Author Topic: Received my Dell AT101W (Read 9883 times)

patrickgeekhack · « **on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 09:36:58 »

I received it yesterday. It was my first ever eBay purchase. It arrived in perfect condition. Since I did not have a USB-to-PS/2 converter, I had to power on a very old laptop that had a PS/2 port.

On the keyboard itself, I can say that is not as loud as my Customizer 104. I took it to the office with me today. So far, I have not heard any complaint

.

If I were to choose between the AT101W and the Customizer 104, I would probably pick the Customizer, but that does not mean that I don't like my AT101W. This is because the Customizer has a more tactile feel to me. Also, the Dell seems to require that the keys be pressed right in the centre, unless it is because it's still new.

I have to resist buying any keyboard for at least a year now

itlnstln · « **Reply #1 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 09:48:00 »

I have 2 Dells I bought NIB, and those weren't too sensitive to pressing the keys right in the center. I had a few used ones that were, though. Those 'boards were fairly dirty and seemed to have dirt in the switches themselves which caused some other problems, too. Use it for a few days, and see what you think. At first, I was like "meh," but after several days to a few weeks of use, I really found it to be a fantastic keyboard. It is now one of my favorites.

lam47 · « **Reply #2 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 11:05:52 »

I want a NIB Dell!
Stoopid england.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #3 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 15:12:07 »

Quote from: itlnstln;21535

I have 2 Dells I bought NIB, and those weren't too sensitive to pressing the keys right in the center. I had a few used ones that were, though. Those 'boards were fairly dirty and seemed to have dirt in the switches themselves which caused some other problems, too. Use it for a few days, and see what you think. At first, I was like "meh," but after several days to a few weeks of use, I really found it to be a fantastic keyboard. It is now one of my favorites.

Mine is (was) NIB too. I have to use it for a few days before I can form an honest opinion. I seem to have a preference for the Customizer 104 BS, and I think this is affecting my judgement. The AT101W has one major advantage, I can use it at work

.

Keyboard preferences are highly subjective. 10 years ago, I bought a no name PC, and got a buckling spring keyboard (not IBM) with an AT connector. I don't remember the brand, but it was white. I did not like it because the keys required a lot of force, and had a short travel.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #4 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 15:14:36 »

Quote from: lam47;21542

I want a NIB Dell!
Stoopid england.

If it can make you happy, I had to pay USD $25 the price of the Dell keyboard to get shipped to Canada. I paid about USD $40 to get the Customizer to my door

There's one thing you have in England that I wish I had: football/soccer.

cmr · « **Reply #5 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 17:37:14 »

did they ever make these in black?

Chloe · « **Reply #6 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 17:40:21 »

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/20188/subcatid/0/id/330053

BigWopHH · « **Reply #7 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 18:13:22 »

Are these available in clicky and non-clicky? Could have sworn they had Alps Complicated (Black) switches, Tactile, Non-Clicky.

zwmalone · « **Reply #8 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 18:21:27 »

If you're referring to the clickeykeyboards link [where it says ALPS=Clicky] I don't think they're not so much "not clicky" as they are light clicky. Listen here: http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=548

BigWopHH · « **Reply #9 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 18:26:09 »

Yeah, that link was confusing me. I actually have one. But I'd go out and grab another if there was a different version that was clicky.

Chloe · « **Reply #10 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 19:09:41 »

I suspect the black ALPS in SMK-85 were a simplified type.

lexicon · « **Reply #11 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 20:49:38 »

They did make the AT101W in black, but the lettering wore off the keys fairly easily, so I'd advise (as one who did) against buying one used.

There was a guy on eBay last month selling black AT101Ws new-in-box for bin $19.95, so I bought one of those. He sold five or six in sucession, so maybe he'll resurface with more.

The black ones look much nicer.

BigWopHH · « **Reply #12 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 20:57:14 »

I scored one of those NIB boards for $20. Liking it so far.

lexicon · « **Reply #13 on:** Thu, 12 February 2009, 22:24:35 »

OK, this is weird. I think there may be quality differences between the early AT101Ws and later ones. I have a beige one I bought used from Clickykeyboards a while back, made in Mexico, model number GYUM90SK, Rev A00. And I have the beige ones I bought nib on eBay a couple of months ago, made in Malaysia, same model number, Rev A01. The one made in Mexico lacks the strain-relief block on the cord, but is otherwise visually identical. But the keys on the Mexico-made board seem more precisely seated and sound less clicky (but not like the SGI AT-101s). Most noticeably, the space bar on the Mex one does not rattle at all, as all the Malaysian ones do by comparison. The Mexico-made one is much nicer to type on, with less of that "plastic" sound.

