TVS Gold, India's most popular keyboard

[xsphat]

Does anyone know anything about this 'board?

http://www.tvs-e.com/showProduct.asp?productNo=2

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

Does anyone know anything about this 'board?

http://www.tvs-e.com/showProduct.asp?productNo=2

MX Linear I think.

[xsphat]

I was thinking it had Alps. I have read it costs roughly what the HHKB Pro costs. Any word on price?

And Whiskey, what was that keyboard company that was mentioned on here a few days ago that makes a mechanical 'board with legs that is ment to sit above the laptop keyboard? I can't find the link.

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

I was thinking it had Alps. I have read it costs roughly what the HHKB Pro costs. Any word on price?

I believe it's well under $100. The switch spec (50 million presses) sounds exactly like MX Linear.

And Whiskey, what was that keyboard company that was mentioned on here a few days ago that makes a mechanical 'board with legs that is ment to sit above the laptop keyboard? I can't find the link.

datadesktech.com

[xsphat]

Thx Whiskey, that's the one.

[mr_sf_applet]

I believe it's well under $100. The switch spec (50 million presses) sounds exactly like MX Linear.

Yes, but the specs for Das Keyboard II claim over 50 million key strokes too, and yet it uses the tactile blue Cherry MX switches.

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

I believe it's well under $100. The switch spec (50 million presses) sounds exactly like MX Linear.

Yes, but the specs for Das Keyboard II claim over 50 million key strokes too, and yet it uses the tactile blue Cherry MX switches.

Looks black to me: http://www.daskeyboard.com/

[xsphat]

I saw that to and I called Das. The tech told me they are actually Cherry blue sliders that they use. I mentioned the website and he didn't know what to say.

[mr_sf_applet]

When xsphat first mentioned this conflict between the picture on the website and what was claimed by the Cherry rep he spoke with, I had to find out for myself, so this past Sunday I got my Das Keyboard II out of storage (Das Keyboard II was my first venture beyond the ****ty membrane keyboard that came with my Dell desktop; shortly thereafter I bought a 1991 vintage Model M 1391401 on eBay, fell in love with buckling springs, and Das Keyboard was exiled to a storage space 6 miles away.)

Yep, they're blue alright.













Please note that I do not have the soldering skills of karlito. These blue Cherry switches are native to the board, not transplants.

And you know what they say about Das Keyboard II, that it is nothing more than a rebranded Cherry G80-3000? Well, here's confirmation:

[xsphat]

What do you think of the blue switches now that you know what you have? Is your Das going back in to storage?

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

Sweet. I guess they used a picture of an MX Linear switch because all-black just looks cooler. That's marketing for you.

[victheslik]

-

[mr_sf_applet]

What do you think of the blue switches now that you know what you have? Is your Das going back in to storage?

Well, I was planning to put it right back into storage. But I've decided to spend some time with it first, just to give it a fair shot. So far I'm liking it a lot. Clicky, but with a lighter touch than the Model M or the Avant Stellar. After my few hours with Das Keyboard II, I'm beginning to think that the iOne Scorpius M10, with the same key switches, is a steal at the $40 (plus $10 shipping) karlito bought it for.

Now if you want blue Cherry MX switches in a compact space saver form factor that's a different story. I don't think we've been able to find anything like that, have we? Your only alternative may to find out where karlito lives and steal his SMK-88 after he finishes his soldering job.

[mr_sf_applet]

How would you compared the HHKBP2 to the DAS II to the IBM Model M I am contemplating between the 3.

Let me get back to you in a few days on this, victheslik. I'm currently auditioning the Das II, which I' m liking a lot, but I should have a better idea of how the three compare by next week.

[iMav]

Your only alternative may to find out where karlito lives and steal his SMK-88 after he finishes his soldering job.

Or steal one of the two SMK-88's I have with blue stem switches.  

[mr_sf_applet]

Your only alternative may to find out where karlito lives and steal his SMK-88 after he finishes his soldering job.

Or steal one of the two SMK-88's I have with blue stem switches.  

Oh, that's right. I completely forgot you had those. Lucky bastard.

