Highest Key-Count?

[Willy]

I came across this image and it got me thinking.
What's the most keys you've ever seen/had on a keyboard? I've never personally owned anything with more than 104 keys, but I'm sure there are some clack-junkies here with some massive massive keyboards.

[CPTBadAss]

Skidata board with 160 keys

F122, M122 (Terminal Model M), G80-2550 all have 122 keys.

Seen some video editing keyboards that have a ton of keys too but the model names are escaping me. Oh and the WEY Keyboards have a lot of keys too.

[SpAmRaY]

I'm thinking either wey or ski-data boards.

ninja'h by captn BA

[kolonelkadat]

mine has 127 input buttons. (including the 5 media keys)

plus a half dozen or so buttons for keyboard settings.

[MKULTRA]

Here's a cool 60% layout.

[C5Allroad]

126 on my K90 including media keys. Right now using 108 as I never used the macros. Personally they are a waste of space.

[Willy]

Show Image

Here's a cool 60% layout.

I don't think my brain can keep up with that many keys.

[Patchwrks]

[MKULTRA]

Show Image

Here's a cool 60% layout.

I don't think my brain can keep up with that many keys.

Idk if I could find a keycap set with all those keys!

[Willy]

Show Image

That 20x space-bar made me laugh.

[metalliqaz]

Show Image

lol those crazy asians.... try touch typing on THAT thing!

[tp4tissue]

Show Image

lol those crazy asians.... try touch typing on THAT thing!

254 keys...
hmm..

Well there are triple decked digital pianos... so...

[Puddsy]

Show Image

lol those crazy asians.... try touch typing on THAT thing!

254 keys...
hmm..

Well there are triple decked digital pianos... so...

You don't play all 3 decks at the same time...

[Lu_e]

Show Image

lol those crazy asians.... try touch typing on THAT thing!

254 keys...
hmm..

Well there are triple decked digital pianos... so...

You don't play all 3 decks at the same time...

LOL obviously...? we only have 2 hands. Artists do play 2 of the 3 at the same time though.

[kolonelkadat]

Show Image

ZOMG WANT!!

seriously. how would one acquire such an elegant board?

[BucklingSpring]

Then someone invented the ALT, SHIFT, CTRL and Fn key

Show Image

[jevvix]

Wonder how much that thing weighs...

[tp4tissue]

Wonder how much that thing weighs...

probably 25-35lbs if it's plated.

[davkol]

Show Image

Here's a cool 60% layout.

I don't think my brain can keep up with that many keys.

I've read that it's nearly impossible to touch type on more than 50 keys efficiently. 40% layout FTW?

BTW I have a POS keyboard that consists of two keypads and has a PS/2 connector for another board—I've had 2×56+104 keys this way.

[randomist]

Most keys on a single board I've had is 120, I used 1 of the extra 15 keys, and then only occassionally. Now I'm on my new Filco 88 key which is the ideal size for me most of the time, but sometimes (usually at work) I do need a 105 key,or in the future a seperate keypad. I know a guy that's on his 2nd or 3rd Corsair K90 through RMAs who says he couldn't cope without the macro key mess at the side.

[tuxsavvy]

Show Image

ZOMG WANT!!

seriously. how would one acquire such an elegant board?

I had a hunch that it was an ancient Chinese keyboard. I guess this isn't that far off: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_input_methods_for_computers

Check out the photo with the caption "An early experimental Chinese keyboard with many keys was developed by researchers of National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, ...". Then you will pick up the hint word from there. Mind you modern East Asian keyboards (even the Chinese keyboards) are nowhere related to that. It was only due to the complexity in the nature of the language that I guess enables such ideas to be born before it may get frowned by the rest of the world.

My guess is that the keyboard was made with virtually every possible characters known within the Chinese language or at least most of it. Sure to someone who probably isn't going to input East Asian languages they would have 100s more keys that they can "macro" whatever they like.  The amount of keys on that keyboard is insane, it may ultimately take one a fair few years to get a basic understanding for each of the keys and their specific functions, touch typing? forget it, probably more years will be needed on top of that imo. It will be like learning QWERTY, DVORAK, COLEMAK, JCUKEN all on one keyboard. No not with a standard keyboard but like having four keyboards with those layouts all on one keyboard which is probably around 240 keys at a very rough guess. If you can memorise all that. ...

[Oobly]

Show Image

Here's a cool 60% layout.

I don't think my brain can keep up with that many keys.

I've read that it's nearly impossible to touch type on more than 50 keys efficiently. 40% layout FTW?

BTW I have a POS keyboard that consists of two keypads and has a PS/2 connector for another board—I've had 2×56+104 keys this way.

Mine has 48... Does this mean I should 2 more? ;) Actually, I'm starting to really like smaller boards. I can probably live with 40 keys. Layers make a lot of sense.

On topic, my highest key count is an ISO Microsoft Comfort Curve, 115 keys IIRC.

[Jixr]

I for one would love a giant square grid cherry board.

would be perfect for the tons of commands, hotkeys, and macros I use at work.

[SpAmRaY]

I for one would love a giant square grid cherry board.

would be perfect for the tons of commands, hotkeys, and macros I use at work.

http://www.piengineering.com/xkeys.php

^^ check these out

[dorkvader]

My highest is a 142-key fisher rosemount hall effect keyboard I took apart, but it (and msot other keyboards) are beat by interesting attempts at chinese keybaords. I think the one patchworks posted is an IBM beam spring.
http://imgur.com/a/Ai5fo

[tuxsavvy]

I for one would love a giant square grid cherry board.

would be perfect for the tons of commands, hotkeys, and macros I use at work.

http://www.piengineering.com/xkeys.php

^^ check these out

I couldn't quite tell what sort of keyboard switches they (PI Engineering) are using for their keyboard when I was curiously browsing on the link that you posted. Could it be by any chance a simple rubber dome switch? 

My highest is a 142-key fisher rosemount hall effect keyboard I took apart, but it (and msot other keyboards) are beat by interesting attempts at chinese keybaords. I think the one patchworks posted is an IBM beam spring.
http://imgur.com/a/Ai5fo

A somewhat really weird layout (in my opinion), it would probably take a fair amount of time to remember all the keys and where they are (well not entirely true but to an extent it is). Doesn't this sort of reminds one when visiting university grounds? How there are all scattered around in a very large field?  )