Author Topic: The day I got my TVS GOLD (Read 12396 times)

BucklingSpring · « **on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:41:51 »

Like many of you, I collect high end keyboards.

One day I came across this:
“TVS Gold - Keyboard - World class quality at your finger tips.”

According to their specs the mechanical switches in there are up to 50 Million cycles. I was so curious; I had to own one of these. Unfortunately the TVS GOLD is only available in India.

But wait a second… We are outsourcing stuff in India and these folks are coming here to get trained. I did couple phone calls and finally got someone kind enough to import me one of these fine pieces of Indian engineering.:bounce:

So when our very nice Indian contractor handed out the TVS Gold to me I felt like Christmas…:first: Until I had the box in my hand. Jeez, this thing is light. After taking the keyboard out of the box, my first impression was – Hikes!!! What a cheap design. I couldn’t feel any sense of quality but kept smiling: Thanks for the gift.:whoo:

I gave it a shot, used it for couple weeks and the conclusion is still the same.:puke: The key/switch design is so bad, I can’t judge the switches. If you don’t press in the middle of the key, the keycap will tilt and lock without registering the key. I never saw something that flaky. On numerous occasions, keycaps were popping out of the switches. I never had that problem before, even with 10$ keyboards.

The TVS GOLD uses the same Cherry switches as the DAS but the overall product is no match for the DAS.

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:46:11 »

Quote from: ripster;105401

I remember searching the web trying to find a source for those. I guess they sell a LOT of them.

Any pics? I'm surprised the keycap makes that big a difference in key feel.

I have a camera and the TVS handy, what would you like to see?

ch_123 · « **Reply #2 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:48:57 »

I just googled it up and found this wonderful review.

Quote

While most of us use membrane keyboards and prefer them to the mechanical ones

Some people really shouldnt be allowed to have opinions these days...

watduzhkstand4 · « **Reply #3 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:51:10 »

for some reason I thought it was gonna use some cherry switches.

I definitely want to see the whole thing =D

wellington1869 · « **Reply #4 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:51:38 »

Quote from: BucklingSpring;105402

I have a camera and the TVS handy, what would you like to see?

um, everything? It would be awesome to have a pictorial for the reviews section of the site. We dont have this one up there yet...

wellington1869 · « **Reply #5 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:52:08 »

Quote from: watduzhkstand4;105407

for some reason I thought it was gonna use some cherry switches.

I definitely want to see the whole thing =D

it does use cherries, blue cherries i believe...

wellington1869 · « **Reply #6 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:55:42 »

also how much would you sell the tvs for? (I'm assuming you dont want it anymore). PM me... Just curious...

wellington1869 · « **Reply #7 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 19:56:20 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105408

um, everything? It would be awesome to have a pictorial for the reviews section of the site. We dont have this one up there yet...

also need some pics of what you mean by the loose or flakey switches when pressed on the edge...

wellington1869 · « **Reply #8 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:00:46 »

Quote from: ripster;105416

Boy Welly, feed ya a few pics and you become ravenous.

hey, a new cherry board from halfway across the world is a new cherry board from halfway across the world - crappy or not! we've never had proper documentation on this thing tho its come up in conversation before on the forum.

ch_123 · « **Reply #9 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:03:07 »

In the review I linked above, the price was given as 1,300 rupees - which approximates to $25 according to XE. Am I missing something?

wellington1869 · « **Reply #10 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:04:37 »

I wonder if Ione is providing the internals.

bucklingspring I'll give you $20 plus shipping for it

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #11 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:06:41 »

I don't know how much they cost... Got mine for free.

Here's my biggest grip... The floating keys. See the flex?
And I'm not pressing hard.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #12 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:09:31 »

weird.

timw4mail · « **Reply #13 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:10:04 »

Quote from: BucklingSpring;105422

I don't know how much they cost... Got mine for free.

Here's my biggest grip... The floating keys. See the flex?
And I'm not pressing hard.

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Pop off a keycap, and let us see the switches.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #14 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:12:11 »

The TP2 had very loose keys too. It wasnt bad to type on tho, just different. It "rattled' a bit more as you typed.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #15 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:18:58 »

<----- oh no, 3000!

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #16 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:26:29 »

Quote from: timw4mail;105427

Pop off a keycap, and let us see the switches.