[karlito]

victheslik,

blue stem cherry keys are pretty nice and I think you should just go w/ the scorpius unless you really want blank keys:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Scorpius-M10-Mechanical-key-switch-Keyboard-USB-PS-2_W0QQitemZ170143464697QQihZ007QQcategoryZ4706QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

If you read my other posts you saw that im creating a frankenstien smk-88. Well I finished it up and I do like it. But keep in mind that I'm not really a believer that cherry mechanical switches are uber godly. If logitech ever makes a G15 keyboard w/out a numpad that will be my keyboard of choice.

anyways I see a lot of you folks w/ the HHKB wrist wrest is it pretty nice?  I need a small wrist wrest to go along w/ my SMK-88... lemme know if it's worth the $15.

[victheslik]

-

[karlito]

no i dont own an HHKB pro unfortunately.  $280 is just an absurd price and to rub it in even more is it's only $180 if you lived in japan.  From everything I could find on the internet everyone loves the HHKB pro (the lite sux imo).  The only complaint I have ever heard about the HHKB is the layout.  I purchased a Lite and returned it after 3 days... I got used to the layout except for the \| (backslash pipe key) as I use that all the time when I program.  If I had kept that keyboard I would have used autohotkey to bind \| to something more unusable.  other than the price I doubt you would have any regrets getting the HHKB pro... I personally would rather have a geforce 8800GT for that price .

[mr_sf_applet]

anyways I see a lot of you folks w/ the HHKB wrist wrest is it pretty nice?  I need a small wrist wrest to go along w/ my SMK-88... lemme know if it's worth the $15.

It's okay, but nothing to write home about. It's worth the $15 and not a penny more. And somehow it doesn't seem quite up to the standards of the HHKB Pro. But it *is* just the right size for the HHKB and for my TypeMatrix 2030 as well. So repentance is not.

[mr_sf_applet]

no i dont own an HHKB pro unfortunately.  $280 is just an absurd price and to rub it in even more is it's only $180 if you lived in japan.

I've been meaning to go to that site that Whiskey gave us:

http://jp-eshopping.com/entry/211_toprated_sellers/amazon_japan.html

and try to work out the numbers in US dollars to see if ordering from them would come out cheaper than the $306 (after shipping is added) that an HHKB Pro 2 would cost from geekstuff4u.com.

But it involves adding commission, shipping, exchange rate conversions, and I haven't gotten around to it yet. But if somebody else wants to do the exercise, go right ahead.

[mr_sf_applet]

Okay, I worked through the Excel worksheet at:

http://jp-eshopping.com/

to figure out the cost of buying an HHKB Pro 2 (black on black, model PD-KB400B) from amazon.co.jp through this shopping service. Iit's going to cost you, after commissions and shipping and various fees, on the order of $250-$255 USD. About $50 cheaper than http://www.geekstuff4u.com.

[victheslik]

-

[mr_sf_applet]

Hmm, that seems reasonably cheaper. Is it 100% reliable though? You could also buy those majestouch keyboards also with that program.

Okay, I just ran the numbers for two Majestouch models to see how much they would cost someone in the US if purchased from amazon.co.jp through that jp-eShopping service.

For a basic Majestouch with brown Cherry MX switches (FKB104M/EB) with US ASCII layout, it would be around $155.

For a bluetooth Majestouch wireless with brown Cherry MX switches (FKBT104M/EB) with US ASCII, it would be around $206.

[xsphat]

Hmm, that seems reasonably cheaper. Is it 100% reliable though? You could also buy those majestouch keyboards also with that program.

Okay, I just ran the numbers for two Majestouch models to see how much they would cost someone in the US if purchased from amazon.co.jp through that jp-eShopping service.

Didn't you say you bought one and it is almost to you already? If so, where / how did you get it? I have decided against buying this keyboard because of the brown switch, but I am not at all against ordering 'boards from overseas.

[mr_sf_applet]

Didn't you say you bought one and it is almost to you already? If so, where / how did you get it? I have decided against buying this keyboard because of the brown switch, but I am not at all against ordering 'boards from overseas.

