TG3-TP for $22.99 (shipped)

[keymaster]

There are 8 available at the moment.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Data-911-PS-2-Backlit-Keyboard-P-N-M2C-TG3-TP-for-MDS2000-system-/281111002821

[alaricljs]

Any idea on how to tell if they are Clears or Blacks?

[JaccoW]

Check out his USB one as well:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hub-Data-911-USB-Backlit-Keyboard-P-N-D9-03-0008-M2C-TG3-TP-USB-/281110981548?pt=BI_Security_Fire_Protection&hash=item4173852bac

I do like these though. I have a Deck Legend and these have the normal font... 
Shipping kills it though. $61 to send it to Europe. 

[keymaster]

I'm not sure, but mine has MX blacks and has the same P/N number as the ones for sale (M2C-TG3-TP).

[REVENGE]

There are 8 available at the moment.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Data-911-PS-2-Backlit-Keyboard-P-N-M2C-TG3-TP-for-MDS2000-system-/281111002821

Show Image

No ****ing way, these just showed up? I bet I know where they came from.

And where did my review of the TG3-TP go?

It used to be this post: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=20454.0

[keymaster]

hey Keymaster

I was looking at that auction, and it looks too good to be true. $23 shipped for a backlit keyboard?

But do they actually work on a regular Windows7 system?

What color is the backlighting?

thanks for sharing your info!

It looks legit to me. The seller has a 100% positive rating and has many other hardware items up for sale.
My TG3-TP works on WinXP and Win7 (including backlighting, which is red).

[dorkvader]

And where did my review of the TG3-TP go?

It used to be this post: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=20454.0

Your review should be fully visible now.

Good review, bytheway.

---
After all the photos were lost, reviews and other content that relied heavily on it were moved to an archive. If you would like it restored, or to help us restore it (with new pictures or otherwise) please feel free to contact me or another moderator
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TG3 uses two different sizes for their "normal" font. This looks like the "slightly larger" font, if anyone is interested, I can check when I get home. it also has the newer "blood spatter guard" under the keycaps.
These are very well constructed keyboards in general. Like retro DSA, it's a flat profile, so you can rearrange it to Dvorak, like I did.

[Photekq]

If I lived in the USA I would've bought three of these.. Shipping's $61 to the UK so **** that.

[metalliqaz]

Not bad. I might get one and strip it.

[JaccoW]

If I lived in the USA I would've bought three of these.. Shipping's $61 to the UK so **** that.

I asked the seller if there were cheaper options. Maybe combine shipping?

EDIT:
I contacted the seller and this is what they said:

The price they were giving you was for it being packaged in a USPS Medium Flat Rate Box. we use them all the time domestically as it can save us a bundle. However, internationally they are not always the case. Using our own packaging the shipment would cost $42.78. Not a great reduction but it's about 10.00 less than the flat rate.

I will change the listing to reflect the new shipping method.

- parkercomp

[cgbuen]

Just got this in the mail.. holy cow this thing is cool. The splash guard thing is extremely interesting, and like mentioned in a reply to REVENGE's review, it does give it something reminiscent of a Topre-like feel - tactility at the top due to the rubber, and you don't need to bottom out the Cherry stem for a keypress to activate. However, it's ridiculously heavy, since the black spring plus rubber makes it feel much heavier than either one alone.

I'm looking to do a spring swap once I finish a couple of other projects that I have backlogged.

[dorkvader]

Just got this in the mail.. holy cow this thing is cool. The splash guard thing is extremely interesting, and like mentioned in a reply to REVENGE's review, it does give it something reminiscent of a Topre-like feel - tactility at the top due to the rubber, and you don't need to bottom out the Cherry stem for a keypress to activate. However, it's ridiculously heavy, since the black spring plus rubber makes it feel much heavier than either one alone.

I'm looking to do a spring swap once I finish a couple of other projects that I have backlogged.

Keep in mind you'll have to desolder all the switches and LED's (both) to swap springs.