What's weird is that the black one I bought nib is made in Malaysia but also seems more solid than the beige Malaysian ones.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 03:12:18 »

Quote from: lexicon;21600

OK, this is weird. I think there may be quality differences between the early AT101Ws and later ones. I have a beige one I bought used from Clickykeyboards a while back, made in Mexico, model number GYUM90SK, Rev A00. And I have the beige ones I bought nib on eBay a couple of months ago, made in Malaysia, same model number, Rev A01. The one made in Mexico lacks the strain-relief block on the cord, but is otherwise visually identical. But the keys on the Mexico-made board seem more precisely seated and sound less clicky (but not like the SGI AT-101s). Most noticeably, the space bar on the Mex one does not rattle at all, as all the Malaysian ones do by comparison. The Mexico-made one is much nicer to type on, with less of that "plastic" sound.

What's weird is that the black one I bought nib is made in Malaysia but also seems more solid than the beige Malaysian ones.

could the difference be because of used vs nib?
everyone around here is always saying how a broken in alps board feels different.

CX23882 · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 07:37:12 »

Were these ever made in UK layout? I seem to recall my cousin having a beige one about 5 years ago and it was a great board, but I can't remember if it was UK layout (surely it was?). I remember at the time I had been using a Chicony rubber dome, so the Dell felt very strange, but I still liked it, and it was that board (and a Viglen at university) that led me to the IBM Model M.

bhtooefr · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 07:43:26 »

IIRC, it's called the AT102W in ISO layout.

lal · « **Reply #17 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 08:12:46 »

My German layout Dell has the model no. AT102DW printed on the sticker. It has the standard 105 keys layout with L-shaped Enter and small left Shift key.

lowpoly · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 08:44:47 »

Quote from: CX23882;21620

Were these ever made in UK layout? I seem to recall my cousin having a beige one about 5 years ago and it was a great board, but I can't remember if it was UK layout (surely it was?). I remember at the time I had been using a Chicony rubber dome, so the Dell felt very strange, but I still liked it, and it was that board (and a Viglen at university) that led me to the IBM Model M.

AT101 is always ANSI.

My AT102W has the pound symbol on the 3 key.

xyzzy · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 09:06:14 »

Quote from: CX23882;21620

Were these ever made in UK layout? I seem to recall my cousin having a beige one about 5 years ago and it was a great board, but I can't remember if it was UK layout (surely it was?). I remember at the time I had been using a Chicony rubber dome, so the Dell felt very strange, but I still liked it, and it was that board (and a Viglen at university) that led me to the IBM Model M.

Yes, I have a black AT102W in UK layout. I guess they were also manufactured in the standard beige version.

lowpoly · « **Reply #20 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 09:27:51 »

Mine is beige.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 13 February 2009, 10:37:58 »

Quote from: itlnstln;21535

At first, I was like "meh," but after several days to a few weeks of use, I really found it to be a fantastic keyboard. It is now one of my favorites.

I'm starting to feel the same, although it's not my favourite yet. I'm staring to think I should have bought two of these. $10 is not a big deal, but the shipping cost makes it less attractive. Day 2 at the office, and no one has complained so far

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #22 on:** Sun, 22 February 2009, 23:49:07 »

I think I like my Customizer 104 better than my Dell AT101W. That being said, I do like my Dell because it's quieter and allow me to use it at the office. People will go nuts if I bring the Customizer to the office. I think what I like with the buckling spring is the resistance.

I still have to test other keyboards, before I can say that I have found my definite favourite one. If only money was not a problem. Now that I think about it, I had a no name keyboard with maybe Cherry switches when I bought a used PC. My wife used it until it broke and we had to dipose of it. I did not know much about keyboards at that time. I would have done some more research and remove some key caps to check what was under the hood. It came with an AT-to-PS/2 adapter. Oh well!

FKSSR · « **Reply #23 on:** Mon, 23 February 2009, 17:25:55 »

I just got 2 AT101W's, one beige and one black. I have to still clean them up. Then, one is staying at home and one is going to work.

They feel nice so far. We'll see how I feel after a couple weeks.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #24 on:** Wed, 04 March 2009, 16:00:41 »

Quote from: FKSSR;22531

...one is going to work.

I took mine to work, and then took it home after a few days to be used on an old laptop equipped with PS/2 until. I'm still waiting for my converters to arrive. Two days later, it's back on my work desk...the other keyboards felt too mushy

Do we have a thread which shows how to to remove the key caps on the ALPS? I tried to remove the Scroll Lock but had no luck.