Voilà... See how thin the plastic is around the "cross" to hook on the switch. That probably explains why so much flex.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
<----------- 7

ROFL

wellington1869 · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:32:36 »

Quote from: BucklingSpring;105437

Voilà... See how thin the plastic is around the "cross" to hook on the switch. That probably explains why so much flex.

interesting. cheap materials - it aint no filco, thats for sure

Quote

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
<----------- 7

ROFL

lol

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #18 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:32:48 »

And for all the purists in you...

The underwear shot - Can't even plug a sticker straight

wellington1869 · « **Reply #19 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:34:22 »

Quote from: ripster;105439

These MUST cost more than $30 - Blue Cherries are expensive even in volume.

its possible that even cherry corp prices differently for india. everything in india is dirt cheap once you convert to dollars.

timw4mail · « **Reply #20 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:35:32 »

Hmm... imported those would be the cheapest blue-cherry keyboards available...how well does the key matrix work?

wellington1869 · « **Reply #21 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:36:41 »

Quote from: BucklingSpring;105441

And for all the purists in you...

The underwear shot - Can't even plug a sticker straight

Show Image

lol, thats definitely made in india ;D pretty crappy. give 'em time...

(please dont go all "professor gates" on me. I'm indian).

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #22 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:38:04 »

Quote from: ripster;105439

Don't worry about the 7. We can't insult you until you reach 10.

Nice pics. So maybe you should get blank Filco keys? Except then the keys cost more than the keyboard.

These MUST cost more than $30 - Blue Cherries are expensive even in volume.

Tell me about the nice pics. With the light I have at my desk it took me about 20 freakin shots to get a clear one of the blue cherry.

Can't wait for 10... Do I get a cake or something?

wellington1869 · « **Reply #23 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:39:38 »

Quote from: timw4mail;105443

Hmm... imported those would be the cheapest blue-cherry keyboards available...

i'm sure they must have some kind of tariff thing in the way, at least if you were going to do it in bulk...

Quote

how well does the key matrix work?

good question - any n-key or missed stroke issues like on the das?

wellington1869 · « **Reply #24 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:40:10 »

Quote from: BucklingSpring;105446

Can't wait for 10... Do I get a cake or something?

no, just insults

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:43:17 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105444

lol, thats definitely made in india pretty crappy. give 'em time...

(please dont go all "professor gates" on me. I'm indian).

I know, I feel guilty. I was in Delhi just last week. I really like Indians.

I also have enough integrity to say sh!t when I see some or smell some.
This TVS GOLD is not the Taj Mahal of keyboards.

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:47:24 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105421

I wonder if Ione is providing the internals.

bucklingspring I'll give you $20 plus shipping for it

Nah... Sorry, even if it is the blacksheep of my collection, I will keep it.

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:50:35 »

Quote from: timw4mail;105443

Hmm... imported those would be the cheapest blue-cherry keyboards available...how well does the key matrix work?

Euh... what's a key matrix? (Sorry, English is not what I speak at home)

wellington1869 · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 20:51:25 »

Quote from: BucklingSpring;105451

Nah... Sorry, even if it is the blacksheep of my collection, I will keep it.

I dont blame you. oh well. If you ever want to dump it tho pm me.

das III rollover issue thread: http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=4691 The scorpius didnt have these issues. I wonder if the tvs gold has scorpius innards.

seriously tho at some point you should put these pics in the keyboard review section (along with some close up pics of the circuit board inside so we can see the quality (or lack thereof) there (and the manufacturer and etc). I'd also be curious if swapping the keycap makes the flex problem go away.
Also how does it sound? You know we have a lovely keyboard audio section as well, just waiting for your usb microphone and your mp3 recording skills...

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 21:07:04 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105454

I dont blame you. oh well. If you ever want to dump it tho pm me.

das III rollover issue thread: http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=4691 The scorpius didnt have these issues. I wonder if the tvs gold has scorpius innards.

seriously tho at some point you should put these pics in the keyboard review section (along with some close up pics of the circuit board inside so we can see the quality (or lack thereof) there (and the manufacturer and etc). I'd also be curious if swapping the keycap makes the flex problem go away.
Also how does it sound? You know we have a lovely keyboard audio section as well, just waiting for your usb microphone and your mp3 recording skills...