[REVENGE]

Just got this in the mail.. holy cow this thing is cool. The splash guard thing is extremely interesting, and like mentioned in a reply to REVENGE's review, it does give it something reminiscent of a Topre-like feel - tactility at the top due to the rubber, and you don't need to bottom out the Cherry stem for a keypress to activate. However, it's ridiculously heavy, since the black spring plus rubber makes it feel much heavier than either one alone.

I'm looking to do a spring swap once I finish a couple of other projects that I have backlogged.

Keep in mind you'll have to desolder all the switches and LED's (both) to swap springs.

You can also remove the splash guard and put it in another keyboard. I tried it with my Poker, but didn't find domes + (ghetto) red switches to be a great improvement. There's also the dependence on the TG3 keycaps.

Wasn't my thing, but might work for you.

[SpAmRaY]

I messaged the seller and they said they were clear switches, this was on the PS2 listing.

But with anything eBay YMMV.

[keymaster]

I messaged the seller and they said they were clear switches, this was on the PS2 listing.

But with anything eBay YMMV.

Nice. Those are some cheap clear switches then. I'm thinking of picking one up now, as I gave away my TG3-TP to a former police officer.

Edit: ordered

[PointyFox]

Ordered.  I'm hoping I'll like it more than my Filco so I can sell it and make a net profit

[TheFlyingRaccoon]

Just ordered one. I don't care what switches it has, they are $0.28 a switch!

[REVENGE]

Interesting, they had the USB version as well.

[TheFlyingRaccoon]

Ok I received mine today. As cgbuen said, the switches are ridiculously heavy. However it does have a nice topre feel to it due to the splashguard. Mine came with blacks contrary to ray4jc findings. Overall I like it though, the backlit is nice and the keyboard is sturdy. I will post pictures in the mail thread later but feel free to ask any questions now.

[herbyscrub]

I just got mine as well, shipping was very quick.

Mine was very well used, how about you guys?  Good amount of shine on the touchpad.  The spacebar is also noticeably lower than the rest of the keys, is this normal?

Blacks here.

[TheFlyingRaccoon]

I just got mine as well, shipping was very quick.

Mine was very well used, how about you guys?  Good amount of shine on the touchpad.  The spacebar is also noticeably lower than the rest of the keys, is this normal?

Blacks here.

Yeah some of the keys are worn on mine too and the spacebar is lower. My trackpad is fine though. Also, I'm kind of disappointed that they are black not clear switches.

[dorkvader]

The spacebar is a different profile (normal SP profile, I belive) whereas the rest of the keycaps are (I believe) the same as SP's row4 profile.

[SpAmRaY]

Sorry you guys got black's

[ping111]

I just ordered one.  Does anybody else have any experience with getting this to work on a Mac?  I'm getting a 2-female-PS2-to-1-male-USB adapter – that should work, right?

[PointyFox]

Got mine today.  Mine had MX blacks.  The splash guard made it feel like really good rubber domes, though a bit heavy.  I took off the splash guard and noticed that these switches are smoother than the ones on my Filco.  Must be either broken in or "vintage blacks"?

[TheFlyingRaccoon]

Got mine today.  Mine had MX blacks.  The splash guard made it feel like really good rubber domes, though a bit heavy.  I took off the splash guard and noticed that these switches are smoother than the ones on my Filco.  Must be either broken in or "vintage blacks"?

Awesome!  I'm not crazy. These definitely feel lighter and smoother than newer boards with blacks. I thought it was just me or something

[PointyFox]

Got mine today.  Mine had MX blacks.  The splash guard made it feel like really good rubber domes, though a bit heavy.  I took off the splash guard and noticed that these switches are smoother than the ones on my Filco.  Must be either broken in or "vintage blacks"?

Awesome!  I'm not crazy. These definitely feel lighter and smoother than newer boards with blacks. I thought it was just me or something

Definitely smoother.  I can't seem to tell if they're lighter.  They don't have any of the plasticky friction my Filco does, but they have a bit of spring noise near the bottom.  The best way to describe these is smooth and cushiony.  The board is 2KRO.  Though, that doesn't seem to matter much.  Just tested it in a CoD game:


Whoops, just overpaid for bought  this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281046245589

I wonder how I'll like it and what switches it will have.