FKSSR · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 04 March 2009, 16:17:34 »

I remove my AT101W keys with this tool. Works like a charm.

Biggs · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 04 March 2009, 17:27:27 »

Does the "IBM" puller actually work with the Model M?

zwmalone · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 04 March 2009, 18:39:48 »

Quote from: Biggs;23523

Does the "IBM" puller actually work with the Model M?

Show Image

I've never actually used a puller on my M when I owned it. I pulled the cap of of the stem and scooped the cap under the front of the stem and pulled up to remove them. Of course this only works with Ms with 2 piece caps...

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 04 March 2009, 19:02:16 »

Quote from: FKSSR;23513

I remove my AT101W keys with this tool. Works like a charm.

Thanks. I'll check if they will shipt to Canada. I don't need it now, but I always like to be prepared. A day will come when I'll need to clean my AT101W.

I'm starting to think what the shipping cost would have been had I bought two of these keyboards. Maybe I should have bought two since they cost only USD $10.00 each. Oh well.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 04 March 2009, 19:27:01 »

I have been using both my Customizer 104 and my AT101W for two weeks now, and have noticed a distinctive pattern. I tend to prefer the resistance of the Customizer, but tend to type faster on the AT101W. I think it's because the AT101W acknowledges the key press quicker. It makes sence since the buckling spring needs more force on each key.

itlnstln · « **Reply #30 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 06:32:49 »

I am very fast on the Dell. While I like the keys better on the M1, I don't type as fast. For me, there is something to the overall layout of the big, old school keyboards that fits my hands better. I have to set the M1 back about 1/2 and inch from the wrist rest to mimic the space created by the extra "lip" on the front of the Dell. Otherwise, my fingers just can't find the keys.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #31 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 08:05:41 »

Quote from: itlnstln;23559

I am very fast on the Dell. While I like the keys better on the M1, I don't type as fast. For me, there is something to the overall layout of the big, old school keyboards that fits my hands better. I have to set the M1 back about 1/2 and inch from the wrist rest to mimic the space created by the extra "lip" on the front of the Dell. Otherwise, my fingers just can't find the keys.

I noticed that too. The distance of the keyboard or even the angle of the keyboard plays a huge role.

itlnstln · « **Reply #32 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 08:12:33 »

Quote from: patrickgeekhack;23561

I noticed that too. The distance of the keyboard or even the angle of the keyboard plays a huge role.

Exactly. This baffled me for awhile. I kept having trouble typing on the M1, and I couldn't figure out what was causing it. After examining it and the Dell side-by-side, I figured out that the extra lip on the Dell (which the Model M and Northgate Evolution also have to a certain extent) put my hands at a different position that I was at on the M1. After pushing the keyboard back about 1/2", it seemed to correct the problem.

FKSSR · « **Reply #33 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 08:42:26 »

That's very interesting. I do know that I am very used to typing with the plastic wrist rest that my old computers have. It bugs me to have the big drop-off when a keyboard doesn't have that. However, I'm working to get rid of that dependency. Otherwise, I'll have to use a separate wrist rest, which is a little bit of a pain.

The one Diatec/Filco sells looks amazing, though...

itlnstln · « **Reply #34 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 09:37:12 »

Quote from: FKSSR;23564

That's very interesting. I do know that I am very used to typing with the plastic wrist rest that my old computers have. It bugs me to have the big drop-off when a keyboard doesn't have that. However, I'm working to get rid of that dependency. Otherwise, I'll have to use a separate wrist rest, which is a little bit of a pain.

The one Diatec/Filco sells looks amazing, though...

This one is very nice, but I am going to commission a hand-made wood/leather one from lam47.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #35 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 10:01:59 »

Quote from: FKSSR;23564

That's very interesting. I do know that I am very used to typing with the plastic wrist rest that my old computers have. It bugs me to have the big drop-off when a keyboard doesn't have that. However, I'm working to get rid of that dependency. Otherwise, I'll have to use a separate wrist rest, which is a little bit of a pain.

The one Diatec/Filco sells looks amazing, though...

For a long time, I tried to type without resting my writs without any success. Then when I got my MacBook, typing without resting my wrists became a natural habit all of a sudden. The MacBook's keyboard is the best laptop keyboard I've ever typed on. Then it was like I was freed. It works great for me since not resting my wrists when typing means less pain in my wrists. Now when I'm not typing, I take my hands off the desk and put them on my lap. However, I have a tendency to leave my hand on my mouse when I do use the mouse.