The TVS I got is a PS2. Isn't the N-Key rollover problem/limitation a USB only issue? I know it is for the Deck.

I think my TVS got enough attention for tonight. Much more then expected that's for sure. I'm not in the mood to peel it. If I ever get really really bore, I might do it but don't hold your breath for that.

As for the sound. Cheap cheap cheap plastic on plastic. What makes it worst is how the board actually resonate when the key hit bottom. Something between a cracked guitar case and rusty toaster.

I have a strong love-hate relationship with this device.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 21:11:10 »

thanks for the info and pics bucklingsprings

despite your glowing review, I just asked my cousin who happens to be in india right now to pick one up for me

guess I'll put up the deets once I have it. wont be for another 2 months tho.

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 21:20:04 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105460

thanks for the info and pics bucklingsprings

despite your glowing review, I just asked my cousin who happens to be in india right now to pick one up for me

guess I'll put up the deets once I have it. wont be for another 2 months tho.

You are very welcome. I'm sorry I spoiled your expectations with the review. It also took me couple months to get mine and I was just like a kid waiting for Xmass. Expectations were so high. I thought it was the deal of the century.

Taking this thing out of the box was like watching Rosemary giving birth.
(If you are old enough to remember Rosemary’s baby)

But the guy was so nice to bring it and give it for free. I had no other choice then expressing my gratitude for the gesture.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #32 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 21:27:21 »

lol, wow its that bad huh? well, even rosemary's baby was, uh, interesting

Well, its cheap enough to pick up on a whim and if I dont like it I figure I should be able to sell it to others who are curious, either here or on ebay.

Its funny, I know other indian tech workers who sing its praises too. I guess topres havent reached india yet (or M's for that matter

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #33 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 21:45:23 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105468

lol, wow its that bad huh? well, even rosemary's baby was, uh, interesting
Its funny, I know other indian tech workers who sing its praises too. I guess topres havent reached india yet (or M's for that matter

Maybe a tiny notch of exaggeration. I guess if you are accurate enough to always hit the sweep spot of the keys (center) at each finger tips then it would probably work well for a long time.

But for me, if you give me a large key, I am expecting to be able to press it anywhere and still get a smooth action resulting in a proper registration. The TVS is performing poorly in that regard.

I just recall a fun fact about TVS and Cherry Corp. These two are no business strangers. Actually I think they got few joint ventures out there. So that might also explain how TVS can come up with such a cheap price for a Cherry board.

Hak Foo · « **Reply #34 on:** Wed, 29 July 2009, 22:53:35 »

It would be interesting to slap some Cherry or Filco caps on the TVS keys and see it it remedies the jamming.

cmr · « **Reply #35 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 00:53:12 »

holy **** it's a tvs gold

xsphat · « **Reply #36 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 02:07:02 »

Quote from: ripster;105497

hey, my key XXX is not working!".

Dude, the TVS has a XXX key? I'm all about it now. I'll give him $21 + shipping for it.

lowpoly · « **Reply #37 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 04:04:43 »

Quote from: ripster;105439

Blue Cherries are expensive even in volume.

Not really. At least when talking about volume, not volume.

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #38 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 07:15:49 »

Quote from: ripster;105497

That reminds me of one of the posts in the review that was linked earlier.

Some of the posts are hilarious but MOST are "hey, my key XXX is not working!".

Indeed.

"These keyboards are a true gift for programmers like me."
Rright! It was a true gift for me too. :-)

As couple of you already mentionned. I'd also bet replacing the keycaps would cure the bad key flex.

How much for a decent key set?

Uh-Oh - my unit must be "defecated" too, because I can't find the XXX key either
- known workaround: use autohotkey and bind "ENTER" to "www.hothindubabes.com"

itlnstln · « **Reply #39 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 09:12:13 »

Quote from: Hak Foo;105477

It would be interesting to slap some Cherry or Filco caps on the TVS keys and see it it remedies the jamming.