[battletux]

Looks like that seller is all out of them.

However this one is selling USB ones for $22 if you missed them:

[keymaster]

I just received mine today. I can confirm the black switches everyone else is reporting. I immediately took the splashguard off -- the black switches feel worn in/vintage, which is always a plus. I'm going to clean this thing completely, but I may end up harvesting the switches from it. Either way, it's a good buy.

[berserkfan]

I got my tg3 today and tried to remove the splashguard. I opened the back cover, but it seemed stuck at one corner. Peeking in, I saw some kind of nut or metallic thing in the bottom right corner (that is, if you turned the keyboard and faced yourself the metallic nut would be near the arrow keys.

Revenge, the original poster for http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=20454.msg903204#msg903204, mentioned not ripping the pcb from the chassis. But I have no idea what to do.

Since I did't dare use too much force, I am posting here to see if anybody has advice for what to do. Thanks!

[Thechemist]

Any idea on how to tell if they are Clears or Blacks?

The ones without touchpad that have 4 leds on spacebar instead of 2.

[cactux]

$15 

[JWK]

That $15 price does not include shipping.

[FuriousGeorge]

I got my tg3 today and tried to remove the splashguard. I opened the back cover, but it seemed stuck at one corner. Peeking in, I saw some kind of nut or metallic thing in the bottom right corner (that is, if you turned the keyboard and faced yourself the metallic nut would be near the arrow keys.

Revenge, the original poster for http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=20454.msg903204#msg903204, mentioned not ripping the pcb from the chassis. But I have no idea what to do.

Since I did't dare use too much force, I am posting here to see if anybody has advice for what to do. Thanks!

On mine there was one small screw hidden under a sticker. There's probably like a small silver anti-tamper sticker in the corner that needs to be peeled off.

[berserkfan]

aha! furious george, I think you've got it

Yes, after a while I was also suspecting that the screw was hidden under the sticker. Because the sticker carries information like barcode and serial no., I was reluctant to rip it off.

in any case I have removed the rubber sheet so there is no more pressing reason to take apart the hubdata. Since I am lazy to desolder, I'm getting a Cherry pcb keyboard for the switches anyway.

[PointyFox]

Odd, mine didn't have a sticker over that screw.

[herbyscrub]

So...I had one of these blonde moments where I took apart the whole keyboard when I only wanted to remove the spillguard lol.

[ping111]

Just got mine in!  It looks and feels awesome, and works just fine on a Mac!  I'm not a fan of the splashguard, though, so I'm going to go ahead and get rid of it.  Wish me luck!

[jwaz]

Just got mine in!  It looks and feels awesome, and works just fine on a Mac!  I'm not a fan of the splashguard, though, so I'm going to go ahead and get rid of it.  Wish me luck!

It's pretty easy to just pop the caps off and peel off. Though I personally feel it's an improvement to leave on

[ping111]

Just got mine in!  It looks and feels awesome, and works just fine on a Mac!  I'm not a fan of the splashguard, though, so I'm going to go ahead and get rid of it.  Wish me luck!

It's pretty easy to just pop the caps off and peel off. Though I personally feel it's an improvement to leave on

Well, I'm done now, and currently typing on it, sans splashguard.  I personally feel like it's much more comfortable and pleasant bare, but I can see the pleasantness in the springy sheet.  Unfortunately, due to my lack of skill, I did lose my F12 key (the stem broke) and use of the touchpad, but both can be rectified with supervision. This will look to be a great deal of fun to use when I play games!

[dorkvader]

There are two different types of splash guards. I am fortunate enough to have owned both.

The first is like saran wrap. It's horrible, pulls the switches together, etc. Taking it off basically destroys it.

The second is a silicons sheet, much like what you'd find in a RD keyboard. This one is worth keeping at least, though I still prefer it without.

[TheFlyingRaccoon]

Now that more people have received their boards I thought I would ask. Has anyone received a TG3 with clears?

[ping111]

Now that more people have received their boards I thought I would ask. Has anyone received a TG3 with clears?

I wouldn't think so.  Getting Clears or Blacks isn't a blindbag, because they look different - Blacks have trackpads, Clears don't - and the seller didn't want to risk complaints that the user needed a trackpad and didn't get one.