I got it through the other shopping service that Whiskey mentioned:

http://www.fdjp.com/

I ordered it last Sunday. They attached a picture of the parcel when they emailed the shipping notification:



This parcel left Tokyo on Nov. 23, arrived in San Francisco on the same day. Yesterday morning it cleared customs in San Francisco. And today it left the Pasadena, CA 91109 USPS facility. Since I work in Pasadena, I should be getting this thing tomorrow. Ain't if fun to have a tracking number that works for both EMS (Japan Post) and USPS?

I spent an insane amount of money on keyboards this past week. In addition to the Majestouch, I snagged the one keyboard of my dreams. The clickykeyboards listing had this as "COMING SOON" all week. And when it was finally made available on the morning of Fri. Nov. 23 (this keyboard's 13th birthday, BTW), I pounced. Boy, did I pounce.

This M15 is, for me, the holy grail of keyboards. And now that I finally have one, I'm going to stop buying keyboards for a long time to come. Unless, of course, another M15 becomes available, either on clickykeyboards.com or eBay or, who knows, maybe craigslist.org (or maybe I should start haunting thrift stores on weekends). I want another for redundancy, just like this guy:

http://flickr.com/photos/njr/406263107/

and this guy:

http://www.worldtwitch.com/web_advice.htm

[Bluemercury]

When xsphat first mentioned this conflict between the picture on the website and what was claimed by the Cherry rep he spoke with, I had to find out for myself, so this past Sunday I got my Das Keyboard II out of storage (Das Keyboard II was my first venture beyond the ****ty membrane keyboard that came with my Dell desktop; shortly thereafter I bought a 1991 vintage Model M 1391401 on eBay, fell in love with buckling springs, and Das Keyboard was exiled to a storage space 6 miles away.)

Yep, they're blue alright.

Show Image

Show Image

Please note that I do not have the soldering skills of karlito. These blue Cherry switches are native to the board, not transplants.

And you know what they say about Das Keyboard II, that it is nothing more than a rebranded Cherry G80-3000? Well, here's confirmation:

Show Image

Is your DAS II keyboard the 102/105 key one? i was considering to buy this as the first mechanical keyboard for me. If you dont like it i might be interested.

[mr_sf_applet]

No, it's the standard 104-key US ASCII layout (with 2 Windows keys and 1 Menu key). I like the blue Cherry switches enough that I plan to hang on to Das Keyboard II.

[Bluemercury]

No, it's the standard 104-key US ASCII layout (with 2 Windows keys and 1 Menu key). I like the blue Cherry switches enough that I plan to hang on to Das Keyboard II.

I think i might buy it from the german site which is selling a 105 key version. I just hope the EU layout version also has the blue key switches.

[chongyixiong]

http://cgi.ebay.in/TVS-Gold-Keyboard-Black-Color-TVSE_W0QQitemZ190292176379QQihZ009QQcategoryZ119846QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Hi guys.

Was interested in this keyboard but not sure whether it is using the Black or Blue Cherries.. this thread started off only with 2 guessing it was a Black slider, but oh well, it deviated from there and became HHKB Pro 2 and such.

So with the link above, the seller is actually able to point out the operating forces.. which looks like this :

Switch type - Mechanical

Switch feel - Click tactile

Operating force - 4.0 +/- 0.0 / 0.5 mm

Operating force - 60 +/- 15 CN

Isn't click tactile supposed to show it's a blue cherry instead?

Thanks.

Already e-mailed them a few days ago but no replies yet.. it's roughly aruond USD$30-40 since prices vary from Rs 1200-1600.

[chongyixiong]

I think there was one forummer who said he had experience with this particular keybooard, can't find it though.

Help needed as I might be getting one of these to test out whether blue cherries are suitable for me, as compared to the Browns.

Thanks guys!

[xsphat]

I think there was one forummer who said he had experience with this particular keybooard, can't find it though.

Help needed as I might be getting one of these to test out whether blue cherries are suitable for me, as compared to the Browns.

Thanks guys!

You mus post pics!
where are you getting it from?

[chongyixiong]

You mus post pics!
where are you getting it from?

My friend from Sri Lanka is able to get one for me, but I'm not sure whether this uses the blacks or the blues. Not particularly fond of the blacks anyway, so just making sure!

If it was the blues, then this will be a cheap way to get alot of blues to test it out, much cheaper than buying the switches alone, lol!