I was going to mention the same thing. It looks like they would fit this 'board, too.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #40 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 10:38:18 »

Quote from: ripster;105569

Well, I think it's pretty much a sure thing but where can you get cheap Cherry MX keys? Even the Filco blanks are $30, more than the board is worth.

it would rock with some filco keys on it. And the filco keys would bump its value to $30 plus $20

you should see it as an investment

Getting a blue cherry board with filco keys for $50 total isnt a bad deal really. Thats still cheaper than a scorpius by almost $20.

Alternately, you could pick up a cheap black cherry POS (point of sale) type board on ebay, you can get those for cheap sometimes especially from some of the lesser-loved cherry boards. I picked up my brown cherry board on ebay for $15 or $20 shipped. You could prolly get a black cherry board for about that on ebay. Not bad just to harvest its key caps.

itlnstln · « **Reply #41 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 10:54:27 »

Quote from: wellington1869;105593

it would rock with some filco keys on it. And the filco keys would bump its value to $30 plus $20 you should see it as an investment Getting a blue cherry board with filco keys for $50 total isnt a bad deal really. Thats still cheaper than a scorpius by almost $20.

Alternately, you could pick up a cheap black cherry POS (point of sale) type board on ebay, you can get those for cheap sometimes especially from some of the lesser-loved cherry boards. I picked up my brown cherry board on ebay for $15 or $20 shipped. You could prolly get a black cherry board for about that on ebay. Not bad just to harvest its key caps.

He didn't pay for the 'board, so perhaps $30 isn't too bad of an investment to try to reap some benefit from this 'board. Like Welly said, he could probably get a Cherry MX-11900 on eBay for fairly cheap to harvest black keycaps from, as well.

In any case, the 'board was free, so a few bucks to get some better keycaps wouldn't be a bad investment (as long as the "bones" are good).

itlnstln · « **Reply #42 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 11:16:05 »

Quote from: ripster;105601

Just remember the stabilizer mechanisms and those pesky ALT/CTRL keys often vary in size.

True, but even if he had to live with those, it would still be a win since most of the key would have been replaced.

itlnstln · « **Reply #43 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 11:31:57 »

Quote from: ripster;105606

We'll see if Bucky Goes for The Gold!

Ugh - I get a feeling the keys aren't gonna be the only problem with this board. Has that distinctive Unicomp look.

Need to spice up that logo and have a Red ESC key - Garam style!

C'mon, now. That logo sets the "Gold" standard for everyone else to emulate.

On a more serious note. That logo sucks. I mean, at least Unicomp has a black sticker for their black keyboards.

itlnstln · « **Reply #44 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 11:47:15 »

Quote from: ripster;105608

This spices it up a bit.

Hmm... still not doing it for me. I would take the sticker off. I mean, Filco is a name (and logo) that I can be proud of tacked on to my keyboard. TVS... not so much. It sounds like the call letters for a television superstation.

itlnstln · « **Reply #45 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 13:10:05 »

I love UHF. It's one of about 10 DVDs I own.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #46 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 15:48:40 »

"Garam style" - lol!

I might not even mind the "flex key" feature. Depends on how bad it is I guess. I mean like I said the TP2 keys rattled all over the place, but in a way thats what gave that board a special 'character' and personality.

Besides, I think acquiring a TVS board is a novelty in the same way that those chinese dvd's are that you can buy off the street in china. You know they're ripped off and poor quality, and yet they're often the most novel and talked about item in your room

Some kind of fascinating symbol of the pace and travails of globalization (or something.)

wellington1869 · « **Reply #47 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 15:52:52 »

and just think, maybe by buying this keyboard you're helping some child assembly line laborer in a remote village buy his first nintendo

An act of charity

itlnstln · « **Reply #48 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 16:18:08 »

If I have problems with my TVS Gold and I call Customer Service, do I get someone based here in the US?

Just wondering.

BucklingSpring · « **Reply #49 on:** Thu, 30 July 2009, 18:30:02 »

Quote from: ripster;105608

This spices it up a bit.

Ouhahahaha.

Anyhow. Thank you guys for being very creative. If I was lost on an island and have to chose between that TVS GOLD and a goat, I would probably go for the goat even with this red hot ESC key.

I’m sitting here on a stack of great keyboards. I really have no need to improve the TVS.

But you are right, with couple mods it can turn into a viable option if you can’t afford a nice board.

News:

Author Topic: The day I got my TVS GOLD (Read 12396 times)