[cgbuen]

I opened it up and tried swapping in a red switch in place of a black, with the splash guard on. Sort of akin to what REVENGE said, it's not really that great in my opinion. It felt a tiny bit different, but somehow didn't feel at all lighter.

I finished it by keeping the splash guard out, since the novelty sort of wore down for me. Despite my claim of it feeling like a heavy Topre, I was missing a lot of keys (especially spacebar) because of the heaviness. I also switched the cord to come out of the left side of the keyboard, since there was a hole for it, so that was pretty cool.

[bazemk1979]

Got mine today.  Mine had MX blacks.  The splash guard made it feel like really good rubber domes, though a bit heavy.  I took off the splash guard and noticed that these switches are smoother than the ones on my Filco.  Must be either broken in or "vintage blacks"?

Awesome!  I'm not crazy. These definitely feel lighter and smoother than newer boards with blacks. I thought it was just me or something

Definitely smoother.  I can't seem to tell if they're lighter.  They don't have any of the plasticky friction my Filco does, but they have a bit of spring noise near the bottom.  The best way to describe these is smooth and cushiony.  The board is 2KRO.  Though, that doesn't seem to matter much.  Just tested it in a CoD game:

Show Image

Whoops, just overpaid for bought  this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281046245589

I wonder how I'll like it and what switches it will have.

if you use F keys as run then it matters when u try to zigzag and go forward, it hit the 2KRO border right away. I wonder if teensy can fix this + make it to be NKRO via USB?

[jabar]

I wonder if teensy can fix this + make it to be NKRO via USB?

you need to mod the pcb itself to install diodes on every switch (and probably swap the current controller for a Teensy).

[bazemk1979]

I wonder if teensy can fix this + make it to be NKRO via USB?

you need to mod the pcb itself to install diodes on every switch (and probably swap the current controller for a Teensy).

just de soldered  all the switches and half the LED's, from what I can see there are no openings for every switch to be inserted diode

[dorkvader]

I wonder if teensy can fix this + make it to be NKRO via USB?

you need to mod the pcb itself to install diodes on every switch (and probably swap the current controller for a Teensy).

just de soldered  all the switches and half the LED's, from what I can see there are no openings for every switch to be inserted diode

What' you'll have to do, see, is remove the PCB entirely, and hand-wire the diodes to a teensy. Another option is to solder SMD diodes to the PCB itself, but this will require cutting traces and scraping soldermask off. It's certainly not an easy mod.

You can't leave the PCB in place, as the pcb traces between the switches will still be there, negating the diodes effect.

[bazemk1979]

I wonder if teensy can fix this + make it to be NKRO via USB?

you need to mod the pcb itself to install diodes on every switch (and probably swap the current controller for a Teensy).

just de soldered  all the switches and half the LED's, from what I can see there are no openings for every switch to be inserted diode

What' you'll have to do, see, is remove the PCB entirely, and hand-wire the diodes to a teensy. Another option is to solder SMD diodes to the PCB itself, but this will require cutting traces and scraping soldermask off. It's certainly not an easy mod.

You can't leave the PCB in place, as the pcb traces between the switches will still be there, negating the diodes effect.

Direct wiring is something I have though of for sure, never done it but shouldn't be a problem if I spend my time with it, teensy I never build but there are DYI on the forums here. Problem with this mod is how to keep the LEDs intact to the switch or if I direct wire the LED's will they fire up? but main concern is how you keep them in place without them being soldered on the PCB, this mod means ditching the PCB. 2nd mod you mentioned I don't think would be doable because that's going the distance of cutting traces and rerunning connections to the teensy.... It takes to see how its done in order to get your hands dirty with it.

So I decided to keep it simple, mod the LED, leave the black stems, swap stock spring for 65g ones to make it feel like reds, sticker and lube the rest. Although if you don't mind since u have experience with modding, I already ordered LED's for the board and made sure that they are with ratings between 2-2.2V as the board itself can not feed anything with forward votage more than 2.4v I think.

If you don't mind I'll send you a PM for few tips, thanks