That being said, some people like their wrist rest a lot, and swear by them. Who am I to judge, right?

itlnstln · « **Reply #36 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 10:11:08 »

Personally, I like the cheap "thick mousepad" style rests. They seem to be not too high or too short, and they are very comfortable.

Chloe · « **Reply #37 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 12:51:54 »

Quote from: itlnstln;23577

Personally, I like the cheap "thick mousepad" style rests. They seem to be not too high or too short, and they are very comfortable.

I like these too, the one I have is quite firm. I was quite skeptical about wrist rests but it's nice to have for larger keyboards.

itlnstln · « **Reply #38 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:04:05 »

Quote from: Chloe;23594

I like these too, the one I have is quite firm. I was quite skeptical about wrist rests but it's nice to have for larger keyboards.

Agreed. I like firmer rests as well. The squishy ones (gel, memory foam, etc.) don't allow me to glide around the keyboard as much I as I would like. That, and they always seem to be too high.

FKSSR · « **Reply #39 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:16:45 »

One like this?

I bought this one, but it's too pillowy.

I was thinking of getting this one, but I'm wondering if it will be too high. Maybe I should try one of the flat ones.

itlnstln · « **Reply #40 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:32:33 »

Quote

One like this?

That's pretty much it.

Chloe · « **Reply #41 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:41:31 »

This is the one I have, in grey. It doesn't smell of rubber, but the fabric is a little coarse.

itlnstln · « **Reply #42 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:46:40 »

Quote from: Chloe;23609

This is the one I have, in grey. It doesn't smell of rubber, but the fabric is a little coarse.

I have 4 that I got from eBay that are just like this in grey as well. I believe bigpook got his from the same seller. There is a picture of one in of the threads somewhere. I'll see if I can dig it up.

itlnstln · « **Reply #43 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:47:52 »

As a matter of fact, it's right here: http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=1185&page=9

FKSSR · « **Reply #44 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:49:52 »

Cool. I'm going to have to look for one of those. Having a flat one does make a lot of sense.

The pillowy one isn't bad when I'm chillaxin' with my left hand stuck on wasd. However, it's not good if I'm really typing or moving my hands very much.

itlnstln · « **Reply #45 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 13:56:12 »

I have one of the Fellowes ones on Amazon as well, and it is just fine; all of the "mousepad" types are pretty much the same other than how the foam is wrapped in fabric. You can get them from Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, Best Buy, etc.

bigpook · « **Reply #46 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 18:06:31 »

The flat wrist rest actually works better for me then the beaded one as it doesn't get in the way. That is the beaded one IS comortable but I found myself having to adjust as I moved my hands. The flat one is just flat. It works very well and doesn't get in the way.
On the plus side they are not terribly expensive either.
I don't know how people type without one.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #47 on:** Thu, 05 March 2009, 20:18:48 »

Quote from: bigpook;23649

I don't know how people type without one.

I can

If you are among those who typed without resting their wrists, then you don't need one. Prior to 2006, I find them to be a nice addition, but once I started to type without resting my wrists, it was different. I can't see myself going back to resting my wrists while typing.

I think the reason why there were less people complaining about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome during the typewriters days was because people could not rest their wrists while typing. Of course, there was not mouse at that time either.

Qwertyuiop · « **Reply #48 on:** Fri, 06 March 2009, 00:29:13 »

Quote from: Biggs;23523

Does the "IBM" puller actually work with the Model M?

Show Image

Yes, it works very well. I don't know how I'd take the keycaps off without it.

I actually got mine from Hooleon nearly 20 years ago. I bought a set of those replacement function keycaps for DOS Wordperfect 5 and the kit included this key puller.

On the subject of wrist rests, I don't like them either. I hold my wrists up as straight as possible and always have. Unfortunately I have CTS anyway.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #49 on:** Fri, 06 March 2009, 07:39:17 »

Quote from: Qwertyuiop;23684

Yes, it works very well. I don't know how I'd take the keycaps off without it.

I might order both the IBM puller and the wire one from Hooleon and "save" on shipping since I have a Customizer and a Dell AT101W. Unless of course the wire one will also pull out the keys from the Customizer. Anyone knows?

Quote

On the subject of wrist rests, I don't like them either. I hold my wrists up as straight as possible and always have. Unfortunately I have CTS anyway.

Do you have it in both wrists? If not, then your mouse may be the culprit.

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Author Topic: Received my Dell AT101W (Read 9883 times)