and it appears to be a mechanical switch with a rubber dome for "hysteresis" as ch put it. It is definitely an AT board, and works fine with an AT-PS/2 adapter.

Hah, No I have not. I was stuck on page 1 and assumed the thread ended there. I guess I lack sleep. Apologies.

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Author Topic: Ge fanuc industrial keyboard (Read 8789 times)